Hat tip An Inquiry into Islam
A friend sent me the below link, which is an article from the site, "An Inquiry Into Islam". The article gives an explanation into greater understanding in reading the Koran by reading a chronological version, as opposed to the standard versions in which the suras (chapters) are arranged beginning with the longest first and ending with the shortest.
As the article explains, by reading the Koran chronologically, as it was written over a period of several years in the life of the Prophet Mohammad, the reader can see the evolution of Mohammad's thinking according to his own life's events, first preaching, then spreading Islam by the sword. Contradictions, of which there are many, are explained by the principle of abrogation, propagated by most Islamic scholars as meaning that later writings abrogated earlier ones in case of conflict. It makes perfect sense.
http://www.inquiryintoislam.com/2014/05/modern-revelations-about-islamic.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ANon-racistUnbigotedInquiryIntoIslam+%28An+Inquiry+Into+Islam%29
The second link, below, is an earlier related article on the benefits of reading the chronological version of the Koran.
http://www.inquiryintoislam.com/2010/07/easy-way-to-read-quran.html
Not only is this advantageous in understanding the contradictions in the Koran, but it is useful in asking educated questions during those events where Islamic imams are speaking to non-Muslims and quoting all those great-sounding verses in the Koran. I think you will find that the principle of abrogation is a topic most of them would prefer to avoid.
By that logic, the alliance that the Rashidun caliphs forged with the Jews still living around Jerusalem, abrogated the contingencies inspired by economic competittion from the Jews of Khaybar, and their tactical alliance with the idolaters of Mecca.
ReplyDelete(And don't tell me nothing changes once Muhammed is dead -- because the hadiths were all written after Muhammed was dead.)