Monday, September 20, 2021
Friday, September 03, 2021
True Story of Abraham
Story of Abraham compiled from the verses of Holy Qur’an
(English translation quoted from Sahih International)
Compiled by Muhammad Nasim (mohnasim@gmail.com)
6.74 And [mention, O Muhammad], when Abraham said to his father Azar, "Do you take idols as deities? Indeed, I see you and your people to be in manifest error."
6.75 And thus did We show Abraham the realm of the heavens and the earth that he would be among the certain [in faith]
6.76 So when the night covered him [with darkness], he saw a star. He said, "This is my lord." But when it set, he said, "I like not those that disappear."
6.77 And when he saw the moon rising, he said, "This is my lord." But when it set, he said, "Unless my Lord guides me, I will surely be among the people gone astray."
6.78 And when he saw the sun rising, he said, "This is my lord; this is greater." But when it set, he said, "O my people, indeed I am free from what you associate with Allah.
6.79 Indeed, I have turned my face toward He who created the heavens and the earth, inclining toward truth, and I am not of those who associate others with Allah."
6.80 And his people argued with him. He said, "Do you argue with me concerning Allah while He has guided me? And I fear not what you associate with Him [and will not be harmed] unless my Lord should will something. My Lord encompasses all things in knowledge; then will you not remember?
6.81 And how should I fear what you associate while you do not fear that you have associated with Allah that for which He has not sent down to you any authority? So which of the two parties has more right to security, if you should know?
6.82 They who believe and do not mix their belief with injustice - those will have security, and they are [rightly] guided.
6.83 And that was Our [conclusive] argument which We gave Abraham against his people. We raise by degrees whom We will. Indeed, your Lord is Wise and Knowing.
6.84 And We gave to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob - all [of them] We guided. And Noah, We guided before; and among his descendants, David and Solomon and Job and Joseph and Moses and Aaron. Thus do We reward the doers of good.
6.85 And Zechariah and John and Jesus and Elias – and all were of the righteous.
6.86 And Ishmael and Elisha and Jonah and Lot – and all [of them] We preferred over the worlds.
21.51 And We had certainly given Abraham his sound judgement before, and We were of him well-Knowing
21.52 When he said to his father and his people, "What are these statues to which you are devoted?"
21.53 They said, "We found our fathers worshippers of them."
21.54 He said, "You were certainly, you and your fathers, in manifest error."
21.55 They said, "Have you come to us with truth, or are you of those who jest?"
21.56 He said, "[No], rather, your Lord is the Lord of the heavens and the earth who created them, and I, to that, am of those who testify.
21.57 And [I swear] by Allah, I will surely plan against your idols after you have turned and gone away."
21.58 So he made them into fragments, except a large one among them, that they might return to it [and question].
21.59 They said, "Who has done this to our gods? Indeed, he is of the wrongdoers."
21.60 They said, "We heard a young man mention them who is called Abraham."
21.61 They said, "Then bring him before the eyes of the people that they may testify."
21.62 They said, "Have you done this to our gods, O Abraham?"
21.63 He said, "Rather, this - the largest of them - did it, so ask them, if they should [be able to] speak."
21.64 So they returned to [blaming] themselves and said [to each other], "Indeed, you are the wrongdoers."
21.65 Then they reversed themselves, [saying], "You have already known that these do not speak!"
21.66 He said, "Then do you worship instead of Allah that which does not benefit you at all or harm you?
21.67 Uff to you and to what you worship instead of Allah. Then will you not use reason?"
21.68 They said, "Burn him and support your gods - if you are to act."
21.69 Allah said, "O fire, be coolness and safety upon Abraham."
21.70 And they intended for him harm, but We made them the greatest losers
21.71 And We delivered him and Lot to the land which We had blessed for the worlds.
26.69 And recite to them the news of Abraham,
26.70 When he said to his father and his people, "What do you worship?"
26.71 They said, "We worship idols and remain to them devoted."
26.72 He said, "Do they hear you when you supplicate?
26.73 Or do they benefit you, or do they harm?"
26.74 They said, "But we found our fathers doing thus."
26.75 He said, "Then do you see what you have been worshipping,
26.76 You and your ancient forefathers?
26.77 Indeed, they are enemies to me, except the Lord of the worlds,
26.78 Who created me, and He [it is who] guides me.
26.79 And it is He who feeds me and gives me drink.
26.80 And when I am ill, it is He who cures me
26.81 And who will cause me to die and then bring me to life
26.82 And who I aspire that He will forgive me my sin on the Day of Recompense."
26.83 [And he said], "My Lord, grant me authority and join me with the righteous.
26.84 And grant me a reputation of honor among later generations.
26.85 And place me among the inheritors of the Garden of Pleasure.
26.86 And forgive my father. Indeed, he has been of those astray.
26.87 And do not disgrace me on the Day they are [all] resurrected -
26.88 The Day when there will not benefit [anyone] wealth or children
26.89 But only one who comes to Allah with a sound heart."
26.90 And Paradise will be brought near [that Day] to the righteous.
26.91 And Hellfire will be brought forth for the deviators,
19.54 And mention in the Book, Ishmael. Indeed, he was true to his promise, and he was a messenger and a prophet.
19.55 And he used to enjoin on his people prayer and zakah and was to his Lord pleasing.
37.83 And indeed, among his kind was Abraham,
37.84 When he came to his Lord with a sound heart
37.85 [And] when he said to his father and his people, "What do you worship?
37.86 Is it falsehood [as] gods other than Allah you desire?
37.87 Then what is your thought about the Lord of the worlds?"
37.88 And he cast a look at the stars
37.89 And said, "Indeed, I am [about to be] ill."
37.90 So they turned away from him, departing.
37.91 Then he turned to their gods and said, "Do you not eat?
37.92 What is [wrong] with you that you do not speak?"
37.93 And he turned upon them a blow with [his] right hand.
37.94 Then the people came toward him, hastening.
37.95 He said, "Do you worship that which you [yourselves] carve,
37.96 While Allah created you and that which you do?"
37.97 They said, "Construct for him a furnace and throw him into the burning fire."
37.98 And they intended for him a plan, but We made them the most debased.
37.99 And [then] he said, "Indeed, I will go to [where I am ordered by] my Lord; He will guide me.
37.100 My Lord, grant me [a child] from among the righteous."
37.101 So We gave him good tidings of a forbearing boy.
37.102 And when he reached with him [the age of] exertion, he said, "O my son, indeed I have seen in a dream that I [must] sacrifice you, so see what you think." He said, "O my father, do as you are commanded. You will find me, if Allah wills, of the steadfast."
37.103 And when they had both submitted and he put him down upon his forehead,
37.104 We called to him, "O Abraham,
37.105 You have fulfilled the vision." Indeed, We thus reward the doers of good.
37.106 Indeed, this was the clear trial.
37.107 And We ransomed him with a great sacrifice,
37.108 And We left for him [favorable mention] among later generations:
37.109 "Peace upon Abraham."
37.110 Indeed, We thus reward the doers of good.
37.111 Indeed, he was of Our believing servants.
37.112 And We gave him good tidings of Isaac, a prophet from among the righteous.
37.113 And We blessed him and Isaac. But among their descendants is the doer of good and the clearly unjust to himself.
19.46 [His father] said, "Have you no desire for my gods, O Abraham? If you do not desist, I will surely stone you, so avoid me a prolonged time."
19.47 [Abraham] said, "Peace will be upon you. I will ask forgiveness for you of my Lord. Indeed, He is ever gracious to me.
19.48 And I will leave you and those you invoke other than Allah and will invoke my Lord. I expect that I will not be in invocation to my Lord unhappy."
19.49 So when he had left them and those they worshipped other than Allah, We gave him Isaac and Jacob, and each [of them] We made a prophet.
19.50 And We gave them of Our mercy, and we made for them a reputation of high honor.
15.51 And inform them about the guests of Abraham,
15.52 When they entered upon him and said, "Peace." [Abraham] said, "Indeed, we are fearful of you."
15.53 [The angels] said, "Fear not. Indeed, we give you good tidings of a learned boy."
15.54 He said, "Have you given me good tidings although old age has come upon me? Then of what [wonder] do you inform?"
15.55 They said, "We have given you good tidings in truth, so do not be of the despairing."
15.56 He said, "And who despairs of the mercy of his Lord except for those astray?"
15.57 [Abraham] said, "Then what is your business [here], O messengers?"
15.58 They said, "Indeed, we have been sent to a people of criminals,
15.59 Except the family of Lot; indeed, we will save them all
15.60 Except his wife." Allah decreed that she is of those who remain behind.
11.69 And certainly did Our messengers come to Abraham with good tidings; they said, "Peace." He said, "Peace," and did not delay in bringing [them] a roasted calf.
11.70 But when he saw their hands not reaching for it, he distrusted them and felt from them apprehension. They said, "Fear not. We have been sent to the people of Lot."
11.71 And his Wife was standing, and she smiled. Then We gave her good tidings of Isaac and after Isaac, Jacob.
11.72 She said, "Woe to me! Shall I give birth while I am an old woman and this, my husband, is an old man? Indeed, this is an amazing thing!"
11.73 They said, "Are you amazed at the decree of Allah? May the mercy of Allah and His blessings be upon you, people of the house. Indeed, He is Praiseworthy and Honorable."
11.74 And when the fright had left Abraham and the good tidings had reached him, he began to argue with Us concerning the people of Lot.
11.75 Indeed, Abraham was forbearing, grieving and [frequently] returning [to Allah].
11.76 [The angels said], "O Abraham, give up this [plea]. Indeed, the command of your Lord has come, and indeed, there will reach them a punishment that cannot be repelled."
22.26 And [mention, O Muhammad], when We designated for Abraham the site of the House, [saying], "Do not associate anything with Me and purify My House for those who perform Tawaf and those who stand [in prayer] and those who bow and prostrate.
22.27 And proclaim to the people the Hajj [pilgrimage]; they will come to you on foot and on every lean camel; they will come from every distant pass –
22.28 That they may witness benefits for themselves and mention the name of Allah on known days over what He has provided for them of [sacrificial] animals. So eat of them and feed the miserable and poor.
22.77 O you who have believed, bow and prostrate and worship your Lord and do good - that you may succeed.
22.78 And strive for Allah with the striving due to Him. He has chosen you and has not placed upon you in the religion any difficulty. [It is] the religion of your father, Abraham. Allah named you "Muslims" before [in former scriptures] and in this [revelation] that the Messenger may be a witness over you and you may be witnesses over the people. So establish prayer and give zakah and hold fast to Allah. He is your protector; and excellent is the protector, and excellent is the helper.
14.35 And [mention, O Muhammad], when Abraham said, "My Lord, make this city [Makkah] secure and keep me and my sons away from worshipping idols.
14.36 My Lord, indeed they have led astray many among the people. So whoever follows me - then he is of me; and whoever disobeys me - indeed, You are [yet] Forgiving and Merciful.
14.37 Our Lord, I have settled some of my descendants in an uncultivated valley near Your sacred House, our Lord, that they may establish prayer. So make hearts among the people incline toward them and provide for them from the fruits that they might be grateful.
14.38 Our Lord, indeed You know what we conceal and what we declare, and nothing is hidden from Allah on the earth or in the heaven.
14.39 Praise to Allah, who has granted to me in old age Ishmael and Isaac. Indeed, my Lord is the Hearer of supplication.
16.120 Indeed, Abraham was a [comprehensive] leader, devoutly obedient to Allah, inclining toward truth, and he was not of those who associate others with Allah .
16.121 [He was] grateful for His favors. Allah chose him and guided him to a straight path.
16.122 And We gave him good in this world, and indeed, in the Hereafter he will be among the righteous.
16.123 Then We revealed to you, [O Muhammad], to follow the religion of Abraham, inclining toward truth; and he was not of those who associate with Allah.
19.58 Those were the ones upon whom Allah bestowed favor from among the prophets of the descendants of Adam and of those We carried [in the ship] with Noah, and of the descendants of Abraham and Israel, and of those whom We guided and chose. When the verses of the Most Merciful were recited to them, they fell in prostration and weeping.
2.124 And [mention, O Muhammad], when Abraham was tried by his Lord with commands and he fulfilled them. [ Allah] said, "Indeed, I will make you a leader for the people." [Abraham] said, "And of my descendants?" [ Allah] said, "My covenant does not include the wrongdoers."
2.125 And [mention] when We made the House a place of return for the people and [a place of] security. And take, [O believers], from the standing place of Abraham a place of prayer. And We charged Abraham and Ishmael, [saying], "Purify My House for those who perform Tawaf and those who are staying [there] for worship and those who bow and prostrate [in prayer]."
2.126 And [mention] when Abraham said, "My Lord, make this a secure city and provide its people with fruits - whoever of them believes in Allah and the Last Day." [ Allah] said. "And whoever disbelieves - I will grant him enjoyment for a little; then I will force him to the punishment of the Fire, and wretched is the destination."
2.127 And [mention] when Abraham was raising the foundations of the House and [with him] Ishmael, [saying], "Our Lord, accept [this] from us. Indeed You are the Hearing, the Knowing.
2.128 Our Lord, and make us Muslims [in submission] to You and from our descendants a Muslim nation [in submission] to You. And show us our rites and accept our repentance. Indeed, You are the Accepting of repentance, the Merciful.
2.129 Our Lord, and send among them a messenger from themselves who will recite to them Your verses and teach them the Book and wisdom and purify them. Indeed, You are the Exalted in Might, the Wise."
2.130 And who would be averse to the religion of Abraham except one who makes a fool of himself. And We had chosen him in this world, and indeed he, in the Hereafter, will be among the righteous.
2.131 When his Lord said to him, "Submit", he said "I have submitted [in Islam] to the Lord of the worlds."
2.132 And Abraham instructed his sons [to do the same] and [so did] Jacob, [saying], "O my sons, indeed Allah has chosen for you this religion, so do not die except while you are Muslims."
2.133 Or were you witnesses when death approached Jacob, when he said to his sons, "What will you worship after me?" They said, "We will worship your God and the God of your fathers, Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac - one God. And we are Muslims [in submission] to Him."
2.134 That was a nation which has passed on. It will have [the consequence of] what it earned, and you will have what you have earned. And you will not be asked about what they used to do.
2.135 They say, "Be Jews or Christians [so] you will be guided." Say, "Rather, [we follow] the religion of Abraham, inclining toward truth, and he was not of the polytheists."
2.136 Say, [O believers], "We have believed in Allah and what has been revealed to us and what has been revealed to Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac and Jacob and the Descendants and what was given to Moses and Jesus and what was given to the prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and we are Muslims [in submission] to Him."
2.137 So if they believe in the same as you believe in, then they have been [rightly] guided; but if they turn away, they are only in dissension, and Allah will be sufficient for you against them. And He is the Hearing, the Knowing.
2.138 [And say, "Ours is] the religion of Allah. And who is better than Allah in [ordaining] religion? And we are worshippers of Him."
2.139 Say, [O Muhammad], "Do you argue with us about Allah while He is our Lord and your Lord? For us are our deeds, and for you are your deeds. And we are sincere [indeed and intention] to Him."
2.140 Or do you say that Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac and Jacob and the Descendants were Jews or Christians? Say, "Are you more knowing or is Allah?" And who is more unjust than one who conceals a testimony he has from Allah? And Allah is not unaware of what you do.
2.258 Have you not considered the one who argued with Abraham about his Lord [merely] because Allah had given him kingship? When Abraham said, "My Lord is the one who gives life and causes death," he said, "I give life and cause death." Abraham said, "Indeed, Allah brings up the sun from the east, so bring it up from the west." So the disbeliever was overwhelmed [by astonishment], and Allah does not guide the wrongdoing people.
2.259. Or [consider such an example] as the one who passed by a township which had fallen into ruin. He said, "How will Allah bring this to life after its death?" So Allah caused him to die for a hundred years; then He revived him. He said, "How long have you remained?" The man said, "I have remained a day or part of a day." He said, "Rather, you have remained one hundred years. Look at your food and your drink; it has not changed with time. And look at your donkey; and We will make you a sign for the people. And look at the bones [of this donkey] - how We raise them and then We cover them with flesh." And when it became clear to him, he said, "I know that Allah is over all things competent."
2.260 And [mention] when Abraham said, "My Lord, show me how You give life to the dead." [ Allah] said, "Have you not believed?" He said, "Yes, but [I ask] only that my heart may be satisfied." [ Allah] said, "Take four birds and commit them to yourself. Then [after slaughtering them] put on each hill a portion of them; then call them - they will come [flying] to you in haste. And know that Allah is Exalted in Might and Wise."
3.33 Indeed, Allah chose Adam and Noah and the family of Abraham and the family of 'Imran over the worlds -
3.65 O People of the Scripture, why do you argue about Abraham while the Torah and the Gospel were not revealed until after him? Then will you not reason?
3.67 Abraham was neither a Jew nor a Christian, but he was one inclining toward truth, a Muslim [submitting to Allah]. And he was not of the polytheists.
3.68 Indeed, the most worthy of Abraham among the people are those who followed him [in submission to Allah] and this prophet, and those who believe [in his message]. And Allah is the ally of the believers.
3.84 Say, "We have believed in Allah and in what was revealed to us and what was revealed to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, and the Descendants, and in what was given to Moses and Jesus and to the prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and we are Muslims [submitting] to Him."
3.95 Say, " Allah has told the truth. So follow the religion of Abraham, inclining toward truth; and he was not of the polytheists."
4.54 Or do they envy people for what Allah has given them of His bounty? But we had already given the family of Abraham the Scripture and wisdom and conferred upon them a great kingdom.
4.125 And who is better in religion than one who submits himself to Allah while being a doer of good and follows the religion of Abraham, inclining toward truth? And Allah took Abraham as an intimate friend.
4.163 Indeed, We have revealed to you, [O Muhammad], as We revealed to Noah and the prophets after him. And we revealed to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, the Descendants, Jesus, Job, Jonah, Aaron, and Solomon, and to David We gave the book [of Psalms].
6.161 Say, "Indeed, my Lord has guided me to a straight path - a correct religion - the way of Abraham, inclining toward truth. And he was not among those who associated others with Allah."
9.70 Has there not reached them the news of those before them - the people of Noah and [the tribes of] 'Aad and Thamud and the people of Abraham and the companions of Madyan and the towns overturned? Their messengers came to them with clear proofs. And Allah would never have wronged them, but they were wronging themselves.
9.114 And the request of forgiveness of Abraham for his father was only because of a promise he had made to him. But when it became apparent to Abraham that his father was an enemy to Allah, he disassociated himself from him. Indeed was Abraham compassionate and patient.
12.6 And thus will your Lord choose you and teach you the interpretation of narratives and complete His favor upon you and upon the family of Jacob, as He completed it upon your fathers before, Abraham and Isaac. Indeed, your Lord is Knowing and Wise."
29.16 And [We sent] Abraham, when he said to his people, "Worship Allah and fear Him. That is best for you, if you should know.
29.17 You only worship, besides Allah, idols, and you produce a falsehood. Indeed, those you worship besides Allah do not possess for you [the power of] provision. So seek from Allah provision and worship Him and be grateful to Him. To Him you will be returned."
29.18 And if you [people] deny [the message] - already nations before you have denied. And there is not upon the Messenger except [the duty of] clear notification.
29.19 Have they not considered how Allah begins creation and then repeats it? Indeed that, for Allah, is easy.
29.20 Say, [O Muhammad], "Travel through the land and observe how He began creation. Then Allah will produce the final creation. Indeed Allah, over all things, is competent."
29.21 He punishes whom He wills and has mercy upon whom He wills, and to Him you will be returned.
29.22 And you will not cause failure [to Allah] upon the earth or in the heaven. And you have not other than Allah any protector or any helper.
29.23 And the ones who disbelieve in the signs of Allah and the meeting with Him - those have despaired of My mercy, and they will have a painful punishment.
29.24 And the answer of Abraham's people was not but that they said, "Kill him or burn him," but Allah saved him from the fire. Indeed in that are signs for a people who believe.
29.25 And [Abraham] said, "You have only taken, other than Allah, idols as [a bond of] affection among you in worldly life. Then on the Day of Resurrection you will deny one another and curse one another, and your refuge will be the Fire, and you will not have any helpers."
29.26 And Lot believed him. [Abraham] said, "Indeed, I will emigrate to [the service of] my Lord. Indeed, He is the Exalted in Might, the Wise."
29.27 And We gave to Him Isaac and Jacob and placed in his descendants prophethood and scripture. And We gave him his reward in this world, and indeed, he is in the Hereafter among the right
29.28 And [mention] Lot, when he said to his people, "Indeed, you commit such immorality as no one has preceded you with from among the worlds.
29.29 Indeed, you approach men and obstruct the road and commit in your meetings [every] evil." And the answer of his people was not but they said, "Bring us the punishment of Allah, if you should be of the truthful."
29.30 He said, "My Lord, support me against the corrupting people."
29.31 And when Our messengers came to Abraham with the good tidings, they said, "Indeed, we will destroy the people of that Lot's city. Indeed, its people have been wrongdoers."
29.32 [Abraham] said, "Indeed, within it is Lot." They said, "We are more knowing of who is within it. We will surely save him and his family, except his wife. She is to be of those who remain behind."
33.7 And [mention, O Muhammad], when We took from the prophets their covenant and from you and from Noah and Abraham and Moses and Jesus, the son of Mary; and We took from them a solemn covenant.
33.8 That He may question the truthful about their truth. And He has prepared for the disbelievers a painful punishment.
42.13 He has ordained for you of religion what He enjoined upon Noah and that which We have revealed to you, [O Muhammad], and what We enjoined upon Abraham and Moses and Jesus - to establish the religion and not be divided therein. Difficult for those who associate others with Allah is that to which you invite them. Allah chooses for Himself whom He wills and guides to Himself whoever turns back [to Him].
43.26 And [mention, O Muhammad], when Abraham said to his father and his people, "Indeed, I am disassociated from that which you worship
43.27 Except for He who created me; and indeed, He will guide me."
43.28 And he made it a word remaining among his descendants that they might return [to it].
51.24 Has there reached you the story of the honored guests of Abraham? -
51.25 When they entered upon him and said, "[We greet you with] peace." He answered, "[And upon you] peace, [you are] a people unknown.
51.26 Then he went to his family and came with a fat [roasted] calf
51.27 And placed it near them; he said, "Will you not eat?"
51.28 And he felt from them apprehension. They said, "Fear not," and gave him good tidings of a learned boy.
51.29 And his wife approached with a cry [of alarm] and struck her face and said, "[I am] a barren old woman!"
51.30 They said, "Thus has said your Lord; indeed, He is the Wise, the Knowing."
51.31 [Abraham] said, "Then what is your business [here], O messengers?"
51.32 They said, "Indeed, we have been sent to a people of criminals
51.33 To send down upon them stones of clay,
51.34 Marked in the presence of your Lord for the transgressors."
51.35 So We brought out whoever was in the cities of the believers.
51.36 And We found not within them other than a [single] house of Muslims.
53.37 And We left therein a sign for those who fear the painful punishment.
57.26 And We have already sent Noah and Abraham and placed in their descendants prophethood and scripture; and among them is he who is guided, but many of them are defiantly disobedient.
57.27 Then We sent following their footsteps Our messengers and followed [them] with Jesus, the son of Mary, and gave him the Gospel. And We placed in the hearts of those who followed him compassion and mercy and monasticism, which they innovated; We did not prescribe it for them except [that they did so] seeking the approval of Allah. But they did not observe it with due observance. So We gave the ones who believed among them their reward, but many of them are defiantly disobedient.
Compiler’s Notes:
1. All verses in Holy Qur’an related to Abraham are mentioned above.
2. In verse 6.74 the name of Abraham’s father is Azar and not Terah who sired Abram who later changed his name to Abraham according to Torah (Genesis 11.26, 17.5).
3. God rescued Abraham when he was in trouble and protected him from harm of fire (21.69).
4. The place where God instructed Abraham to migrate (22.26) was Makkah where he was to build the House of Haj – performance of tawaf etc and not to Canaan (Genesis 12.1) nor Hebron (Genesis 13.18) as in Torah.
5. According to Qur’an Abraham was a man of honor and he never fled to Egypt or surrender his wife as his sister to anyone; neither Pharaoh (Genesis 13.13) nor to Abimelch (Genesis 20.2)
6. Israel (19.58) is mentioned as a prophet parallel to Abraham and not his descendant.
7. The family of Jacob (12.6) is mentioned in succession to Abraham but not family or children of Israel. The Torah mention of name change of Jacob to Israel (Genesis 35.1) is not supported anywhere in Qur’an.
8. There is no mention of two wives of Abraham or separate mothers of Ishmael and Isaac.
9. Abraham is depicted in the Qur’an as a man of great intellectual ability, analytical mind, truth, honesty, bravery and fortitude.
10. Abraham was the first to mention the Day of Recompence (26.82) which is the basic motive force of virtue in Abrahamic faiths.
11. Abraham is referred to in Qur’an as the father of the clan of Muhammad who descended from Ishmael.
Saturday, May 08, 2021
Sunday, May 02, 2021
Jus Primae Noctis
I first heard about the law of Prima Noctis when watching a BBC television program in Manchester, UK around 1970.
The TV presenter explained that it meant that the members of the house of lords
had the legal right to commandeer any newly married woman in their respective
realms and spend the first night after her marriage with her as they wished. He
claimed that the law was, until then, on the English statute books.
Wikipedia has a lengthy article on
the subject with 56 references that suggest the law had existed and been
practiced in Europe and elsewhere from as early as the third century BC until
abolished in certain countries as late as the 18th century CE and
made covert or voluntarily abandoned in other places.
Ref: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Droit_du_seigneur.s
Recently, I came across the
following passage from the King James version of the holy Bible:
Luke
1
a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,
1.27 to a
virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house
of David ; and the virgin’s name was
Mary.
1.28 And
the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly
favored, the Lord is with
thee : blessed art thou among women.
1.29 And
when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast
in
her mind what manner of salutation this should be.
1.30 And
the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary : for thou hast found
favor with God.
1.31 And,
behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a
son, and shalt call his name Jesus.
1.32 He
shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest ; and
the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his
father David :
1.33 and he
shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever ; and of his
kingdom there shall be no end.
1.34 Then
said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know
not a man ?
1.35 And
the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall
come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall
overshadow
thee : therefore also that holy thing which shall be
born of thee
shall be called the Son of God.
Could it be that the incident was
phrased by the scribes of King James intentionally in this way to provide
religious justification for a practice that would seem immoral in the light of
commonly understood Christian values?
Friday, April 16, 2021
A Tale of Two Abrahams
It was in the privileged region of Arabia, nearly four thousand years ago as per
Biblical records and Islamic traditions, that a man named Ibrahim (Abram or
Abraham) was born in a family of stone carvers who from his very early life,
protested against man's worship of other men and stone objects.
The story is
narrated in the Holy Qur’an as in following Verses translated by M. H. Shakir:
[6.74] And when Ibrahim said to his sire, Azar1: Do you take idols for gods?
Surely I see you and your people in manifest error.
[6.75] And thus did We show
Ibrahim the kingdom of the heavens and the earth and that he might be of those
who are sure.
[6.76] So when the night over-shadowed him, he saw a star; said
he: Is this my Lord? So when it set, he said: I do not love the setting ones.
[6.77] Then when he saw the moon rising, he said: Is this my Lord? So when it
set, he said: If my Lord had not guided me I should certainly be of the erring
people.
[6.78] Then when he saw the sun rising, he said: Is this my Lord? Is
this the greatest? So when it set, he said: O my people! surely I am clear of
what you set up (with Allah).
[6.79] Surely I have turned myself, being upright,
wholly to Him Who originated the heavens and the earth, and I am not of the
polytheists.
[2.258] Have you not considered him (Namrud) who disputed with
Ibrahim about his Lord, because Allah had given him the kingdom? When Ibrahim
said: My Lord is He who gives life and causes to die, he said: I give life and
cause death. Ibrahim said: So surely Allah causes the sun to rise from the east,
then make it rise from the west; thus he who disbelieved was confounded; and
Allah does not guide aright the unjust people.
[21.51] And certainly We gave to
Ibrahim his rectitude before, and We knew him fully well.
[21.52] When he said
to his father and his people: What are these images to whose worship you cleave?
[21.53] They said: We found our fathers worshipping them.
[21.54] He said:
Certainly you have been, (both) you and your fathers, in manifest error.
[21.55]
They said: Have you brought to us the truth, or are you one of the triflers?
[21.56] He said: Nay! your Lord is the Lord of the heavens and the earth, Who
brought them into existence, and I am of those who bear witness to this:
[21.57] And, by Allah! I will certainly do something against your idols after you go
away, turning back.
[21.58] So he broke them into pieces, except the chief of
them, that haply they may return to it.
[21.59] They said: Who has done this to
our gods? Most surely he is one of the unjust.
[21.60] They said: We heard a
youth called Ibrahim speak of them.
[21.61] Said they: Then bring him before the
eyes of the people, perhaps they may bear witness.
[21.62] They said: Have you
done this to our gods, O Ibrahim?
[21.63] He said: Surely (some doer) has done
it; the chief of them is this, therefore ask them, if they can speak.
[21.64]
Then they turned to themselves and said: Surely you yourselves are the unjust;
[21.65] Then they were made to hang down their heads: Certainly you know that
they do not speak.
[21.66] He said: What! do you then serve besides Allah what
brings you not any benefit at all, nor does it harm you?
[21.67] Fie on you and
on what you serve besides Allah; what! do you not then understand?
[21.68] They said: Burn him and help your gods, if you are going to do (anything).
[21.69] We said: O fire! be a comfort and peace to Ibrahim;
[21.70] And they desired a war on him, but We made them the greatest losers.
[21.71] And We delivered him as well as Lut (removing them) to the land which We had blessed for all people.
[21.72] And We gave him Ishaq and Yaqoub, a son's son, and We made (them) all
good.
1: According to Qur’an Abraham’s father was Azar, not Terah as in KJB
Genesis 11:26 “And Terah lived seventy years, and begat Abram, Nahor, and
Haran.”
After considerable reflection and divine guidance on the commonly
worshipped phenomena and the royal claims of divinity, he put forward the
concept of a Supreme Being, omnipotent and omnipresent, who created the world
and who alone deserved to be worshiped; that by comparison to that Being all
humans are almost equal and ought to treat each other equally and that all human
beings will have to account for all their actions on the day of judgment. The
believers of Jewism, Christianity and Islam believe that the ideas were not his
own but were the result of God’s guidance.
As he became vocal in the expression
of his ideas of human dignity, monotheistic religion and democratic attitudes,
the imperial establishment unable to counter him by argument began to feel
threatened and he was made the object of crude persecution. The refusal to
worship political and religious rulers and their deities was really a negation
of their domination, which deserved the most exemplary punishment. So much so,
that he had to leave his homeland and migrate to a distant land.
According to
merged and rationalized Biblical and Muslim traditions he left Mesopotamia (now
Iraq) and migrated to Egypt with his beautiful wife Sarah (or Serai). As per
Islamic popular texts his reputation as a man of great new ideas earned him
access to the court of the King or Pharaoh, but unfortunately the King was more
impressed by Sarah's beauty than by Prophet Ibrahim's (PBUH) philosophy. (The
Old Testament/Torah however says that Abram was forced to migrate from Canaan
due to famine Genesis 13.10).
According to generally accepted legends the
Pharaoh promptly gave him one of his prettiest maids or daughter according to
some traditions -- Hagar, hoping to make a fair exchange. But he was quite
disappointed when he discovered Sarah's complete loyalty to Ibrahim. In the
meantime, Hagar also started showing signs of having been influenced by
Ibrahim's philosophy of dignity and fidelity. The King was shattered. Here was a
man who possessed the ability to command absolute loyalty and unity of thought
with individuals close to him; something he had always wanted but never
achieved. He could not have Ibrahim (PBUH) killed. So, he simply asked him to
leave Egypt and take both women with him. If the legends are true, then the
original descendants of Ibrahim (pbuh) in Hijaz would also be of a mixed race.
The holy Qur’an does mention the aborted sacrifice of Ibrahim’s son Ismail but
does not corroborate the name or number of his wives.
Prophet Ibrahim (PBUH) on his part had learned the crucial lesson that it is futile to try to reform a
corrupt establishment by joining it and working from within. He decided to
create an institution of his own. By coincidence or design or divine guidance he
ended up in the valley of Makkah situated in the middle of mountains and only a
few meters above a great aquifer i.e., a natural underground water reservoir.
Possibly as he stood on one of the mountains around Makkah and looked around and
saw vegetation and wild animals in the mountain surrounded valley, he knew that
occasionally it rained in the area. But there was no lake at the bottom of the
valley, so where did the rainwater go? There had to be a great aquifer and
cracks in the earth through which water seeped; the same cracks could serve as
wells, or water could be stored by digging waterways and embankments. Ibrahim
was not just a stone carver and philosopher; he was a good engineer too. There
he settled with his wife who gave birth to a pious and obedient son Ismail with
whom he built a cubic structure on whose walls he wrote his inspired thesis on
human dignity proclaiming the unacceptability of man's worship of man or
objects, the equality of all men in worldly matters and the inevitability of a
day of final reckoning leading to heaven or hell. The message would have been in
hieroglyphics running in seven lines spirally along the four walls -- perhaps
the writing referred to in the Qur'an as "Sohhof Ibrahim....." (Verse 87:19). This
was Ka'bah, the first monument to what we call Democracy.
The holy Qur’an describes the event as follows:
[2.127] And when Ibrahim and Ismail raised the
foundations of the House: Our Lord! accept from us; surely Thou art the Hearing,
the Knowing:
[2.128] Our Lord! and make us both submissive to Thee and (raise)
from our offspring a nation submitting to Thee, and show us our ways of devotion
and turn to us (mercifully), surely Thou art the Oft-returning (to mercy), the
Merciful.
[2.129] Our Lord! and raise up in them an Apostle from among them who
shall recite to them Thy communications and teach them the Book and the wisdom,
and purify them; surely Thou art the Mighty, the Wise.
For hundreds of years to follow, men and women would come to walk around this Ka'bah, read the
inscriptions and meditate and get inspiration to live with dignity, freedom and
democracy. From the traditionally established direction of circumambulation
(Tawaf) it is apparent that the inscriptions on the walls of the Ka'bah were in
a language that was written and read from left to right. The kissing of the
black stone fixed at the edge from where circumambulations start and end is
exactly in line with the Arab custom of kissing a book after reading it. The
black stone of Ka'bah may have been the world's first bookmark.
Traditions indicate that with the passage of time, the Ka'bah gradually came to be known as
a place where one could acquire great knowledge and wisdom -- even magic. The
sanctity of the place would impart the visitor absolution from his sins; and the
infirm could regain health by exercising between the hills of Safa and Marwa and
drinking the mineral rich water of the nearby natural fountain of Zamzam. In
those days it was believed that sickness was the punishment for one’s sins or
was caused by evil spirits, and any place or person or object that helped people
to be cured had to have divine significance and power of atonement. So much so
that even trading caravans traveling between Northern Arabia and Yemen began to
make a detour to stop by it. Makkah thus became, maybe, the world's first city
to have simultaneously a university, a hospital, a church, an international
trading center and no king.
The following extract from Wikipedia raises serious doubts about the credibility of the Biblical accounts. “In the early to mid-20th
century leading scholars such as William F. Albright and Albrecht Alt believed
the patriarchs and matriarchs to be either real individuals or believable
composite people living in the "patriarchal age", the 2nd millennium BCE. In the
1970s, however, new conclusions about Israel's past and the biblical texts
challenged this portrait. The two works largely responsible were Thomas L.
Thompson's The Historicity of the Patriarchal Narratives (1974), and John Van
Seters' Abraham in History and Tradition (1975). Thompson's argument, based on
archaeology and ancient texts, was that no compelling evidence pointed to the
patriarchs living in the 2nd millennium and that the biblical texts reflected
first millennium conditions and concerns; Van Seters, basing himself on an
examination of the patriarchal stories, agreed with Thompson that their names,
social milieu and messages strongly suggested that they were Iron Age
creations.[7] By the beginning of the 21st century, and despite sporadic
attempts by more conservative scholars such as Kenneth Kitchen to save the
patriarchal narratives as history, archaeologists had "given up hope of
recovering any context that would make Abraham, Isaac or Jacob credible
'historical figures'".
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham#Historicity
However it seems that the western archeologists were looking for Abraham in the
wrong place. The Bible suggests that Abraham travelled from Canaan to Egypt and
back along the shores of the Mediterranean. If they had looked further south in
those areas of Saudi Arabia close to Makkah and Madinah, they might have had
better luck. Excavations at Tayma reported in 2010 CE have already revealed some
hieroglyphic inscriptions dating back to 12th century BCE.
It is strange that
although Abraham is regarded as the founder of Jewish and Christian morality,
the Old Testament depicts him as a liar who on occasion introduced his wife as
his sister to save his own life and earn riches (Genesis 13:10-16)
Genesis 13
10 And there was a famine in the land : and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn
there ; for the famine was grievous in the land.
11 And it came to pass, when he
was come near to enter into Egypt, that he said unto Sarai his wife, Behold now,
I know that thou art a fair woman to look upon :
12 therefore it shall come to pass, when the Egyptians shall see thee, that they shall say, This is his wife :
and they will kill me, but they will save thee alive.
13 Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister : that it may be well with me for thy sake ; and my soul shall
live because of thee.
14 And it came to pass, that, when Abram was come into
Egypt, the Egyptians beheld the woman that she was very fair.
15 The princes also of Pharaoh saw her, and commended her before Pharaoh : and the woman was
taken into Pharaoh’s house.
16 And he entreated Abram well for her sake : and he had sheep, and oxen, and he asses, and menservants, and maidservants, and she
asses, and camels.
The end of the episode is equally instructive as to the virtues of courage and faith in God:
17. And the Lord plagued Pharaoh and his
house with great plagues, because of Sarai, Abram’s wife.
18. And Pharaoh called
Abram, and said, What is this that thou hast done unto me ? why didst thou not
tell me that she was thy wife ?
19. Why saidst thou, She is my sister ? so I
might have taken her to me to wife : now therefore behold thy wife, take her,
and go thy way.
20. And Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him : and they sent
him away, and his wife, and all that he had.
It is obvious that Pharaoh was a decent and kindhearted person who was conned by the fugitive from Canaan.
Abram is also depicted in Bible/Torah as a heartless opportunist who banished his Egyptian wife and elder son to the desert after his old fair wife bore a son. The
tradition seems to have survived to date as in Saudi Arabia I learnt that
occasionally a Lebanese businessman visiting other countries would be
accompanied by a lady whom he would introduce as his sister who would quickly
and smartly establish intimate relation with the local official or businessman
and obtain concessions for her ‘brother’.
It is also possible that Abram and Abraham were two separate individuals, the former from northern and the latter
from southern Arabia and their legends were somehow merged somewhere in the
middle. The following Verses of the Bible, Book of Genesis Chapter 17 might have
a clue to the dramatic change:
17.1 And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God ;
walk before me, and be thou perfect.
17.5 Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham ; for a father of many nations have
I made thee.
17.15 And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt
not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be.
Having pondered the above two accounts, one is persuaded to wonder if the reported encounters of Mr. Abram
were really with God or with Satan whose mission according to Qur’an is:
[15:39] He said: My Lord! because Thou hast made life evil to me, I will certainly make
(evil) fairseeming to them on earth, and I will certainly cause them all to
deviate.
Monday, March 01, 2021
Truncated Sanitizer
When I was young, I was instructed to listen carefully and respectfully to the
ravings of mad men as they might contain clues to wisdom not found elsewhere. I
heeded the advice for the practical reason that annoying a mad person twice your
size could bode trouble. (This is a simile, not a sarcasm)
So when I heard about the controversy about putting sanitizer inside people to protect them from
coronavirus disease my ears stood up, another simile, and I recalled my
childhood mathematics tutor in Bengal who regularly put a drop of mustard oil in
his nostrils to clear his sinus of bacteria and lubricate his mind. I could not
bring myself to follow his example and convinced myself that I had oil-free
bearings in my head. Without delving in semantics or philosophical psychology
one can easily truncate sanitizer into sanity which, if introduced into people
results in a healthy and prosperous society.
Unfortunately, the real problem is
not putting it in people, the real problem is finding it. (This is humor and not
simile.)
We often tend to forget that all future viruses were taken into account
when the human genome was originally designed and we all have the thing called
immune system that can besiege and render any virus harmless before it can
damage any of the organs. So if you eat food that improves your immune system
such as fruit, nuts and dairy products and have a zest for life you should be
ok.
Although there are many antiviruses available for computers, I have not yet
seen any for people. All the hand sanitizers I have seen have ‘antibacterial’
written on them. None mentions viruses. So, I assume that anything that is
antibacterial may also be used to eliminate external viruses with faith in God
or Allah as the case may be. Soap is good protection against viruses as
according to medical people it dissolves the skin of the virus and kills it
instantly. However, if a moron on the hill advises you to add a piece of soap to
the chloroquine, don't do it. Eating, injecting or pouring soap solution in your
nose will only irritate you and may be harmful.
Ever since the non-Islamophobic
French scientist Luis Pasteur, mankind has come to believe that vaccines are the
only cure for communicable diseases. The original vaccine production technique
was to infect a horse with a bacterium, draw his blood and separate the serum
which contained the antibodies that fought the bacteria. If the antibody was
introduced into a human body, it would multiply and lie in wait to hunt the
specific bacteria for many years to come. Apparently, horse sense was able to
decode the genetic profile of the bacterium and generate a code for a DNA that
could identify and destroy the bacteria in the blood and flesh etc.
Until a few
years ago it was believed that there can be no vaccine for a viral affliction
which normally gets naturally cured within a week or two. However, with the
development of powerful computers and highly deft robots it is possible to
sequence and molest the hypothetical double helix of the DNA and find an
inverted sequence that can neutralize the original stuff. Some antivirus
vaccines are made from castrated viruses that cannot grow but can attract the
wrath of the immune system that results in the production of antibodies by a
natural process that scientist cannot imitate.
The million-dollar question now is whether it is possible to create a mental sanitizer that can bring about
sanity.
Friday, February 12, 2021
The monotheistic God
The Jews according to Torah portray God (Yahweh) as a desert wandering shrewd businessman who made many deals with individuals he thought could build Empires for him and controlled his subjects by making them oppress each other and by causing disasters.
Christian concept of God as in Bible (New Testament) is of a Playboy in the Penthouse of heaven who briefly visited the earth to immaculately impregnate Virgin Mary and then left his loved woman and innocent son at the mercy of the Romans.
Allah is the Muslims' preferred name for God. It signifies a being that embodies attributes of as many as 99 adjectives. The word Allah carries a sense of purity and majesty not conveyed by the more common word God. After centuries of bickering on its semantics, Muslim scholars , decided that the word Allah is a proper noun, rather than a derivative of the word elah which means sustainer, and collectively represents all the 99 attributes mentioned in the Holy Quran.
Tuesday, October 13, 2020
THE IMF QUAGMIRE
IMF is known to be the world's most powerful financial institution. Its board of trustees consists of representatives from various governments who have contributed its seed capital. Hence the IMF is not answerable to anybody except the largest shareholder. They are said to have the world's largest team of highest ranked economists and financial experts. They specialize in formulating mathematical models of a country's economy and analyze it. Probably they use Einstein’s tensors and supercomputers to execute their analyses. However, since my knowledge is limited to Newtonian mechanics, I would try to convey my observations in a language that my wife would understand. Blogging, in any case, is love’s labor.
From close scrutiny of the terrific things that have happened in countries that sought assistance from IMF in their hour of peril, it seems that there exists an IMF dollar that makes the ordinary US dollar disappear. Wherever this august institution extends its helping hand, severe scarcity of US dollars takes place and its price in local currency inflates, often to determined levels. This inflation of the dollar or in other words the devaluation of the local currency creates contrasting scenarios when viewed from different perspectives.
To the IMF actuaries who maintain accounts in US dollars, it results in the shrinking of the local debt in dollar terms dollars and the total debt in current dollars reduces. That is a good indicator. However, the local economists notes that whereas the local currency debt is constant the local currency equivalent of the dollar or other currency debts has increased in proportion of the devaluation and the total national debt in local currency has increased and a larger chunk of tax collected would go into debt servicing. It actually happens that way.
The tale of woes does not end there. If the GDP in local currency remains the same or increases at a rate less than the devaluation, then the GDP in current dollars will register a hefty decline. That would be a bad indicator and cause embarrassment. Now, the local currency GDP can be increased in two ways; either by rapidly increasing the volume of indigenous production or by instantly inflating the costs of goods and services. The former requires dynamism, capital goods to expand industries, finding new markets, additional skilled labor, and increased supply of raw materials assuming that additional capital is available. The latter is extremely easy, it just requires mismanagement. So, the cost of local goods and services must inflate to bring the local currency GDP to such a level that current dollar GDP exceeds the previous year’s value.
A simple numerical example should suffice to elucidate the complicated logic. Thanks to the IMF economic package USD parity grew from 100 to 160 PKR. Soon price of wheat flour rose from 40 to Rs. 64 per kg and sugar, rice, vegetables, meat, poultry, clothing, stationery, and everything else followed suit except salaries of civil servants; therefore, bribe rates and police extortion were upgraded accordingly.
Now all indicators are good, and the IMF has done a great favor to this Godforsaken nation.
Sunday, May 10, 2020
Looking Back
Here is
an excerpt from one of my old manuscripts which may seem pertinent in the present
perspective:
This
author’s thinking is based on the hypothesis that the universe has been objectively engineered with intended
perfection, but in order to allow a certain freedom of action and eventual
accountability there could be an intentional margin of deviation in God's
creations. After all, the disobedience of Satan must have been documented in
the Holy Qur’an with a purpose. True that God is perfect, but nowhere has He
proclaimed that any of His creations is also perfect. The imperfection of His
creations by no means diminishes His own greatness.
Scientists
had surmised that the Earth and the Moon had condensed from hot gases that had
spilled off the Sun, but recent discoveries haves shown that the compositions
of the Earth and the Moon differ from the Sun suggesting that the two were
formed at some remote spot in space and launched in orbit around the Sun as
also hinted in Verses 5 to 10 of Chapter 55 in Qur’an. It is possible that the Earth was targeted to
be inclined at a quarter of a right angle to its orbital plane, but actually it
turned out to be 23.5 degrees i.e. one degree more, or that the year was meant
to be exactly 360 days and not 365 and a quarter as it actually is or that the
lunar cycle was meant to be exactly thirty days but it strayed a little to
twenty nine and a half or so. A 30 day lunar month and a 360 day year would
seemingly have been a perfect combination; the phase of the moon would indicate
the date and the constellation would show the month and if we looked keenly
enough in the sky we might find a way to count the years as well. But since we
cannot change it we have no choice but to accept it as God’s wisdom. However,
we can change the course of rivers, harness the winds, seed clouds for rain and
defy gravity by flying machines to our advantage as God has given us authority
over the material universe – and we must advise and help others in finding the
right way of life.
Similarly,
disease, natural disasters and evils exist not because those were created by
God as spontaneous expressions of His wrath but as a consequence of the
imperfections of the creations; and God has set in motion a process of
evolution and guidance of human beings for the rectification of these defects
and for improvement in the quality of His creations. Adam failed the first test
he was put to and Satan rebelled on the first command he did not like. The
merciful God surely would not have built maladies, perversions and disasters
into His perfect plan of creation. Reflection on the relevant texts of the holy
Qur’an and the Bible suggests that the earth was originally planned to be a paradise
and eventually after its destruction and the Day of Judgment it will be
reconstructed as Paradise (Verse 36:81) for the pious and noble souls to live
in absolute bliss forever free from all natural disasters, bacteria, viruses
and diseases with plentiful supply of the most relished foods that will never
become stale. The perfect world to be created then is destined to last forever.
Even
more important is the fact that all the tangible knowledge of Physics, chemistry, biology, electronics,
mechanics and much of mathematics that is or will ever be
written in books is already at work in the human body and in the environment
around us. Birds can fly because they are aerodynamically designed by God and
they are born with the knowledge of aerodynamics so that they may glide or
propel themselves in air and take off and land safely. Man is not discovering
Science, but only learning to express what is already inherent in him, and so
is woman who is born with the ability to form a baby inside her. The rest is speculation.
Saturday, May 02, 2020
Military and Religion
Military and religious forces have played very significant roles in the formation of history and shaping the political geography of the earth.
The military is based on the instinct of freedom and religion on the instinct of faith which are quite diverse but individually admirable. However, both have had in places much less admired consequences and have some common characteristics.
Points of similarity between military and religious establishments are:
1. Both have an autocratic top boss.
2. Both have well defined hierarchies.
3. Both have strict dicipline.
4. Both have special education and training.
5. Both have distinctive attire or uniforms.
6. Both demand absolute loyalty from rank and file.
7. Both work in the name of a supreme authority to whom people do not have direct access.
8. Both contribute naught their country's GNP.
9. Both exploit fear of the unknown, the enemy across the border or life after death.
10. Both are quite prosperous.
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