Countering Islamic Propaganda: 3:151

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It's much easier to act as if critics of Islam have a problem with Muslims as people than it is to accept the uncomfortable truth that Islam is different

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What can we learn about
Islam from this woman?

"Discover the Truth's" Game

3:151
"We Shall Cast Terror
into the Hearts of Those
Who Disbelieve"

From Discover the Truth:

The promise of casting awe and fear into the hearts of the disbelievers in this verse was made in the background of the battle of Uhud
(August 22, 2014)

What the Quran Says

3:151 We shall cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve, because they joined others in worship with Allah, for which He had sent no authority; their abode will be the Fire and how evil is the abode of the Zalimun

What the Apologists Want You to Believe

DTT wants readers to believe that Allah wasn't saying that he was going to "cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve, because they joined others in worship with Allah" but because of something else. Obviously, it's a hard sell.

They appeal to historical context not found in the passage, stating that Sura 3 was narrated in the aftermath of the Battle of Uhud, a humiliating defeat for the Muslims which DTT says occurred "without any obvious reason."

How They Do It: 'Adding' to the Quran

Allah left a lot out, it seems. From the DTT article, it appears that he should have said something like "I will cast terror into the hearts of those who are looking to hurt you, so that they won't hurt you."

How They Do It: Citing Contemporary Apologists and Weak Hadith

DTT finds three lesser known scholars to explain the real meaning of 3:151.

How They Do It: Ignoring Reliable Sources

Ibn Kathir has a more straight-forward interpretation:

Allah next (v.151) conveys the good news that He will put fear of the Muslims, and feelings of subordination to the Muslims in the hearts of their disbelieving enemies, because of their Kufr and Shirk. And Allah has prepared torment and punishment for them in the Hereafter.

'Kufr' means unbelief, 'shirk' means polytheism.

Why They are Wrong

Yes, Sura 3 was narrated in the aftermath of the Battle of Uhud. That doesn't change how it reads. Neither was Uhud an unprovoked attack. It followed the Battle of Badr, in which Muslims staged a successful and deadly raid on a caravan that turned into a military victory in which many prominent Quraish were killed.

That's a pretty "obvious reason" that makes DTT's sources all the less credible for ignoring. Had the Quraish been the ones raiding Muslim caravans and killing Muslim leaders who went out to defend them, the apologists be hailing it as a just cause for battle - and they would be right.

Still, the basic problem for DTT is that verse 151 plainly states why the unbelievers will be "terrified," and it isn't because they are threatening anyone. It is because they have "joined others in worship to Allah" - in other words, their practice of polytheism... their religious beliefs. (Later in the Quran, Christians are also accused of joining partners with Allah, since they believe in the Trinity).

The polytheists of the day were actually practicing their religion as they had for centuries without any terror from Allah. It was only when Muhammad's band began their campaign of violence that the polytheists began to fear - not Allah, but Muhammad.

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3:151 "We Shall Cast Terror into the Hearts of Those Who Disbelieve"