(November 30, 2011 at 3:49 pm)Rhythm Wrote: So "vilest of animals" and "knowing no good in them" is falling on deaf ears now eh?
I think those statements are speaking about a specific group of atheists, not all atheists.
For example, here's one such verse (Surah 8:55):
"Indeed, the worst of living creatures in the sight of Allah are those who have rejected Him and disbelieved, and they will not [ever] believe."
Some translations use "vilest of living creatures" while others use "worst of living creatures," but either one can be used, I think, because there's not much of a difference between them.
This particular verse is in the past tense and thus it comes under the heading of what is known as al-khaas (the specific) and not al-aam (the general) according to the science of Quranic interpretation. So, the ruling applies to some specific disbelievers (of Islam) of that time and cannot be generalized to include all disbelievers. And then it goes on to say that "they will not (ever) believe" which, again, does not necessarily apply to all disbelievers because there are many of them who do convert to Islam. Then, in the next verse, 8:56, it says that they are "The ones with whom you made a treaty but then they break their pledge every time and they do not fear Allah." So, these people may have been a group of pagans or disbelievers in Mecca who made a treaty with Muhammad but they were actually betraying him and later they became hostile to his followers. This implies that the verse is talking about a specific group of disbelievers who lived during that time.
(November 30, 2011 at 3:49 pm)Rhythm Wrote: Since when, by the way, is the Quran open to your interpretation Rayaan? Does it not say what it means and mean what it says?
The Quran is always open to interpretation. That's the only way we can understand it. At the same time, we should also try to refer to tafseers (or commentaries) of the Quran written by scholars and those who are knowledgeable about the book because they contain many information that we may not know such as the meaning of certain words, the circumstances in which a verse was revealed, the historical context, etc. Knowing those things will help us to better understand the meanings behind the verses. Indeed, the Quran says what it means and means what it says, but again, the extraction of meaning is always a matter of interpretation.
(November 30, 2011 at 3:56 pm)MysticKnight Wrote: This is what I understand of the Quran. So from this perspective, you can't say disbelievers can be good people or good at heart.
I agree with most of what you said. Yes, there are many verses which say that the disbelievers hearts are "hardened," that their is a "disease" in them, and that they are "deaf, dumb, and blind" to God's signs and revelations. However, in my opinion, that doesn't necessarily mean that there is something evil about their character or their morality. Rather, I think that such statements are used as a figurative language to describe their inability to perceive the divine. Deaf and dumb does not equal to evil. These qualities are not a reflection of their moral values.
That being said, I'm not going to judge someone at a personal level simply based on what he or she believes in. I like to see people from my own perspective.
