Surah 6 · Verse 83

[6:74-83] Abraham was a rational monotheist. Before his messengership, Abraham, as a young philosopher, reached the idea of the "greatest" by a series of hypothetical questions. His method of proving the existence of the creator of all things was both empirical and rational. He invited people to observe the heavenly bodies and then deduce the existence of an absolute creator from their contingent characteristics. God supports this empirical and rational methodology. Abraham, not only supported his monotheistic faith through rational arguments, but also falsified the claims of his opponents via rational arguments by breaking the little statutes of his pagan people and sparing the biggest one. When the polytheists inquired about the "disbeliever" who committed such a blasphemous act to their idols, Abraham stood up and pointed at the biggest statute, thereby forcing his people to reflect and examine their religious dogmas (21:51-67). The Quran provides a rational argument for why God cannot have partners or equals. The argument in verse 21:21-22 is a logical argument called Modus Tollens, or Denying the Consequent. Thus, it is no wonder that the Quran invites us not to be gullible. We should not follow anything without sufficient knowledge, including belief in God (17:36). Abraham's methodology of emphasizing reason, valiantly examining the religious dogmas of his people, engaging his opponents with intellectual dialogues, and occasionally modeling the thinking process for his audience, later was made famous by Socrates, a messenger of God to Greece. Socrates, like Abraham criticized the superstitions and polytheistic religious dogmas of his people through dialogues where he subjected them to a series of questions and inferences. Socrates, similarly received the wrath of the ruling class, whose authority depended on the ignorance of their subjects. The Abrahamic method has been used by many messengers of God. Thus, we are asked to follow Abraham's example (60:4). [6:83-90] In these verses, 18 names of prophets are mentioned and they are praised by God. Though the Quran refers to some of their errors and weaknesses, and underscores their human nature, they are depicted as role models. Nevertheless, through using their intellect and determination, we are informed that they worked hard to avoid temptations, sins, and injustices. The Old Testament, which was extensively distorted by Ezra and numerous Rabbis, contains many wicked and despicable acts, some of which should have been x-rated, to these role models. The New Testament's hero, however, is treated to the contrary; he is transformed into a humangod, into an oxymoron, or more accurately into a logical contradiction. Evangelicals try to defend those shameful stories as a merit, as a sign of a realistic account of the Old Testament. Knowing that numerous disgraceful and wicked stories were falsely attributed to Muhammed to justify the actions of corrupt and oppressive rulers who came after him, we are justified in speculating that the real motive behind the xrated and v-rated Biblical stories was most likely to reduce the guilt from the fabricators of the stories who themselves either committed or contemplated similar acts of sexual abuse and violence, or to reduce the guilt of their criminal friends and rulers. Indeed, this is a cynical view, and the Bible contains more than enough reasons to be cynical. For instance, according to the Old Testament, Lot had incest with his daughters while he was drunk (Genesis 19:30- 38); Judah too committed incest (Genesis 38:15-30); David tempted and committed adultery with someone else's wife and had her husband killed (2 Samuel 11:1-27); David's son rapes his sister Tamar, causing interfamily conflict. (2 Samuel 13:1-34). See the Quran 2:59.