RationalWiki:Annotated Qur'an/The Cessation

Annotated Qur'an
Sura 81: The Cessation
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Qur'an 81:1 When the sun is rolled up.	Qur'an 81:1 Notes This is supposed to be a sign that the judgement day is coming. Apparently the sun will roll up into a sphere which is ironic because we know now that the sun is spherical.

Qur'an 81:2 When the stars are dimmed.	Qur'an 81:2 Notes This book is really high on the overblown drama

Qur'an 81:3 When the mountains are set in motion.	Qur'an 81:3 Notes A fairly standard fear of people at the time

Qur'an 81:4 When the relationships are suspended.	Qur'an 81:4 Notes You would think readers at the time would have showed fatigue from all the fear mongering in this book

Qur'an 81:5 When the beasts are gathered.	Qur'an 81:5 Notes But it seems that fear is a very effective way to spread a religion.

Qur'an 81:6 When the oceans are set aflame.	Qur'an 81:6 Notes Perhaps Allah would douse the whole ocean with petrol...

Qur'an 81:7 When the souls are paired.	Qur'an 81:7 Notes ... and set it on fire?

Qur'an 81:8 When the girl, buried alive, is asked:	Qur'an 81:8 Notes This book is so macabre sometimes

Qur'an 81:9 For what crime was she killed?	Qur'an 81:9 Notes Some people think this refers to female infanticide. Which would be noble. A rare noble line in the Quran.

Qur'an 81:10 When the records are made public.

Qur'an 81:10 Notes Allah has an enormous spread sheet with every action you've ever committed codified by his completely confusing set of laws you're supposed to follow if only you could figure out which laws were which and the specifics about them...which nobody can. I guess this excel file will be published online so everyone can check out what everyone else has done. I'm sure it would be so large it would be far large than exobytes.

Qur'an 81:11 When the sky is peeled away.	Qur'an 81:11 Notes More drama

Qur'an 81:12 When the Fire is set ablaze.	Qur'an 81:12 Notes People were really afraid of fire back then.

Qur'an 81:13 When Paradise is brought near.	Qur'an 81:13 Notes Oh yeah...a paradise in the sky.

Qur'an 81:14 Each soul will know what it has readied.	Qur'an 81:14 Notes Just work out the excel spread sheet algorythms and at the final cells you'll get a totally reasonable answer which is binary. 1 you go to heaven, 0 you burn forever. A totally reasonable way to sum up how someone has lived their life.

Qur'an 81:15 I swear by the galaxies.	Qur'an 81:15 Notes Not the galaxies you're thinking of.

Qur'an 81:16 Precisely running their courses.	Qur'an 81:16 Notes But does it really matter?

Qur'an 81:17 And by the night as it recedes.	Qur'an 81:17 Notes Poetry

Qur'an 81:18 And by the morn as it breathes.	Qur'an 81:18 Notes This is supposed to be frightening.

Qur'an 81:19 This is the speech of a noble messenger.	Qur'an 81:19 Notes There is nothing noble about the fear mongering message.

Qur'an 81:20 Endowed with power, eminent with the Lord of the Throne.	Qur'an 81:20 Notes People at the time saw a throne as the seat of power and so projected this onto a "God". God sits on a throne. I know it's absurd but people actual took and still take this stuff seriously.

Qur'an 81:21 Obeyed and honest.	Qur'an 81:21 Notes The good thing about Angels (a totally made up thing) is that they are apparently honest.

Qur'an 81:22 Your friend is not possessed.	Qur'an 81:22 Notes This is supposedly a claim that Muhhamed the prophet wasn't crazy...even when he claimed all this wacky nonsense was true.

Qur'an 81:23 He saw him on the luminous horizon.	Qur'an 81:23 Notes While meditating in a cave?

Qur'an 81:24 And He does not withhold knowledge of the Unseen.	Qur'an 81:24 Notes You're supposed to believe everything he said.

Qur'an 81:25 And it is not the word of an accursed devil.	Qur'an 81:25 Notes Devils are also a thing you're supposed to believe actually exist.

Qur'an 81:26 So where are you heading?	Qur'an 81:26 Notes Where oh where?

Qur'an 81:27 It is only a Reminder to all mankind.	Qur'an 81:27 Notes Allah is being kind here in reminding you.

Qur'an 81:28 To whoever of you wills to go straight.	Qur'an 81:28 Notes That means, the only way to live is as this book tells you to.

Qur'an 81:29 But you cannot will, unless God wills—The Lord of the Worlds.	Qur'an 81:29 Notes In other words, Allah will do whatever Allah wants and wishing not to experience a terrifying apocalypse that Allah puts humanity through...will not stop it from happening.