RationalWiki:Annotated Qur'an/The City

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Annotated Qur'an
Sura 90: The City
Word-by-word translation
Alternate translations and related tafsirs
Alternate translations
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Qur'an 90:1[edit]

I swear by this land.

Qur'an 90:1 Notes[edit]

This beautiful peaceful wonderful city of God that was eventually brutally conquered in free flowing blood and where the great peaceful beautiful God threw you down on your knees with a sword hovering over your head.

Qur'an 90:2[edit]

And you are a resident of this land.

Qur'an 90:2 Notes[edit]

You live a city where a man who hallucinates about a man in the sky lives and dictates an austere brutal world view...and by sharing a city with him you certainly better agree with his world view cause when he is finally able to he will change from smiles and cheers to welcome you to his faith...to the sword.

Qur'an 90:3[edit]

And by a father and what he fathered.

Qur'an 90:3 Notes[edit]

Yes, it would be nice if people got back what they gave. Would any religion survive?

Qur'an 90:4[edit]

We created man in distress.

Qur'an 90:4 Notes[edit]

Man emerged through natural selection...not by a sky-God

Qur'an 90:5[edit]

Does he think that no one has power over him?

Qur'an 90:5 Notes[edit]

Some people shockingly don't believe that an invisible man in the sky who never shows himself or says anything...has some kind of magic power over them.

Qur'an 90:6[edit]

He says, “I have used up so much money.”

Qur'an 90:6 Notes[edit]

If you want to know the beauty and peaceful forgiveness of this invisible entity in the sky...just rejoice in all of the households he destroyed!

Qur'an 90:7[edit]

Does he think that no one sees him?

Qur'an 90:7 Notes[edit]

No they don't.

Qur'an 90:8[edit]

Did We not give him two eyes?

Qur'an 90:8 Notes[edit]

No...eyes evolved through natural selection independently dozens and dozens of times.

Qur'an 90:9[edit]

And a tongue, and two lips?

Qur'an 90:9 Notes[edit]

These also evolved a long time ago in species which are now utterly different to hairless apes.

Qur'an 90:10[edit]

And We showed him the two ways?

Qur'an 90:10 Notes[edit]

Tribal man found their own ways through the unforgiving Earth. There was no need for an invisible entity in the sky (who certainly never fed them or protected them from natural disasters and tribal war). They did it on their own and their ability to adapt to completely new landscapes and climates is truly amazing. Far more amazing than a non-existent sky-God a person imagined up.

Qur'an 90:11[edit]

But he did not brave the ascent.

Qur'an 90:11 Notes[edit]

No...man hasn't climbed up mount Everest without oxygen or jackets or climbing shoes...with the objective of reaching a magical wand at the top that you cannot see or find which will make everything awesome and perfect.

Qur'an 90:12[edit]

And what will explain to you what the ascent is?

Qur'an 90:12 Notes[edit]

They never come down and admit how hollow that wand is.

Qur'an 90:13[edit]

The freeing of a slave.

Qur'an 90:13 Notes[edit]

No...it's the opposite of freeing a slave. A slave goes from the subjugation of his personal autonomy to being able to make more choices, joining a religion because someone holds a sword over your head...means giving up personal autonomy in body, thought, mind, choice and world view. This is as wrong as an analogy can be.

Qur'an 90:14[edit]

Or the feeding on a day of hunger.

Qur'an 90:14 Notes[edit]

Muslims in Ethiopia.

Qur'an 90:15[edit]

An orphan near of kin.

Qur'an 90:15 Notes[edit]

Unadopted orphans in Afghanistan.

Qur'an 90:16[edit]

Or a destitute in the dust.

Qur'an 90:16 Notes[edit]

Palestine.

Qur'an 90:17[edit]

Then he becomes of those who believe, and advise one another to patience, and advise one another to kindness.

Qur'an 90:17 Notes[edit]

Pakistan.

Qur'an 90:18[edit]

These are the people of happiness.

Qur'an 90:18 Notes[edit]

Iran.

Qur'an 90:19[edit]

But as for those who defy Our revelations—these are the people of misery.

Qur'an 90:19 Notes[edit]

Peaceful, kind, moral, prosperous Sweden and Norway.

Qur'an 90:20[edit]

Upon them is a padlocked Fire.

Qur'an 90:20 Notes[edit]

Believe in the peaceful forgiving God or get a one way ticket to the subterranean torture chamber.