RationalWiki:Annotated Qur'an/The Pen

Annotated Qur'an
Sura 68: The Pen
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Qur'an 68:1 Noon. By the pen, and by what they inscribe.	Qur'an 68:1 Notes A reference to the seeming authenticity of this book which was revealed to an illiterate prophet and not compiled into a book until years after his death

Qur'an 68:2 By the grace of your Lord, you are not insane.	Qur'an 68:2 Notes Must resist making jokes

Qur'an 68:3 In fact, you will have a reward that will never end.	Qur'an 68:3 Notes A bribe to believe in something strange

Qur'an 68:4 And you are of a great moral character.	Qur'an 68:4 Notes A compliment to butter you up

Qur'an 68:5 You will see, and they will see.	Qur'an 68:5 Notes Let's just wait for the future to determine if we are right or wrong. We have no solid evidence *now*, but we still need to follow the correct path before it's too late.

Qur'an 68:6 Which of you is the afflicted.	Qur'an 68:6 Notes We shall see won't we (unless there is no afterlife which there probably isn't).

Qur'an 68:7 Your Lord knows best who has strayed from His path, and He knows best the well-guided.	Qur'an 68:7 Notes God knows everything (even when you think no one is looking) because God is basically just another Big Brother.

Qur'an 68:8 So do not obey the deniers.	Qur'an 68:8 Notes Socially isolate yourself from those who are skeptical of these bizarre beliefs in this book. They might get you to see things from a different angle and question your own brainwashing. That is the worst thing that you could ever do to yourself. Skepticism of the claims of this specific religion is inherently evil.

Qur'an 68:9 They would like you to compromise, so they would compromise.	Qur'an 68:9 Notes As they try to deradicalise you from the extreme ideas in this book, stay steadforth and be as radical as this book demands. They can send you to hell by deradicalizing you and shaking your faith.

Qur'an 68:10 And do not obey any vile swearer.	Qur'an 68:10 Notes Anyone who disagrees with this book is an evil monster who is against not only us but goodness and truth and beauty. Don't talk to them to see what these people are like. They are evil and should be avoided at all costs.

Qur'an 68:11 Backbiter, spreader of slander.	Qur'an 68:11 Notes More demonizing of those skeptical of this outlandish book

Qur'an 68:12 Preventer of good, transgressor, sinner.	Qur'an 68:12 Notes There is no end to the adjectives you can hurl on those who question the ridiculous

Qur'an 68:13 Rude and fake besides.	Qur'an 68:13 Notes They left out "evil jewish homosexual communist liberal-agenda-monger", but the hatred for Jews and homosexuals will surely come up soon enough.

Qur'an 68:14 Just because he has money and children.	Qur'an 68:14 Notes It seems at the time this sura was written the people following this book were at a disadvantage and demonized those who actually did have power and influence (cause they were stopping them)

Qur'an 68:15 When Our Verses are recited to him, he says, “Myths of the ancients!”	Qur'an 68:15 Notes Is there anything else you could possibly say about those who use reason to denounce your extraordinary claims? Also, this religion's core beliefs were all believed by people long before this prophet was born, so... are these not myths of the ancients?

Qur'an 68:16 We will brand him on the muzzle.	Qur'an 68:16 Notes This is a mixture of threatening those who don't believe and taking pleasure out of the future vengeance you'll have on the doubters once you have the power to do something (which is an historically very accurate description of what was happening at the time and what actually happened once they got power)

Qur'an 68:17 We tested them, as We tested the owners of the garden, when they vowed to harvest it in the morning.	Qur'an 68:17 Notes This is an allegory to a stupid story about a petty God who wouldn't deserve our praise even if he existed.

Qur'an 68:18 Without any reservation.	Qur'an 68:18 Notes If a being that was far more moral than we could ever be...

Qur'an 68:19 But a calamity from your Lord went around it while they slept.	Qur'an 68:19 Notes ...gave a good person out of the goodness of it's heart...

Qur'an 68:20 And in the morning it was as if picked.	Qur'an 68:20 Notes ...a garden then it shouldn't be so wrapped up in demanding grattitude...

Qur'an 68:21 In the morning, they called to one another.	Qur'an 68:21 Notes ...that he would destroy it in a dramafest of a calamity...

Qur'an 68:22 “Go early to your plantation, if you are going to harvest.”	Qur'an 68:22 Notes ...and go even crazier because they doubted the sky beings existence...

Qur'an 68:23 So off they went, murmuring to one another.	Qur'an 68:23 Notes ...especially when that God gave them the ability to use logic and doubt things...

Qur'an 68:24 “No poor person is to enter it upon you today.”	Qur'an 68:24 Notes ...and the only evidence of his existence given were terribly written books by murderous religion creators...

Qur'an 68:25 And early they went, resolved in intent.	Qur'an 68:25 Notes ...a perfectly moral being wouldn't be that petty...

Qur'an 68:26 But when they saw it, they said, “We were wrong.	Qur'an 68:26 Notes ...nor as cruel...

Qur'an 68:27 We are now deprived.”	Qur'an 68:27 Notes ...and yet this God seems to take pleasure out of punishing imperfect beings...

Qur'an 68:28 The most reasonable of them said, “Did I not say to you, ‘if only you would glorify?’”	Qur'an 68:28 Notes No that isn't the most reasonable. The most reasonable would say...this petty God is ridiculous...we must dedicate our lives to overthrowing it.

Qur'an 68:29 They said, “Glory to our Lord—We were indeed in the wrong.”	Qur'an 68:29 Notes No...the God who created the whole unfair scenario was in the wrong.

Qur'an 68:30 Then they turned to one another, blaming one another.	Qur'an 68:30 Notes Divide and conquor.

Qur'an 68:31 They said, “Woe to us—we were indeed domineering.	Qur'an 68:31 Notes Self-flagellation.

Qur'an 68:32 Perhaps our Lord will give us a better substitute for it. We are turning to our Lord.”	Qur'an 68:32 Notes Wrong lesson learnt.

Qur'an 68:33 Such is the punishment; but the punishment of the Hereafter is greater, if they only knew.	Qur'an 68:33 Notes Eventually this book doesn't even try new original ways to threaten you for not believing this stuff. It's virtual copy-paste at this point.

Qur'an 68:34 For the righteous are Gardens of Delight with their Lord.	Qur'an 68:34 Notes Flattery via poetry

Qur'an 68:35 Shall We treat the Muslims like the villains?	Qur'an 68:35 Notes Questioning a fairly disturbing set of beliefs is no villanizing

Qur'an 68:36 What is the matter with you? How do you judge?	Qur'an 68:36 Notes Hey...just let us believe what we want to believe. Its not as though we are trying to enforce or beliefs onto non believers (see numerous sections in this book where this happens)

Qur'an 68:37 Or do you have a scripture in which you study.	Qur'an 68:37 Notes This suggests that the authority should come from a holy text as opposed to say, human reason. Again, this holy text is revealed to a supposedly illiterate man whose revelations would not be compiled until years after his death.

Qur'an 68:38 Wherein there is whatever you choose?	Qur'an 68:38 Notes You will only choose what God chose to predestine you to choose, so is it really a choice as far as God is concerned?

Qur'an 68:39 Or do you have oaths from Us, binding until the Day of Resurrection, that you will have whatever you demand?	Qur'an 68:39 Notes This line projects their own world view onto others in the strangest of ways, because you cannot project darkness onto the light...can you?

Qur'an 68:40 Ask them, which of them will guarantee that.	Qur'an 68:40 Notes An even stranger request that you either guarantee some fantastical gift for believing in something or its useless

Qur'an 68:41 Or do they have partners? Then let them produce their partners, if they are truthful.	Qur'an 68:41 Notes Again, prove the opposite or shut up. I am right by default and pass the burden of proof to your shoulders instead.

Qur'an 68:42 On the Day when the Shin will be exposed, and they will be called to bow down, but they will be unable.	Qur'an 68:42 Notes Fear mongering via the day of judgement when the loving forgiving God condemns his creations to cruel torture

Qur'an 68:43 Their eyes subdued, shame will cover them. They were invited to bow down when they were sound.	Qur'an 68:43 Notes Can you see the pleasure again, taken out of the future torture of non believers?

Qur'an 68:44 So leave Me to those who reject this discourse; We will proceed against them gradually, from where they do not know.	Qur'an 68:44 Notes A long term plan set up on how to deal with people who resist the crazy ideas in this book

Qur'an 68:45 And I will give them respite. My plan is firm.	Qur'an 68:45 Notes It's a pretty devious one. Allah seems to approve of cunning and long term lechery to spread his message as long as it ultimately serves his own sadistic goals.

Qur'an 68:46 Or do you ask them for a fee, so they are burdened with debt?	Qur'an 68:46 Notes Attributing negative qualities to those who question your madness.

Qur'an 68:47 Or do they know the future, and so they write it down?	Qur'an 68:47 Notes The Quran is actually really terrible at predicting the future. It has guessed many outcomes totally wrong. Of course, can *those disbelievers* predict the future? No? Then what right do they have to question our predictions that we decided from now must be accurate?

Qur'an 68:48 So wait patiently for the Decision of your Lord, and do not be like the Fellow of the Fish who cried out in despair.	Qur'an 68:48 Notes You already know that patience is a virtue, so demonstrate the virtue in this specific way for me to maybe spare you.

Qur'an 68:49 Were it not for his Lord’s favor that reached him, he would have been thrown into the wilderness, fully despised.	Qur'an 68:49 Notes But isn't that the thing about awaiting God's favour? You ask for help when you need him and he doesn't answer, despite suffering horror even while being a pious believer who does everything God asks. Perhaps God's favor is an illusion?

Qur'an 68:50 But his Lord chose him, and made him one of the righteous.	Qur'an 68:50 Notes Did he? What exactly makes someone righteous according to this Lord?

Qur'an 68:51 Those who disbelieve almost stab you with their glances when they hear the message, and say, “He is crazy!”	Qur'an 68:51 Notes You mean, those people who found the messages in this book kind of crazy looked at a believer with bafflement and said "that's crazy". My lord. When people say crazy stuff you should just smile and say "yeah...of course...this crazy stuff must be correct".

Qur'an 68:52 But it is no less than a reminder to all the Worlds.	Qur'an 68:52 Notes This book is so tiring. Do we really need reminder after reminder after reminder after reminder after reminder?