RationalWiki:Annotated Qur'an/The Rock

Annotated Qur'an
Sura 15: The Rock
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Qur'an 15:1 Alif, Lam, Ra. These are the Verses of the Book; a Quran that makes things clear.

Qur'an 15:1 Notes This first verse is contradictory. The first three letters (Alif, Lam, Ra) are so unclear that scholars have studied Islamic history and the Quran for centuries and still have no idea why so many chapters start with these seemingly random letters or what clear meaning they could have to anybody at all. This Quran could, at the very least, make the very first letters of the very first verse of this chapter clear.

Qur'an 15:2 Perhaps those who disbelieve would wish they had been Muslims.

Qur'an 15:2 Notes Perhaps these verses are hardly more than simple wishful thinking. Perhaps this verse talks about the day when Allah will torture them enough that they will wish wholeheartedly that the capricious dictatorial overlord who sealed their horrid fates would have allowed any of them to believe. Regardless, the book that claims incessantly to communicate clearly does make some important things clear enough for those who read it: Allah created these disbelievers with absolutely no chance to believe.

Qur'an 15:3 Leave them to eat, and enjoy, and be lulled by hope. They will find out.	Qur'an 15:3 Notes Allah chooses explicitly, per the clear Quran, to violate free will by creating them without the ability to believe.

Qur'an 15:4 We have never destroyed a town unless it had a set time.	Qur'an 15:4 Notes This verse only has clear meaning whatsoever for those who have any way of knowing this set time.

Qur'an 15:5 No nation can bring its time forward, nor can they delay it.	Qur'an 15:5 Notes Allah chooses to create various towns and nations, predestining them to deserve his wrath for being exactly the way that Allah created them.

Qur'an 15:6 And they said, “O you who received the message, you are insane.”	Qur'an 15:6 Notes The perfected Quran claims in numerous verses that Allah does not want them to believe and forces them to disbelieve.

Qur'an 15:7 Why do you not bring us the angels, if you are truthful?”	Qur'an 15:7 Notes Allah chooses to doom them to torture far worse than any human can ever imagine. He could present sufficient evidence and allow them to believe the truth, but Allah clearly doesn't want that at all.

Qur'an 15:8 We do not send the angels down except with reason, and they will not be held back.	Qur'an 15:8 Notes Allah provides no real evidence for this maximally sadistic threat and instead doubles-down on it.

Qur'an 15:9 Surely We revealed the Message, and We will surely preserve it.	Qur'an 15:9 Notes Allah claims that this message would be perfectly preserved and unaltered over the millennia. However, he did not choose to reveal evidence for this claim and instead revealed evidence in the Hadith suggesting that the original revelations were never perfectly preserved and largely lost when these revelations would be compiled to the Quran that people know today.

Qur'an 15:10 We sent others before you, to the former communities.	Qur'an 15:10 Notes These other prophets were equally questionable.

Qur'an 15:11 But no messenger came to them, but they ridiculed him.	Qur'an 15:11 Notes This could be because these messengers delivered ridiculous messages. This could be because Allah violated their free will by forbidding them from mentally accepting this message as the truth.

Qur'an 15:12 Thus We slip it into the hearts of the guilty.	Qur'an 15:12 Notes Allah is talking here. Allah is the one who slips disbelief into the hearts of the guilty. Guilty of what? Guilty of those who, because of Allah, see the "truth" as no different than any other lies. Allah is the reason why these people are even guilty. This is not Shaitan. This is Allah.

Qur'an 15:13 They do not believe in it, though the ways of the ancients have passed away.	Qur'an 15:13 Notes People can see that previous civilizations thrived and later perished. What is the evidence that Allah had any hand in any of it? What is the evidence that Allah sent this destruction because they disbelieved? Even evidence of destroyed communities does not prove that this specific god out of the thousands of gods had any hand in it.

Qur'an 15:14 Even if We opened for them a gateway into the sky, and they began to ascend through it.	Qur'an 15:14 Notes How would people know that a hole in the ozone layer could only come from the specific god of this specific religion. Also, this likely references a solid sky which Allah chooses to keep in one piece and can break at will. Several verses in the Quran make more sense with a solid firmament than the current scientific understanding of cosmology.

Qur'an 15:15 They would still say, “Our eyes are hallucinating; in fact, we are people bewitched.”	Qur'an 15:15 Notes Hallucinations make infinitely more sense than the fables in this book. People have been demonstrated to hallucinate throughout the ages.

Qur'an 15:16 We placed constellations in the sky, and made them beautiful to the beholders.	Qur'an 15:16 Notes Alternatively, these constellations are the result of people looking at various stars in the sky, finding subjective meaning and beauty in them. Any arrangement of stars would appear as beautiful to people from this specific vantage point. People would find meaningful constellations even when the meaning is entirely in their heads.

Qur'an 15:17 And We guarded them from every outcast devil.	Qur'an 15:17 Notes Allah guarded the constellations from devils and not the people supposed to worship him?

Qur'an 15:18 Except one who steals a hearing, and is followed by a visible projectile.	Qur'an 15:18 Notes Does this verse claim that meteors exist to pursue devil spies?

Qur'an 15:19 We spread the earth, and placed stabilizers in it, and in it We grew all things in proper measure.	Qur'an 15:19 Notes How do earthquakes factor into the "stabilizers" and "proper measure" exactly? Allah probably claims that earthquakes are punishments for those civilizations who displease him.

Qur'an 15:20 And in it We created livelihoods for you, and for those for whom you are not the providers.	Qur'an 15:20 Notes Does this mean that the entire planet is inhabitable and suitable for human life? Even if this was the case (and it is definitely not the case), what evidence does this god give to actually prove that he deserves credit for it?

Qur'an 15:21 There is not a thing but with Us are its stores, and We send it down only in precise measure.	Qur'an 15:21 Notes There is not a thing Allah clarified but that it contradicts observable science or makes Allah look like the paragon of evil.

Qur'an 15:22 We send the fertilizing winds; and send down water from the sky, and give it to you to drink, and you are not the ones who store it.	Qur'an 15:22 Notes Allah also chooses to make hurricanes, floods, landslides, snowstorms, sandstorms, and droughts.

Qur'an 15:23 It is We who give life and cause death, and We are the Inheritors.	Qur'an 15:23 Notes Allah could, at any point, prove beyond any reasonable doubts that he actually deserves credit and not any other gods.

Qur'an 15:24 And We know those of you who go forward, and We know those who lag behind.	Qur'an 15:24 Notes Given how little Allah seems to know of his own creations, this claim is questionable at best.

Qur'an 15:25 It is your Lord who will gather them together. He is the Wise, the Knowing.	Qur'an 15:25 Notes Does this verse claim that "the Wise, the Knowing" knows what goes on in the minds of his own disbelieving creations? How about the most basic observable science relating to his own created planet.

Qur'an 15:26 We created the human being from clay, from molded mud.	Qur'an 15:26 Notes Human beings are not golems. This verse makes little sense when interpreted literally. Does "a Quran that makes things clear" need some parts to be interpreted metaphorically because a literal interpretation is either confusing or just wrong?

Qur'an 15:27 And the jinn We created before, from piercing fire.	Qur'an 15:27 Notes Fire has been observed. However, any conscious beings made of fire have yet to be demonstrated.

Qur'an 15:28 Your Lord said to the angels, “I am creating a human being from clay, from molded mud.”	Qur'an 15:28 Notes Did this lord also talk about the lack of evidence that these living clay golems would actually see when studying their origins?

Qur'an 15:29 “When I have formed him, and breathed into him of My spirit, fall down prostrating before him.”	Qur'an 15:29 Notes Allah literally tells these angels to bow to a being other than himself.

Qur'an 15:30 So the angels prostrated themselves, all together.	Qur'an 15:30 Notes Of course. These angels have tangible evidence that Allah exists and is a maniacally wrathful tyrant.

Qur'an 15:31 Except for Satan. He refused to be among those who prostrated themselves.	Qur'an 15:31 Notes Satan really realized that Allah exists and could punish anybody for any reason? Really?

Qur'an 15:32 He said, “O Satan, what kept you from being among those who prostrated themselves?”	Qur'an 15:32 Notes Allah should know. After all, did Allah not literally create Satan knowing each and every thought that Satan would ever think? Also, is this verse talking about Allah in the third person? I would expect more consistency from "a Quran that makes things clear" written by this same all-knowing deity.

Qur'an 15:33 He said, “I am not about to prostrate myself before a human being, whom You created from clay, from molded mud.”	Qur'an 15:33 Notes Allah knew this would happen and allowed it to play out in this exact manner when he could have allowed the situation to proceed in literally any other way whatsoever.

Qur'an 15:34 He said, “Then get out of here, for you are an outcast”.	Qur'an 15:34 Notes Allah is acting quite human-like in this scenario.

Qur'an 15:35 “And the curse will be upon you until the Day of Judgment.”	Qur'an 15:35 Notes Allah loves to drag this dread and suffering on, doesn't he?

Qur'an 15:36 He said, “My Lord, reprieve me until the Day they are resurrected.”	Qur'an 15:36 Notes Shaitan asked this as if Allah would show more mercy to Shaitan than to the humans who are prevented (by Allah) from knowing better.

Qur'an 15:37 He said, “You are of those reprieved.”	Qur'an 15:37 Notes Allah actually showed more mercy to Shaitan than to the humans who are prevented (by Allah) from knowing better.

Qur'an 15:38 “Until the Day of the time appointed.”	Qur'an 15:38 Notes Why are the verses in this part of the chapter suddenly shorter and choppier than in other parts? Why did Allah choose an inconsistent writing style in the perfect book?

Qur'an 15:39 He said, “My Lord, since You have lured me away, I will glamorize for them on earth, and I will lure them all away.”	Qur'an 15:39 Notes Allah just lets this all happen.

Qur'an 15:40 “Except for Your sincere servants among them.”	Qur'an 15:40 Notes Several sincere servants stop believing and serving despite this book clearly stating that Shaitan will not lure them away. What happened?

Qur'an 15:41 He said, “This is a right way with Me.”	Qur'an 15:41 Notes Who said this? Allah? In that case, Allah literally takes the blame for each and every bad thing to ever happen.

Qur'an 15:42 “Over My servants you have no authority, except for the sinners who follow you.”	Qur'an 15:42 Notes Given the sheer number of apostates who leave Islam for no reason other than no longer believing, this verse is meaningless and has no place in "a Quran that makes things clear" as the very first verse of this chapter states.

Qur'an 15:43 And Hell is the meeting-place for them all.	Qur'an 15:43 Notes Allah is mentioning the endless hell which, according to "a Quran that makes things clear" in multiple verses, Allah designated as a punishment in the first place.

Qur'an 15:44 “It has seven doors; for each door is an assigned class.”	Qur'an 15:44 Notes Why did Allah choose the number of gates as something noteworthy? Also, this "Quran that makes things clear" should at least clarify why sinners fall in any of specifically seven categories or what those seven classifications would even mean.

Qur'an 15:45 But the righteous will be in gardens with springs.	Qur'an 15:45 Notes Instead, this book gets tired of the stick and focuses on the carrot.

Qur'an 15:46 “Enter it in peace and security.”	Qur'an 15:46 Notes How is this "peace and security" not something which Allah would want on all of his creations and only those whom Allah has predestined to deserve it in his own incomprehensible moral system?

Qur'an 15:47 And We will remove all ill-feelings from their hearts—brothers and sisters, on couches facing one another.	Qur'an 15:47 Notes Again, what reason would Allah have to deliberately withhold these rewards? Allah is repeatedly described, specifically in "a Quran that makes things clear", as being "Forgiving and Merciful" in unambiguous ways.

Qur'an 15:48 No fatigue will ever touch them therein, nor will they be asked to leave it.	Qur'an 15:48 Notes Good to know that the monotony of their literal eternity would never get to them...

Qur'an 15:49 Inform My servants that I am the Forgiver, the Merciful.	Qur'an 15:49 Notes This verse also rings hollow while being in the same "Quran that makes things clear" that clearly states that Allah intentionally and deliberately misguides people and prevents them from ever deserving any forgiveness and mercy.

Qur'an 15:50 And that My punishment is the painful punishment.	Qur'an 15:50 Notes Allah is truly the most circular square and loves to remind people of that fact.

Qur'an 15:51 And inform them of the guests of Abraham.	Qur'an 15:51 Notes This verse talks of a specific Abraham whose historical existence is questionable with any evidence outside of scripture.

Qur'an 15:52 When they entered upon him, and said, “Peace.” He said, “We are wary of you.”	Qur'an 15:52 Notes This apparently only happened once in the life of Abraham.

Qur'an 15:53 They said, “Do not fear; we bring you good news of a boy endowed with knowledge.”	Qur'an 15:53 Notes Many boys are quite gifted, presently or back when Abraham was supposed to have existed.

Qur'an 15:54 He said, “Do you bring me good news, when old age has overtaken me? What good news do you bring?”	Qur'an 15:54 Notes Abraham knows that his god can do literally anything, right?

Qur'an 15:55 They said, “We bring you good news in truth, so do not despair.”	Qur'an 15:55 Notes They said, while providing no good reason to believe that this good news has any truth to it.

Qur'an 15:56 He said, “And who despairs of his Lord’s mercy but the lost?”	Qur'an 15:56 Notes Allah claims again that the the people who are lost and misguided (by Allah specifically) would have a real reason to despair. Allah claims to be "the Forgiver, the Merciful" while still ensuring that anyone, let alone the majority of humanity, would despair forever and ever.

Qur'an 15:57 He said, “So what is your business, O envoys?”	Qur'an 15:57 Notes Abraham really just believed that they are real envoys from on high?

Qur'an 15:58 They said, “We were sent to a sinful people.”	Qur'an 15:58 Notes Which sinful people? Can people know which sinful people are referenced in this verse to verify the existence of this historical Abraham and the events that supposedly happened in his life?

Qur'an 15:59 “Except for the family of Lot; we will save them all.”	Qur'an 15:59 Notes Lot and his family are the only ones worth saving among those people? Really?

Qur'an 15:60 “Except for his wife.” We have determined that she will be of those who lag behind.	Qur'an 15:60 Notes Allah has determined in advance that she will fail and deserve destruction. Does she really deserve anything when Allah states outright that he "determined that she will be of those who lag behind" in this verse?

Qur'an 15:61 And when the envoys came to the family of Lot.	Qur'an 15:61 Notes Why is this verse just on its own instead of being part of a complete thought. Even in the original Arabic, this verse seems incomplete.

Qur'an 15:62 He said, “You are a people unknown to me.”	Qur'an 15:62 Notes Yeah, that would make sense in a world in which nobody knows literally everyone else in the world?

Qur'an 15:63 They said, “We bring you what they have doubts about.”	Qur'an 15:63 Notes Evidence? Actual evidence?

Qur'an 15:64 “We bring you the truth, and we are truthful.”	Qur'an 15:64 Notes Fun fact: People can just say this exact line and people will believe them just like this. Evidently, the moon is a block of delicious emmental cheese from pasture-raised space cows. It pairs well with Andromeda bread grilled in a red dwarf. I bring you the truth, and I am truthful.

Qur'an 15:65 “Travel with your family at the dead of the night, and follow up behind them, and let none of you look back, and proceed as commanded.”	Qur'an 15:65 Notes Some strangers show up to the house of a specific family, telling them all to leave immediately and not even look back at the house in which they lived for possibly their entire lives.

Qur'an 15:66 And We informed him of Our decree: the last remnant of these will be uprooted by early morning.	Qur'an 15:66 Notes They apparently have to just believe these strangers without a hint of skepticism.

Qur'an 15:67 And the people of the town came joyfully.	Qur'an 15:67 Notes Was their happiness sinful in any way?

Qur'an 15:68 He said, “These are my guests, so do not embarrass me.”	Qur'an 15:68 Notes Priorities, priorities...

Qur'an 15:69 “And fear God, and do not disgrace me.”	Qur'an 15:69 Notes Prove that there even is a god to fear in the first place.

Qur'an 15:70 They said, “Did we not forbid you from strangers?”	Qur'an 15:70 Notes Naturally, people reading "a Quran that makes things clear" would want to know more about why anybody in any time would forbid a family from seeing strangers. Is there some missing context here?

Qur'an 15:71 He said, “These are my daughters, if you must.”	Qur'an 15:71 Notes Lot seriously offered his own daughters to appease some strangers in favor of other strangers. Did the daughters have any say here? What kind of morals are Muslims supposed to get from this story?

Qur'an 15:72 By your life, they were blundering in their drunkenness.	Qur'an 15:72 Notes How drunk would anybody need to be before this story makes even a lick of sense?

Qur'an 15:73 So the Blast struck them at sunrise.	Qur'an 15:73 Notes That's it? This chapter is definitely missing several verses.

Qur'an 15:74 And We turned it upside down, and rained down upon them stones of baked clay.	Qur'an 15:74 Notes Allah is truly "the Forgiver, the Merciful" in this situation.

Qur'an 15:75 Surely in that are lessons for those who read signs.	Qur'an 15:75 Notes Which signs specifically? Which civilization was this? Where can people find any evidence that any society faced this specific fate, let alone that Allah of all gods orchestrated this destruction for this purpose? Allah could just be taking credit for something which he never did. People do that.

Qur'an 15:76 And it is on an existing road.	Qur'an 15:76 Notes Which existing road? There are so many existing roads around the world which predate even the supposed existence of Abraham or Lot? Where in the world can people find any evidence for anything?

Qur'an 15:77 Surely in that is a sign for the believers.	Qur'an 15:77 Notes This sign only serves as something resembling a sign to those who already believe. A sign is supposed to lead people to the truth and not just tell them that they somehow already have the unquestionable truth.

Qur'an 15:78 The people of the Woods were also wrongdoers.	Qur'an 15:78 Notes Which woods? Which woods of the many in the world is this referencing? This book is supposed to be "a Quran that makes things clear" and should not need external sources to make sense on its own.

Qur'an 15:79 So We took revenge upon them. Both are clearly documented.	Qur'an 15:79 Notes Which documents do people consult? How does anybody distinguish the reliable documentation from the unreliable documentation?

Qur'an 15:80 The people of the Rock also rejected the messengers.	Qur'an 15:80 Notes Does "a Quran that makes things clear" clarify which people of which rock rejected which messenger? This book should be complete and not depend on external sources.

Qur'an 15:81 We gave them Our revelations, but they turned away from them.	Qur'an 15:81 Notes Yawn...

Qur'an 15:82 They used to carve homes in the mountains, feeling secure.	Qur'an 15:82 Notes Several people did that. People have evidence of many civilizations in which people built their homes in mountains. None of them show signs that Allah even cared enough about them for him suddenly to destroy them.

Qur'an 15:83 But the Blast struck them in the morning.	Qur'an 15:83 Notes Was the blast the same blast Lot narrowly avoided with most of his family?

Qur'an 15:84 All they had acquired was of no avail to them.	Qur'an 15:84 Notes Yeah, yeah, keep repeating this enough times as if this specific afterlife has any more truth to it than any other afterlife...

Qur'an 15:85 We did not create the heavens and the earth, and what lies between them, except with truth. The Hour is coming, so forgive with gracious forgiveness.	Qur'an 15:85 Notes The first part of this verse seems correct. Allah did not create the heavens and the earth as far as anyone can actually know. Ironically, the word "truth" marks a gaping lack of evidence or truth.

Qur'an 15:86 Your Lord is the All-Knowing Creator.	Qur'an 15:86 Notes This lord does not know what his created earth and heavens are even like, nor does he know what goes on in the minds of those disbelievers whom Allah has deliberately predestined before any of them could exist.

Qur'an 15:87 We have given you seven of the pairs, and the Grand Quran.	Qur'an 15:87 Notes Seven pairs... of what?

Qur'an 15:88 Do not extend your eyes towards what We have bestowed on some couples of them to enjoy, and do not grieve over them, and lower your wing to the believers.	Qur'an 15:88 Notes This verse basically says that worldly pleasures are only for those who don't believe in the afterlife or deserve any afterlife pleasures.

Qur'an 15:89 And say, “I am the clear warner.”	Qur'an 15:89 Notes Muhammad would have to be "clear" to be "the clear warner" in any sense.

Qur'an 15:90 Just as We sent down to the separatists.	Qur'an 15:90 Notes This refers to people who, for some reason or another that Allah immediately implies is malicious, cause division and confusion in previous scriptures.

Qur'an 15:91 Those who made the Quran obsolete.	Qur'an 15:91 Notes Allah revealed the Quran in an awful way that guaranteed its obsolescence even as it was being revealed.

Qur'an 15:92 By your Lord, we will question them all.	Qur'an 15:92 Notes Allah needs not question anyone when he already knows everything that can ever be true.

Qur'an 15:93 About what they used to do.	Qur'an 15:93 Notes Allah knew that from before people even existed to do the things which Allah has predestined them to do.

Qur'an 15:94 So proclaim openly what you are commanded, and turn away from the polytheists.	Qur'an 15:94 Notes Allah should not command his own prophet to turn away from people who can see past his malarkey.

Qur'an 15:95 We are enough for you against the mockers.	Qur'an 15:95 Notes No all-powerful god who can communicate literally anything to anyone would limit his message to those who lock themselves in echo chambers.

Qur'an 15:96 Those who set up another god with God. They will come to know.	Qur'an 15:96 Notes Allah could inform all disbelievers, immediately preventing suffering for most humans ever, but Allah wants them to suffer.

Qur'an 15:97 We are aware that your heart is strained by what they say.	Qur'an 15:97 Notes People would doubtless say mean words, hurting the feelings of a man who sincerely believed that a god sent these revelations to him. Does that mean that they are awful excuses for men who merit this disproportionate agony?

Qur'an 15:98 So glorify the praise of your Lord, and be among those who bow down.	Qur'an 15:98 Notes Obedience is good. Skepticism is evil.

Qur'an 15:99 And worship your Lord in order to attain certainty.	Qur'an 15:99 Notes Give yourself the confirmation bias that you would need to keep yourself in your own religion.