RationalWiki:Annotated Qur'an/The Sandhills

Annotated Qur'an
Sura 46: The Sandhills
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Qur'an 46:1 Ha, Meem.	Qur'an 46:1 Notes These letters have important meaning. Nobody knows their meaning with any level of certainty, but Allah had a reason to include them.

Qur'an 46:2 The sending down of the Scripture is from God, the Honorable, the Wise.	Qur'an 46:2 Notes God is far from any form of honor or wisdom if he is anything like the god described in this scripture.

Qur'an 46:3 We did not create the heavens and the earth and what lies between them except with reason, and for a finite period. But the blasphemers continue to ignore the warnings they receive.	Qur'an 46:3 Notes That is because the warnings are utterly ridiculous and look identical to any other false religion's claims.

Qur'an 46:4 Say, “Have you considered those you worship instead of God? Show me which portion of the earth they have created. Or do they own a share of the heavens? Bring me a scripture prior to this one, or some trace of knowledge, if you are truthful.”	Qur'an 46:4 Notes Have you considered those who do not worship any gods at all?

Qur'an 46:5 Who is more wrong than him who invokes, besides God, those who will not answer him until the Day of Resurrection, and are heedless of their prayers?

Qur'an 46:5 Notes God has not answered me during my entire life as a devout Muslim. He heeded not my prayers. I was merely left with silence from which I could only hear what I wanted to hear. God chooses to avoid answering anyone until the Day of Resurrection or, at the very least, responds in a way that seems like nobody responded at all. God loves acting like those nonexistent gods for some reason.

Qur'an 46:6 And when humanity is gathered, they will be enemies to them, and will renounce their worship of them.	Qur'an 46:6 Notes Or... they will cease to exist after death and not hold eternal grudges.

Qur'an 46:7 When Our revelations are recited to them, plain and clear, those who disbelieve say of the truth when it has come to them, “This is obviously magic.”	Qur'an 46:7 Notes These revelations are nowhere near plain and clear.

Qur'an 46:8 Or do they say, “He invented it himself”? Say, “If I invented it myself, there is nothing you can do to protect me from God. He knows well what you are engaged in. He is sufficient witness between me and you. He is the Forgiver, the Merciful.”	Qur'an 46:8 Notes Why does God do anything so harmful to any of his creations that protection would even be a consideration?

Qur'an 46:9 Say, “I am not different from the other messengers; and I do not know what will be done with me, or with you. I only follow what is inspired in me, and I am only a clear warner.”	Qur'an 46:9 Notes I can agree here. Muhammed is not different from other messengers. They were wrong about their revelations and so was Muhammed.

Qur'an 46:10 Say, “Have you considered? What if it is from God and you disbelieve in it? A witness from the Children of Israel testified to its like, and has believed, while you turned arrogant. God does not guide the unjust people.”	Qur'an 46:10 Notes Why not? Are they not unjust *because* God refuses to guide them? Does the word "unjust" simply mean "skeptical" or something similar?

Qur'an 46:11 Those who disbelieve say to those who believe, “If it were anything good, they would not have preceded us to it.” And since they were not guided by it, they will say, “This is an ancient lie.”	Qur'an 46:11 Notes The Quran loves building strawmen of sincere disbelievers instead of actually talking to them as people.

Qur'an 46:12 And before it was the Book of Moses, a model and a mercy. And this is a confirming Book, in the Arabic language, to warn those who do wrong—and good news for the doers of good.

Qur'an 46:12 Notes The "good news" to the doers of good is that they can go to heaven while their sinning family members burn in hell forever. The doers of good even get to watch as their beloved family members cry out in agony in hell. This is horrifying and depressing to anyone with a shred of empathy, especially since literally any of the believer's loved ones could be a disbeliever. How is that good news? How would those doers of good enjoy a second in heaven knowing that their loved ones are experiencing pain far worse than they can imagine with no end in sight?

Qur'an 46:13 Those who say, “Our Lord is God,” then lead a righteous life—they have nothing to fear, nor shall they grieve.	Qur'an 46:13 Notes Will those people not grieve any loved ones who happened to end up in hell? How?

Qur'an 46:14 These are the inhabitants of Paradise, where they will dwell forever—a reward for what they used to do.	Qur'an 46:14 Notes That still does not justify hell in any way.

Qur'an 46:15 We have enjoined upon man kindness to his parents. His mother carried him with difficulty, and delivered him with difficulty. His bearing and weaning takes thirty months. Until, when he has attained his maturity, and has reached forty years, he says, “Lord, enable me to appreciate the blessings You have bestowed upon me and upon my parents, and to act with righteousness, pleasing You. And improve my children for me. I have sincerely repented to You, and I am of those who have surrendered.”

Qur'an 46:15 Notes Any good feelings felt from the image of a mother raising her child to be a righteous man are extinguished immediately upon the realization that so many of those mothers go to heaven without their children or vice versa.

Qur'an 46:16 Those are they from whom We accept the best of their deeds, and We overlook their misdeeds, among the dwellers of Paradise—the promise of truth which they are promised.	Qur'an 46:16 Notes God could do that to literally everyone without any effort at all.

Qur'an 46:17 As for him who says to his parents, “Enough of you! Are you promising me that I will be raised up, when generations have passed away before me?” While they cry for God’s help, “Woe to you! Believe! The promise of God is true!” But he says, “These are nothing but tales of the ancients.”	Qur'an 46:17 Notes They are indeed tales of the ancients, though that does not stop some people in the present to continue believing them.

Qur'an 46:18 Those are they upon whom the sentence is justified, among the communities that have passed away before them, of jinn and humans. They are truly losers.	Qur'an 46:18 Notes God justifies their horrific sentence. Therefore, it is justified and the eternal torture upon them is entirely justified.

Qur'an 46:19 There are degrees for everyone, according to what they have done, and He will repay them for their works in full, and they will not be wronged.	Qur'an 46:19 Notes They have been wronged when God chose to misguide them and doom them to hell before they were even created.

Qur'an 46:20 On the Day when the faithless will be paraded before the Fire: “You have squandered your good in your worldly life, and you took pleasure in them. So today you are being repaid with the torment of shame, because of your unjust arrogance on earth, and because you used to sin.”	Qur'an 46:20 Notes Why does God hate these humans so much? This is nothing short of hatred.

Qur'an 46:21 And mention the brother of Aad, as he warned his people at the dunes. Warnings have passed away before him, and after him: “Worship none but God; I fear for you the punishment of a tremendous Day.”	Qur'an 46:21 Notes What distinguishes him from the many false prophets who said the same thing to get people to follow them?

Qur'an 46:22 They said, “Did you come to us to divert us from our gods? Then bring us what you threaten us with, if you are being truthful.”	Qur'an 46:22 Notes Did this man actually bring evidence to prove that his god was any more real than the other gods? I bet not.

Qur'an 46:23 He said, “The knowledge is only with God, and I inform you of what I was sent with; but I see you are an ignorant people.”	Qur'an 46:23 Notes Translation: I can't prove my claims, but you have to believe me anyhow because my god is totally real and knows.

Qur'an 46:24 Then, when they saw a cloud approaching their valley, they said, “This is a cloud that will bring us rain.” “In fact, it is what you were impatient for: a wind in which is grievous suffering.”	Qur'an 46:24 Notes Why is the all-powerful ruler of the universe so petty that he wants to bring destruction to a civilization just for disbelieving?

Qur'an 46:25 It will destroy everything by the command of its Lord. And when the morning came upon them, there was nothing to be seen except their dwellings. Thus We requite the guilty people.	Qur'an 46:25 Notes What a merciful and loving being...

Qur'an 46:26 We had empowered them in the same way as We empowered you; and We gave them the hearing, and the sight, and the minds. But neither their hearing, nor their sight, nor their minds availed them in any way. That is because they disregarded the revelations of God; and so they became surrounded by what they used to ridicule.	Qur'an 46:26 Notes They did not believe in this specific god out of the thousands upon thousands of gods to ever be claimed. Of course, strawmen are easier to destroy in natural disasters than real people.

Qur'an 46:27 We have destroyed many townships around you, and diversified the signs, so that they may return.	Qur'an 46:27 Notes This god sure loves looking evil to those who believe him to actually exist. He threatens people and promises to save them from his own unjustified wrath.

Qur'an 46:28 Why then did the idols, whom they worshiped as means of nearness to God, not help them? In fact, they abandoned them. It was their lie, a fabrication of their own making.	Qur'an 46:28 Notes Maybe these idols were feeling salty and decided to make the storm even more intense. That is no more ridiculous than the story so far.

Qur'an 46:29 Recall when We dispatched towards you a number of jinn, to listen to the Quran. When they came in its presence, they said, “Pay attention!” Then, when it was concluded, they rushed to their people, warning them.	Qur'an 46:29 Notes Can we see tangible evidence of these jinn?

Qur'an 46:30 They said, “O our people, we have heard a Scripture, sent down after Moses, confirming what came before it. It guides to the truth, and to a straight path.	Qur'an 46:30 Notes People say things all the time.

Qur'an 46:31 O our people! Answer the caller to God, and believe in Him; and He will forgive you your sins, and will save you from a painful punishment.”	Qur'an 46:31 Notes A painful punishment that this same sadistic God set up in the first place

Qur'an 46:32 He who does not answer the caller to God will not escape on earth, and has no protectors besides Him. Those are in obvious error.	Qur'an 46:32 Notes It sure does not seem obvious to any of the disbelievers.

Qur'an 46:33 Do they not realize that God, who created the heavens and the earth, and was never tired by creating them, is Able to revive the dead? Yes indeed; He is Capable of everything.	Qur'an 46:33 Notes They do not realize what was not sufficiently demonstrated to them.

Qur'an 46:34 On the Day when those who disbelieved are presented to the Fire: “Is this not real?” They will say, “Yes, indeed, by our Lord.” He will say, “Then taste the suffering for having disbelieved.”	Qur'an 46:34 Notes Why did they not see such convincing evidence before they were doomed to fail?

Qur'an 46:35 So be patient, as the messengers with resolve were patient, and do not be hasty regarding them. On the Day when they witness what they are promised, it will seem as if they had lasted only for an hour of a day. A proclamation: Will any be destroyed except the sinful people? 3=God is petty to spend the majority of his message threatening disbelievers.	Qur'an 46:35 Notes {{{3}}}