The Christian
acquaintance who sent me a copy of Morey's booklet also sent me
five questions related to this subject. I will attempt to answer
them below:
Question
I:
What is the significance of
the crescent moon in Islam?
Answer:
The Qur'an answers this
question before you asked it. Read this verse:
They ask you about the new moons. Say: These are signs to mark fixed periods of time for mankind and for the pilgrimage (Qur'an 2:189).
Question
2:
Why does Islam follow a
lunar calendar?
Answer:
In both the Bible and the
Qur'an religious festivals are regulated by the lunar calendar.
Jews and Muslims have kept to these regulations which they
believe to be from God. Why does Christianity follow a solar
calendar?
Question
3:
Why is the feast of Ramadan
marked by the appearance of the crescent moon?
Answer:
I think you mean the fast
of Ramadan. God commanded Muslims in the Qur'an to fast from dawn
to
sunset during the month
called Ramadan (see Qur'an 2:185, 187). The beginning and end of
the month is determined by the crescent (2:189) based on the
instructions of God's Messenger, on whom be peace. Why this method and not another
is not for us to say but for God and His Messenger to prescribe.
However, I find it an efficient method. It is a universally
applicable method, and it allows for Ramadan to move through all
the seasons. This allows believers to have the pleasure of
worshipping God by fasting in all the various seasons: one year
in the summer, some years later in the winter.
Question
4:
Why does the Qur'an place
the Sabeans on the same level with Jews and Christians when
scholars have clearly proven that the Sabeans were involved in
the moon cult?
Answer:
I am not aware that the
Qur'an has placed the Sabeans on the same level with Jews and
Christians. Perhaps you have in mind the following verse:
Those who believe and those who are Jews and Christians and Sabians, whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day and do righteous good deeds shall have their reward with their Lord. On them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve. Qur'an 2:62; also 5:69).
This verse, however,
does not place the Sabians on the same level as the Jews and
Christians except in a particular context. The verse speaks of
four distinct communities, and offers all four the opportunity to
fear not nor grieve if only they would believe in Allah and the
Last Day and do right. The four communities are:
(a) the believers (i.e. the
Muslims)
(b)the Jews
(c) the Christians and
(d) the Sabeans.
While they are all
offered the same opportunity for improvement, nothing is said in
this verse about the
validity of the existing
faiths of these four communities. Otherwise the Jews and
Christians who are criticized in the Qur'an for their deviations
will not be placed on the same level with the believers. The
matter becomes clear when you realize that believers here does
not mean saved persons but those who ostensibly belong to the
community of Muslims. They, as well as the other three groups,
must do the following to be saved: believe in Allah, believe in
the Last Day, and do right. Doing right, according to the Qur'an,
includes following every teaching of Muhammad.
Question
5:
Did the Meccans worship the
true God since they recognized Allah? Was Allah one of the gods
of the
Ka'abah? And if so, where
did the Meccans derive the recognition and the name of Allah
from?
Answer:
First, Allah was not one of
the 360 idols which were in the ka'abah, although Morey has
claimed this
without evidence. When
prophet Muhammad (pbuh) entered Meccah victorious he went into
the
Ka'abah and broke the idols
therein. Allah to the Arabs was the Lord of the Ka'abah. He was
the unseen God whom they would call upon when in distress. Yes,
they worshipped the true God but their worship was not purely for
Him. They also worshipped other gods thinking that they would act
as intermediaries between them and the true God Allah. The Arabs know of Allah because
Abraham visited Meccah and together with his son Ishmael laid the
foundation of the Ka'abah. The descendants of Ishmael retained
some of the worship rites and beliefs from Abraham. This included
their knowledge of the true God Allah.
Elsewhere I have shown conclusively that the true god El of the Bible is the same as Allah of the Qur'an. Please refer to Yahweh, Jehovah, or Allah-What is God's real name ? by Shabir Ally.