In reaction to my rebuttal to his article
Allah is the Lord of Retribution Meherally has attempted to respond to
my accusation of his deceptive exegesis of Gods pure word, the Holy Bible.
He writes:
The above quote is a faithful reproduction, word for word as it appears in the NEW REVISED STANDARD VERSION, except for the addition of a word "agreement", which is within the parenthesis. Is that a misquote or distortion?
DECEPTIVE REBUTTAL:
Let us quote the passage in its context to see what Meherally conveniently left out:
"As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him. Then the LORD said to him, Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years. But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions. You, however, will go to your fathers in peace and be buried at a good old age. In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure. When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces. On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram and said, To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates- the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites." Genesis 15:12-21
Once the passage is read in its intended context, it becomes quite clear that the
descendants that were to inherit the promise land could not be the Ishmaelites. The
promise could only be referring to the descendants of Isaac, i.e. Israel. It was the
Israelites that served as slaves in a foreign land, namely Egypt, for four generations
only to return to Canaan afterwards:
MY RESPONSE: The biblical text was not misquoted by me. The critic has
However, the Critic overlooks the NEXT VERSE immediately after what I have quoted (Genesis 15: 18-21). This verse
reads: "Now Sarai, Abram's wife, bore him no
children. She had an Egyptian slave girl whose name was Hagar."
This verse explicitly tells us that his sons,
Ishmael and Isaac, both were born after the above quoted "Covenant for the
Land". Hence, it applies to BOTH.
Sadly, Meherally has again chosen to mislead his readers as opposed to acknowledging that he has deliberately misinterpreted the Holy Bible and has twisted it to suit his purposes. Meherally claims that nothing within the intended context establishes the Israelites as the descendents. Let us quote the passage again to see if Meherallys assertion is true, this time using the KJV:
"And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him. And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that THY SEED (zera) SHALL BE A STRANGER IN A LAND THAT IS NOT THEIRS, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict THEM four hundred years; And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward SHALL THEY COME OUT with great substance. And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age. But in the fourth generation THEY COME HITHER AGAIN: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full. And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces. In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto THY SEED (zera) have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates: The Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites, And the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaims, And the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites." Genesis 15:12-21
The context clearly shows that it is the same seed (zera) which is in view. This seed that will dwell in a foreign land for four hundred years is the very same seed which God says will receive the land promises. Nowhere in the context do we find a change in the referent.
The Holy Bible states that this prophecy was temporarily fulfilled during the reigns of David and Solomon:
"Judah and Israel were many, as the sand which is by the sea in multitude, eating and drinking, and making merry. And Solomon reigned over all kingdoms from the river unto the land of the Philistines, and unto the border of Egypt: they brought presents, and served Solomon all the days of his life... For he had dominion over all the region on this side the river, from Tiphsah even to Azzah, over all the kings on this side the river: and he had peace on all sides round about him. And Judah and Israel dwelt safely, every man under his vine and under his fig tree, from Dan even to Beersheba, all the days of Solomon." 1 Kings 4:20-21, 24-25
"Also at the same time Solomon kept the feast seven days, and all Israel with him, a very great congregation, from the entering in of Hamath unto the river of Egypt." 2 Chronicles 7:8
"And Solomon had four thousand stalls for horses and chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen; whom he bestowed in the chariot cities, and with the king at Jerusalem. And he reigned over all the kings from the river even unto the land of the Philistines, and to the border of Egypt." 2 Chronicles 9:25-26
Yet its complete fulfillment awaits the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Furthermore, when one reads the opening verses of Genesis 15 it becomes even more evident that the seed refers to the offspring of Isaac, not Ishmael:
"But Abram said, O Sovereign Lord, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus? And Abram said, You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir. Then the word of the Lord came to him: This man will not be your heir, but a son coming from your own body will be your heir. He took him outside and said, "Look up at the heavens and count the stars-if indeed you can count them. Then he said to him, So shall your offspring be. Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness." Genesis 15:2-6
The heir which God promised Abraham was Isaac, as the following passages show:
"But Sarah saw that the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham was mocking, and she said to Abraham, Get rid of that slave woman and her son, for that slave womans son will never share IN THE INHERITANCE WITH MY SON ISAAC. The matter distressed Abraham greatly because it concerned his son. But God said to him, Do not be so distressed about the boy and your maidservant. Listen to whatever Sarah tells you, BECAUSE IT IS THROUGH ISAAC THAT YOUR OFFSPRING WILL BE RECKONED. I will make the son of the maidservant into a nation also, because he is your offspring." Genesis 21:9-13
"Abraham took another wife, whose name was Keturah. She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak and Shuah. Jokshan was the father of Sheba and Dedan; the descendants of Dedan were the Asshurites, the Letushites and the Leummites. The sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida and Eldaah. All these were descendants of Keturah. ABRAHAM LEFT EVERYTHING HE OWNED TO ISAAC. But while he was still living, he gave gifts to the sons of his concubines and sent them away from his son Isaac to the land of the east. Altogether, Abraham lived a hundred and seventy-five years. Then Abraham breathed his last and died at a good old age, an old man and full of years; and he was gathered to his people. His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah near Mamre, in the field of Ephron son of Zohar the Hittite, the field Abraham had bought from the Hittites. There Abraham was buried with his wife Sarah. After Abraham's death, God blessed his son Isaac, who then lived near Beer Lahai Roi." Genesis 25:1-11
These passages clearly establish Isaac as the promised heir, not Ishmael.
Meherally falsely accuses me of overlooking the next verse which refers to Sarais barrenness and Hagar HER EGYPTIAN SLAVE GIRL. Yet anyone reading my rebuttal will see that this is completely false. In my rebuttal I actually used Genesis 16 to prove that Hagar was nothing more than A SLAVE OF SARAI, who had been commanded by the Angel of Yahweh to return to Sarai her mistress and submit to her as A SLAVE. Since Meherally refuses to acknowledge this fact, here are several hadiths that also affirm that Hagar was the slave of Sarah:
Narrated Abu Huraira:
Allahs Apostle said, "The Prophet Abraham migrated with Sarah. The people (of the town where they migrated) gave her Ajar (i.e. Hajar). Sarah returned and said to Abraham, "Do you know that Allah has humiliated that pagan and he has given A SLAVE-GIRL FOR MY SERVICE?" (Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 3, Book 47, Number 803)
Narrated Abu Huraira:
Abraham did not tell a lie except on three occasion. Twice for the Sake of Allah when he said, "I am sick," and he said, "(I have not done this but) the big idol has done it." The (third was) that while Abraham and Sarah (his wife) were going (on a journey) they passed by (the territory of) a tyrant. Someone said to the tyrant, "This man (i.e. Abraham) is accompanied by a very charming lady." So, he sent for Abraham and asked him about Sarah saying, "Who is this lady?" Abraham said, "She is my sister." Abraham went to Sarah and said, "O Sarah! There are no believers on the surface of the earth except you and I. This man asked me about you and I have told him that you are my sister, so don't contradict my statement." The tyrant then called Sarah and when she went to him, he tried to take hold of her with his hand, but (his hand got stiff and) he was confounded. He asked Sarah. "Pray to Allah for me, and I shall not harm you." So Sarah asked Allah to cure him and he got cured. He tried to take hold of her for the second time, but (his hand got as stiff as or stiffer than before and) was more confounded. He again requested Sarah, "Pray to Allah for me, and I will not harm you." Sarah asked Allah again and he became alright. He then called one of his guards (who had brought her) and said, "You have not brought me a human being but have brought me a devil." The tyrant then gave Hajar AS A GIRL-SERVANT TO SARAH. Sarah came back (to Abraham) while he was praying. Abraham, gesturing with his hand, asked, "What has happened?" She replied, "Allah has spoiled the evil plot of the infidel (or immoral person) AND GAVE ME HAJAR FOR SERVICE." (Abu Huraira then addressed his listeners saying, "That (Hajar) was your mother, O Bani Ma-is-Sama (i.e. the Arabs, the descendants of Ishmael, Hajars son)." (Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 4, Book 55, Number 578; see also Volume 3, Book 34, Number 420)
Meherally also failed to answer my assertion regarding the incompleteness of the Quran. I had pointed out that the Quran nowhere refers to Hagar by name, as a wife of Abraham, or as the mother of Ishmael. As I indicated, the impression given by the Quran is that both Ishmael and Isaac have the same mother, namely Sarah. The Quran refers to the wife (singular) of Abraham, not to the wives (plural) of Abraham. And this wife is clearly Sarah:
And verily, there came Our Messengers to Abraham with glad tidings. They said: Peace! He answered, Peace! and he hastened to entertain them with a roasted calf. But when he saw their hands went not towards it (the meal), he felt some mistrust of them, and conceived a fear of them. They said: Fear not, we have been sent against the people of Lot. And HIS WIFE was standing (there), and she laughed. But We gave her glad tidings of Isaac, and after him, of Jacob. They said: Do you wonder at the Decree of Allâh? The Mercy of Allâh and His Blessings be on you, O the family [of Abraham]. Surely, He is All-Praiseworthy, All-Glorious." S. 11:69-73
"Has the story reached thee, of the honored guests of Abraham? Behold, they entered his presence, and said: Peace! He said, Peace! (and thought, These seem) unknown people. Then he turned quickly to his household, brought out a fatted calf, And placed it before them. He said, Will ye not eat? (When they did not eat), He conceived a fear of them. They said, Fear not, and they gave him glad tidings of a son endowed with knowledge. But HIS WIFE came forward clamoring: she smote her forehead and said: A barren old woman! They said, Even so has thy Lord spoken: and He is full of Wisdom and Knowledge." S. 51:24-30
In light of this, we openly challenge Meherally to prove his case from the Quran. Let Meherally prove from the Quran alone that Hagar is Abrahams wife and the mother of Ishmael. If Meherally fails to do so he will be affirming that the Quran miserably fails to compare with Gods only true and pure word, the Holy Bible.
Since both the Holy Bible and the hadiths refer to Hagar as Sarahs slave, and since the Holy Bible omits Ishmael from the covenant promises and the inheritance of the land, we see that Meherally has absolutely nothing to stand on.
It is interesting to note, that Mr. Meherally in his alleged rebuttal failed to provide a link to my article. Is he so fearful of the thought that his readers could make a direct comparison of the arguments?
This concludes our rebuttal. By the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, we will be responding to Meherallys recent deceptive attacks on the Christian faith. Once we are done, it will hopefully be clear to the readers that Meherallys articles lack any real serious scholarship behind them.
By Gods sovereign grace we will always remain in the service of our risen Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Gods eternal beloved Son. Amen. Come Lord Jesus, Come. We love you, risen Lord, forever!
Responses to Akbarally Meherally
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