Shabir Ally Caught Lying Again! Pt. 1
A particular Muslim youtuber has posted a 51 second clip from a debate that Christian Apologist Jay Smith had with leading taqiyyist Shabir Ally, where the latter supposedly caught Smith misquoting the Quran. Smith stated that,
“Earlier Shabir said that they are able to drink wine in heaven. I find that interesting, because when you go back to the Quran, to surah 5:90 and also surah 2:219, it states very succinctly that Satan is the creator of wine. Now why would you have something created by Satan waiting for them in heaven?”
To which Ally replied,
“Jay it does not say that. No, I’m sorry! It says it is the amalu shaytan. It is the work of the shaytan that uses the wine to create enmity and hatred among people. You have to read it carefully, don’t misquote my scripture in presence!” (Christian apologist Jay Smith caught misquoting the Qur'an!! MUST WATCH)
It is clips such as the above which clearly illustrate time and again that these Muslim dawagandists could care less about truth, and will present any argument, no matter how bad or dishonest, so long as it gives the impression of actually refuting the point or objection that is being raised against Islam.
The fact is that Jay Smith was right and Ally was lying, since the Quran does say that wine is one of the evils that Satan has produced in order to destroy mankind.
Here is the text in question:
O ye who believe! wine (al-khamru) and the game of chance and idols and divining arrows are only the abomination of Satan's handiwork (amali). So shun each one of them that you may prosper. Satan seeks only to create enmity and hatred among you by means of wine (al-khamri) and the game of chance, and to keep you back from the remembrance of ALLAH and from Prayer. Then will you keep back? S. 5:90-91 Sher Ali
And here are two alternate translations of verse 90:
Believers! Intoxicants, games of chance, idolatrous sacrifices at altars, and divining arrows are all abominations, the handiwork of Satan. So turn wholly away from it that you may attain to true success. Maududi
O believers, wine and arrow-shuffling, idols and divining-arrows are an abomination, some of Satan's work; so avoid it; haply so you will prosper. Arberry
Notice that the passage does not say that the work of Satan is to use wine to create enmity and hatred among people. Rather, the verses are clear that wine, much like the other vices that are listed, are the creation or work of the devil himself which he then uses to divide and deceive mankind.
In other words, according to these particular texts Satan produced or created wine and other vices such as the game of chance for the specific purpose of using them to cause strife and disunity among humans.
This is brought out more clearly by the Arabic word used to describe these specific acts as Satan’s handiwork, namely amal. Here is how one lexical source defines the term:
Ayn-Miim-Lam = TO DO / MAKE / act / work / operate / perform / CONSTRUCT / MANUFACTURE, practice a handcraft, be active, ONE WHO DOES.
'Amila (prf. 3rd. m. sing.): He did, acted, worked.
'Amilat (prf. 3rd. f. sing.): She did, acted.
'Amiluu (prf. 3rd. m. plu.): They did.
'Amiltum (prf. 2nd. m. plu.): You did. Most often the prefect past tense of this root 'Amila,-s is preceded by man or ma or min of relative or demonstrative pronouns, then it means, "Who does", instead of its real meaning of past tense, "Who did".
Ya'malu, Ya'mal (juss.).
Y'amala (acc. imp. 3rd. m. sing.): Does; Did.
Ta'malu (imp. 3rd. f. sing.): Does. This form is used, as a general rule of Arabic grammar, to denote the meaning of plural by placing it before the subject.
A'malu / A'mal (juss.)
A'mala (acc. imp. 1st. sing.): I do.
Ya'maluuna (imp. 3rd. m. plu.): They do.
Ta'maluuna (imp. 2nd. m. plu.): You do.
Na'malu (nom.), Na'mala (acc.), Na'mal (juss.): We do.
I'mal (prt. m. sing.): Thou do, make, work.
I'maluu (prt. m. plu.): You do, make, work.
'Amalun / 'Amalan (nom./ n. acc.): Deed; Action; Work.
A'maal (n. plu.): Deeds.
'Aamilun (act. pic. m. sing.): Worker; Doer.
'Aamiluun / 'Amiliin (acc./ pic. m. plu.): Workers; Doers.
'Aamilatun: ZULc (act. pic. f. sing.): Toil-worn woman.
amila vb. (1)
perf. act. 2:25, 2:62, 2:82, 2:277, 3:30, 3:30, 3:57, 4:57, 4:122, 4:173, 5:9, 5:69, 5:93, 5:93, 6:54, 6:132, 7:42, 7:153, 10:4, 10:9, 11:11, 11:23, 13:29, 14:23, 16:34, 16:97, 16:111, 16:119, 18:30, 18:49, 18:88, 18:107, 19:60, 19:96, 20:75, 20:82, 22:14, 22:23, 22:50, 22:56, 24:38, 24:55, 24:64, 25:23, 25:70, 25:71, 26:227, 28:67, 28:80, 28:84, 29:7, 29:9, 29:58, 30:15, 30:41, 30:44, 30:45, 31:8, 31:23, 32:19, 34:4, 34:37, 34:37, 35:7, 36:35, 36:71, 38:24, 38:28, 39:35, 39:70, 40:40, 40:40, 40:58, 41:8, 41:33, 41:46, 41:50, 42:22, 42:23, 42:26, 45:15, 45:21, 45:30, 45:33, 46:16, 46:19, 47:2, 47:12, 48:29, 53:31, 58:6, 58:7, 64:7, 65:11, 84:25, 85:11, 95:6, 98:7, 103:3
impf. act. 2:74, 2:85, 2:96, 2:110, 2:134, 2:140, 2:141, 2:149, 2:233, 2:234, 2:237, 2:265, 2:271, 2:283, 3:98, 3:99, 3:120, 3:153, 3:156, 3:163, 3:180, 4:17, 4:18, 4:94, 4:108, 4:110, 4:123, 4:124, 4:128, 4:135, 5:8, 5:62, 5:66, 5:71, 5:105, 6:43, 6:60, 6:88, 6:108, 6:122, 6:127, 6:132, 7:43, 7:53, 7:53, 7:118, 7:129, 7:139, 7:147, 7:180, 8:39, 8:47, 8:72, 9:9, 9:16, 9:94, 9:105, 9:121, 10:12, 10:14, 10:23, 10:41, 10:41, 10:61, 11:16, 1:78, 11:92, 11:111, 11:112, 11:123, 12:19, 12:69, 14:42, 15:93, 16:28, 16:28, 16:32, 16:93, 16:96, 16:97, 17:9, 17:84, 18:2, 18:79, 18:110, 20:112, 21:27, 21:74, 21:82, 21:94, 22:68, 23:51, 23:100, 24:24, 24:28, 24:53, 26:112, 26:169, 26:188, 26:216, 27:19, 27:84, 27:90, 27:93, 28:84, 29:4, 29:7, 29:8, 29:55, 31:15, 31:29, 32:12, 32:14, 32:17, 32:19, 33:2, 33:9, 33:31, 34:11, 34:12, 34:13, 34:25, 34:44, 35:37, 35:37, 36:54, 37:39, 37:61, 37:96, 39:7, 39:35, 41:20, 41:22, 41:27, 41:40, 43:72, 45:28, 45:29, 46:14, 46:15, 48:11, 48:24, 49:18, 52:16, 52:19, 56:24, 57:4, 57:10, 58:3, 58:11, 58:13, 58:15, 59:18, 60:3, 62:8, 63:2, 63:11, 64:2, 64:8, 64:9, 65:11, 66:7, 77:43, 99:7, 99:8
impv. 6:135, 9:105, 11:93, 11:121, 23:51, 34:11, 34:11, 34:13, 39:39, 41:5, 41:40
n.vb. 2:139, 2:139, 2:167, 2:217, 3:22, 3:195, 5:5, 5:53, 5:90, 6:108, 7:147, 8:48, 9:17, 9:37, 9:69, 9:94, 9:102, 9:105, 9:120, 10:41, 10:41, 10:61, 10:81, 11:7, 11:15, 11:46, 11:111, 14:18, 16:63, 18:7, 18:30, 18:103, 18:105, 18:110, 21:82, 23:63, 24:39, 25:23, 25:70, 26:168, 27:4, 27:24, 28:15, 28:55, 28:55, 29:38, 33:19, 33:71, 35:8, 35:10, 39:65, 40:37, 42:15, 42:15, 46:19, 47:1, 47:4, 47:8, 47:9, 47:14, 47:28, 47:30, 47:32, 47:33, 47:35, 49:2, 49:14, 52:21, 66:11, 67:2, 99:6
pcple. act. 3:136, 3:195, 6:135, 9:60, 11:93, 11:121, 23:63, 29:58, 37:61, 39:39, 39:74, 41:5, 88:3
Lane's Lexicon, Volume 5, pages: 443, 444, 445 (Project Root List; capital emphasis ours)
The Quran repeatedly uses this expression to denote the works which others have done or engaged in, just as we see in the following examples:
And for all, there will be degrees according to that which they did (amiloo), that He (Allah) may recompense them in full for their deeds (amalahum). And they will not be wronged. S. 46:19 Hilali-Khan
That Day mankind will proceed in scattered groups that they may be shown their deeds (amalahum). So whosoever does (yamal) good equal to the weight of an atom (or a small ant), shall see it. And whosoever does (yamal) evil equal to the weight of an atom (or a small ant), shall see it. S. 99:6-8 Hilali-Khan
Now would anyone deny that Allah is recompensing people for the works which they themselves have actually produced, deeds or actions which Allah shall hold these individuals personally responsible for carrying out?
The answer is obvious, unless, of course, you happen to be a taqiyyist like Shabir whose primary concern isn’t truth, but winning people over to Islam by any means necessary, even if that means using lies and distortions in order to do so. After all, in Islamic polemics the ends do justify the means.
In fact, would anyone deny that the other items that are mentioned in the verses such as gambling, pagan altars, or divining arrows, are works which Satan himself produced, or at least inspired or caused men to make and fashion? Or would they rather claim that these are all things that Allah himself deliberately created in order to deceive and mislead people from his path?
The only answer which a Muslim could give, if s/he wanted to absolve their deity from any evil, is that these are all deeds created or inspired by Satan himself.
This is similar to what the following verse says concerning Moses murdering a man:
And he entered the city at a time of carelessness of its folk, and he found therein two men fighting, one of his own caste, and the other of his enemies; and he who was of his caste asked him for help against him who was of his enemies. So Moses struck him with his fist and killed him. He said: This is of the devil's doing (amali al-shaytani). Lo! he is an enemy, a mere misleader. S. 28:15
Again, is Ally comfortable with Allah being the one who compelled or inspired Moses to kill someone? Or will he openly admit that this unlawful act was the work of the devil, just as Moses realized, since he was obviously the one who moved Moses to strike out against his fellow man?
In light of the foregoing, isn’t it obvious that the Quran is clearly arguing that wine is indeed a work produced by Satan?
In fact, even the word used by many Muslim translations, i.e. “handiwork,” conveys this very same notion. Notice how the following dictionaries define this term:
noun
1. work done by hand.
2. the characteristic quality OF A PARTICULAR DOER OR MAKER: In all of Mozart's music we discover the handiwork of a genius.
3. the result of work done by hand: woven mats and other handiwork.
World English Dictionary
— n
1. work performed or produced by hand, such as embroidery or pottery
2. the result of the action or endeavours of a person or thing (Dictionary.com; capital emphasis ours)
Again:
handiwork \‘hande,werk\ n : WORK DONE PERSONALLY or by the hands. (The Merriam-Webster Dictionary (New Edition) [Merriam-Webster, Incorporated, Springfield, Massachusetts: Paperback 2005], p. 223; capital emphasis ours)
Finally:
handiwork /‘hande,werk/ n. 1 (one’s handiwork) SOMETHING THAT ONE HAS MADE OR DONE: the dressmakers stood back to survey their handiwork.
2 making things by hand, considered as a subject of instruction: they taught young women reading writing, and handiwork. (New Oxford American Dictionary [Oxford university Press, Third Edition], p. 787; capital emphasis ours)
Hence, by translating the Arabic word amal as “handiwork,” it is obvious that these translators understood the Quran to be saying that wine is in fact a work produced or made by Satan himself. This is brought out more clearly in the following English version:
O you who believe! Wine, gambling, altars and divining arrows are filth, made up by Satan. Therefore, refrain from it, so that you may be successful. S. 5:90 Muhammad Taqi Usmani
Does Ally really want us to assume that this particular Muslim scholar didn’t know what he was talking about, or didn’t correctly understand the Arabic, but somehow Ally does? Or should we see this for what it really is, namely, a smokescreen designed to deceive people from seeing what the Quran actually teaches concerning the origin of wine and strong intoxicants?
Better yet, what will he do with the following comments?
“These are four evils that Allah strictly forbade, and warned of a severe punishment if committed. He has elaborated on the evil effects that deter a person from committing them, such as:
1. All these acts are FILTHY AND IMPURE. Although they do not seem filthy in the linguistic sense, but in the legalistic sense they are indeed IMPURE; it is always better to refrain from filth and impiety so as to avoid getting blemished with their impurity.
2. All these acts ARE SATANIC DEEDS, and Satan is the greatest enemy to people. We are well aware that we must keep away from our enemy and save ourselves from his traps and conspiracies, specifically from those things that the enemy uses to destroy us through our involvement in them. The best prudence is that we should protect ourselves by keeping away from THE EVIL DEEDS OF OUR OPEN ENEMY [i.e., Satan] and constantly be fearful of indulging in them.” (Shaykh ‘Abd ar-Rahman b. Nasir as-Sa‘di, Tafsir As-Sa‘di, translated from the Arabic by S. Abd al-Hamid, edited by Sajid H. Chaudhary [ILF Publishing Inc., 2012] Volume 1, p. 533; capital emphasis ours)
Once again, does Shabir really want non-Muslims to believe that his god is the actual creator and maker of things that are classified as filthy and impure? Is he comfortable with disbelievers viewing Allah as the source or origin of acts which are said to be satanic deeds? Not if he wants them to believe that his deity is absolutely pure and holy, or accept the fact that the Quran is a consistent scripture.
After all, the Muslim scripture expressly teaches that Allah will never command people to commit evil or shameful acts,
When they do aught that is shameful, they say: "We found our fathers doing so"; and "God commanded us thus": Say: "Nay, God never commands what is shameful: do ye say of God what ye know not?" S. 7:28 Y. Ali
God commands justice, the doing of good, and liberality to kith and kin, and He forbids all shameful deeds, and injustice and rebellion: He instructs you, that ye may receive admonition. S. 16:90 Y. Ali
Since that is something which Satan does:
O ye people! Eat of what is on earth, Lawful and good; and do not follow the footsteps of the evil one, for he is to you an avowed enemy. For he commands you what is evil and shameful, and that ye should say of God that of which ye have no knowledge. S. 2:168-169 Y. Ali
And isn’t it evil and shameful to get drunk off of wine or worship false gods?
Now that we have gotten Ally’s gross lie and cover-up out of the way, we can turn our attention to the problem which Smith raised in their debate, one which Ally never adequately refuted.
It is, therefore, time to move to the second part of our response.