Solomon & the Djinns! Whats' Going on Here?

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- Rashna
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Solomon & the Djinns! Whats' Going on Here?
OP - April 22, 2009, 07:16 PM

I found this stuff in the Quran today, thought I'll share, its very interesting!

The Quran says that Allah made the winds obey Solomon, & djinns worked for him to construct palaces & synagogues!

Quote from: Yusuf Ali,Pickthall & Shakir Translations
034.012
YUSUFALI: And to Solomon (We made) the Wind (obedient): Its early morning (stride) was a month's (journey), and its evening (stride) was a month's (journey); and We made a Font of molten brass to flow for him; and there were Jinns that worked in front of him, by the leave of his Lord, and if any of them turned aside from our command, We made him taste of the Penalty of the Blazing Fire.
PICKTHAL: And unto Solomon (We gave) the wind, whereof the morning course was a month's journey and the evening course a month's journey, and We caused the fount of copper to gush forth for him, and (We gave him) certain of the jinn who worked before him by permission of his Lord. And such of them as deviated from Our command, them We caused to taste the punishment of flaming Fire.
SHAKIR: And (We made) the wind (subservient) to Sulaiman, which made a month's journey in the morning and a month's journey m the evening, and We made a fountain of molten copper to flow out for him, and of the jinn there were those who worked before him by the command of his Lord; and whoever turned aside from Our command from among them, We made him taste of the punishment of burning.

034.013
YUSUFALI: They worked for him as he desired, (making) arches, images, basons as large as reservoirs, and (cooking) cauldrons fixed (in their places): "Work ye, sons of David, with thanks! but few of My servants are grateful!"
PICKTHAL: They made for him what he willed: synagogues and statues, basins like wells and boilers built into the ground. Give thanks, O House of David! Few of My bondmen are thankful.
SHAKIR: They made for him what he pleased of fortresses and images, and bowls (large) as watering-troughs and cooking-pots that will not move from their place; give thanks, O family of Dawood! and very few of My servants are grateful.

034.014
YUSUFALI: Then, when We decreed (Solomon's) death, nothing showed them his death except a little worm of the earth, which kept (slowly) gnawing away at his staff: so when he fell down, the Jinns saw plainly that if they had known the unseen, they would not have tarried in the humiliating Penalty (of their Task).
PICKTHAL: And when We decreed death for him, nothing showed his death to them save a creeping creature of the earth which gnawed away his staff. And when he fell the jinn saw clearly how, if they had known the Unseen, they would not have continued in despised toil.
SHAKIR: But when We decreed death for him, naught showed them his death but a creature of the earth that ate away his staff; and when it fell down, the jinn came to know plainly that if they had known the unseen, they would not have tarried in abasing torment.

Apparently djinns were dumb, they only realised he was dead after they saw a worm eating his staff!

So if the Quran is so super scientific as it claims, will we have to believe that winds obey people, djinns construct buildings & are sooo dumb that they realise people are dead only when they see worms consuming the dead?

World renowned historian Will Durant"...the Islamic conquest of India is probably the bloodiest story in history. It is a discouraging tale, for its evident moral is that civilization is a precious good, whose delicate complex order and freedom can at any moment be overthrown..."
- SmartAssmodeus
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Re: Solomon & the Djinns! Whats' Going on Here?
Reply #1 - April 22, 2009, 10:19 PM

It isn't any goofier than the rest of the crap in the koran. Bible tells stories like that as well. Damn shame that people actually take that garbage seriously.
- awais
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Re: Solomon & the Djinns! Whats' Going on Here?
Reply #2 - April 23, 2009, 02:19 AM

I thought that shit was cool. Suleyman was bad ass. This is a cool story too (If I recall correctly, that whole story is just to explain one unknown word in the Tanakh ).

There's a hadith about the Angel of Death coming to sit in the circle of Suleyman, and staring at one of his companions. The man didn't know who this strange man was who was staring at him, weirded him out. The Angel of Death left, and the man asked Solomon to use his power over the wind to whisk him far away, to India, to escape this man, who he thought might have evil intent over him. The wind swept him up, and he was in India, then the Angel of Death took his soul. The Angel of Death came back to the majlis of Suleyman and said to him, "I was staring at that man in your company, because I was in disbelief about him. I got the decree from Allah to take his life in India, while 5 minutes before I am scheaduled to, he is sitting here with you!"

I chose to get circumcised at 17, don't tell me I never believed.
- Rashna
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Re: Solomon & the Djinns! Whats' Going on Here?
Reply #3 - April 23, 2009, 02:47 AM

Actually, I don't mind cool fantasy stories in religious texts-what I do mind is when those texts are supposed to be super scientific, & explain modern scientific knowledge-like the fad of claiming that the Quran is scientifically very accurate & advanced for its time, but speak of djinns constructing palaces & realising humans are dead only when they see worms gnawing away at their body.

The Reform Jews, or most Jews, certainly don't say that not one word of the OT contradicts modern science & we should discard modern science if it contradicts the OT, like moderate Muslim Feth Gulen does about science which contradicts the Quran & authentic hadiths!

World renowned historian Will Durant"...the Islamic conquest of India is probably the bloodiest story in history. It is a discouraging tale, for its evident moral is that civilization is a precious good, whose delicate complex order and freedom can at any moment be overthrown..."
- Rashna
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Re: Solomon & the Djinns! Whats' Going on Here?
Reply #4 - April 23, 2009, 03:31 AM

Actually, there are many fantasy creatures in many parts of our world-like the trolls in Scandinavia or the ogres in Britain & France & if stories or fairytales originating in one region travel to another, like the Cinderella story, they often incorporate elements of those particular region.

All this is perfectly understandable, however, its presumptuous to claim that those fairy tale books contain scientific knowledge which was much ahead of the times.
If they do make such grandoise claims, like Islam does, it better live up to those claims & not contain any absurd stuff!

Like this one about djinns:

Sahih Bukhari,
Volume 5, Book 58, Number 200:

Narrated Abu Huraira:
... in the company of the Prophet ... I walked with him and asked, "What about the bone and the animal dung?" He said, "They are of the food of Jinns."

So Muhammad believes that the world is full of invisible, shit eating ghosts!

The mythology about djinns pervaded Arabia & Muhammad too believed in these, when he supposedly received his first revelation, he thought he had become a majnun, djinni possesed, & all the Arabian soothesayers or kahins would act as if they were receiving messages from djinns when they made prophesies.

Just like stories of Cinderella added on regional elements as it was retold in different lands, so did Jewish stories when they were retold in garbled form by Muhammad, either he himself added Arabian myths to those stories, or else Allah had a major when He incorporated djinns constructing palaces & realising people are dead only after seeing worms into His update of the monotheistic tale of Judaism by an Arabian djinn believing man!

World renowned historian Will Durant"...the Islamic conquest of India is probably the bloodiest story in history. It is a discouraging tale, for its evident moral is that civilization is a precious good, whose delicate complex order and freedom can at any moment be overthrown..."
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