Notes on Ergun Mehmet Caner and Emir Fethi Caner’s
Unveiling Islam
Chapters 4 and 5: The Qur’an (Mother of Books)
and Sunnah and Hadith (The Other Books)
According to Muslims, the Qur’an is the exact, dictated revelation of Allah to Muhammad. As such, Muslims look down upon translations as being inferior–whereas the Arabic original is sacred.
The illiterate Muhammad “wrote” down the dictated “revelation” of Allah using a variety of scribes–one of whom left the Islamic faith saying that this “revelation”, far from being inspired dictation, was open to imaginative editing by the scribes. The rest of the Qur’an was kept as oral tradition until the death of several individuals with knowledge of the holy words. Then scribes set to work transcribing the oral recitations of Muhammad’s intimates.
The Islamic “canon” was determined by relatively arbitrary means. One imam gathered together all copies of the Qur’an–then a highly variable document containing the written oral tradition of different individuals–and chose one that was written in the dialect he preferred. Having chosen the one document, he burned all others and commissioned scribes to copy the chosen document to be carried throughout the Islamic world.
According to the Qur’an, the Bible is a revelation from Allah but is flawed and unfulfilled. The Qur’an regularly contradicts Scripture, for instance, saying that the Trinity includes Mary, that blood is unimportant, and that Jesus was not crucified.
Within the Qur’an, there are many contradictions–and even more odd teachings and doctrines. For example, the Qur’an is of two minds as to whether there is an unforgivable sin and what that sin consists of. On one occasion, the Qur’an states that Christians can be found in heaven, while another Surah (verse) declares that all Christians are destined for hell.
While the Qur’an is known to be the holy book of Islam, few are aware that the Sunnah and the Hadith (Sayings and Examples) are the foundation of most Islamic custom and law. It is here, in the Sunnah and Hadith, that the dietary laws, the marriage laws, the laws of cleanliness and modesty and fasting are found.
These writing contain a great deal that is adhered to today–but also contain strange superstitions (for instance, that genetic traits are passed on to offspring depending on whether the man or the woman reaches orgasm first during intercourse) and unusual prescriptives (such as drinking camel urine as medicine).
Addendum (May 10, 2010): Ergun Caner’s testimony as a converted Muslim has been challenged by several bloggers who claim that he has grossly exaggerated the extent of his Muslim upbringing. Readers of this book ought to be aware that the Caners may or may not have the experiential knowledge of Islam that they claim to have, and should therefore be careful to test the statements found in this book against other reliable sources.