I was invited recently to a local coffee shop by a man visiting the United States from Qatar claiming to be a “true Muslim”. That was something I had to see, because in all my years I have yet to find one – so I agreed to meet him at a neutral place.
He wanted to discuss some of my writing on Quran. “OK, I can handle that” I thought.
He also wanted clarification on why I reject Hadith and Sunna teachings which he considered authentic.
At issue was those teachings dealing with equal rights for women.
Apparently he was upset that I claimed men and women are equal in rights before God. Clearly he wanted to assume a teacher or mentor role in the discussion.
This man claimed women are “short of reason” and I asked him to please explain that? He said that according to the Hadith women were not only “short on reason” but also “short on faith”?
I asked the brother if these definitions were in the Quran. He said no!
When I asked if they were in the Hadith, the answer was yes.
I said that any Hadith which goes against the Quran cannot possibly be accepted as authentic. That notion upset him a great deal, as it does most Muslims I talk to on the subject of vain Hadith.
In what Hadith besides this Quran do you believe? He just looked at me?
It should be understood that the Quran gives “equal rights to men and women”, not me, and both enjoy equal dignity under the law.
Then how can women, generally speaking, be short of reason and short of faith? The man who was insisting on women’s shortcomings was unable to respond to that question and wanted to change the subject on me.
Why do they not consult the Quran first in such matters, I wondered to myself, as he went on with a rather elaborate explanation of various things about women?
Most of which were derogatory to women, in my opinion.
He went on to suggest that “Satan succeeded in misleading eve but couldn’t mislead Adam.” That did not pass the smell test so I said “wait a minute.Where do you find that in Quran?.”
“We are not talking about Quran”, he said.
I responded “I know that much.”
Because The Quran says clearly: the Quran, nowhere says that Satan succeeded in misleading Hawwa, as he put it. But, facts are facts. Instead the Quran directly blames Adam for being misled and being subsequently evicted from paradise.
In Ayah 121 of Surah Ta Ha it is said “And Adam disobeyed his Lord and went astray.” Here Adam is directly being blamed for allowing himself to be misled and going astray, while Hawwa is not mentioned anywhere in my translation of the Quran. I asked him what translation he was using?
The man looked at me and said he was talking about “Hadith”, not Quran. Precisely, I said. In what Hadith besides this Quran do you believe?
Especially if it contradicts the Quran itself?
Again the man had no answer and tried to trick me with fancy saying from various hadith sayings. So and so said this and so and so said this. The problem most of those vain sayings he attributed to Muhammad contradicted the Quran.
We ended the conversation rather quickly when it became a debate about which was more authentic the Quran or the Hadith and Sunna, about which the scholars endlessly disagree.
“Don’t pretend you can ever understand the Quran”, he said.
Why not?
“Because it is too difficult for any human being to comprehend”, he said. “Who told you that”? I responded.
Finally the man got up said I was a “unbeliever”, a rejector of the true faith, based on the fact that I reject the Hadith and Sunna, which were invented some 200 years after Muhammad died by so called scholars who never knew him…He motioned with his hands in a gesture that indicated he was through with me.
He also stiffed me for the cost of his coffee he drank.
Just another day in my life, dealing with radical Muslims from other countries, who feel they can come in and dictate to others how they should interpret the Quran.
I wish they would do their homework first, next time.