Quran (القرآن) and Quran Tafsir with Grand Mufti Ali Gomaa (على جمعة): Al-An’am (سورة الأنعام), “The Cattle” (Quran 6:6)
I have been studying chapter 6 of the Qur’an: The Cattle (Al-An’am). Interpretation of the Quran is known as tafsir (tafseer). I have been learning from Ali Gomaa; a leading Islamic scholar. He is the second highest Sunni authority in Egypt.
Praising Ali Gomaa, the Anglican bishop of Egypt, Mouneer Anis, recently remarked,
Dr. Gomaa is a firm believer in dialogue between faith communities and his views represent the authentic moderate Islamic teaching with its call for peace and tolerance.
In recent years he became especially concerned about the problem of extremism. In order to combat this extremism he founded one of the great foundations in Egypt actively involved in development, namely Misr el Khair.
Misr el Khair serves all Egyptians, Muslims and Christians in the area of education and the enabling of small enterprises, and provides primary health care. Misr el Khair, in partnership with the Anglican Hospital in Egypt, recently initiated a campaign to combat reversible blindness in the Delta of Egypt. (Anglican Communion Official Website)
This is episode 12.
This episode begins with Ali Gomaa continuing his discussion of the meaning of “century” and the way historians use the word century to refer to a period of time – sometimes more and sometimes less than a 100 year period. Ali Gomaa then discusses the inventions in the last 100 years that have changed the world.
Sheikh Ali Gomaa’s Teaching About Surat Al’An’am:
Christianity, Islam, and Idioms
Ali Gomaa spent a lot of time discussing the meaning of “century.” That “century” can mean different things in different contexts seems obvious, but perhaps it is not so in Ali Gomaa’s. In fact, many Muslims seem to struggle with the idiom “three days and three nights” and use this as an argument for the corruption of the Bible. Muslims have sent me the following argument agaisnt the trustworthiness of the Bible,
The biggest contradiction of all: The Crucifixion. “As Jonas was in the belly of the sea monster for THREE days and THREE nights so shall the son of man be, in the belly of the earth for THREE days and THREE nights.We are told that Jesus died on a Friday. So counting the days: Friday night, Saturday night, and Saturday day. Are the number of days and night he spent in the Tomb. That would be 2 nights and 1 day. Not THREE days and THREE nights as he said so in the bible. And to say that he was killed on a Wednesday would be so wrong cos in the bible it clearly states that Jesus died a day before the ‘Sabath’. We all know that in the middle-east days aren’t named but numbered. And Sabath means 7th and not HOLIDAY. The hebrew word for holiday is KHOFESH. To say that Sabath means Wednesday is to say that 7th means 4th. By you method of conclusion: The bible has many contradictions threrefore it CAN NOT BE THE TRUE WORD OF GOD.
Ahmed Deedat also goes thinks this is one the contradictions of the Bible (cf. Ahmed Deedat, “What was the Sign of Jonah”).
If only my Muslim friends had learned from Ali Gomaa and the meaning of “century”, then they wouldn’t embrace such silly arguments as offered by Ahmed Deedat! Jesus’ teaching about three days and three nights is an idiom referring to a short period of time.
