missiles

[Mr Tickle]

Am I reading the Quran correctly

Do Muslims really believe that shooting stars (meteors and meteorites) are missiles that God aims at devils?

"And We have adorned the lowest heaven with lamps , and We have made them missiles for the devils and for them we have prepared the punishment of fire."

[Mr Tickle]

silence

[Wanderer]

No. I distinctly heard some scurrying.

[Najah]

I do bellive in it!
U mind!!!!

[Bimzoori]

Originally posted by mr pinnochio


Do Muslims really believe that shooting stars (meteors and meteorites) are missiles that God aims at devils?



yes

[Seham]

mr pinnochio, u really do have Pinnochio's personality (the classic story! I don't mean to offend u!)

I think that scientists, astrologists and many others (humanbeings) have tried through centries to explain many things and make a reason for everything, however, to date all the explanations they came to lack a real "discovery of reason"....
This is one of them .....

I know what I said will not satisfy ur curiosity but I keep wondering ur interest of reading the Quran is based on curiosity and knowledge or is it more of criticism??!!

[Mr Tickle]

What are the jinns doing that God throws missiles at them?

Perhaps Orion's belt could shed some light on this?

[Orion]

For a 'scholar' you seem to very very touchy... stop fuming... cause when you're full of it and you fume = you smell ...

Let's be open and honest... you spend your time making posts in the Politics and Religion taking stabs at Islam or Islam related topics...

We could spend our time criticizing other Religions... even People of the Book, (SAY CATHOLICS FOR EXAMPLE), but you know what... most Muslims don't want to criticize other religions and don't care, most Muslims are happy with their faith.

You have yours and we have ours... end of subject.

So why would anyone bother answering any of your questions on Islam if we know you're going to be your cynical self constantly?

[yellow sapphire]

hello there,
what ever come in quran is right,so if they are hitting devils or hitting monkeies.if Allah say in quran "stars were flowers on earth and then he took them up making them stars and they r female stars and male stars and they marry each other and they get children" if this is in quran we believe it.coz it is in quran.
so what is the problem.
usually u bring hadeeth and speak about it,i see these days u bring quran.is there anything behind it.

[Mr Tickle]

Are you saying I smell? Are you attacking me?

Now, rather than doung the normal ' I don't know how to answer this , so I am going to to parry and deflect the question'

Incidentally, feel free to say anything you like about Catholicism - it will not trouble me in the slightest

can you answer the question please?

Do muslims really believe that meteors/meteorites are missiles thrown by God at Jinns?

What are the Jinns doing when God does this?

[Orion]

To repeat:

So why would anyone bother answering any of your questions on Islam if we know you're going to be your cynical self constantly?

In fact why should anyone in the Sabla want to interact with that kind of level of bigotry?

[Mr Tickle]

your reaction defies belief

Are you one of these people who attacks when they can't answer?

such emotional rhetoric!

Is calling me a 'bigot' your attempt at a rallying call to all the other posters?

When you leave school, you have a career ahead of you in government controlled media

I ask an innocent question and I get this deflective response.

What are you saying to me by ignoring the question?

Please answer, I will respond civily - something that you are clearly incapable of

[Orion]

Cool... thanks for the career advice... what kind of SATS scores do you need for that?

[Mr Tickle]

As I am not American, I have no idea

the question please

help me understand

[Orion]

the amount you do NOT know about Islam I can barely squeeze into the Grand Canyon...

[Mr Tickle]

Do muslims really believe that meteors/meteorites are missiles thrown by God at Jinns?

What are the Jinns doing when God does this?

[Wanderer]

Can we at least agree that meteors/meteorites are rocks coming from space and buring when they hit the Earth's atmosphere ?

[Talius Brute]

I believe in Jinns 'n stuff

why wouldn't I?

[Wanderer]

Originally posted by Orion
Cool... thanks for the career advice... what kind of SATS scores do you need for that?

I'd offer to compare but mine are in Roman numerals.

[Bimzoori]

Originally posted by mr pinnochio
Do muslims really believe that meteors/meteorites are missiles thrown by God at Jinns?

What are the Jinns doing when God does this?

" 'And we pried into the secrets of heaven; but we found it filled with stern guards and flaming fires. We used, indeed, to sit there in (hidden) stations, to (steal) a hearing; but any who listen now will find a flaming fire watching him in ambush'"[Quran 72:8,9]

[Mr Tickle]

Do muslims really believe that meteors/meteorites are missiles thrown by God at Jinns?

What are the Jinns doing when God does this?

[Orion]

Why don't you post the Sura and Verse number? Would be helpful if you actually want answer...

[Mr Tickle]

Try these,

37:6-10

We have indeed adorned the lower heaven with the beauty of the stars and for guard against every defiant devil, so they cannot hear the highest assembly but be cast away from every side - repulsed for theirs is a perpetual torment - except he who snatches something by stealth, and a piercing flame (shihabun thaqibun) pursues him."

15:16-18

"And We have adorned the lowest heaven with lamps (masabih), and We have made them missiles (or stonings - rujuman ) for the devils and for them we have prepared the punishment of fire."

[Orion]

You're translation seems to have heavy-duty interpretation going on... can you please point to the website or book you got it from?

For Sura 15. Al-Hijr (Al Hijr Valley)

16. And indeed, We have put the big stars in the heaven and We beautified it for the beholders.

17. And We have guarded it (near heaven) from every outcast Shaitan (the devil).

18. Except him (the devil) that gains hearing by stealing, he is pursued by a clear flaming fire.

... are you implying the 'a clear flaming fire' is the jinn?

[Mr Tickle]

not at all

the jinn is being PURSUED by the flaming fire - ie the meteor

[Mr Tickle]

posted wrong sura

try 67:5

"And We have adorned the lowest heaven with lamps (masabih), and We have made them missiles (or stonings - rujuman ) for the devils and for them we have prepared the punishment of fire."

[IceTea]

Are u trying to make fun by raising such questions ?

Yes we believe it and who knows maybe one of them will hit u one day by making fun of Allah words !!

[Mr Tickle]

I am asking a question

apologies if this concept is new to you

[Orion]

As non-Holy man, I'll explain it to you as I am a scientist...

If you read about color temperature and how humans perceive color (still debated by scientists) you may find higher degrees of light (Centrigrade/Kelvin) tend to become lighter in color.

From red, to blue to unperceivable color, this, I believe, relates to the smokeless (clear) fire that is written in throughout the Holy Koran. It could mean that Jinn are created of a light that humans cannot perceive.

Moreover, my personal belief is it a metaphorical explaination to people in a period time who would not be able to understand simple scientific concempts like that we take for granted now-a-days ...

Tak a moment to think about Mr P, even if you don't buy it, it's profound food for thought.

In the end, God knows best.

[Mr Tickle]

I appreciate your response, but, are we talking about the same thing?

I am wondering whether Muslims believe that meteors/meteorites/shooting stars are missiles that Allah throws at jinns?

[Orion]

I am talking about the same thing as I stated above... it is metaphorical... parallel explainationof sorts... smokeless fire that chase meteors/meteorites/shooting stars in a sense God Almighty wielding his might of over his Kingdom.

Plus, you can't expect answer from what Muslims believe as 'bloc'...

I suggest you ask an Muslim Islamic Scholar his views on it.

[Mr Tickle]

I thought all Muslims believed the same thing

[Orion]

We're not all pre-programmed drones... (like the West would like to portray)...

Do you believe every the Roman Catholic Church says? Or interpret it the same way...

[Mr Tickle]

not at all

but I don't claim the Bible is the word of God or a complete system of living

[Wanderer]

Do any of the Muslim members here believe that metors/shooting stars are rocks moving into the Earth's atmosphere from space??

I don't see if anyone actually answered that question.

Just leave the spiritual meaning behind and discuss this from a scientific perspective.

No matter what else they may be/stand for/ do, are metors/shooting stars made up of rocks moving into the Earth's atmosphere from space ?

[Wanderer]

Are you guys serious ?

Are you afraid to answer this question directly ?

[Mr Tickle]

Meteors, which are by far the more common, are rarely larger than a pin head. When they enter the atmosphere at speeds of about 18.6 miles or 30 km/second, they become white hot from the friction and are burned up. The smallest ones, less than 1/20 of a millimeter in diameter, deaccelerate without burning up and float to earth as micro-meteorites. These have been recovered and some include iron- nickel compounds with up to 60% nickel.

In addition to sporadic meteors, there are also meteor showers during which many meteors may be observed at the same moment. It is quite widely accepted, though not proved, that meteor showers represent the debris of old comets. When the earth passes though this debris the resulting meteors follow parallel paths, even though visually they appear to be spreading out from a common point just over the horizon. According to Robert Hutchison, Curator of Meteorites of The British Museum, these are made up of water as ice, frozen ammonia, methane and carbon dioxide.[8]

In their notes, or by their translations, Yusuf Ali, Pickthall, and Hamidullah have all indicated that the Arabic words used in the above verses refer to meteors.

b. Meteorites are solid lumps of matter which can survive passage through the earth's atmosphere and reach the ground. While passing through the atmosphere the outer layer melts and streams away so that they are seen as a spectacularly bright fire ball of light called a bolide. Perhaps this is what the Qur'an is referring to as the "night-visitant - the piercing star" in Sura 86 quoted above.

There are three principal types of meteorites:
1) the irons made up of nickel-iron;
2) the stones composed of silicates; and
3) the stony-irons made up of a mixture.

Examination of light reflected from meteorite samples, shows it to be very similar to the light reflected from asteroids, as seen by the telescope. This, plus the calculation of the orbits of three meteorites which have been photographed in fall, confirms the current theory that most meteorites come from the asteroid belt.

The difficulty here is obviously not with the science and composition of meteors and meteorites. The difficulty is how to understand what the Qur'an can be talking about. The word "rajm", usually translated as "cursed" in modern translations, comes from the verb meaning "to stone", and Hamidullah translates 67:5 which is quoted above with the words,

0"and We have designed them (the lamps) as a means of stoning the devils." (translation from French mine)

What shall we understand when it says that God throws meteors, whether made of carbon dioxide or iron-nickel, at non-material devils who steal a hearing at the heavenly council? And what are we to understand when the meteors come in showers and are traveling in parallel paths? Are we to understand that the devils all lined up in rows at the same moment? These are not easy questions.