Islamic ResearchThe Religion of the Moon GodZams2001, here are the haddiths and internal Qur'anic evidence you asked for. I won't comment on them, but let you talk about them
The Daughters of Allah
The Star Sura (Sura 53) verses 19-20 say, "Have ye seen Lat, and ‘Uzza, And another, the third (goddess), Manat?"
Allah was prominent in Pre-Islamic Arabia, as a god with three daughters: al-Lat, al-Uzza, and Manat. (Note that al- means "the".)
The four early biographers of Mohammed wrote that they verses originally were followed by:
"These are the exalted cranes (intermediaries) Whose intercession is to be hoped for."
(contextual application.. Allah’s daughters were considered heavenly beings of intercessors. High altitude Numidian cranes were a metaphor for them. An alternate reading for "is to be hoped for" (turtaja) is "is accepted with approval" (turtada). (From Alfred Guillaume’s translation of Ibn Isaq’s The Life of Mohammed p.166.
Later, this passage was taken out and the following was put in its place:
"What! For you the male sex, And for him, the female? Behold, such would be Indeed a division Most unfair." (verses 53:21-22 today)
Al-Wahidi/Wakidi (died 207/823 A.D.) wrote Asbab al-Nozul. "On a certain day, the chief men of Mecca, assembled in a group beside the Kaaba, discussed as was their wont the affairs of the city; when Mahomet appeared and, seating himself by them in a friendly manner, began to recite in their hearing the 53 Sura…. ‘And see ye not Lat and Ozza, and Manat the third besides?’ When he had reached this verse, the devil suggested an expression of the thoughts which for many a day had possessed his soul; and put in to his mouth words of reconciliation and compromise, the revelation of which he had been longing for from God, namely; ‘These are the exalted Females, and verily their intercession is to be hoped for.’ The Coreish were surprised and delighted with this acknowledgement of their deities; and as Mahomet wound up the Sura with the closing words ‘Wherefore bow down before God, and serve him’ the whole assembly prostrated themselves with one accord on the ground and worshipped. … In the evening Gabriel visited him; and the prophet recited the Sura unto him. And Gabriel said, ‘What is this that thou has done? Thou has repeated before the people words that I never gave unto thee’. So Mahomet grieved sore, …"
Ibn Sa’ad/Sa’d (died 230/845 A.D.), was aware of al-Wahidi’s work, but he himself was a biographer who wrote a 15-volume Kitab al Tabaqat al Kabir.
Ibn Isaq/Ishaq (died 145/767 or 151/773 A.D.) was a Shafi’ite Sunni who later started his own short-lived school. He wrote Sirat Rasullallah (The Life of Allah’s Prophet). "[The emigrants] remained where they were [in Ethiopia] until they heard that the people of Mecca had accepted Islam and prostrated themselves. That was because the chapter of The star [Sura 53] had been sent down to Mohammed and the apostle recited it. Both Muslim and polytheist listened to it silently until he reached his words ‘Have you seen al-Lat and al-uzza?’ They gave ear to him attentively while the faithful believed [their prophet]. Some apostatized when they heard the ‘saj’ of the Satan and said, ‘By Allah we will serve them (the cranes) so that they may bring us near to Allah’. The Satan taught these two verses to every polytheist and their tongues took to them easily. This weighed heavily upon the apostle until Gabriel came to him and complained…." (He mentions the chain of transmission as Yazid bin Ziyad -> Mohammed bin Ishaq -> Salama -> Ibn Hamid -> ibn Isaq
Ibn Jarir al-Tabari (died 923 A.D.) was a Shafi’ite Sunni who wrote a 38-volume Islamic History of the world until 915 A.D. He has been titled "the sheikh of commentators". He writes in volume 6 p.108-109, "When the messenger of God saw how his tribe turned their backs on him and was grieved to see them shunning the message he had brought to them from God, he longed in his soul that something would come to him from God which would reconcile him with his tribe…. And when he came to the words: ‘Have you thought upon al-Lat and al-Uzza and Manat, the third, the other?’ Satan cast on his tongue, because of his inner debates and what he desired to bring to his people, the words: ‘These are the high flying cranes; verily their intercession is accepted with approval [alternately: to be desired or hoped for].’ When the Quraysh heard this, they rejoiced and were happy and delighted at the way in which he spoke of their gods, and they listened to him, while the Muslims, having complete trust in their prophet in respect of the message which he brought from god, did not suspect him of error, illusion, or mistake. … Then [later] Gabriel came to the Messenger of God and said, ‘Mohammed, what have you done? You have recited to the people that which I did not bring to you from God, …’"
Bukhari died around 870 A.D. (even later than three of the four sources listed.) Bukhari 6:385 (p.363) says that when Mohammed spoke the Star Sura, pagans as well as Muslims bowed. Pagans were not said to bow for any of Mohammed’s other recitations, why would they be so agreeable to this Sura, especially since Bukhari does NOT say those pagans ever became Muslims!
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