The Origin of the Qur’an: Demonic or Divine?
A popular attack against the Qur’an is the claim that Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, was inspired by occult forces such as the Devil or demons. This claim is typically put forward by Christian apologists and missionaries. Now the obvious response is to point out that such an argument is self-defeating, as Muslims can easily make the same lazy accusation against the Bible. However, with this article I wanted a unique approach to refuting this claim, one that involves comparing the Qur’an to a real work associated with the occult. This is a practical approach that will highlight just how wrong such a claim really is.
ANALYSIS OF THE BOOK OF THE LAW
Aleister Crowley was an English ceremonial magician and poet. By the time of his death in 1947, he was the world’s leading occultist. A prolific writer, he published numerous works on the theory and practice of magic over the course of his life. He is most famous for the text known as The Book of the Law. Although it was Crowley’s own hand that penned the work, he never claimed to be its author. Crowley claimed that during his travels to Egypt in 1904, a supernatural entity that called itself Aiwass made contact with him. Aiwass, described by Crowley to be a being of intelligence far beyond that of human beings, proceeded to dictate The Book of the Law directly to him over the course of three days. After this experience, Crowley identified himself as a prophet and claimed that he had been entrusted by the gods to guide humanity into a new spiritual age. He went on to found the religion of Thelema, which he based on the principles of The Book of the Law.
What makes Crowley’s book the ideal candidate for comparison against the Qur’an is that Crowley’s claims mirror that of Prophet Muhammad, in the sense that he also claimed to be divinely inspired with revelation and appointed as a prophet to enlighten mankind. Before we get into the details of The Book of the Law, it’s important to note that in Islam it is strictly prohibited to dabble in magic. The Prophet Muhammad said:
Be reassured that The Book of the Law is not a book of magic, but rather a book on philosophy and morality for Crowley’s religion of Thelema. Now what follows is an analysis of some verses of The Book of the Law. This will not only give us an insight into the teachings of a real occult work, but will also make us appreciate just how radically different its philosophy and morality is compared to the Qur’an:
Had! The manifestation of Nuit. [Chapter I, verse 1]
The Book of the Law begins in the name of two ancient pagan Egyptian deities, Had and Nuit. Had, was believed to be the lord of the sky and was depicted in the form of the winged disk of the Sun. Nuit was believed to be a goddess and was depicted as a naked woman covered with stars. The twin pairing of the male and female divine aspects is very common in pagan and occult religions. The praising of pagan deities occurs throughout The Book of the Law, as well as Crowley’s own personal writings. Contrast this with the Qur’an, which begins in the name of God Almighty:
The Qur’an teaches that Allah (the Arabic name for God Almighty) is the only true God, the creator of the heavens and the earth, the One who inspired prophets such as Abraham, Moses and Jesus. The Qur’an expressly forbids for worship to be directed to anything other than Him and renounces idolatry, the worship of false gods, in all its forms. Pagan and occult religions tend to deify nature, a practice that the Qur’an rejects in the following verse:
We can see that from the very first verse, both books could not be more different when it comes to worship and the concept of God.
Every man and every woman is a star. [Chapter I, verse 3]
This is a typical example of how The Book of the Law engages with its reader. It commonly appeals to the arrogance and pride of people – in fact it encourages such traits. This is typical of occult religions, with their extravagant costumes, lavish ceremonies and elaborate rituals.
Contrast this with the Qur’an, which reprimands those who have such characteristics:
Arrogance and pride are considered to be negative traits in Islam, in fact major sins. The Qur’an provides the perfect antidote for those inflicted with this disease – it humbles us by reminding us of our lowly origins:
The Bible also shares a similar outlook to the Qur’an in this regard:
The Qur’an highlights the danger of such traits when it relates the story of the downfall of Satan, whose arrogance and pride prevented him from obeying Allah’s command to prostrate to the first human being, Adam:
Christians readers should note that the Bible also highlights arrogance and pride as Satanic traits:
How you have fallen from heaven,
morning star, son of the dawn!
You have been cast down to the earth,
you who once laid low the nations!
You said in your heart,
“I will ascend to the heavens;
I will raise my throne
above the stars of God;
I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly,
on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon.
I will ascend above the tops of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High.” [Isaiah 14:12-14]
From the perspective of both the Qur’an and the Bible, The Book of the Law is diabolical in its methodology when it appeals to and encourages such traits, which as we can see are Satanic in essence.
Every number is infinite; there is no difference. [Chapter I, verse 4]
The Book of the Law is filled with such seemingly nonsensical statements. Here are some more examples:
Let’s analyse Crowley’s commentary on verse I.4:
As Crowley states, this apparently nonsensical statement is one of the keys of knowledge in his religion. Now, even if one tries to make sense of it by taking some metaphysical interpretation, there is a wider problem at hand. His new religion is supposed to enlighten mankind, but very few can grasp such concepts. Contrast this with the Qur’an, which also claims to be a guide for mankind, but whose message can be understood by everyone. It uses simple speech rather than metaphysical, and employs analogies which are universal in application in order to help us to understand its arguments.
Let my servants be few & secret: they shall rule the many & the known. [Chapter I, verse 10]
Secrecy is another hallmark of the occult, which operates in the shadows. Very little of what goes on behind closed doors is known to the public. Outsiders are offered glimpses in order to lure them in, but it’s only when one is initiated into the occult and rises through its ranks that one gains access to all its teachings. Elsewhere The Book of the Law states:
By contrast, the Qur’an encourages Muslims to make themsleves known:
In Islam there is no such thing as hidden knowledge, in fact it condemns those who have knowledge and conceal it from others:
There is no secret knowledge, no requirement to rise through the ranks for access to information. Islam’s teachings are freely available to all who wish to acquire it.
Who calls us Thelemites will do no wrong, if he look but close into the word. For there are therein Three Grades, the Hermit, and the Lover, and the man of Earth. Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. [Chapter I, verse 40]
“Do what you want” is the central tenet of the religion of Crowley’s religion. There are no restrictions, no rules, it is the religion of lawlessness. Do you want is the essence of Satanism, and in fact it debases human beings to the lowly position of animals, for what are animals other than creatures of desire, acting on impulse with no regard for what is morally right or wrong. By comparison, the Qur’an is not in line with the whims and desires of human beings. It commands us to do that which is good and beneficial, and forbids that which is evil and harmful. To sacrifice and forego our bestial instincts for the sake of God elevates us to a position that is higher than the angels, for angels lack free will and have no choice but to worship God. The Book of the Law commands the Thelemite to worship the self, the Qur’an commands Muslims to do what is just and right, even if it means going against one’s own self-interests:
Even from a societal point of view, there are major problems with the philosophy of The Book of the Law. Doing whatever you want is counterproductive to a healthy and functioning society. If everyone did whatever they want, then it will result in anarchy. We can see that the origin of The Book of the Law, be it demonic, the Devil, or other than that, is only concerned with the here and now; it does not have concern for the long-term flourishing of humanity. Whereas Islam created a society that established justice in all the lands it ruled and the greatest empire the world had ever seen at the time, exactly what we’d expect if its origin is God (see this article for further detail).
Another problem with “do what you want” is that it is inherently contradictory. What happens when there is a conflict of wills among its followers? Does the will of one trump the other? The Book of the Law states that its followers, here referred to as a Kings, should not infringe upon one another’s rights:
Since compromise is in order, then it means one is prevented from following one’s own will. Suppressing one’s own will goes against the central tenet of Crowley’s religion, “do what you want”. We can see that as a philosophy it is not scalable, the more it spreads among people, the greater the chance of a conflict of wills, and thereby a forced compromise on one’s own will.
The word of Sin is Restriction. O man! refuse not thy wife, if she will! O lover, if thou wilt, depart! There is no bond that can unite the divided but love: all else is a curse. Accursed! Accursed be it to the aeons! Hell. [Chapter I, verse 41]
Here, The Book of the Law takes the concept of sin as it is defined in Abrahamic religions and inverts it; to restrict oneself is a sin. Crowley makes some interesting comments on this verse in light of sex and violence:
This is the inevitable result of the philosophy of The Book of the Law when taken to its logical conclusion. There will be Thelemites who incline towards extreme acts such as rape and murder, and in his comments Crowley implies that if this be their will then so be it. Interestingly, in his commentary on later verses, he expressly forbids acts such as rape:
So here we can see that Crowley forbids acts such as rape on the grounds that it violates the rights of others. Yet in his commentary on the very next verse, he makes rape permissible on the grounds that it can produce positive results:
What should we make of such contradictory reasoning? Crowley’s followers today may argue that these are only Crowley’s personal ramblings and are therefore not binding. But The Book of the Law itself makes Crowley an authority for its commentary:
In fact, Crowley forbade Thelemites from even interpreting the book for themselves, all must refer to his own writings. In the closing remarks of The Book of the Law, Crowley wrote:
When it comes to contradictions, the Qur’an gives us an objective principle by which we can judge the origin of any scripture:
In other words, if a scripture is from a source other than God – whether it be demon, the Devil or other than that – then it will contain contradictions, because only God Himself is perfect and inspires perfection. This is exactly the problem that we’ve seen with The Book of the Law and the authoritative commentary of its prophet Crowley, the presence of glaring contradictions. By comparison, the Qur’an is free of such issues, so clearly they do not share the same origin.
One final point worth discussing is Crowley’s attitude toward women. From his point of view, the natural sexual state of women is one of absolute depravity. In his commentary on verse I.41 he wrote:
While the reader will no doubt recoil with horror at such a view, Christians should reflect on their own doctrine of Original Sin. The New Testament claims that all human beings have inherited the sin of Adam and Eve when they ate from the forbidden fruit in the garden. Christian theologians say that as a consequence of this, mankind is considered to be in a state of “total depravity” or “pervasive depravity”, which is the inability to refrain from evil. Crowley may have put it in more vulgar terms, but both are making the same essential point, that depravity is the natural state of women.
It is only the Qur’an that speaks of mankind’s natural state in positive terms, it says that our natural disposition, known as the ‘Fitrah’, is one of Godliness:
The Fitrah is the pure state that we are born in, and the Prophet Muhammad explained that it is outside influences such as our parents that take us away from this natural state of devotion to God:
I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go. [Chapter II, verse 7]
Here The Book of the Law mentions magic in conjunction with exorcism. The common link between the two is demons, for demons are summoned by magical ritual and banished by exorcism. The invocation of demons was a common practice of Crowley and is the mechanism by which magic works. The Qur’an strictly prohibits the practice of magic in all its forms. In fact, it is considered to be a sin that takes one out of the fold of Islam, such is its severity:
These are dead, these fellows; they feel not. We are not for the poor and sad: the lords of the earth are our kinsfolk.
Is a God to live in a dog? No! but the highest are of us. They shall rejoice, our chosen: who sorroweth is not of us.
Beauty and strength, leaping laughter and delicious languor, force and fire, are of us.
We have nothing with the outcast and the unfit: let them die in their misery. For they feel not. Compassion is the vice of kings: stamp down the wretched & the weak: this is the law of the strong: this is our law and the joy of the world. Think not, o king, upon that lie: That Thou Must Die: verily thou shalt not die, but live. Now let it be understood: If the body of the King dissolve, he shall remain in pure ecstasy for ever. Nuit! Hadit! Ra-Hoor-Khuit! The Sun, Strength & Sight, Light; these are for the servants of the Star & the Snake. [Chapter II, verses 18-21]
The Book of the Law has a callous attitude toward the vulnerable. Showing compassion to the poor and weak, who are spoken of in dehumanising terms, is said to be a vice. The irony is that later in life, Crowley himself became the very thing that these verses despise. At a young age Crowley inherited a small fortune from his father, but due to his lavish lifestyle he very quickly squandered his wealth. His final years were spent in poor health, drug addicted and penniless. One can’t help but wonder if this irony dawned on the prophet while he lay on his deathbed.
The Qur’an takes a very different attitude to the vulnerable. Compassion toward the poor and weak is considered one of the greatest virtues. In fact, every Muslim who has in their possession a certain amount of wealth is required on an annual basis to give away a small portion in charity. One wisdom behind this is that it prevents people from hoarding excess wealth and ensures that it circulates throughout society, reaching those that are in need of it.
I am the Snake that giveth Knowledge & Delight and bright glory, and stir the hearts of men with drunkenness. To worship me take wine and strange drugs whereof I will tell my prophet, & be drunk thereof! They shall not harm ye at all. It is a lie, this folly against self. The exposure of innocence is a lie. Be strong, o man! lust, enjoy all things of sense and rapture: fear not that any God shall deny thee for this. [Chapter II, verse 22]
The Book of the Law promotes vices such as promiscuous sex, alcohol and drugs. Such ethics are exactly what we would expect of an evil source such as demons or the Devil. By comparison the Qur’an warns us against such vices and tells us not to follow in the footsteps of the Devil:
The Book of the Law encourages a lifestyle that is harmful not only to the individual but also wider society. Promiscuous sex, alcohol and drugs bring with them a whole host of issues such as disease, unwanted pregnancy, addiction and financial ruin. So the claim that such things are not harmful is absurd. From a psychological perspective, it’s interesting that The Book of the Law happens to condone the very vices that Crowley indulged in before he was a prophet. As far back as Adam and Eve, Satan has used temptation as a means to deceive man, so from this perspective The Book of the Law is devilish in its methodology.
By contrast Islam wants believers to be strong in mind, body and spirit. Anything that is harmful to the individual or wider society is prohibited. The Qur’an points out that immorality is the handiwork of Satan himself:
Unlike The Book of the Law, the Qur’an does not condone the harmful vices that the seventh century pre-Islamic Arabs indulged in; it prohibited them. This shows us that the one behind the Qur’an prioritises the well-being of mankind over our whims and desires.
I am the Master: thou art the Holy Chosen One. [Chapter II, verse 65]
Such grand claims are typical of The Book of the Law, it frequently asserts its authority and Crowley’s prophethood without putting forward any kind of evidence or means of verification. We are just expected to blindly accept its credentials. Whereas the Qur’an puts forward objective arguments for its divine origin, for example:
Please refer to the publication The Eternal Challenge: A Journey Through The Miraculous Qur’an for what makes the Qur’an so miraculous (download free book here).
Lift up thyself! for there is none like unto thee among men or among Gods! Lift up thyself, o my prophet, thy stature shall surpass the stars. They shall worship thy name, foursquare, mystic, wonderful, the number of the man: and the name of thy house 418. [Chapter II, verse 78]
Notice how this verse glorifies Crowley, virtually deifying him. By contrast the Qur’an emphasises the humanity of Prophet Muhammad:
Prophet Muhammad himself warned Muslims against deifying him:
The Qur’an even corrects Prophet Muhammad in instances where he made mistakes, for example:
What should we make of this lofty claim that Crowley’s stature “shall surpass the stars”? In light of the historical record thus far, it’s debatable as to whether this has been fulfilled. On the one hand, Crowley is revered within the world of the occult and magic. He became a cultural icon in the 1960s, with his libertine attitude to sex and drugs striking a chord with the counter-culture movement. However on the other hand, it has been over a century since The Book of the Law was first written, and over half a century since Crowley’s death, yet his religion is still not mainstream. Now if we interpret the claim that Crowley’s stature “shall surpass the stars” in light of the preceding statement of the same verse, that “there is none like unto thee among men or among Gods”, then this prophecy is an abject failure. Crowley has always had a tiny following and his impact on the world stage is negligible when compared to other religions and movements that emerged contemporary to him.
This is just one example of a problematic prophecy in The Book of the Law, it is filled with ambiguous and inaccurate predictions (see this article for more examples). We can conclude that whatever entity inspired this book, be it demons, the Devil or even Crowley’s own mind, what we know for certain is that it is not the product of a divine being. This is because divine beings have knowledge and control over the future. By comparison, the Qur’an and teachings of Prophet Muhammad are filled with accurate prophecies about the future (see this article for further detail).
What this shows is that the one who inspired the Qur’an and Prophet Muhammad has knowledge of the unseen which is a characteristic of God, not His creation such as demons or the Devil. Even according to the Bible, accurate knowledge of the future is a sign that someone has been genuinely inspired by God:
The Book of the Law fails to fulfil this biblical standard, whereas the Qur’an more than satisfies it.
For perfume mix meal & honey & thick leavings of red wine: then oil of Abramelin and olive oil, and afterward soften & smooth down with rich fresh blood.
The best blood is of the moon, monthly; then the fresh blood of a child, or dropping from the host of heaven; then of enemies; then of the priest or of the worshippers; last of some beast, no matter what.
This burn: of this make cakes & eat unto me. This hath also another use; let it be laid before me, and kept thick with perfumes of your orison: it shall become full of beetles as it were and creeping things sacred unto me. [Chapter III, verses 23-25]
This section of The Book of the Law goes into detail about the offerings that should be made by it followers. We can see that the emphasis of the ritual is blood, the verses go into great detail in specifying a hierarchy of blood. By comparison, the Qur’an tells us that when animal offerings are made by Muslims, it’s not the blood that matters to Allah, but rather the pious act of obedience in performing the sacrifice:
Sacrificing an animal for the sake of Allah is said to be a way of showing gratitude to Him for the numerous blessings He has bestowed upon us, as well as a righteous act in feeding the poor and needy. These are the purposes behind the animal offering, the spilt blood is of no value in and of itself. It’s important to note that human sacrifice is prohibited in Islam, only animals can be offered. When it comes to the occult and pagan religions in general, rituals involving human blood have been used throughout history. We’ve seen that The Book of the Law informs its followers that human blood – be it menstrual, the blood of children, or the blood of one’s enemies – is of higher value than animal blood.
I am in a secret fourfold word, the blasphemy against all gods of men.
Curse them! Curse them! Curse them!
With my Hawk’s head I peck at the eyes of Jesus as he hangs upon the cross.
I flap my wings in the face of Mohammed & blind him.
With my claws I tear out the flesh of the Indian and the Buddhist, Mongol and Din.
Bahlasti! Ompehda! I spit on your crapulous creeds.
Let Mary inviolate be torn upon wheels: for her sake let all chaste women be utterly despised among you! [Chapter III, verses 49-55]
One of the roles of religious scripture is to highlight the falsehood of beliefs that are contrary to its own teachings. Guidance is not just about stating what is correct, but also about negating that which is incorrect. The Book of the Law does not do this in any meaningful way. These verses mention the likes of Jesus and Muhammad, but instead of intellectually dismantling the teachings of these prophets, it instead insults them in a very petty manner that comes across as insecure. This is quite unbefitting of religious scripture, and certainly not what one would expect were its author a divine being.
By comparison, the Qur’an respectfully engages with the beliefs of those it deems to be upon falsehood. Muslims are commanded to refrain from insulting the gods of other religions:
The Qur’an commands believers to engage with non-believers in a respectful and dignified manner:
When it comes to dismantling the theology of false religion, the Qur’an uses intellectual arguments, never petty insults. The prophets of the Jewish and Christian scriptures are acknowledged as genuine prophets, and are even mentioned more times by name in the Qur’an than Muhammad himself. This is an indication that the one who authored the Qur’an and inspired Muhammad is the same entity that inspired the prophets of old like Abraham, Moses and Jesus.
CONCLUSION
To argue that the Qur’an is the product of some unknown force of unknown motives would be tantamount to invoking the existence of any unknown entity to explain anything. From this perspective, the Christian claim that the Qur’an was inspired by occult forces such as the Devil or demons is an intellectual cop-out. Everything can be reduced to absurdity by attributing it to occult forces, so this is also a self-defeating scepticism as it means that nothing can be true.
In this article we have tackled this claim by taking the unique approach of comparing the Qur’an to The Book of the Law, a typical occult work. After doing a detailed comparison we’ve seen that they share very little in common, which is contrary to the claim that they come from the same source. Not only are they opposites in terms of their theology and morality, but it is only the Qur’an that puts forward objective evidence to support its claims of divine origin. Crowley himself was a master occultist and would have had access to the same dark forces that allegedly inspired Muhammad. Yet we’ve seen that The Book of the Law pales in comparison to the phenomenon that is the Qur’an, both in terms of its content and impact on the global stage.
References.
1 – Sahih Bukhari & Sahih Muslim.
2 – Aleister Crowley, The Law is for All, see commentary on verse I.4.
3 – Ibid., see commentary on verse I.41.
4 – Ibid., see commentary on verse I.51.
5 – Ibid., see commentary on verse I.52.
6 – Ibid., see commentary on verse I.41.
7 – Sahih Bukhari.
6 Comments
Excellent post !!! Barakallahu feekum
Salamualakum wa rahma tu lahi wa barakatu.
Wow, this was a really interesting idea and a cool way to tackle the issue of the Qur’an allegedly being inspired by demons. Good job!
Reblogged on the Quran and Bible Blog. An excellent comparison of the light of the Quran with the darkness of idolatrous religions like Thelema!
https://quranandbibleblog.wordpress.com/2018/11/05/the-origin-of-the-quran-demonic-or-divine-many-prophets-one-message/
Salam akhi. Masha ALLAH as always you have nailed it. I have a special request from you. Could you please write a piece on if Muhammad (PBUH) is mentioned in Songs of Solomon or not?
You can watch this too. >> https://youtu.be/ERWr5sXIvCg
Salam Walikum brother excellent work like always. I just wanted to ask you when we will get to see your next article? I Just can’t wait.