Title: Alleged Indication of the September 11 Incident in the Qur'an Question: I just received an email that drew a very strange relationship to the events of 11 September implying the indication of the event in Qur'an in 11th Chapter, 9th Surah ( Surah Al-Taubah ) and Ayah no. 110. I tried to check it with the translation of Qur'an that I have. The translation does refer to destruction of a building however, I take the understanding that it refers to Mosque Zarrar . The mail related Qur'an's 11th chapter to the month of September, 9th Surah as to the date on which the event took place and 110 no. ayah as the total number of stories of WTC. I believe that this is just another form of conspiracy theory that we Muslims are so fond of believing in. Can you please throw light on that? Sincerely, Rehan Abid Jeddah, Saudi Arabia Answer: In trying to understand the Qur'an one should appreciate its literary style and maintain a context to the message being understood. I have duplicated the verses in question for a better understanding of its meaning: And there are those who put up a mosque by way of mischief and infidelity - to disunite the Believers - and in preparation for one who warred against Allah and His Messenger aforetime. They will indeed swear that their intention is nothing but good; But Allah doth declare that they are certainly liars. Never stand thou forth therein. There is a mosque whose foundation was laid from the first day on piety; it is more worthy of the standing forth (for prayer) therein. In it are men who love to be purified; and Allah loveth those who make themselves pure. Which then is best? - he that layeth his foundation on piety to Allah and His good pleasure? - or he that layeth his foundation on an undermined sand-cliff ready to crumble to pieces? and it doth crumble to pieces with him, into the fire of Hell. And Allah guideth not people that do wrong. The foundation of those who so build is never free from suspicion and shakiness in their hearts, until their hearts are cut to pieces. And Allah is All-Knowing, Wise. ( Al-Taubah 9: 107 - 110) After having searched through various translations I found that Abdullah Yusuf Ali translates the verses, especially when the term "building" (he uses foundation) is used, to be closest to the spirit of the meaning of the message. The gist of the story relating to these verses, as you've correctly ascertained, is that a group of hypocrites built a Mosque. These hypocrites were led by Abu `Amir ("the Monk"), who had his own plans of destroying Islam. Their intentions were actually to dismantle Muslim unity but they wanted to appear as if they were pious. Of course, they and their intentions were transparent to God. So the Dirar Mosque was destroyed and burnt to the ground. The Qur'an, in order to give us a moral lesson, parallels the story to human nature. It questions, in an admonishing way, our intentions and our piety. Will our foundations (the very basis of our existence and how we lead our lives) be based on piety, righteousness and solid moral ground? Or will we build our lives (our foundation) upon a weak and flimsy base; just as if you were to build a building or structure upon a washed up river bank (or cliff) without good support (verse 109), the structure will shake and crumble till it tumbles down. So, it is with the stability of each individual's faith and character; build it upon Truth and God consciousness and stay strong in faith, build it upon hypocrisy and evil deeds and it shall tremble to destruction. The parable, based on real events, develops a sense of decision making. The choice is up to us. Will we fall or will we stand strong? Considering the above explanation, it should be evident that the incidents on September 11th have nothing to do with the verses quoted. I cannot expound on why any person or persons would relate such a thing but I must assert the danger in mangling God's word; whether for good or evil. Anyone, intentionally committing these delusive interpretations places themselves in the greatest of jeopardy. None of the indications in the email fit into the true meaning of the verses. For example verse 110 pertains to human beings not buildings as I have explained. Also, the "11th chapter" in which you referred to is actually the 11th Juz (i.e. part or division) which was developed by people. This cannot be used as a standard. In all reality that is not what is important. The important thing is our steadfastness and our faith built upon solid ground and not on weak foundations such as the very conjecture the email is based on. I hope I have clarified the issue God knows best Ronnie Hassan March 4, 2003