Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Latter-day Saint
Well? Does Qur’an 9:11 prophesy that “the wrath of the eagle” will cleanse the lands of the Arabs?

Well? Does Qur’an 9:11 prophesy that “the wrath of the eagle” will cleanse the lands of the Arabs?

Last updated on: September 2, 2019 at 3:52 pm by Dan Peterson

Well? Does Qur’an 9:11 prophesy that “the wrath of the eagle” will cleanse the lands of the Arabs? 2019-09-02T15:52:05-06:00 Dan Peterson

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

An actual photograph of the very eagle prophesied at Qur’an 9:11. In this Wikimedia Commons public domain photograph, the eagle soars above the hot and arid deserts of the Arabian peninsula.

Does Qur’an 9:11 prophesy that “the wrath of the eagle” will cleanse the lands of the Arabs or “the lands of Allah” ?

No!

No, it doesn’t!

No!

I’ve encountered this utterly bogus claim many times before, and have just encountered it yet again.

Several years ago, a member of the Church shared this alleged Qur’anic passage with me, wondering what I made of it. I pronounced it bogus. He looked at me very sadly and commented that I shouldn’t rely on dishonest translations.

But, of course, I don’t.

Although, as I’m doing this very semester, I use an English translation of the Qur’an when I’m teaching the Qur’an in English — lately, I’ve been using M. A. S. Abdel Haleem’s version in the Oxford World’s Classics series — I generally read the Qur’an in Arabic, and I would never dream of making any argument from it or seriously discussing a passage in it without first consulting the relevant verse or verses in the original language.

Snopes does a solid and workmanlike job on the purported “eagle prophecy” of Qur’an 9:11:

http://www.snopes.com/politics/war/quran911.asp

As I say, I’ve been confronted with this alleged prophecy more times than I can count. There is no merit in it. None. Zero. Zilch. Zippo. Nada. The word eagle (or, more precisely, its Arabic equivalent) never occurs anywhere in the Qur’an, let alone at 9:11.

Come on, folks. Look at the reference. It’s 9:11. Or, in other words, 9/11. Really?

***

Here’s a verse, however, that really does exist. Indeed, some Muslim commentators, both classical and modern, single it out as the greatest verse in the entire Qur’an. Calligraphic inscriptions of it adorn walls, parchments, and works of art around the Muslim world”

“Ayat al-Kursi” (The Throne Verse, Qur’an 2:255); Wikimedia Commons public domain image

“God — There is no god but He, the Living, the Sustainer. Neither drowsiness nor sleep overtakes Him. To Him belongs everything in the Heavens and on Earth. Who can intercede with Him, except by His permission? He knows what is present before them and what will be after them. They cannot comprehend a particle of His knowledge, except as He wills it. His throne extends over the Heavens and the Earth, but preserving them doesn’t tire Him. He is the Most High, the Most Great.” (Qur’an 2:255; my translation)

anti-Islamic propaganda

Previous Post

September 1, 2019

Anecdotal intimations of immortality (1)

Next Post

September 2, 2019 Anecdotal intimations of immortality (2)

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Uncategorized

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 March 2014 August 2013 February 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Which book of the Bible contains the most chapters of any prophetic book?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Daniel Isaiah Ezekiel Jeremiah