Why would the Evil One devise something that was of any
benefit at all to mankind? Because of this anomaly, Sura
2:219 is generally considered to have been abrogated.
But even that is not all that is curious about the Koran’s
teachings on alcohol. What is beyond amazing is that
believers will enjoy this ‘‘abomination devised by Satan’’ in
Heaven: ‘‘This is the Paradise which the righteous have
been promised. Therein shall flow . . . rivers of wine
delectable to those that drink it’’ (Sura 47:15; see also
83:25–26).
A very serious example of verses being ‘‘nullified by
Allah’’ is the instance when Muhammad apparently made
an exception to his radical monotheism. During the early
stages of Islam, Muhammad was frustrated in his attempts to
win over Mecca’s merchants and other powerful people,
who were all polytheists. Finally he relented on his hither to
uncompromising monotheism and stated that it was
permitted for the pagan gods of Mecca — specifically, three
female deities named alLat, alUzza, and Manat — to
intercede before Allah for the people. According to Islamic
tradition, Satan took advantage of Muhammad’s desire for
reconciliation and ‘‘put upon his tongue’’ as a revelation
from Allah this rhetorical question and answer: ‘‘Uzza and
Manat, the third, the other? These are the exalted Gharaniq
[cranes] whose intercession is approved.’’ The pagan
members of Muhammad’s tribe, the Quraysh, were pleased;
they prostrated themselves before their gods as the Muslims
were prostrating themselves before Allah, and went out
saying, ‘‘Muhammad has spoken of our god in splendid