Saturday, June 8, 2013

Wait... That's in the Qur'an?*



 Lo! those who believe (in that which is revealed unto thee, Muhammad), and those who are Jews, and Christians, and Sabaeans** — whoever believeth in Allah and the Last Day and doeth right — surely their reward is with their Lord, and there shall no fear come upon them neither shall they grieve. 2:62 (5:69 is almost identical)

(And remember) when the angels said: O Mary! Lo! Allah giveth thee glad tidings of a word from Him, whose name is the Messiah,*** Jesus, son of Mary, illustrious in the world and the Hereafter, and one of those brought near (unto Allah). 3:45

(The angel) said: I am only a messenger of thy Lord, that I may bestow on thee a faultless son. She said: How can I have a son when no mortal hath touched me, neither have I been unchaste? He said: so (it will be). Thy Lord saith: It is easy for Me. And (it will be) that We may make of him a revelation for mankind and a mercy from Us, and it is a thing ordained. 19:19-21

And We caused Jesus, son of Mary, to follow in their footsteps, confirming that which was (revealed) before him, and We bestowed on him the Gospel wherein is guidance and a light, confirming that which was (revealed) before it in the Torah — a guidance and an admonition unto those who ward off (evil).  5:46

When Jesus came with clear proofs (of Allah’s sovereignty), he said: I have come unto you with wisdom, and to make plain some of that concerning which ye differ. So keep your duty to Allah, and obey me. 43:63

There is no compulsion in religious matters.**** 2:256

And the Jews say the Christians follow nothing (true), and the Christians say the Jews follow nothing (true); yet both are readers of the Scripture. Even thus speak those who know not. Allah will judge between them on the Day of Resurrection concerning that wherein they differ. 2:113

For each We have appointed a divine law and a traced-out way. Had Allah willed He could have made you [members of the three Abrahamic faiths] one community. But that He may try you by that which He hath given you (He hath made you as ye are). So vie one with another in good works. Unto Allah ye will all return, and He will then inform you of that wherein ye differ. 5:48 (2:148 is similar)



* The English translation that I’ve used here is The meaning of the Glorious Qur’an An explanatory translation by Mohammed Marmaduke Pickthall, initially published in 1930. This was the first book of its kind. Contrary to what many American Christians have been told, (the majority of) Muslims do not believe that it is wrong to translate the Qur’an into another language; rather, once translated, it simply ceases to be the literal word of God, revealed to the prophet Mohammed through the angel Gabriel, and becomes instead an interpretation of that word. ...And you thought you had a conservative view on Scripture!

** According to Charles Kimball, scholars disagree on exactly which community is meant by the word “Sabaeans.” Some think that the name refers to the Mandaeans of southern Iraq.

*** From Charles Kimball’s Striving Together: “[Jesus] is mentioned by name in 93 different verses scattered in 15 chapters [of the Qur’an]. He is called a prophet, a messenger, a servant of God, a Word from God, the Messiah and one inspired or aided by the Spirit of God. These latter three are particularly intriguing as distinctive titles among the prophetic figures in the Qur’an. ... On eleven occasions, the Qur’an speaks of Jesus as the Messiah; in seven verses, the ‘Spirit of God’ is directly associated with Jesus. The precise meaning of these titles is not clearly explained.” (Pickthall asserts that the Spirit is simply a term for the angel Gabriel.)

**** Other translations, including the one used by Kimball, render the sentence in the imperative: “There shall be no compulsion in religious matters.” 

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