Saturday, August 8, 2020

Islam Critiqued doesnt need an Ishmaelite prophet; prophecy only in Israel?

In answer to the video "Top 10 Ways Muslims Ignore the Quran"

In 45:16-18 the Quran addresses Muhammad, telling him just as another nation was vouchsafed revelation, he too is now chosen and put on the straight path, thus stressing the continuation of the divine message. As a side note, the suras speaking of God choosing prophets indiscriminately, that prophets outside the line of Israel were sent to mankind, with Muhammad being the last of these chosen noble individuals, and that all of them bore witness to the same truth and pattern (suras ghafir, al anaam, al shuaara etc) precede the revelation of both 45:16 and 29:27. This bellies the idea that Muhammad first acknowledged prophethood to be the sole prerogative of the Israelites until he later extended it to non-Israelites.

As to the efforts of some (mainly, if not only, Bible-ignorant Christians) to exclude Ishmael's progeny (or any other non-Israelite branch) from potential chosenness for prophehood based on Ishmael's supposed exclusion from the Abrahamic covenant, firstly, God in the Torah is reported to have announced several covenants with Abraham, not only one, and none of them is related to prophethood being the sole prerogative of one branch or another. In Gen15:18-21,17:2,8,10 we read about the covenant of dominion over the land of Canaan by Abraham's offspring, the covenant that would increase his descendants in numbers, and the covenant of circumcision of his male children including all those living in his household that are not his male offspring.

We read in Gen17:17-27 that Ishmael was made fully part of the covenant of circumcision. This practice remained among some of the pre-islamic Arabs of Mecca that had maintained the tradition.

The passage also says that the covenant of blessed and fruitful nation will apply to Ishmael.

The only covenant that isnt explicitly mentionned as covering him is the one of dominion over the land of Canaan. This is why God in Gen17:19 is reported to have accepted and did not deny Abraham's request that Ishmael might "live before the Lord" (an expression of righteousness and sacrifice to God). But God added further qualification in relation to the land covenant
(judaica press translation) "And Abraham said to God "If only Ishmael might live before you!" And God said, "Indeed, your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you shall name him Isaac, and I will establish My covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his seed after him.."
That is the covenant continuously spoken of all over the Hebrew scriptures as applying to the Israelites only, lamented over, prophesied about to be restored following every destruction. This covenant will eventually forever be reinstated in the Messianic era. See for example Jer11:1-5 or when Isaiah prophesied the renewal of the covenant he stated
Isa49:8"I will make you for a people of a covenant, to establish a land, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages".
The psalmist remembers the covenant in this way
Ps105:9-11"Which He had made with Abraham, and His oath to Isaac, And He set it up to Jacob as a statute, to Israel as an everlasting covenant, Saying, "To you I shall give the land of Canaan, the portion of your heritage.""
A reminder of that covenant with the seed of Isaac, and it being related to land rights is reiterated in 1Chr16:15-18. King David, in his last days, as he gathered the leaders of the community and announced his succession through his son Solomon, as he told them that the responsibility to build the Temple to shelter the Ark of God would rest upon his son, he reminded everyone that
1Chr28:8"And now, before the eyes of all Israel, the congregation of the Lord, and in the ears of our God, observe and seek all the commandments of the Lord your God, in order that you inherit the good land and bequeath it to your sons after you forever".

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