Wednesday, July 7, 2021

Sam Shamoun "The Garbled-Up Quran: Muhammad’s Confusion of Figures and Names"


From a linguistic point of view, it is interesting to note the intricate manner in which the Quran places words in a context. 

The name of Ismail is missing from the list of Ibrahim's known, righteous descendants in some verses, such as 21:72. Each context has its own peculiar reason for omitting his name and in 19:49-50, the reason transpires even more. Ibrahim's progeny is followed by a mention of their honoring, elevating by their own people. This Meccan sura contrasts the Arabs' behavior towards their forefather Ismail with the behavior of the descendants of the Israelites towards their main prophetic figures. 

Although Ismail was known to the Arabs as their forefather, his spiritual path had been neglected and disfigured. He was only praised and recognized hundreds of years later when Muhammad came and restored his pure monotheistic way, honoring him. 

It is important noting that the stories of the biblical, and Arabian prophets are all already found in the Meccan suras. Had the prophet in Mecca, been extracting these stories from the previous traditions, he could not have passed over the central figure of Abraham and his progeny. Simply, in this period his primary addressees were the Arab pagans, who already knew of their Ishmaelite ancestry and the Kaaba's Abrahamic connection. The knowledge they lacked however was in regards to Ismail's eminence and righteousness, after centuries of baseless and prejudiced calumnies towards his character, as is amply found in Judeo-Christian traditions. The Quran thus in this earlier period focuses on honoring Ismail by mentioning him and his virtues aside from Abraham and his known descendants 38:48,21:85,19:54. During that earlier phase the Quran paves the way (through the implicit mention of Ismail as the near-sacrifice instead of Isaac in sura 37) for a revision, in Medina, of the traditional Judeo-Christian exclusivist spiritual worldview (through the Quran's emphatic connection of Abraham to the Kaaba and the change of qibla from Jerusalem to Mecca).

This textual separation of Ismail in the Meccan chapters also points to another reality; the lack of recognition of Ismail by his people and those that followed them, as compared to the others among Ibrahim's progeny, doesnt mean that God Himself is unappreciative of his merits
19:54-55"And mention Ismail in the Book; surely he was truthful in (his) promise, and he was an apostle, a prophet. And he enjoined on his family prayer and almsgiving, and was one in whom his Lord was well pleased". 
Herein lies a lesson for all times, the fact that God knows every humble person's worth regardless of that quality being exposed or not in this world, and He will manifest it and reward the person for it, sometimes in this world but always in the hereafter. It is also to be noted that the passage starting at 19:51 likewise mentions several prophets separately and prior to citing Ibrahim, including Moses, showing that the purpose isnt to establish a chronological descendency. This is further seen by the statement concluding the passage, that all previously mentioned names (Ismail, Musa, Harun etc) descend from one or more of the following 
19:58"These are they on whom Allah bestowed favors, from among the prophets OF the seed of Adam, and OF those whom We carried with Nuh, and OF the seed of Ibrahim and Israel, and OF those whom We guided and chose". 
The same pattern occurs in 6:83-90. The passage starts with a series of prophets that post date the deluge (Ibrahim, Isaac, Jacob) then reverts to Nuh who is clearly said as coming before them, then mentions some of his descendants (David, Solomon) who actually came after the first series of prophets. Then again, the passage is injected with a statement that points to the former prophets and their descendants 
"And from among their fathers and their descendants and their brethren". 
The passage ends with the oft repeated statement that Allah guides into prophethood whoever He so pleases of His servants. Among the purposes of such statement is to reinforce the Quranic notion of continuity, indiscriminate obedience to all prophets of God equally. And by purposefully giving a non-chronological list, that idea is further emphasized; chronological hierarchy does not entail superiority. Neither is the first of them the most honored, nor the last of them of lesser merit. All should be equally followed and revered 
"These are they whom Allah guided, therefore follow their guidance".
In 29:27 it speaks of God bestowing prophethood and scripture among Abraham's Israelite descendants, hence the omission of Ishmael. The descendants of Abraham among the Ishmaelites did not have any scripture until the Quran 
"And We gave to Him Isaac and Jacob and placed in his descendants prophethood and scripture. And We gave him his reward in this world, and indeed, he is in the Hereafter among the righteous".
Similarly in 38:45-8 Ishmael is mentioned apart from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. That is because the passage describes them with the particular divine favor of power and dominion, which wasnt Ishmael's case. Abraham was given wealth, dominion over his enemies and lands Gen14-15. Isaac was blessed by God to the point the Philistines saw him as a threat 
Gen26:16"And Abimelech said to Isaac "Go away from us, for you have become much stronger than we". 
The king of the Philistines together with his army chief eventually came to Isaac in submission, seeking an alliance with him. Isaac would later bless Jacob with a prayer of abundant wealth, children, prestige and power among the nations and his own family Gen27,Gen30:43,Gen35:11.

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