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• Jesus enjoined unlimited forgiveness: [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2018%3A21-22&version=NIV Matt. 18:21-22]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%2017%3A3-4&version=NIV Luke 17:3-4]. [forgiveness against shirk - Qur'an says no Q4:48 and 4:116. - anyone who believed in him would/could be saved ] | • Jesus enjoined unlimited forgiveness: [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2018%3A21-22&version=NIV Matt. 18:21-22]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%2017%3A3-4&version=NIV Luke 17:3-4]. [forgiveness against shirk - Qur'an says no Q4:48 and 4:116. - anyone who believed in him would/could be saved ] | ||
He notes Jesus called some to a life without marriage: [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2019%3A11-12&version=NIV Matt. 19:11-12], while the Qur'an promotes it as a virtue encouraging those to do so. | |||
Marriage is a virtue https://www.getquranic.com/marriage-in-islam-8-quranic-verses-about-marriage/ | |||
{{Quote|{{Quran|24|32}}|Marry off those who are single among you, and the upright among your male and female slaves. If they are poor, Allah will enrich them out of His grace, and Allah is all-bounteous, all-knowing.}} | |||
{{Quote|Reynolds, Gabriel Said. <i>Christianity and the Qur'an: The Rise of Islam in Christian Arabia (pp. 131-132).</i> Yale University Press. Kindle Edition.| | And criticizes monasticism/monks, with celibacy and no marriage being a key aspect<ref>[https://www.britannica.com/topic/monasticism Monasticism] | religion | Britannica Entry</ref> in general | ||
{{Quote|Reynolds, Gabriel Said. <i>Christianity and the Qur'an: The Rise of Islam in Christian Arabia (pp. 131-132).</i> Yale University Press. Kindle Edition.|These verses critical of monks are often read together with Q 57:27, which, while praising certain positive qualities of Christians, also seems to accuse Christians of “innovating” monasticism: Then We sent, following in their footsteps, Our Messengers; and We sent, following, Jesus son of Mary, and gave unto him the Gospel. And We set in the hearts of those who followed him tenderness and mercy. And monasticism they invented—We did not prescribe it for them—only seeking the good pleasure of God; but they observed it not as it should be observed. So We gave those of them who believed their wage; and many of them are ungodly.}} | |||
Criticism of monasticism (https://www.britannica.com/topic/monasticism) - lack of marriage for monks (though admittedly also praises monks in general elsewhere pp130-132)<ref>Reynolds, Gabriel Said. ''Christianity and the Qur'an: The Rise of Islam in Christian Arabia (pp. 130-132).'' Yale University Press. Kindle Edition.</ref> | |||
{{Quote|{{Quran| | {{Quote|{{Quran|57|27}}|Then We sent on their footsteps Our Messengers and We followed with Isa, son (of) Maryam, and We gave him the Injeel. And We placed in (the) hearts (of) those who followed him compassion and mercy. But monasticism they innovated - not We prescribed it for them - only seeking (the) pleasure (of) Allah, but not they observed it (with) right observance. So We gave those who believed among them their reward, but most of them (are) defiantly disobediently.}} | ||
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===== '''Patron–protégé relationships''' ===== | ===== '''Patron–protégé relationships''' ===== | ||
Explanation of what this is Durie pp.110-111:<ref name=":3">Durie, Mark. ''The Qur’an and Its Biblical Reflexes: Investigations into the Genesis of a Religion (pp. 110-111) (pp. XX-XX Kindle Edition)''. 4.1.5 A Polemical Doctrine. Lexington Books. 2018.</ref> The Qurʾan uses terms from the root '''w-l-y''' to describe '''patron–protégé relationships''', alliances, and guardianship. The key term '''walī''' can mean ally, protector, guardian, or patron, and may indicate either symmetrical alliances or asymmetrical power relationships.<ref name=":3" /> | The Qur'an distinctly ignores the father-son relationship (and theology) metaphor by using another term that is harder to translate | ||
Explanation of what this is Durie pp.110-111:<ref name=":3">Durie, Mark. ''The Qur’an and Its Biblical Reflexes: Investigations into the Genesis of a Religion (pp. 110-111) (pp. XX-XX Kindle Edition)''. 4.1.5 A Polemical Doctrine. Lexington Books. 2018.</ref> The Qurʾan uses terms from the root '''w-l-y''' to describe '''patron–protégé relationships''', alliances, and guardianship. The key term '''walī''' can mean ally, protector, guardian, or patron, and may indicate either symmetrical alliances or asymmetrical power relationships.<ref name=":3" /><ref>[https://lexicon.quranic-research.net/data/27_w/219_wle.html Root: ''wāw lām yā'' (و ل ي)] - Lane's Lexicon Qur'anic Research | |||
See Lane's Lexicon Classical Arabic Dictionary [https://lexicon.quranic-research.net/pdf/Page_3060.pdf pp.3060] & [https://lexicon.quranic-research.net/pdf/Page_3061.pdf pp.3061] </ref> | |||
In pre-Islamic Arab society, such patronage was essential for protection, as shown by the example of Muḥammad being safeguarded by his uncle Abū Ṭālib. Without a patron, a person was vulnerable.<ref name=":3" /> | In pre-Islamic Arab society, such patronage was essential for protection, as shown by the example of Muḥammad being safeguarded by his uncle Abū Ṭālib. Without a patron, a person was vulnerable.<ref name=":3" /> [in the sirah of Ibn Ishaq] | ||
The Qurʾan emphasizes that '''God has no need of any patron''' and that '''humans should recognize God alone as their walī'''. Seeking any protector besides God is considered '''shirk'''. Believers may take other believers and the Prophet as allies (''awliyāʾ'') alongside God, but not in place of Him.<ref name=":3" /> | The Qurʾan emphasizes that '''God has no need of any patron''' and that '''humans should recognize God alone as their walī'''. Seeking any protector besides God is considered '''shirk'''. Believers may take other believers and the Prophet as allies (''awliyāʾ'') alongside God, but not in place of Him.<ref name=":3" /> | ||
As the Muslim community developed, especially after what the passage calls the ''Eschatological Transition''—the Qurʾan increasingly stressed exclusive allegiance to God. This served to detach believers from prior tribal or familial loyalties that could compromise their commitment to the faith community.<ref name=":3" /> | As the Muslim community developed, especially after what the passage calls the ''Eschatological Transition''—the Qurʾan increasingly stressed exclusive allegiance to God. This served to detach believers from prior tribal or familial loyalties that could compromise their commitment to the faith community.<ref name=":3" /> | ||
- and calls for help- | |||
===== Unequal status vs Jesus' views on Wealth ===== | ===== Unequal status vs Jesus' views on Wealth ===== | ||
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And inequality in general - inc. the afterlife | And inequality in general - inc. the afterlife | ||
=== Punishment narratives === | |||
==== Punishment BEFORE the day of judgement ==== | |||
We are told the sole exception in history was the unnamed town<ref>Unnamed in the Qur'an, though identified as Nineveh (in modern day Iraq) as in the Biblical "Book of Jonah" by Islamic exegetes; e.g. see [https://quranx.com/tafsirs/37.147 tafsirs on Q37:147]</ref> of more than 100,000 people that the messenger Yūnus (Jonah) when the warning was heeded in full by the entire people, and therefore punishment averted ({{Quran|10|98}}, {{Quran|37|147-148}}) “no town believed . . . except the people of Yūnus”<ref>Durie, Mark. 2018. ''The Qur'an and Its Biblical Reflexes: Investigations Into the Genesis of a Religion. pp 49. Kindle Edition pp 151.''</ref> | |||
How many a town defied the command of its Lord and His apostles, then We called it to a severe account and punished it with a dire punishment. Q65:8 | |||
So it tasted the evil consequences of its conduct, and the outcome of its conduct was ruin. Q65:9 | |||
How many generations that had far more wealth and ostentation have We laid low before them! <<nowiki>https://quranx.com/19.74</nowiki>> | |||
Say, ‘Whoever abides in error, the All-beneficent shall prolong his respite until they sight what they have been promised: either punishment, or the Hour.’ Then they will know whose position is worse, and whose host is weaker <<nowiki>https://quranx.com/19.75</nowiki>> | |||
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Q34:16 - flood of the damn of Yemen / Saba', the people of Sheba E.g. <ref>See tafsirs on [https://quranx.com/Tafsirs/34.14 Q34:14], [https://quranx.com/Tafsirs/34.15 Q34:15] & [https://quranx.com/Tafsirs/34.16 Q34:16]</ref> {{Quran|34|14-16}} | |||
{{Quote|{{Quran|34|14-16}}|And when We decreed for Solomon death, nothing indicated to the jinn his death except a creature of the earth eating his staff. But when he fell, it became clear to the jinn that if they had known the unseen, they would not have remained in humiliating punishment. | |||
Certainly, (there) was for Saba in their dwelling place a sign: Two gardens on (the) right and (on the) left. "Eat from (the) provision (of) your Lord and be grateful to Him. A land good and a Lord Oft-Forgiving." | |||
But they turned away, so We sent upon them (the) flood (of) the dam, and We changed for them their two gardens (with) two gardens producing fruit bitter, and tamarisks and (some)thing of lote trees few.}} | |||
, {{Quran|65|8-9}}, {{Quran|19|74-75}} | |||
Add: 34:15–21: The punishment of the people of Sheba, without explicit reference to a messenger. Sheba reference <ref>Marshall, David. ''God, Muhammad and the Unbelievers (p. 73).'' Taylor & Francis. Kindle Edition.</ref> | |||
=== Surah 36 === | |||
Similarly an unnamed town is sent three messengers in {{Quran|36|13-32}}, who's identities have differed in traditional Islamic scholarship,<ref>E.g. see commentaries on [https://quranx.com/Tafsirs/36.13 Q36:13] & [https://quranx.com/tafsirs/36.14 Q36:14], and the later verses in the story, cited as a parable ''(mathal).''</ref> are rejected and so are killed with a cry/shout (''ṣayḥatan)'' ({{Quran|36|29}}). <ref>Marshall, David. ''God, Muhammad and the Unbelievers (p. 63 & 72).'' Taylor & Francis. Kindle Edition.</ref> | |||
{{Quote|Marshall, David. God, Muhammad and the Unbelievers (p. 72). Taylor & Francis. Kindle Edition.|36:13–32: Described as a parable (mathal, v.13), but in outline very similar to the punishment-narratives. The messengers (two of them, reinforced with a third) and the town in which they preach are anonymous. ‘A man from the furthest part of the city’ (v.20) exhorts his people to follow the messengers.}} | |||
== The Lote Tree of the utmost Boundary (Sid'rati al-Muntahā) == | == The Lote Tree of the utmost Boundary (Sid'rati al-Muntahā) == | ||
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Sinai (2017) similarly notes strong ideological parallels a 6th century hagiographical text (the Panegyric on Macarius, Bishop of Tkow by Pseudo-Dioscorus of Alexandria) of a 5th-century martyr, Egyptian Bishop Macarius of Tkow who was martyred for opposing the council of Chalcedon. Citing Michael Gaddis's summary of the document, ‘He was both willing to die for his faith, and willing to kill for it.’ he notes the same idea in {{Quran|9|111}} … they fight in the way of Allah, kill, and are killed.. <ref>Ibid. (Kindle Edition. pp. 299).</ref> As well as citing English historian of the Byzantine Empire James Howard-Johnston "''..James Howard-Johnston draws attention to a passage in the Chronicle of Theophanes Confessor (d. 818), which reports that at about the same time when the Qur’an promised those ‘killed in the path of God’ immediate entry to paradise, the Byzantine emperor Heraclius similarly announced that those fighting the Sasanians would be recompensed with eternal life. In Heraclius’s address as reported by Theophanes Confessor, we find some of the same general ingredients that are noticeable in Qur’anic calls to militancy…''"<ref>Ibid. (Kindle Edition. pp. 301).</ref> He notes these similarities are likely caused by being on the fringes of the Roman empire.<ref>Ibid. (Kindle Edition. pp. 301).</ref> | Sinai (2017) similarly notes strong ideological parallels a 6th century hagiographical text (the Panegyric on Macarius, Bishop of Tkow by Pseudo-Dioscorus of Alexandria) of a 5th-century martyr, Egyptian Bishop Macarius of Tkow who was martyred for opposing the council of Chalcedon. Citing Michael Gaddis's summary of the document, ‘He was both willing to die for his faith, and willing to kill for it.’ he notes the same idea in {{Quran|9|111}} … they fight in the way of Allah, kill, and are killed.. <ref>Ibid. (Kindle Edition. pp. 299).</ref> As well as citing English historian of the Byzantine Empire James Howard-Johnston "''..James Howard-Johnston draws attention to a passage in the Chronicle of Theophanes Confessor (d. 818), which reports that at about the same time when the Qur’an promised those ‘killed in the path of God’ immediate entry to paradise, the Byzantine emperor Heraclius similarly announced that those fighting the Sasanians would be recompensed with eternal life. In Heraclius’s address as reported by Theophanes Confessor, we find some of the same general ingredients that are noticeable in Qur’anic calls to militancy…''"<ref>Ibid. (Kindle Edition. pp. 301).</ref> He notes these similarities are likely caused by being on the fringes of the Roman empire.<ref>Ibid. (Kindle Edition. pp. 301).</ref> | ||
==== Martyrdom wipes away other sins and is privileged above other acts from believers ==== | |||
{{Quote|Reynolds, Gabriel Said. Christianity and the Qur'an: The Rise of Islam in Christian Arabia (pp. 178-179). Yale University Press. Kindle Edition.|The teaching on the glory earned by martyrs is widespread in the early church. It is nevertheless telling to find the way it is emphasized in the third-century Christian text the aforementioned Didascalia Apostolorum, originally written in Greek but preserved in Syriac.<sup>87</sup> The Didascalia clearly teaches that the martyrs will have a privilege above other faithful believers: If then He raises up all men,—as He said by Isaiah: All flesh shall see the salvation of God [Isa 40.5; 52.10],—much more will He quicken and raise up the faithful; and (yet more) again will He quicken and raise up the faithful of the faithful, who are the martyrs, and establish them in great glory and make them His counsellors. For to mere disciples, those who believe in Him, He has promised a glory as of the stars [Dan 12.3]; but to the martyrs He has promised to give an everlasting glory, as of the luminaries which fail not, with more abundant light, that they may be shining for all time.<sup>88</sup> | |||
The Didascalia is also clear, as is the Qur’an, that martyrs enjoy a special grace through the forgiveness of sins that their deaths have earned for them: But again, sins are forgiven by baptism also to those who from the Gentiles draw near and enter the holy Church of God. Let us inquire also, to whom sins are not imputed. To such as Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the patriarchs, as also to the martyrs. Let us hear then, brethren, for the Scripture saith: Who shall boast himself and say: I am clear of sins? Or who shall be confident and say: I am innocent? [Prov 20.9]. | |||
And again: There is no man pure of defilement: not though his life be but one day [Job 14.4–5 LXX]. To everyone therefore who believes and is baptized his … former sins have been forgiven; but after baptism also, provided that he has not sinned a deadly sin nor been an accomplice (thereto), but has heard only, or seen, or spoken, and is thus guilty of sin. But if a man go forth from the world by martyrdom for the name of the Lord, blessed is he; <i>for brethren who by martyrdom have gone forth from this world, of these the sins are covered.</i><sup>89</sup> | |||
We might compare Q 3:195: “ ‘And those who emigrated, and were expelled from their habitations, those who suffered hurt in My way, and fought, and were slain—<i>them I shall surely acquit of their evil deeds,</i> and I shall admit them to gardens underneath which rivers flow.’ A reward from God! And God with Him is the fairest reward” (italics added). In other words, the Qur’an seems to be well aware of Christian devotion to the martyrs.}} | |||
=== Martyrdom in the Torah and Gospels === | === Martyrdom in the Torah and Gospels === | ||
Muslims who fight are promised paradise, which the Qur'an claims is also a promise in the Torah and Gospel.{{Quote|{{Quran|9|111}}|Indeed Allah has bought from the faithful their souls and their possessions for paradise to be theirs: they fight in the way of Allah, kill, and are killed. A promise binding upon Him in the Torah and the Evangel and the Quran. And who is truer to his promise than Allah? So rejoice in the bargain you have made with Him, and that is the great success.}}Nickel (2020)<ref>Nickel, Gordon D. ''The Quran with Christian Commentary: A Guide to Understanding the Scripture of Islam (p. 222).'' Zondervan Academic. Kindle Edition. 9.111 – They fight in the way of God, and they kill and are killed When the Quran describes believers as fighting “in the way of Allah,” it makes a theological claim by associating Allah with human fighting. See the analysis of these expressions at 73.20 (p. 597). 9.111 – a promise binding on Him in the Torah, and the Gospel, and the Qur’ān This is the only verse in the Quran that brings the Torah (tawrāt), Gospel (injīl), and qur’ān (lit. “recitation”) together. The Quran claims here that the particular point on which the Torah and Gospel agree with the Muslim recitation is that believers “fight in the way of Allah, and they kill and are killed.” This verse makes the reader question whether the Quran has a clear idea of the contents of the Torah and Gospel. A similar question is raised by 61.14, which appears to say that ‘Īsā and his disciples fought against their enemies (cf. 3.52). Along with these misunderstandings, the Quran gives no information about the peaceable teaching and example of Jesus in the Gospel accounts. See the analysis of the Quran’s verses on the “Gospel” at 57.27 (p. 549). Do the Torah and Gospel in fact contain such a promise? See the comment on this characterization of the Bible at 61.14 (p. 566).</ref> and Reynolds (2018) however notes that this is not found there:{{Quote|1=Reynolds, G. S. (2018). <i>The Qur'an and the Bible: Text and Commentary. Commentary on 9:111 (pp. 322)</i> United Kingdom: Yale University Press.|2="9:111 The point of this verse is that those who are prepared to give their lives to God in the holy war are promised paradise as a payment for their services (cf. 2:245; 4:74; 61:10–12). The idea that the martyrs have a special assurance of paradise follows from the Qurʾān’s teaching elsewhere that the act of martyrdom involves forgiveness of sin. <b>This teaching is close to that of the Syriac fathers (see commentary on 2:154, with further references). It is curious that the Qurʾān insists that the promise of heaven for holy warriors is found in the Torah and the Gospel (or “Evangel”); heaven is not found in the Torah and holy war is not found in the Gospels...</b>}}While his commentary on 2:154 (pp. 76) once again highlights the Syriac parallel:{{Quote|2="As Tor Andrae has shown (Les origines de l’islam et le christianisme, 161ff.), the idea that martyrdom involves the absolution of sins is prominent in Syriac Christian texts such as the third-century Didascalia (chap. 20) and the Treaty on the Martyrs of Mar Isaï (d. late sixth cen.); the latter text also insists—much like the Qurʾān—that the martyrs are “living”: | Muslims who fight are promised paradise, which the Qur'an claims is also a promise in the Torah and Gospel.{{Quote|{{Quran|9|111}}|Indeed Allah has bought from the faithful their souls and their possessions for paradise to be theirs: they fight in the way of Allah, kill, and are killed. A promise binding upon Him in the Torah and the Evangel and the Quran. And who is truer to his promise than Allah? So rejoice in the bargain you have made with Him, and that is the great success.}}Nickel (2020)<ref>Nickel, Gordon D. ''The Quran with Christian Commentary: A Guide to Understanding the Scripture of Islam (p. 222).'' Zondervan Academic. Kindle Edition. 9.111 – They fight in the way of God, and they kill and are killed When the Quran describes believers as fighting “in the way of Allah,” it makes a theological claim by associating Allah with human fighting. See the analysis of these expressions at 73.20 (p. 597). 9.111 – a promise binding on Him in the Torah, and the Gospel, and the Qur’ān This is the only verse in the Quran that brings the Torah (tawrāt), Gospel (injīl), and qur’ān (lit. “recitation”) together. The Quran claims here that the particular point on which the Torah and Gospel agree with the Muslim recitation is that believers “fight in the way of Allah, and they kill and are killed.” This verse makes the reader question whether the Quran has a clear idea of the contents of the Torah and Gospel. A similar question is raised by 61.14, which appears to say that ‘Īsā and his disciples fought against their enemies (cf. 3.52). Along with these misunderstandings, the Quran gives no information about the peaceable teaching and example of Jesus in the Gospel accounts. See the analysis of the Quran’s verses on the “Gospel” at 57.27 (p. 549). Do the Torah and Gospel in fact contain such a promise? See the comment on this characterization of the Bible at 61.14 (p. 566).</ref> and Reynolds (2018) however notes that this is not found there:{{Quote|1=Reynolds, G. S. (2018). <i>The Qur'an and the Bible: Text and Commentary. Commentary on 9:111 (pp. 322)</i> United Kingdom: Yale University Press.|2="9:111 The point of this verse is that those who are prepared to give their lives to God in the holy war are promised paradise as a payment for their services (cf. 2:245; 4:74; 61:10–12). The idea that the martyrs have a special assurance of paradise follows from the Qurʾān’s teaching elsewhere that the act of martyrdom involves forgiveness of sin. <b>This teaching is close to that of the Syriac fathers (see commentary on 2:154, with further references). It is curious that the Qurʾān insists that the promise of heaven for holy warriors is found in the Torah and the Gospel (or “Evangel”); heaven is not found in the Torah and holy war is not found in the Gospels...</b>}}While his commentary on 2:154 (pp. 76) once again highlights the Syriac parallel:{{Quote|2="As Tor Andrae has shown (Les origines de l’islam et le christianisme, 161ff.), the idea that martyrdom involves the absolution of sins is prominent in Syriac Christian texts such as the third-century Didascalia (chap. 20) and the Treaty on the Martyrs of Mar Isaï (d. late sixth cen.); the latter text also insists—much like the Qurʾān—that the martyrs are “living”: | ||
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