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===Qur'an 2:79 and the Corruption of the Previous Scriptures=== | ===Qur'an 2:79 and the Corruption of the Previous Scriptures=== | ||
{{Main|Corruption of Previous Scriptures|Qur'an, Hadith and Scholars:Corruption of Previous Scriptures}}It is a common Islamic belief that the Qur'an states that the previous scriptures (the Taurat and Injil) have been physically corrupted by those who were charged with safeguarding it (the Jews and Christians). Thus, it is claimed, the Qur'an is the 'return' to the true message of the God of the Bible. The following verse (2:79) is generally advanced as evidence.{{quote | {{Quran|2|79}}|'''Shakir:''' Woe, then, to those who write the book with their hands and then say: This is from Allah, so that they may take for it a small price; therefore woe to them for what their hands have written and woe to them for what they earn.}}The above article examines what the Qur'an says about the Taurat and Injil and examines verse 2:79 in this own context, and considers whether the doctrine of the corruption of previous scriptures is indeed found in the Qur'an. | {{Main|Corruption of Previous Scriptures|Qur'an, Hadith and Scholars:Corruption of Previous Scriptures}}It is a common Islamic belief that the Qur'an states that the previous scriptures (the Taurat and Injil) have been physically corrupted by those who were charged with safeguarding it (the Jews and Christians). Thus, it is claimed, the Qur'an is the 'return' to the true message of the God of the Bible. The following verse (2:79) is generally advanced as evidence.{{quote | {{Quran|2|79}}|'''Shakir:''' Woe, then, to those who write the book with their hands and then say: This is from Allah, so that they may take for it a small price; therefore woe to them for what their hands have written and woe to them for what they earn.}}The above article examines what the Qur'an says about the Taurat and Injil and examines verse 2:79 in this own context, and considers whether the doctrine of the corruption of previous scriptures is indeed found in the Qur'an. | ||
===Parallelism Between the Qur'an and Judeo-Christian Scriptures=== | ===Parallelism Between the Qur'an and Judeo-Christian Scriptures=== | ||
{{Main| | {{Main|Parallels Between the Qur'an and Late Antique Judeo-Christian Literature}}The similarities between the Qur'an and previous scriptures have been noted since the advent of Islam. Modern scholarship has extended the identification of such parallels to the extra-Biblical legends and commentaries circulating in late antiquity in the centuries before Islam. The development of the stories through successive versions can be seen in some cases. Some stories were originally Rabbinic illustrations to make a point about individual words. Examples include: | ||
{{col-begin|width=885px}} | {{col-begin|width=885px}} | ||
{{col-break}} | {{col-break}} | ||
* | *Flood waters boiled from an oven | ||
* | *Abraham's conversion to monotheism | ||
* | *Abraham & the idols. | ||
*Mary, Jesus and the Trinity | *Mary, Jesus and the Trinity | ||
| Line 60: | Line 50: | ||
*the wealth of Korah | *the wealth of Korah | ||
{{col-end}} | {{col-end}} | ||
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==Biblical and Islamic Figures== | ==Biblical and Islamic Figures== | ||
===God=== | ===God=== | ||
{{Main | {{Main|Allah}}According to Islam, ''Allāh'' is the Creator of the Universe. Allah is commonly understood to "the God". Linguists consider its origins uncertain, though it was the name of a Nabatean pagan deity several centuries before Islam, before becoming applied to the Judeo-Christian God. It was also used in this way by the Quranic ''Mushrikeen'', where it was the name of the supreme creator god, along with lesser dieties. The goddesses; ''Allāt'' (meaning '' 'the goddess' ''),<ref>Arne A. Ambros, and Stephan Procházka - [http://jis.oxfordjournals.org/content/19/3/400.extract A Concise Dictionary of Koranic Arabic (p. 306)] - Weisbaden: Dr. Ludwig Reichert Verlag, 2004, ISBN 3895004006</ref> ''Manat'', and ''al-Uzza'' were Allah's daughters. | ||
===Jesus Christ=== | ===Jesus Christ=== | ||
{{Main|Isa al-Masih}}In [[Islam]], '''Isa al-Masih''' (عيسى المسي usually translated as ''Jesus Christ'') is believed to be a prophet, second in rank to [[Muhammad]], and not the son of God. Indeed, associating divinity with Jesus is decried as blasphemy in the Qur'an time and again. | {{Main|Isa al-Masih}}In [[Islam]], '''Isa al-Masih''' (عيسى المسي usually translated as ''Jesus Christ'') is believed to be a prophet, second in rank to [[Muhammad]], and not the son of God. Indeed, associating divinity with Jesus is decried as blasphemy in the Qur'an time and again. | ||
===The Virgin Mary=== | ===The Virgin Mary=== | ||
{{Main|Virgin Conception of Jesus in the Qur'an}}The Qur'anic verses 21:91 and 66:12 in conjunction with the tafsir's, tell us the angel Jibreel was sent to breathe Allah's spirit into ''Maryam'''s (مريم Mary's) vagina. {{Quran|5|116}} tells us the Trinity consists of three separate gods, which are the Father (God), the Mother (Virgin Mary) and the Son (Jesus) | {{Main|Virgin Conception of Jesus in the Qur'an}}The Qur'anic verses 21:91 and 66:12 in conjunction with the tafsir's, tell us the angel Jibreel was sent to breathe Allah's spirit into ''Maryam'''s (مريم Mary's) vagina. {{Quran|5|116}} tells us the Trinity consists of three separate gods, which are the Father (God), the Mother (Virgin Mary) and the Son (Jesus). The Quran is generally highly critical of the Christians for their views about Jesus and Mary. According to a hadith, Mary will be one of his wives in paradise.{{Quote|al-Siyuti (6/395)|Muhammad said, “In heaven, Mary mother of Jesus, will be one of my wives.”}}{{Quote| Tabarani|"The Messenger of God ... said, ‘God married me in paradise to Mary the daughter of 'Imran and to the wife of Pharaoh and the sister of Moses.’" <ref>(Ibn Kathir, Qisas al-Anbiya [Cairo: Dar al-Kutub, 1968/1388], p. 381- as cited in Aliah Schleifer's Mary The Blessed Virgin of Islam [Fons Vitae; ISBN: 1887752021; July 1, 1998], p. 64;</ref>}} | ||
===The Angel Gabriel=== | ===The Angel Gabriel=== | ||
{{Main|Angel Jibreel|Gabriel and the Holy Spirit}}According to Islamic scriptures, ''Jibreel'' (جبريل Gabriel) is the angel who first appeared to Muhammad in the cave of Hijra and taught Muhammad the Qur'an. The initial experience frightened Muhammad, and originally thinking he was possessed by a demon, the Islamic prophet became, according to his own account, suicidal for a period of time (being prevented from jumping off a cliff multiple times by Gabriel himself). | {{Main|Angel Jibreel|Gabriel and the Holy Spirit}}According to Islamic scriptures, ''Jibreel'' (جبريل Gabriel) is the angel who first appeared to Muhammad in the cave of Hijra and taught Muhammad the Qur'an. The initial experience frightened Muhammad, and originally thinking he was possessed by a demon, the Islamic prophet became, according to his own account, suicidal for a period of time (being prevented from jumping off a cliff multiple times by Gabriel himself). | ||
==Under Islamic Rule== | ==Under Islamic Rule== | ||
===Dhimmitude=== | ===Dhimmitude=== | ||
{{Main|Qur'an, Hadith and Scholars:Dhimmitude|Dhimmitude}}The term ''Dhimmitude'' is derived from ''Dhimmi'', which means a non-Muslim living in an Islamic country. According to orthodox Islamic law, those who are qualified for the second-class Dhimmi status within the Muslim society are the free (i.e non-slave) Christians, Jews, and Zoroastrians, who agree to pay the jizyah, a religious tax whose purpose is to "humiliate" or "subdue" non-Muslims (as stated explicitly in {{Quran|9|29}}). Adherents of other religions, as well as those without religion, are asked to convert to Islam; if they refuse, they are to be forced to convert, or face enslavement or execution. | {{Main|Qur'an, Hadith and Scholars:Dhimmitude|Dhimmitude}}The term ''Dhimmitude'' is derived from ''Dhimmi'', which means a non-Muslim living in an Islamic country. According to orthodox Islamic law, those who are qualified for the second-class Dhimmi status within the Muslim society are the free (i.e non-slave) Christians, Jews, and Zoroastrians, who agree to pay the jizyah, a religious tax whose purpose is to "humiliate" or "subdue" non-Muslims (as stated explicitly in {{Quran|9|29}}). Adherents of other religions, as well as those without religion, are asked to convert to Islam; if they refuse, they are to be forced to convert, or face enslavement or execution. This Dhimma legal framework is not in force in modern Muslim states today as civil law is considered to have rendered it inapplicable. | ||
According to the | According to some scholars of the Islamist mindset such as Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi (d. 1979, founder of the Jama'at-i Islami movement), jihad should be waged against Jews and Christians because they are guilty of committing shirk (one of the gravest sins in Islam), their beliefs about the Day of Judgement are not Islamic, and they do not follow the laws of Islam revealed to Muhammad.<ref>[http://www.englishtafsir.com/Quran/9/index.html#sdfootnote27sym Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi - Tafhim al-Qur'an (Quran 9:29, Footnotes 26 & 27)]</ref> | ||
===Jizyah Tax=== | ===Jizyah Tax=== | ||
{{Main|Jizyah|Qur'an, Hadith and Scholars:Jizyah}}{{Quote|Umar ibn al-Khattab during the conquest of al-Basrah (636 CE)|Summon the people to God; those who respond to your call, accept it from them, but those who refuse must pay the poll tax out of humiliation and lowliness. If they refuse this, it is the sword without leniency. Fear God with regard to what you have been entrusted.<ref>Al-Tabari, ''The History of al-Tabari (Ta'rikh al rusul wa'l-muluk)'', vol. 12: ''The Battle of Qadissiyah and the Conquest of Syria and Palestine,'' trans. Yohanan Friedman (Albany: State University of New York Press, 1992), p. 167.</ref>}}According to the Qur'an and hadith, ''Jizyah'' or ''jizya'' (جزْي) is the extra tax imposed on non-Muslims (Dhimmis) who live under Muslim rule. It is paid as a sign of submission and gives dhimmis some legal protection in return. Under dhimmitude (the status that Islamic law, the Sharia, mandates for non-Muslims) Dhimmis usually are not allowed to carry arms to protect themselves, serve in the army or government, display symbols of their faith, build or repair places of worship etc. If the conquered do not wish to pay or convert, their fate may very well be slavery (under which, rape is permitted) or (as evidenced in the quotes above) death. | {{Main|Jizyah|Qur'an, Hadith and Scholars:Jizyah}}{{Quote|Umar ibn al-Khattab during the conquest of al-Basrah (636 CE)|Summon the people to God; those who respond to your call, accept it from them, but those who refuse must pay the poll tax out of humiliation and lowliness. If they refuse this, it is the sword without leniency. Fear God with regard to what you have been entrusted.<ref>Al-Tabari, ''The History of al-Tabari (Ta'rikh al rusul wa'l-muluk)'', vol. 12: ''The Battle of Qadissiyah and the Conquest of Syria and Palestine,'' trans. Yohanan Friedman (Albany: State University of New York Press, 1992), p. 167.</ref>}}According to the Qur'an and hadith, ''Jizyah'' or ''jizya'' (جزْي) is the extra tax imposed on non-Muslims (Dhimmis) who live under Muslim rule. It is paid as a sign of submission and gives dhimmis some legal protection in return. Under dhimmitude (the status that Islamic law, the Sharia, mandates for non-Muslims) Dhimmis usually are not allowed to carry arms to protect themselves, serve in the army or government, display symbols of their faith, build or repair places of worship etc. If the conquered do not wish to pay or convert, their fate may very well be slavery (under which, rape is permitted) or (as evidenced in the quotes above) death. | ||
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{{Main|Qur'an, Hadith and Scholars:People of the Book}}Islamic scripture and scholars have much to say in regards to Jews and Christians.{{Quote|{{Quran|9|30|}}|And the Jews say: Ezra is the son of Allah, and the Christians say: The Messiah is the son of Allah. That is their saying with their mouths. They imitate the saying of those who disbelieved of old. Allah (Himself) fighteth against them. How perverse are they! They have taken as lords beside Allah their rabbis and their monks and the Messiah son of Mary, when they were bidden to worship only One Allah. There is no Allah save Him. Be He Glorified from all that they ascribe as partner (unto Him)!}} | {{Main|Qur'an, Hadith and Scholars:People of the Book}}Islamic scripture and scholars have much to say in regards to Jews and Christians.{{Quote|{{Quran|9|30|}}|And the Jews say: Ezra is the son of Allah, and the Christians say: The Messiah is the son of Allah. That is their saying with their mouths. They imitate the saying of those who disbelieved of old. Allah (Himself) fighteth against them. How perverse are they! They have taken as lords beside Allah their rabbis and their monks and the Messiah son of Mary, when they were bidden to worship only One Allah. There is no Allah save Him. Be He Glorified from all that they ascribe as partner (unto Him)!}} | ||
===Antisemitism in Islam=== | ===Antisemitism in Islam=== | ||
{{Main|Antisemitism in Islam}}Anti-Semitism is rampant in the Muslim world. Islamic scripture | {{Main|Antisemitism in Islam}}Anti-Semitism is rampant in the Muslim world, often intertwined with grievances concerning the long-running Israel-Palestine conflict. Islamic scripture is often cited in defense of these attitudes. | ||
Muhammad | Hadiths portray Muhammad as stating that the Final Hour will not come until Muslims slaughter Jews, and even the rocks and trees will betray the Jews hiding behind them.{{Quote|1={{Muslim|41|6985}}, see also {{Muslim|41|6981}}, {{Muslim|41|6982}}, {{Muslim|41|6983}}, {{Muslim|41|6984}}, {{Bukhari|4|56|791}}|2=Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: The last hour would not come unless the Muslims will fight against the Jews and the Muslims would kill them until the Jews would hide themselves behind a stone or a tree and a stone or a tree would say: Muslim, or the servant of Allah, there is a Jew behind me; come and kill him; but the tree Gharqad would not say, for it is the tree of the Jews.}} | ||
==External Links== | ==External Links== | ||