THE LIBRARY
OF
THE UNIVERSITY
OF CALIFORNIA
LOS ANGELES
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2§S7
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THE BEACON OF TRUTH
MORRISON AND GIBn, PRINTERS EDINBURGH.
The Beacon of Truth
OR
TESTIMONY OF THE CORAM
TO THE
TRUTH OF THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION
'STntiisIatcb from the ^vabic
By sir WILLIAM MUIR, K.C.S.I.,
LL.D., D.C.L., Ph.D.
"Buy the truth, and sell it not." — Prov. xxiii. 23
LONDON
THE RKLIGIOUS TRACT SOCIETY
56 Pateknoster Row and 65 St. Paul's Ciiurchyaru
1894
CONTENTS
PAGE
Introduction by the Translator .... 7
Preface . . . . . . . . 1 1
CHAPTER I
Passages of the Coran to the effect that Mohammed was not
" sent " witli signs or miracles, and tliat in point of fact
he showed none . . . . . • ' 3
CHAPTER H
Passages of the Coran signifying that Moliammcd was not
sent to use force or compel men to join his religion . 23
CHAPTER HI
Passages of tlie Cur.ui lliat cancel, and passages that are
cancelled . . . . . . -55
CHAPTER IV
Passages of the Coran testifying that the Tour.lt and the
Gospel have not been altered, nor suffered virb.d cor-
ruption . . . . . -78
^ r^KYY^^^
6 CONTENTS
CHAPTER V
PAGE
Passages of the Coran showing that Propliccy and
Revelation belong to the Beni Israel . . .104
CHAPTER VI
Passages of the Coran pointing to the Divinity of the Lord
Jesus Christ . . . . • • .122
Conclusion . . . • • • -15°
INTRODUCTION BY THE
TRANSLATOR
The Mhidr ul Hakk is a treatise designed to show
the evidence in support of Christianity contained in
the Coran, — a Beacon, as it were, pointing to the faith
of the Gospel. Purely apologetic, the translation is
hardly suited, like that of the Sweet First-Fruits,
for English use. To the ordinary reader, indeed,
unfamiliar with the tenets and dialectics of Islam,
the course of the argument — however powerful and
convincing to a follower of the Arabian Prophet —
will appear strange ; if not, at times, altogether un-
intelligible. Still, even for the Western student, the
controversy will not be devoid of interest, exhibiting
as it does the style of dogmatic reasoning and thought
prevalent among Theologians of the East ; and the
reader may be reminded, here and there, of the
memorable colloquies held by Henry Martyn with
the Moulvies of Shiraz and Ispahan on his journey to
his resting-place at Tokat.
The basis of the argument is the Coran, taken
7
8 INTRODUCTION BY THE TRANSLATOR
verse by verse, with the commentaries thereon. First
appears the text, then follow the explanations given
of it by the Moslem expositors, and lastly, the
remarks of the author on what has preceded. Each
chapter closes with a review summing up the most
important conclusions. The Commentators chiefly
relied on are Bokhari {d. 256 A.ii.) and the Imiim
Fakhr ud Deen Razi {d. 606 A.D.), — authorities much
esteemed by orthodox Moslems.
The opening chapters discuss the prophetic claim
of Mohammed. In the First, it is proved from an
abundance of passages that he showed no miracle,
and that the Coran, which is called by his followers
a miracle, has, notwithstanding its wonderful beauty
and power, no trace of the miraculous about it. In
the Second chapter are quoted an array of texts,
belonging to the early years of the Prophet's ministry,
in which toleration is enjoined and constraint for-
bidden in matters of religion, — his mission being
limited strictly to that of a "Preacher" and "Warner";
— all in irreconcilable contrast with the intolerance
and force of later days. The Third chapter is devoted
to the question of" Cancelment," that is, of texts and
commands which, cancelling other texts and com-
mands, take thus their place. Such changes were
made in accordance with the expediency of the day,
or with the personal desires of Mohammed ; and, as
such, are shown to be incompatible with the assump-
tion that their source is divine.
The second half of the volume takes up the evid-
ences of the Christian faith as derived from the Coran.
INTRODUCTION BY THE TRANSLATOR 9
Chapter Four contains texts which prove that the
Tourat and the Gospel are authentic and genuine,
and their teaching obligatory on the professor of
Islam, The Fifth chapter proves, in a similar way,
that the gift of prophecy and revelation runs by divine
promise in the line of Israel alone ; while the Sixth
is reserved for texts which contain clear admission of
the divine nature of Jesus the Messiah. The Con-
cluding chapter sums up the whole argument, and
leaves the lesson with the fair and intelligent Moslem,
that the follower of the Coran is bound to believe in
the Old and New Testaments, and there to find for
himself the way of life which is but dimly shadowed
forth in his own faith. The Coran leads the inquirer,
as it were, to the portal of Christianity, and there
stops short. The Beacon of TnitJi invites him to
mark the finger which nevertheless points to the
Scriptures, to enter in, and there be guided to the
faith in Jesus, the Saviour of the world.
The work from beginning to end is an argjiiucntuui
ad Jiominem^ from the conclusions of which it seems
impossible for the believer in the Coran to escape.
It is drawn with admirable power, and close famili-
arity with Moslem sentiment and dogma. It is also
written in language of singular grace and beauty,
vigorous throughout and often impassioned. The
discussion, though searching, is conducted with as
much amenity and forbearance as the tenacious and
conclusive character of the reasoning admitted. In
fine, without claiming that the treatise is in all its
parts equally powerful, r)r that the arguments here and
10 INTRODUCTION BY THE TRANSLATOR
there may not to some appear defective or weak, I
am unhesitatingly of opinion that, taken as a whole,
no apology of the Christian faith carrying similar
weight and cogency has ever been addressed to the
Mahometan world. And I look upon it as the duty
of the Church — should this opinion be concurred in —
to take measures for the translation of the Mindr
ul Hakk into the vernacular of every land inhabited
by those professing the Moslem faith, and to see that
all Missionaries in these lands have the means of
becoming familiar with its contents.
W. M.
Edinburgh, 1894.
PREFACE
Praise be to the Lord who hath revealed the
Book, " a Light and a Guide to men of understand-
ing"; and hath, by manifest evidence, estabHshed
the same as a Message from Heaven, for every age
to the end of time.
Now, seeing that Moslems have in their Coran the
most excellent testimony to the purity, authenticity,
and authority of the Tourat and the Gospel, and also
a light illustrating the Divinity of the Messiah; —
Seeing also that most part of them in the present
day, accuse the Scriptures of having been changed
and corrupted ; and further, that they look upon the
Messiah as but one of the great Trophets, — albeit
amongst the Chiefest ; — as if they had read only parts
of the Coran, and never studied the many verses
which clearly prove the genuineness of the Scriptures,
and give the MESSIAH a place beyond all others, —
the place of the WONDERKUL;—
Seeing all this, I was burdened in si)irit, and
humbly prayed to the Almighty that I III would show
to them the truth respecting Ilis Son by means of
11
12 PREFACE
their own writings. Musing thus on the best way
for this end, I was in God's providence led to study
the various works which, after the Goran, are held by
the Moslems to carry greatest weight in religious
matters, — such as the Stamat, or Gustom of the
Prophet ; the Sirat, or Biography of the Prophet ; the
Ahiya i Aliini of Imam Ghazali; the Gommentaries
on the Goran by the Imam Al Fakhr Al Razi, by the
Imam Al Beidhawi, and by Jelalein. These I carefully
perused, and extracted what was most important in
them. Then, to the best of my ability, I sought out
passages from the Goran itself, bearing on the truth
of the Ghristian faith, with the interpretations given
of them by these several authorities. And when,
with God's help, the required materials had been thus
got together, I arranged them as they appear in this
treatise, with my own observations, a review at the
close of each chapter, and an address which sums up
the whole.
A small and unpretending book, this aims with the
help of the Almighty at a great blessing, — attracting
him whom, without the divine help, there is no hope
of attracting ; so that as he stands by the spring he
may quench his thirst thereat. Well aware of my
want of skill in the art of writing, I fear that there
may be faults, and deficiencies in my work ; and I
therefore look to the gentle reader to excuse whatever
he may find of weakness and imperfection, and to
correct any error or oversight, as it becometh the
generous to do.
Fare ye well !
THE BEACON OF TRUTH
CHAPTER I
PASSAGES OF THE GORAN TO THE EFFECT THAT
MOHAMMED WAS NOT "SENT" WITH SIGNS OR
MIRACLES, AND THAT IN POINT OF FACT HE
SHOWED NONE
I. They say, "Why hath not a sign been sent doivn
unto hi)n from his Lord?" Say, " Verily God is able
to send dozvn a sign, but the greater part of them do
not understand." — SURA Al Inam (vi.) v. 37.
Commentary. — Razi observes that the objection in the text is one
of those raised against the Prophet by the Unbelievers, namely,
that if he had been sent of God, his mission would have been
attested by miracles. Why, then, did Mohammed reply that God
was able to send miracles ? The answer indicates that the Goran
was intended as a miracle which could not be gainsaid ; and as
the Unbelievers were not able in this to contradict the Prophet, it
shows that the Goran really was a miracle. Hmv then are we to
explain the repeated objection made by the Unbilicvers, " W'hy
hath no sign been sent down unto him from his Lr)ril " ?
The Im.'im in rcj)ly gives alternative answers —
First, The p«f)ple may have objected thai the Goran belonged
to the class of writings, like the Tourat, the Psalms, and the Gospel,
2
14 PASSAGES FROM CO RAN
which dill iml profess to be miracles, and because of this doubt
the)' still called for a miracle.
Second, Or the miracles called for may have been of the kind
shown by the prophets of old, as dividing the sea, uplifting the
hills, or raising- the dead. To this it is replied, that '* God is able
to send down a miracle," that is, of the kind demanded, but that
" most of them do not understand" ; which means, according to the
Sunnat, that the Coran is a clear and infallible miracle, and that,
being so, it were vain and impious to demand more of the Lord,
with whom it rests to give such or to withhold ; or, according
to the Motazelites, other miracles were withheld because not
expedient.
Third, Or the reason may have been that a clear miracle
already given had left the Unbelievers no excuse. Supposing God
to have granted their unreasonable demand, they iflight have
gone on calling for a second, a third, and a fourth sign, and so on,
without end, in which event proof and objection would have had
no finality. It was necessary, therefore, to shut the door, and let
the miracle (of the Coran) already granted suffice.
Fotirih, or lastly, Had God granted the kind of miracles they
called for, and yet after all they had continued in unbelief, they
would, like those of old, have made themselves liable to destruc-
tion ; and so it was in mercy, though they knew it not, that the
Lord, by withholding what they asked for, saved them from that
doom. — R&zi.
SoBeidhawi: " The greater part do not understand," that is,
what they are asking for. God, it is true, was able to send
down the kind of miracles demanded ; but had their desire been
granted, they would have exposed themselves, continuing in un-
belief, to calamity, while the miracle already given (in the Coran)
was of itself sufficient without it.
Remarks. — Surely the Coreish were not to be
blamed because they demanded of Mohammed a
sign like to the signs shown by the prophets of old.
The answer, that " God is able to give them a sign,"
was no answer at all, and justified the reply, " True,
God is able to give signs ; for, to show forth His
power, He gave signs to the prophets of old, as Moses
ON ABSENCE OF MIRACLES 15
and Jesus ; and if Mohammed be as one of them, let
him show us hke signs, that we may beHeve."
Again, had the people recognised the Coran to be
a miracle, it would have satisfied them; and if so,
why this reply, that " God was able to send down a
miracle," and not rather, " Here is the Coran, take
that, for it is a miracle " ? But here rejoinder by the
Prophet's opponents would have been easy, for the
Arabs were well acquainted with the wonderful com-
positions of their poets and orators, as Imrul Cays,
Nabigha, Coss, etc. ; and though no one could equal
the beauty of their works, they were never regarded
as miracles. And if the Coran had really been a
miracle, like raising of the dead, dividing of the sea,
etc., then why should Mohammed not also have shown
other miracles like these ; and how would that have
cast any reflection on the wisdom of God ?
Similarly, to say that had their request been granted
they might have asked for a second, third, and fourth
miracle, is mere conjecture. It might equally be
asserted, that they would have been satisfied with a
single real miracle. Their demand was simply as if
they had said, " How can we accept Mohammed's claim
to be a prophet, when he fails to show a single miracle
in proof of his mission, as did the prophets of old ?
let him show one, and we will believe." Equally
fallacious is it to say that this would have been an
unreasonable and impious demand ; on the contrary,
it was all the more reasonable, seeing that the I'rophet
came with a new faith differing from that of the Ikni
Israel and the Christians, and the religion of the
10 PASSAGES FROM CORAM
country ; and their refusal to accept this new rcHgion
without some miracle like those of the old prophets, is
rather a pn)of of their sagacity and sincerity than of
unreasonable obstinacy.
II. And IV hen thoti dost not shoiu unto them a sign,
they say, " Why hast tJiou avoided to bring it?" Say,
" Veri/y, I follozu that only ivhereivith the Lord hath
inspired me" This {revelation) is a ivitness from your
Lord, — a guide and a mejxy to the people that believe. —
Sura Al Araf (vii.) v. 204.
Coininmilary. — The Arabs demanded from Mohammed a sign
from heaven in proof of his mission ; to which he ropHed, that
failure to show a miracle, as they demanded of him, was a
groundless accusation, seeing that the Coran itself was a clear
and infallible miracle — one sufficient to prove his mission ; and
that such being the case, the call for anything further was an
unwarrantable and profane demand. — KAzi.
Remarks. — Apparently the Arabs in all sincerity
asked Mohammed for a sign in proof of his ministry,
not recognising the Coran as such. Thus, among
themselves, they would say, "If he would only show
us a real miracle"; and when they met him, " Why
dost thou avoid it ? Show us a sign like those of the
prophets of old, else we will not accept thee." His
answer was that he only followed that which was
revealed to him by his Lord. Was this any reply to
those who asked for a sign to prove his ministry?
Never !
III. The Unbelievers say, " Why hath not a sign been
given him by his Lord? Nay, but thou art only a
ON ABSENCE OF MIRACLES 17
Warner ; and unto every people there hath been g'iven a
gtiide." — Sura Al Rad (xiii.) v. 8.
Commentary. — Mohammed was sent as a Warner, just as a g-uide
and preacher had been sent to every people before him. So also as
to miracles. God puts all in this respect upon an equality, suiting
the kind of miracle to the special circumstances of each people.
Thus, magic or sorcery being in the ascendant in the days of
Moses, the miracles shown by him were of that nature ; and tiie
healing art being practised in the time of Jesus, it was suitable
that his miracles should be such as raising the dead, curing the
leper and the blind, etc. For the same reason, as beauty of com-
position was the distinguishing feature of the Prophet's time, the
miracle given to him was the wondrous eloquence of the Coran ;
and so, if the Arabs would not believe, notwithstanding that this
miracle was specially designed for them, it is clear that they
W'Ould not have been convinced by any other kind of miracle.
"Thou art but a Warner"; that is, "Thy duty is simply to
preach : to guide men into the right way belongs to God alone." —
Rdsi.
And Beidhavi : When his people demanded such miracles as
those of Moses and Jesus, Mohammed is told that he was only
a preacher like those before him. He had no concern with the
signs they called for ; he was but a guide to point out the right
wav. God alone was able to answer the demand, and it was
withheld because made perversely, and not with a sincere desire
for conviction.
Remarks. — The reader will observe that Razi's
comment is not apposite to the text, which contains
no hint of the Coran being a miracle, but simply
states that the Proi^het being nothing more than a
Warner, his duty is only to preach. The rest of his
words are equal 1)' wide of the mark. Vox, first, some
of Moses' signs had nothing to do w ith magic, as tlu-
death of the l'"gyptians' first-born, the destruction of
IMiaraoh's army, and the issuing of water from ihc
rock. And so also many of Jesus' iniracles Ii.id no
18 PASSAGES FROM CORAM
reference to the healing art, — as the creation of a bird
from clay, and descent of the table from heaven,
according to the Coran ; or the feeding of multitudes
from a few loaves, and walking on the water, according
to the Gospel. Moreover, other prophets, as Joshua,
Elias, Elisha, and the apostles, showed various
miracles similar to those of Moses and Jesus. Second;
again, the Arabs had no such special claim to
eloquence and literary power that their miracle should
lie in that direction. Every nation has its own form
of eloquence, suited to its taste and language ; take,
for example, the models of the Jews and Greeks, as is
manifest from their wonderful writings in our hands.
And if there was neither magic nor the art of healing
amongst the Arabs, they certainly were not wanting
in intelligence and quick apprehension, and as such
equally entitled with the Egyptians and Israelites to
expect miracles, and equally qualified to judge of
them.
Indeed, as the mission of Moses and of Jesus was
established by miracles, it was a foi'tiori incumbent
on Mohammed, who sought to introduce a religion
differing from theirs and cancelling its obligations, to
prove his claim by miracles superior even to theirs,
and more wonderful. How, then, are those to be
blamed who, when he failed to show such, refused to
admit his claim or believe in his mission?
IV. And nothing- Jiindered Us from sending {thee)
zuith miracles, but that those of old time gave them the
lie.—SuRA Beni Israel (xvii.) v. 58.
ON ABSENCE OF MIRACLES 19
Coitimentary. — We are told that people came to Mohammed
saying that the prophets of old showed miracles, such as causing
the winds to blow, and raising the dead, etc. "Now show us,"
said they, "some miracle like these, and we shall believe." The
reply here signifies that were such miracles shown to them, and
they still continued in infidelity, they would have become liable,
like the nations of old, to the doom of extermination. It was
thus in goodness and mercy that the Lord withheld their request,
knowing that some of them would eventually believe, or would
have believing progeny. — Rdzi.
Beidhaivi gives a similar explanation, instancing the tribes of Ad
and Thamud, which, on rejecting the miracles which they called
for, were swept away.
Remarks. — It does not appear where the Commen-
tators got this notion of people being destroyed for
rejecting miracles. The Egyptians were not exter-
minated ; some were destroyed, but only some. So
with the Beni Israel ; many a time they denied their
prophets, yet they were never swept away, but
remained a people, as they are at this day. It is the
same with the tale of the Adites and Thamudites ;
even supposing that (like the Tusam and Judeis) they
did disappear, it may have been because of their
abounding iniquity or internecine warfare. The rise
and fall of nations is the natural law of God. It is
His to create and His to destroy, with a purpose
beyond our finite wisdom.
Again, we know of no people to whom a prophet
was sent (as were Moses and Jesus) with miracles, but
some of them believed. Now, seeing that Mohammed
came without a miracle, and yet very soon a great
number of the Corcish accepted his mission, and not
long after the whole city of Yathreb also, would it
possibly have been otherwise even if the Lord had
20 PASSAGES FROM CO RAN
sent Mohammed with miracles like those of the
prophets of old ? If his people accepted him without
a miracle, what ground is there for the comment that
" no miracle was given him lest, having belied it, they
should have incurred the doom of extermination " ?
They received him without a miracle; why should
they have rejected him if he had shown one? So
the interpretation of the Commentators falls utterly
to pieces. If, indeed, after all his warnings, the
people had still rejected Mohammed because he failed
to show miracles like those of Moses and Jesus, then
indeed there might have been some sort of ground for
saying that they would not have believed, even after
witnessing miracles. But this was not the case, for
we know that Khadija accepted her husband as a
prophet at the very opening of his mission, and,
shortly after, his cousin Aly, Abu Bekr, Othman, and
Omar ; and in the course of a few years the whole of
Mecca, even those who had demanded miracles as the
condition of believing on him. Now, all this was
known to the Almighty beforehand ; how then can it
be said (as we are told is the meaning of the text)
that God withheld miracles, knowing that, if granted,
the Coreish would belie them, as did the nations of
old? Shall words be attributed to the Most High in-
consistent thus with His foreknowledge? God forbid !
V. They say, " Why hath not a sign been sent doivn
jinto him from his Lord ? " Sa v, " Signs belong unto
the Lord : as for me, / am but a plain preacher!' —
Sura Al Ankabut (xxix.) v. 48.
02Y ABSENCE OF MIRACLES 21
Commentary. — The people thus addressed the Prophet, " Thou
sayest that a Book hath been sent down unto thee, Hke to that
sent down unto Moses and Jesus. But it is not so, for Moses
showed nine miracles to prove the heavenly origin of his Book ;
and no sign hath been sent down unto thee." In reply, God in-
structed Mohammed to say, "Signs come from the Lord alone,
and are not a condition of the prophetic office. I am but a
prophet : it rests with the Lord, if He will, to show a miracle ; or,
if He will, to withhold the same. As for me, I have no concern
with miracles. I am simply a Warner, with no power bc^nnd." —
Beidhaiui and Jelalein have similar remarks, the latter adding,
" S41ih showed the miracle of the camel, Moses of the rod, and
Jesus of the table ; as for me (said the Prophet), I am but a plain
preacher, warning the wicked of hell-fire."
Remarks. — On this and the preceding passages,
one may remark how natural it was for those about
him to ask Mohammed for signs in proof of his
mission, such as Moses and Jesus showed. That
" miracles were in God's hand " was no sufficient
answer ; and it is evident that they did not
regard the Goran as a miracle, or they would have
been satisfied with it as such. Again, the text shows,
that instead of coming with signs, Mohammed pro-
fessed to be simply a preacher, warning the people
of future punishment ; an excellent office done by
others as well as by apostles and prophets, out of
love for their people's welfare. Miracles are said not
to be a necessary condition of a divine mission.
True; there have been prophets, like Jeremiah and
Jonah, sent of God without signs. But no prophet,
coitiDiissioncd to deliver a laiv, came unsupjiortcd by
miracles and signs ; and Mohammed set himself not
only to deliver a law , but to cancel an existing dis-
22 PASSAGES FROM CORAM
pensation founded upon miracles. It was therefore
all the more incumbent on him (as we have said
before) to have supported his claim by miracles, even
greater and more numerous than those of the former
lawgivers.
VI. What? Doth it not suffice tJiem that I have
sent doiv7i unto thee the Book wJiicJi is recited unto
them ? — Sura Al AnkabOt (xxix.) v. 49.
Comme7itary. — The meaning is, that if miracles be a necessary
condition, one hath already appeared, namely, the Coran, which
is a manifest and continuing miracle. " Doth it not suffice to
them ? " — meaning that this revelation is a more perfect miracle
than others that have preceded it. — Rdzi.
And Beidhawi : The Coran is a miracle, better than any they
have demanded ; for its perusal is a continuing sign that shall not
pass away, but shall remain with them for ever. And so also
Jelalein.
Remarks. — In this text, again, there is nothing
implying (as the Commentators say) that the Coran
is a miracle. So far from its appearing as a miracle,
the people did not even accept it as a revelation, for
they said, " Surely this is a story which he hath fabri-
cated with the aid of strangers " (S. Al Forcan (xxiv.)
V. 4). Many amongst the Moslems themselves ques-
tion its being a miracle. Take, for example, the
arguments both for and against its miraculous char-
acter, as given in the Kitdb al Muajic : —
I. The Coran held to be a miracle. — It is so held because it is
impossible to produce the like (ijls^::' ). It challenges comparison
by its beauty, being superior to anything that ever appeared in
ON ABSENCE OF MIRACLES 23
Arabia. Some, however, believe the language itself not to be
beyond rivalry, apart from the truth conveyed, the like of which
it would be impossible to produce.
Others hold the miraculous to consist in the revelation of the
unknown, as in the prophecy, " The Greeks, after their discom-
fiture, shall shortly defeat the Persians in a few years " ; the word
" few " {j ^') signifying from three to nine : and so it came to pass.
Some, again, believe the miracle to lie in the absence of dis-
crepancies in the Coran, notwithstanding its length, quoting the
divine words, " If it had been from any other than God, they
would surely have found many discrepancies therein."
Another view is that the miracle consists in "prevention"
( , '% ^A\\. which signifies that imitation was rendered impossible
by divine hindrance ; that is to say, the Arabs, though aforetime
able to produce a work equal to the Coran, were unable by super-
natural prevention to do so afterwards. According to the Mota-
zelites,' the miracle consists in the Almighty " turning men aside"
from the attempt, though they otherwise possessed the power. A
Shie-itc writer (Murtaza) holds the "prevention" to consist in
God's "taking away the knowledge" necessary for successful
imitation, and so it became impossible.
II. The Coran held (hy certain of the Moslems themselves) to be
not a miracle. — Firsf, The proof of the miraculous must be so
evident as to admit of no doubt. And the variety of opinion as to
what constitutes the Coran a miracle is so great as to make it in-
admissible. Second, The several proofs are in themselves insufBcicnt.
First, As to the beauty of the Coran. When we look, say the
objectors, at the works of our great orators and poets, and com-
pare them, say, with Ihc shorter Suras (for the challenge, "pro-
duce a Sura the like thereof," applies equally to them), we find no
superior beauty ; nay, often the balance inclines the other way :
whereas in a niira< Ir lln-rc must be no room f<»r doubt ; the evidence
must be absolute.
Second, The Companions doubted certain pieces being part oi
the Coran ; for exam|}Ie, Ibn M.isful held the Fiteha and Ihi-
Incantatory Suras (the last two), though the best known in the
' The Motazclitcs (suppr)rtr(l by the Caliph A! Mainnn and his
two successors) deny the Coran to lie eternal .ind mu rcalc
24 PASSAGES FNOJf CO RAN
whole Coran, not to belong to it. Now, if the style had reached
the point required to prove it a miracle, that same style must have
sufficed to distinguish what was the Coran from what was not,
and they had not differed about it.
Third, While the Coran was being collected, if a verse or a couple
of verses were presented by some one not known to the collectors,
these were not entered in the collection excepting on oath and
evidence of the occasion on which revealed, etc. Now, had the dic-
tion itself been evidence of the miraculous, the collectors would have
recognised it thereby, aiu! have had no need of further evidence.
Pourlli, We find in compositions throughout the world various
degrees of excellence, without any fixed limit being reached im-
possible to surpass ; and so in every age there must be someone
who has excelled his compeers, even if in time to come there should
arise someone surpassing him again. Now, supposing Mohammed
to have been the most eloquent of his age ; if that is to be proof of
a miracle, it follows that the work of any man which surpasses
those of all others of his time is a miracle,— a manifest absurdity !
Passing on to the evidence of the miraculous, arising from the
absence of discrepancies, notwithstanding the length of the Coran,
the arguments are as follows. First, it is objected that the Coran
does contain assertions contrary to fact, as in the verse, " We
have not omitted from the Book any single thing"; and, again,
" There is nothing in nature, moist or dry, but it is to be found in
the manifest Book." This is not the case, for we find no mention
whatever in the Coran of many matters, the healing art, the daily
phenomena of nature, and so forth ; so that the statements in
such texts are not in accord with fact.
Next, there are discrepancies in such expressions as in ^^'Jcto
(jl .>-UuJ ; and when certain pages of the Coran were put before
Othman, he said, "Verily, herein are slips which will catch the Arab
tongue." Then there is much useless tautology, as in Sura Al Rah-
man ; and repetition over and over of histories, as those of Moses
and Jesus ; and such superflous words as in (J.^\i S .iliS- ' ^\".
And, after all, what defect is greater than useless verbiage ?
Again we read, " Had it (the Coran) been from any other than
God, they would have found many discrepancies therein," — signi-
fying that the absence of discrepancies is proof of a writing
being divine. Now, on the contrary, says this writer, there are
ON ABSENCE OF MIRACLES 25
throug'hoiit the Coran nuinerous faults and discrepancies, verbal
and idiomatic, as well as in the sense.^
And as to discrepancies, in many of our most beautiful poems
and writing's we find no defects of any kind,^not to say discrep-
ancies. Now, taking a short Sura (for the challenge applies
equally to them), are we to say that the absence of contradiction
in that amount of prose or poetry is proof of its being a miracle ?
And yet this is the line of reasoning !
Lastly, as to the argument from "prevention"; — the miracle
would consist in the prevention, not in the Coran. As if one were
to say, " I stand up, but ye are unable to rise," and so it came to
pass ; the miracle would not be in him who stood up, but in the
prevention of the others from rising up. And so this illustration is
fatal to the old argument that the Coran is a miracle, because
others were held back ("prevented") from producing the like.
Rejoinder of those vho hold the Coran a miracle. — The variety of
opinion as to what that is which proves the Coran a miracle, is
not really any ground of weakness. Supposing even the argu-
ments of some of its supporters to be weak, there is absolute
unanimity as to the unapproachable beauty and perfection of the
Coran as a whole, in its style and rhythm, as well as in its reve-
lation of the unseen, proving it to be a miracle ; and the variety of
argument complained of is simply due to variety of view and know-
ledge in the several observers.
Next, the doubts ascribed to some of the Companions as to
certain of the Suras being part of the Coran, are mere conjec-
ture, and vanish before the whole collection as handed down to
us by a continuous chain. And even if we admitted that the
Companions had doubts as to certain parts, we say that they
never doubted the Coran as a whole having been revealed to the
Prophet, nor its miraculous beauty, but merely as to whether
certain parts belonged to it ; and that docs not affect our argument.
Again, the evidence required when various [jcrsons brought (he
Collectors one or two separate verses, was not as to tlir authen-
' Half a page of these is given by the objector, but they are
iiardly of sulhcitiit importance to quote. They are such as
>jUj.a>'^ Ul.-'jlilj instead of ijlivsv-^ l5^ •~'t^' ^-^^
jAIj Ji.4.J^ instead of ^.i>llj t-l.?J,^. ttc.
26 PASSAGES FROM COR AN
ticity of the verses themselves, but as to the place in the Corau
they were to occupy in reference to other passag'cs. This was
needful, because the revelation came from the moulh of the
Proj)het from time to time ; and evidence was necess^iry not as to
the matter itself", but as to the occasion of its utterance and the
place it should appear in. Further, the verbal faults complained
of were errors of the scribe, not of the original; as^' j^i^, where
the copyist by mistake put in an (') for a (^). The same remark
applies to Othman's reference to " slips," which were simply faults
of transcription. So also as to surplusage, in the phrase t C l"
cU^li sJLs. the word "complete" was added, though unusual, by
way of giving emphasis. The existence of discrepancies, verbal or
otherwise, in the successive transcription of copies, is no argument
against the Coran being a miracle, but rather the reverse. The
only discrepancies that would affect its character would be in the
beauty of its composition, and of these there are none.
Lastly, to compare the shorter Suras with lengthy pieces of
oratory or poems, is altogether unjust. The comparison is in the
eloquence of similar passages, not in those that differ in length,
as any fair observer would say. We take our stand on the Coran
as a whole, and on the longer Suras, as a proof by their miraculous
eloquence of the prophetic mission of Mohammed.
Remarks on the foregoing discussion as to the Coran
being a miracle. — We may regard the above argument
to be exhaustive, since those who hold the Coran a
miracle have here used their best endeavours to ex-
tricate themselves from the doubts raised by their
co-religionists who question that position. Now, even
assuming the Coran to be of consummate eloquence,
we see that there is great variety of opinion as to what
constitutes it a miracle. Some hold the proof to be
simply in the eloquence ; others, in its revelation of
the Unseen ; others, in the absence of discrepancy.
Others, again, disagreeing as to the perfect eloquence
ON ABSENCE OF MIRACLES 27
of the revelation, hold to the doctrine of " prevention,"
or inability to produce the like, owing to divine inter-
vention. So that there is difference of opinion all
round.
Further, it is objected that, to apply the challenge,
" Bring a Sura like unto this," to any Sura in the Coran,
even the shortest, is unfair. But surely it is not so.
For the shorter a piece is, the easier to make it
perfect in beauty, and avoid anything weak or de-
fective. Now the argument of the objectors is, that
if we take a poem or oration, and compare it even
with the shortest of the Suras, we find that the com-
position of the Arab poets or orators is equal to it,
or even superior. The comparison is not with long
and short pieces, but with beauty, where even short-
ness of the Sura gives the Coran the advantage.
Where, then, is injustice in the comparison ?
To the second objection, that some authorities
differ as to the Fateha and two Incantatory Suras
being part of the Coran, it is replied that, even so,
there was no difference of view as to the Coran itself
being a revelation from God. This is not a satis-
factory answer to the argument, that doubts as to
certain Suras being part of the Coran weaken the
assertion that there was no difference of opinion as
to the Coran being a divine revelation. It had been
more correct of the defenders to say, " If even wc
were to admit the doubt, we should still have no
difference of opinion as to the rest of the Coran being
an inspired revelation," than to say absolutely,
" There is no difference of opinion amongst us as to the
28 PASSAGES FROM CORAM
Coran being a divine revelation." And so the doubt
thus thrown du the Coran as a miracle remains un-
rebutted.
The answer to the third objection is singularly weak.
Tradition tells us that when evidence on oath was re-
quired from such as brought separate texts to the Collec-
tors, it was not to prove their being part of the Coran,
but simply as to the place they were to be put into.
Now, to say of any verse that its place in the Coran was
unknown to the Companions, is surely very near to say-
ing that they did not know whether it formed part of
the Coran at all. For the Coran professes to be a reve-
lation arranged (like the Scriptures) in parts, chapters,
and verses. When, therefore, single verses were pro-
duced, if (as is suggested) the position and context of
such verses were unknown, the Collectors were bound
to take evidence, so as, after a legal fashion, to prove
that they formed part of the Coran itself. For we
are told that after the Prophet's death, the people
brought verses written on pieces of stone, or bone, or
palm-leaves, to the Companions collecting the Coran,
who, when other proof was wanting, took evidence on
oath. Had the Collectors been already satisfied that
such texts were parts of the Coran, and been doubtful
only of their place in the revelation, we should have
heard of their examining the persons bringing them
as to the occasion, the time, and the spot on which
the witness heard the words from the Prophet's lips ;
but we read of nothing of the kind in tradition. The
presumption therefore remains, as the objectors put it,
that the oath taken from those bringing such passages
ON ABSENCE OF MIRACLES 29
had reference to the authenticity of the texts them-
selves. This makes the plea urged against the objectors
fall to the ground, and leaves the contention, that
evidence had to be brought to prove the verses part
of the Coran, untouched.
Next, the reply that the " slips " or " faults " spoken
of by Othman were errors of transcription is not valid ;
for, if so, the Caliph would surely have had them
corrected, instead of letting them remain in what was
believed to be the Word of God. So also as to the ex-
pression i"L*l^ iJLs. L-iOj, the advocate explains that
the word " complete " is added to dispel doubt,
"although it is unusually strong" — as if any such
addition were needed ; for who but a fool would mis-
take 9 for lo? And his admission as to the unusual
" strength " of the words only adds force to the
argument of the objectors.
Then, how strange is it that the advocate not only
denies that discrepancies in word and sense are an
argument against the miraculous, but rather holds
them to be in favour of it ! If he means that they
prove there has been no change in the text of the
Coran since its collection, the Book being a faithful
copy of the original, we readily admit the argument.
But how can such discrepancies be proof of perfec-
tion? If they existed prior to the collection, and at
the time of his revision the Caliph did not adventure
to correct them, but (like ,,,l,=^l«.! .,^jk>) kei)t them as
before, then tlie discrepancies must have been in the
original. So that their existence is really an argument
against perfection, and an answer to the challenge,
3
30 PASSAGES FROiU CORAM
" Had it been from any other than God, they would
surely have found many discrepancies therein."
Still stranger is the distinction the advocate of the
miraculous draws between discrepancies (or variation)
in eloquence, and discrepancies in word and sense,
holding that the verse just quoted applies to the
former only, and not to the latter; in other words, that
a fault in the beauty and style of the Coran would
alone affect the miracle, and that a discrepancy in the
verbiage or sense would not do so. Are we to con-
clude, then, that the Coran is divine in respect of its
eloquence, and human in respect of its verbiage and
sense? Can that be the Moslem faith? Is not the
truth, rather, that perfect eloquence in any work is no
proof that the work is from God, but only that the
eloquence is the gift of God ? For are not genius, in-
telligence, memory, and mental power all the gifts of
God, so that when we meet with a man of marvellous
eloquence and unparalleled oratorical power we say,
" Praise be to the Great Giver ! " ? Do we ever dream
that his eloquence is inspired, or that their author is a
prophet ? So, let the Coran be ever so beautiful and
ever so perfect, we say of the author, it is God who
gave the talent ; and it is all the same whether the
book be inspired or not, or whether it surpass all
other efforts — as indeed we find in many writings and
poems of the Greeks and Arabs.
From the foregoing discussion it appears that the
Moslem is in this dilemma. Should he say the Coran
is a miracle in respect of its language and sense, he is
met (as even the Moslem objector shows) by discre-
ON ABSENCE OF MIRACLES 31
pancies that destroy the assumption. Should he take
simple eloquence as the miracle, the claim is shown to
be equally untenable. These conclusions are drawn
from the doubts and objections, as we have seen, of
Believers themselves ; and many of the most learned
Grammarians hold the same view on art^uments that
cannot be gainsaid.
REVIEW
From the texts quoted in this chapter, as well as
from the Moslem commentaries thereon, it is clear that
no claim of having shown miracles was made by the
Prophet ; and that the absence of miracles to prove
his mission like that of the former prophets, is ascribed
to divine compassion, lest the Arabs, rejecting such
miracles, should (like the similar nations of old)
have become liable to destruction ; and hence they
were not destroyed when they rejected Mohammed,
because he came without miracles. Now, since the
Goran is by many held to be a miracle, like the
dividing of the sea or raising of the dead, or rather
to have been an even greater miracle,^ it would follow,
according to this law, that those who heard it and
did not believe should equally have suffered that
doom. And since nr; punishment did come, it would
follow that the Goran was not a miracle, — a conclusion
which accords with the text, " Nothing hindered US
from sending tliec with miracles, but that the peoples
before thee gave them the lie." 1 he difficulty is not
' As I\;'i/,i, sec ]). 22.
32 PASSAGES FROM COR AN
to be evaded. If we accei)t tlic Coran as a miracle,
the text breaks down ; on the other hand, if we hold
it not a miracle, it will satisfy the objection of those
who ask why those who rejected the Prophet were
not punished, namely, because he showed no miracle.
It is difficult to see how the intelligent Moslem can
get out of the maze otherwise than by admitting, as
this chapter fully proves, that the Coran was not a
miracle.
As to the marvellous tales in the Hadith of miracles
shown by the Prophet, such as causing water to flow
from between his fingers, satisfying multitudes from a
little food, etc., they are regarded by all enlightened
Moslems as absolutely worthless. Had there been
any single miracle of the kind, it would certainly have
been mentioned in the Coran, where Mohammed to
those who demanded of him a sign repeatedly says
that he was sent with none, and gives the reason.
And when the Hadith are at variance with the Coran,
the honest Believer must reject the Hadith and accept
the Coran.
In fine, every intelligent Moslem must see that the
Coran is no sufficient miracle, and that they are only
driven to set it up as a miracle because they have
none other.
CHAPTER II
PASSAGES OF THE GORAN SIGNIFYING THAT
MOHAMMED WAS NOT SENT TO USE FORCE
OR COMPEL MEN TO JOIN HIS RELIGION
I. Let there be no coinpidsion in religion. Verily^
the true direction hath been manifestly distinguished
from error. Whosoever, tJie7rfore, rcjecteth idols and
believeth in God, he verily hath laid hold of a strong
support that cannot be broken. And God both heareth
and seeth. — SuRA Bacr (ii.) v. 252.
Commentary. — First, The Lord halh not made faitli to be a
matter of compulsion or force. On the contrary, He liatli made it
a matter of intelligent adoption and free will ; for compulsion and
force are not allowable in this life, according to the text, " Whoso-
ever so willeth shall believe, and whosoever so willeth shall dis-
believe" ; and in another Sura, " If thy Lord so willed, every soul
on the earth had believed; why, then, sliDuldsl tlinn seek to
compel mL'n If) believe?" Compulsion, lhcrcl'oi-c, and ronstraint
in relijcion an; not lawful, Ijccausc lliry would supersetle ])tTson;d
endeavf)ur. Second, It is compulsion, as wiicii a hclicM-r s.iilli to
an infid(tl, nclii;ve, or else F shall slay IIk'c. To such llic l.<ii(l
saith, "Let there be no compulsion in rdii^ion." '/'/tin/, I,cl il nut
be said to one who embracirth tht- failh afler war, thai he ii.ilii
enibraced il undi.T compulsion; for, if after il^'lilintf, he aj^rces
thereto, and his profebsioii of Ilic failh is sound, llicic is no com-
pulsion here. — R^zi.
lieid/Knvi nol(,-s that compulsion is reall\' liiis - forcini;- a person
3:{
34 PASSAGES FROM CORAN
to an act he iloos not approve of, by an attack upon \\\m. Agaui,
the divine command is either absolute {i.e. in respect both of the
heathen and the People of the Book), in which case cancelled by
the text, "Fight against the Unbelievers and the hypocrites"; or it
applies exclusively to the people of the Book (Jews and Christians).
And of these latter there is a tradition that an Ansar (citizen of
Medina) had two sons who became Christians before the mission of
the Prophet ; so their father laid hands on them, and would not let
thorn go unless they embraced Islam, wliich, they declining, the
father appealed to Mohammed, crying out, "O Prophet of God,
shall a part of my very self enter hell-fire, and I looking quietly
on?" Thereupon this verse was revealed, and he let them go.
Jelalein refers to the same tradition.
Remarks. — Both Razi and Beidhawi make here
three notable admissions. First, God does not accept
conversion, the result of force and compulsion ; second,
coercion and violence are unlawful, because they
supersede personal endeavour; and third, the text is
a distinct prohibition, " Thou shalt not compel."
Now, as God does not accept faith the result of force
and constraint, it follows that force and constraint
are opposed to the will of God ; and he who resorts
to them makes that to be lawful which in point of
fact is unlawful. Moreover, the text condemns force,
whether practised at the moment, or intended to be
resorted to when a fitting opportunity might here-
after occur. The verse is peremptory, " No force in
the faith " ; the prohibition absolute. It is also of
universal application, as we see from Razi's first two
conclusions. But his further remark, as to conversion
following upon war, is not reasonable. It assumes
that a person under such circumstances embracing
Islam, does so by choice ; whereas the presumption is
that, defeated in battle, humbled and ruined, and
ENJOINING TOIERATION 35
having no alternative, he is driven to abandon his
former convictions. How can the Commentators
speak of there being " no compulsion " when such
things are done? Have they forgotten that Jehad
and fighting against heathen and People of the Book
are according to the command that the faith shall be
everywhere Islam alone ; for what else does this text
mean, " Fight against them till opposition cease, and
the faith be wholly God's"? (Sura Bacr, v. i88).
\\. It doth not belong unto thee to direct tJievi ; it is
God that directcth zvhoni He pleasetJi. That tvhicJi ye
spend in alms, it is for your ozvn souls; and ye shall
not spend anything, but to obtain the favojir of God.
And what good thing ye give in alms, it shall be repaid
unto you, and ye shall not be treated unjustly. — SURA
Back (ii.) v. 268.
Commentary. — We arc told that certain of the Companions
having refused an ahiis to their unbelieving brethren, the question
was referred to the Prophet, who, on this verse being revealed,
desired them to give the alms. Others say it was the I'rophet
himself who declined to give alms to Unbelievers till llic text was
sent down ; and its sense is this : — It is not thy place to be guide to
those who ojjpose thee, or to refuse them alms in order that they
may embrace the faith : r.ather give them alms for the Lord's sake,
.ind delay not i\\y cliarily until they are converted, for it is said,
" Thou shall not comjicl men to become believers." I'urther, the
Lord made known unto His prophet that he was sent a bearer of
Good, a Warner to call men unto the Lord, a Light to lighten man-
kind, and manifest the faith unto them ; as to guiding them, it was
not his concern ; it was all the same to him whether they look the
right way or refused. Therefore it was not for him to willulraw
his help or alms from them. Ag;iin, if he sought to gain them
over by withholding charity till they believed, their conversion
from njolives of bribery would be of no .avail: IIh' Hiilh r((|iiiri(l
was one of oberlicnre and free r\v\'\cv.—R/)si.
30 PASSAGES FRO AT CORAM
Bcidlta7vi explains the passage tlius : II is no business of thine
to guide men ; it is simply thy business to advise them aright, to
stir them up to what is right, and to deter them from what is evil.
So also Jelah'in, who, referring to the above tradition, gives the
meaning thus : " Thou art not responsible for the conversion of
men to Islam, but simply for bearing the message : it belongeth to
God to lead ; and as to what ye give in charity, the merit thereof
returns unto your own souls. We are forbidden to give charity
with any motive beyond that."
Remarks. — How fair and excellent is the lesson
which these doctors of Islam draw from the text !
Pause and consider, intelligent reader. If the offer-
ing of alms as an inducement to join the faith be
unjustifiable, how much more force ! If it were
thought wrong to give an Unbeliever charity, lest it
should have been taken as a bribe, what shall we say
of the wars and rapine, the slavery and terror, by
which it is held lawful to compel men to enter Islam ! ^
And yet how strange and inconsistent with this is
Razi's sentiment, that such as go over to Islam when
beaten are not to be held as if they had yielded to
compulsion ! How can he reconcile such view with
these two texts? If we are (according to Jelalein)
forbidden to offer an alms in the hope of converting
the needy, and if that conversion is alone recognis-
able which is due to free choice, how can this be
reconciled with Jehad for the spread of Islam ?
HI. Say 7m to those to ivhom the Book hath been
given, and to the Heathen, Have ye believed? fo7- if
^ The Author here refers to the fate of the Beni Coreitza, a
Jewish tribe in the neighbourhood of Medina, who were all
beheaded after their surrender (some 800 in number), and their
women and children sold into slavery, by command of the Prophet.
ENJOINING TOLERATION 37
they have believed, verily they are guided aright ; but
if they turn tJieir backs, verily unto thee belongeth
only the delivering of the message ; for God zvatcheth
over His servants. — SURA Al Imran, Medina, (iii.)
V. 1 8.
Coinnienfary. — The Prophet's duty is simply to make use of
proofs and argument. This is the sole obligation devolving on
him ; he has no concern as to how the truth is received. It is the
Lord that watcheth and giveth effect to His promises and His
threats. — RAzi.
Beidhwivi : If men believe, they benefit their own souls, saving
themselves from destruction ; if they turn their backs, thy concern
is only to deliver the message : their unbelief will not endamage
thee, for thou hast delivered it,
Jelaletn : Jews, Christians, and Heathen Arabs are here ad-
dressed : if they believe, they are guided away from error ; if they
turn away, it is thine only to carry the message : it is God who
seeth, and will reward His servants according to their works.
Remarks. — The Prophet's duty is here distincll)'
confined to publishing his message, with the evidence
and arguments bearing on it. "It is God that
watcheth His servants, and visits them according to
their works," — a clear injunction, " thine to prrach,
ours to take account," — limiting the office of the
Prophet, and prohibiting resort to war, compulsion, or
even denunciation. Having delivered his message, no
other obligation remained ; just as the debtor of one
thousand pieces, having paid the thousand, nothing
else remains for him to do. Then why did Moham-
med, who was " cc)mmissi(un(l none otherwise than as
a preacher and a warncr," not confinr himself williin
the limit thus imposed upon him?
IV. 'Iliy prnf^lr have given it {the Coran) the lie.
38 PASSAGES FROHf CORAM
Sa r, " / am not the keeper over you. For every announce-
1/ient there is ivi appointed tii?ie, and shortly ye shall
knozvr — Sura Al Inam (vi.) v. 66.
Commentary. — The Prophet is here told that, not being keeper
of his people, it was no concern of his to take them to task for
gfiving- the lie to his teaching-. He was but a warner ; it was for
God to take account of their actions. According to Ibn Abbas
and the Commentators, this text is cancelled by the passages that
command figliting for the faith. The ImA.m, however, is not of
that opinion, for "every announcement hath its appointed time,"
may refer to punishment in the future life ; but it may also refer to
the ascendency of the Moslems over the heathen by war, slaughter,
and compulsion in the present. — Rdzi.
Remarks. — This is now the fourth text signifying
that Mohammed was not the Guardian of those who
rejected him. As to the cancelment of these verses,
one party holds that the order for Jehad took their
place, and has since remained the only rule of action ;
in other words, cancels all the texts enjoining freedom
of judgment and condemnatory of compulsion. The
Imam, on the other hand, disowns the cancelment,
but recognising, at the same time, the command to
use the sword, he fails to explain why these texts
have been so expressed ; why they so explicitly forbid
force, and represent in absolute terms the Prophet's
duty to be that of a simple warner and bringer of good
tidings. Verse after verse not only denies the use of
arms, but condemns everything approaching to interfer-
ence with free choice in religion ; suddenly the Revela-
tion changes, and the Prophet is desired to adopt the
very measures, as proper and expedient, which had
been so strenuously forbidden! Such a course, by my
ENJOINING TOLERATION 39
life, would ill become any intelligent creature; how
much less can we dare attribute it to the Most High !
V. Noiu have evident demonstrations come unto you
from your Lord: zvJioso seetli the same, it is for his
own soul; atid lie that is blind, it is against the same. I
am not a Keeper over you. — SuRA Al In am (vi.) v. 104.
Commentary. — He that seeth the truth, and believeth, does so
for his own benefit; and he that shutteth his eyes, injureth himself:
the Lord is Keeper, not the Prophet. He that maketh the choice
is benefited by the same, and gaineth the reward ; if driven
thereto, the merit would be marred. The text bars force. The
Commentators g-ivc the meaning thus: "My action towards you
in respect of the faith is not that of compulsion ; I am no Guardian
or Master over you ;" — which they say was prior to Jehad, for when
that was commanded, Mohammed did become the Keeper over
them. Some hold that the command to fight abrogates the
present text ; but that, says Razi, is far from being the case.
Such Commentators are too fond of cancelmcnt, for Doctors of
Divinity very properly limit that to the smallest possible extent. —
Rfizi.
Remarks. — Here we have a fifth text to the same
effect, in which note three points. (1) Mohammed
was in no way responsible for the conduct of Un-
believers, or for any punitive action towards thcin.
(2) Compulsion invalidates merit aiul recompense.
(3) The Lord holds men absolutely free in matters of
faith and worship — punishing them if they disobey,
and rewarding them if they submit. Now, as to these
principles being superseded by the command to
fight, how can that be held possible? Vox, according
to the law thus divinely enunciated, comjiulsion
neutralises personal effort, destroys the grand object
of religion, and cancels the merit and recom[)ense
40 PASSAGES FROM COR AN
resulting from free choice. And hence the divine law
— Let there be no compulsion in the faith.
But now, alas, for its reversal ! The war-cry has
drowned the word of peace. Compulsion super-
sedes the command against it, and the maxim, " I
am not the Guardian over you," has vanished to the
winds.
And here I may observe that, by introducing force
and compulsion, Mohammed abrogated the first
principle of conversion, namely, personal responsi-
bility, with its spiritual recompense. How, then, can
it be said that Mohammed " came as a Mercy to
mankind," seeing that he hath deprived mankind,
by the forcible imposition of Islam, of the grand
virtue of personal effort ?nd free choice, and the
resulting recompense? In what way, my Friend, wilt
thou escape from so manifest a contradiction, or
reconcile two principles so diametrically opposed ?
Now, I praise the Imam for his desire to prove that
none of the tests enjoining toleration have been can-
celled. For he sees what every thinking man must
see, namely, that it is impossible to abrogate them,
since the prohibition against the use of force and
against resort to compulsion, cannot be cancelled
without destroying the chief purposes of religion and
contravening the freedom of conscience, which is the
gift of the Most High to mankind. Only, the Imam
fails to explain how abrogation is " far from being the
case," or how virtual cancelmcnt can be reconciled
with the absence of the same. To do so is beyond
the power of man.
ENJOINING TOLERATION 41
VI. If God had so pleased, they had not been Idol-
aters ; and We have ttot made thee to be Guardian over
them, neither art thou their Keeper. — SURA Al Inam
(vi.) V. 107.
Commentary on the latter clause —
When the Lord had made it clear that there was no other power
but His own to put an end to unbelief, He completes the passage
by showing to the Prophet what his duty was, namely, that He
had not made him the Guardian of the people nor their Keeper in
the way of interference. His simple duty was to deliver the
divine commands and prohibitions in respect of doctrine and
practice, explain the grounds of the message, and pronounce its
sanctions. Those who accepted the same, the benefit was their
own ; and those who refused, the evil thereof rested on them-
selves. — KAzi.
And Beidha-^ai : We have not made thee a Watcher and Keeper
over them that thou shouldest manage their affairs. Nor do thou
upbraid those on whom they call besides the true God ; that is,
do not speak evil of the gods whom they worship.
Remarks. — This is now the sixth passage limiting
the duty of Mohammed to that of a Messenger and
Warner. Note, also, that it is to be the Prophet's
answer to those who defied his mission ; he is not to
trouble them in any way, or interfere with the view of
making them accept his faith; and that in three par-
ticulars — (i) by force of arms or other form of compul-
sion ; (2) by withholding help or kindness from them ;
(3) by reviling them. The only remaining way was
to warn them with kindness and benignity, whether
they would hear or whether they would forbear.
VII. }J tliy Lord had so willed, all upoti the earth
had believed, every one. /\h I wilt thoti compel men to
be believers, whereas no soul can believe but by the per-
42 PASSAGES FROM CORAN
mission of God? And He iviil pour out His indigna-
tion on t/iosc that will not understand. — SuRA YuNUS
(x.) vv. 98, 99.
Commentary, by various aiitlioritics —
Had it been God's pleasure that foree should have been used to
lead men to the faith, He would have so decreed and legalised
the same ; but He hath not done so, because conversion which
comes of compulsion is of no benefit to the convert. "Ah! will
thou compel men to believe?" that is, thou hast no power to
convert anyone. The eflective power, and causative will, rest with
the Almig'hty alone, for "no soul can believe without the permis-
sion of God." Saith the Cazee, Faith goeth not forth otherwise
than by the knowledge of God and personal endeavour, or other-
wise by the divine decree therefor. — Rdzi.
Bcidhaivi : It is against the divine pleasure to use compulsion,
which in itself cannot possibly attain the object. No one can
believe but by the will of God ; wherefore do not make the
attempt, for that rests with God alone.
Remarks. — Doubtless the prohibition here made
against the resort to force, Hke that in the first verse
of this chapter, must have been clue to Mohammed
having either begun to use means of compulsion at
the time, or. having had it in his mind to do so when
opportunity should offer. He is here reminded of the
powerlessness of force to reach the goal of faith,
which is the gift of God alone, and His prerogative.
If compulsion be thus forbidden by God, whence
came its introduction ?
Vni. Say, "O men, the Truth hath nozv come
unto you from your Lord ! He, therefore, ivlio is guided
thereby is guided for {the benefit of) his ozun self ; and
he who goeth astray, for the same he goeth astray. And
I am not the Master over you" — SuRA YuNUS,
Meccan, (x.) v. 106.
ENJOINING TOLERATION 43
Commentary. — As if the Prophet were commanded to say, God
hath perfected llie divine law, and taken away every excuse and
possible pretext. It is no business of mine to labour for your
reward, or save you from your punishment, any more than I have
done. Ibn Abbas says that the text is cancelled by the conunand
to fight.— >?<f0/.
Remarks. — Observe two things. First, that the pur-
pose of the Almighty in the mission of Mohammed
was simply to reveal the divine law, so that he might
place it before mankind ; second, that no other com-
mission was given him but to preach and warn. It
follows that, when he proclaimed war and measures of
violence, he was resorting to that which, being not the
purpose of God in his mission, was wide of his duty.
Now, seeing that his mission was so strictly confined
within these limits, how could it have been lawful in
him to smite and slay, to fight and raid and plunder,
to take prisoners and make slaves? If such things
were lawful, what arc we to make of the command,
"There shall be no force in religion"? What! art
thou forcing men to believe? Compulsion, and yet
no compulsion ! By my life ! one of the most extra-
ordinary contradictions the world has ever heard ; a
conjunction of two principles absolutely irreconcilable.
And how, O Ibn Abbas ! is it admissible for thee to
say that the text has been cancelled by the command
to fight ? Scest thou not that the prohibition of force
is abs(jlute; that to attempt forcible conversion is
declared to be of no benefit, and contrary tf) the will
of God? Jkit, alas! this view of Ibn Abbas has
become that (;f Moslems at large ever since the law
of war appeared. How can they read the verses
44 PASSAGES FROM CORAM
denouncing force, and yet give place in their heart
to the command to fight? It is a mystery how the
theologians of Islam can accept the eternal law of "no
force in the faith," and at the same moment can see
in the warlike passages both obligation and expedi-
ency. Holding thus both mandates to be from God,
they are bewildered in a maze betwixt the one and
the other, with no prospect of finding an escape.
IX. They that have taken others besides Him as
patrons, God observeth them ; t/wu art not the Master
over them. — SURA SllURA, Meccan, (xlii.) v. 4.
Commentary. — Those who worship, besides God, other gods,
the Lord is Custodian over them and their affairs. Nothing
escapcth Him. He it is that t.'ikcth account of them ; tliere is
none other but He alone. Thou, O Mohammed ! hast no interest
to meddle with their concerns, or compel them to enter the faith.
Thou art but a Warner. — Rasi.
X. It is God loho hath made for you the thiftgs He
hath created, conveniences of shade, and places of retreat
in the mountains, and garments to defend you from the
heat, and coats of mail as a defence in danger. Thus
hath He fulfilled His favour towards you, that perchance
ye may submit ; but if they turn their backs, truly thy
duty is but that alone of a plain Messenger. They
recogjiise the favour of God, and then deny the same ;
and the most of tliem are Unbelievers. — SURA Al
Nakhl, Meccan, (Ixviii.) vv. 78, 79.
Commentary. — That is : If they turn back, O Mohammed !
and, refusing- thy call, prefer the pleasures of this present life,
following their fathers in unbelief, they but incriminate their own
ENJOINING TOLERATION 45
souls thereby. There is nothingf further for thee to do but what
thou art doing', namely, fully to deliver thy message. — Razi.
Beidha-wi to the same effect.
XI. Whether ive cause thee to see any part of that
which We have threatened them with, or cause thee first
to die, verily, upon thee devolveth the message, and upon
Us the reckoniiig. — SURA Al Rad, Medina, (xiii.) v. 40.
Commeyitary. — Whatever ma)' happen in the future, thj' duty is
simply to deliver the command of the Lord, fulfilling- thy trust and
commission ; with Us it rests to take account.
Remarks. — These three texts point to the same
truth — (i) Whether the idolaters listened to the Book
or went astray, Mohammed was not their keeper. It
was no business of his to force them to the faith. (2)
There was no keeper over them but God alone, in
whose hands, not in the Prophet's, lay their destiny.
(3) If the people rejected his summons, he had no
further duty but to deliver the message. Strange
that the learned doctors of Islam should have lost
sight of the truth so explicitly set forth here, and have
accepted in their stead the passages which they hold
to have been revealed sanctioning war. If there be no
keeper over the idolaters but God alone, how comest
thou, O Mohammed, to assume that office over them ;
and, when forbidden t(j use force for their conversion,
how earnest thou to war against them, shed their blood,
and carry f)ff their wives and children captive? And,
when commanded not to interfere with their affairs,
hut simply to deliver the message, whetlur they
would hear or whether forbear, \\h)- didst thou not
4
46 PASSAGES FROM CORAM
take thy stand within that Hmit, and leave them and
their concerns to the Loi'd, with whom alone it rested ?
Or, as it is so plainly put in the third text, "With
thee lies the message ; with Me the reckoning."
XII. And obey not the Unbelievers and the Hypo-
crites ; and leave off Jiarassing tJiem. And put thy
trust in God ; for God is a sufficient protector. — SuRA
Al Ahzab (xxxiii.) V. 45.
Colli nioitdiy. — Obey not the Unbelievers ; a reference to the
Propliet's duty of warning- and admonishing-. And leave off
annoying- them ; that is, leave it to God to punish them, either at
your hands or by hell-fire. — R^iai,
Jelalein: "Leave off troubling- them"; countenance not their
infidelity and h3'pocrisy ; but put thy trust in the Lord : He will
suffice for thee.
Remarks. — It need not be wondered that Jelalein
is here nearer the mark than Razi, who is strangely
at fault ; for what intelligent reader would take the
words " leave off harassing " the Unbelievers, to mean
that the Unbelievers, instead of being left alone,
might be punished at the hands of the Prophet and
his followers? That is to say, prohibition to injure
is, in Razi's view, equal to an intimation of coming
punishment at the hand of him who is prohibited from
injuring them. In fact, Razi would seem as if he saw
no difference between such prohibition and the follow-
ing command : *' They desire that ye should become
disbelievers even as they are, and become like unto them.
But take not from amongst them any friends, until they
fly their country in the zaays of God. But if they turn
back, then seize them and slay them zvheresoever ye find
ENJOINING TOLERATION 47
them, and take not from amongst them any friend nor
any helper " ; ^ and this extraordinary meaning is got
out of the text, " leave off harassing them " ! He does
not see that an agreement between these contradictory-
commands is about as great as an agreement between
fire and water, between the forbidden and the lawful.
Again, observe how successive texts throw light on
the apparent cause of their appearance. We have,
first, " No compulsion in religion";- then " Ah ! wilt
thou compel men to believe?"^ And now, " Leave
off harassing," which is a kind of compulsion. It
would seem as if the Prophet had intended, or had
even begun, to use such compulsoiy measures, when
he was forbidden to use force. Then appeared the
two verses repeating the prohibition ; " Wilt thou
compel ? " and " Leave off harassing them," — being a
clear interdiction of what apparently had already
been begun. Thus we sec that prohibition follows
[)rohibition, and injunction injunction, to the effect that
Mohammed should not harass the idolaters or distress
them with hostile acts, but confine himself to preach-
in;; and warning in a kindly way — ^^.^2-1 js. U.-.
And here is ground for grave reflection.
XIII. />o thou i)ivite into the way of thy Lord by
ivisdom and mild exhortation, and dispute ivitJi them in
the most graeious manner ; for thy Lord uell knoiveth
him that doth stray from His luay, and He well hno7veth
them that arc guided aright. — SUKA Al Naiil. (xvi.)
V. 123.
« Sura Al Nisa(iv.) V. R8. " \'- 2,^- ' I'. .4..
48 ' PASSAGES FROM CORAM
Commentary.— ^\\c best and wisest around him are to be
invited by wise and convincins^ evidence and discourse ; the people
at large by argument, reasonable, clear, and satisfying ; while
even the contentious are to be reasoned with in the most excellent
and perfect wa)'. " The Lord knoweth those that are guided
aright " ; that is, busy thyself in summoning people to the Lord in
these three ways, for the result, i.e. in men choosing the right,
appcrtaineth not unto thee. — RAzL
And Jelalein : Call men, O Mohammed, unto the way of the
Lord by wisdom, that is, by the Coran, and kindly discourse, and
friendly words ; and dispute in the way that is most attractive,
tliat is, by the Word of God and by argument; "for the Lord
knoweth him that shall go astray," and will recompense the same.
Remarks. — This text explains the office of the
Prophet. He was to summon those around him to
the faith, by proofs and evidence, in a mild and
friendly way ; and within these limits to restrain his
action. Would that Mohammed had held by the
procedure thus enjoined, and taken his stand on the
boundary here laid down ; and not, following in the
footsteps of his enemies (as Kab ibn Ashraf, Abu Afak,
Sofian ibn Khalid, Abu Rafi, etc.), overstepped that
limit into the domain of war and treachery; a line of
action unworthy of any brave man, how much more
of one that professed to be a prophet sent to teach
and guide mankind !
XIV. Wf. have revealed it {the Cora^i) with the
truth, ajid zvith the truth it hath descended ; and We
have not sent thee otherxvise than as a bearer of good
tidifigs and a Warner. — SURA ISRAEL (xvii.) v. 104.
Com7ncntary.— The preceding passage speaks of the Coran as
a miracle and the evidence thereof. Then it is related how the
Unbelievers, not accepting it as such, demanded other kind of
miracles ; to which God replied that there was not any need for
ENJOINING TOLERATION 49
such, and established it by many reasons. One is, that Moses
showed nine miracles, and that when the people nevertheless con-
tended with him, God destroyed them. And so it was here. If
Mohammed were to show his people such miracles as they de-
manded, and they denied them, they would have become liable to
the same doom of extermination ; but that, again, would not
have been permissible, seeing that God foreknew that amongst
them were such as should thereafter believe ; and that even of those
who might not, there would still arise a believing progeny. The
passage then returns to the glorification of the Goran, and its
perfection as having been " sent down with the truth"; that is,
its grand purpose hath been to establish the truth and right-
eousness.
The text proceeds to say that Mohammed was not sent but
as a Messenger of good and a Warner, thus : — These ignorant
people who demand miracles and refuse thy religion, these are not
in any wise responsible for their infidelity ; for Wi-: have not sent
thee otherwise than as a bringer of good tidings to the obedient,
and as a Warner to them that are rebellious. If they accept the
faith, it is for their own benefit ; if they refuse, their infidelity is
no business of thine. — KCizi.
Remarks. — The questicjiis whether the Coran is a
miracle, and why miracles are withheld, lest the
rejecters should be destroyed, have been disposed of
in the first chapter. And so I would only ask my
gentle reader's attention to the words ''not otherwise"
in the text. "Wk have not sent thee otherwise tliaii as
a preacher and a warner." This is the answer w hich
the prophet gives as coming from heaven to those
who demanded miracles like those of Moses and
Jesus. Mohammed, the verse says, was not sent to
I)erf(jrm miracles; his office embraced two things only,
namely, to bring good tidings and to warn ; " not
otherwise"; a distinct limit not 1(j be overi)assed.
And I ask any intelligent person whether the i'rophet
was not directly pnjhibited in this and other similar
50 PASSAGES FROM CORAN
passages from overstepping the clear boundary here
marked out for him, and irrevocably fixed by the
words " not otherwise " ?
Now, how was it possible for men to recognise in
Mohammed the simple preacher and warner, when
they saw him soon after become the fierce warrior and
imperious autocrat, summoning those around him at
the point of the sword to accept his religion, or " pay
tribute with the hand, and be in subjection " ? Where
is the connection between two such opposing com-
mands, — said to emanate both from the same Almighty
hand, — one absolutely limiting the Prophet's duty to
preaching and warning, the other launching him forth
at the head of armies to force the acceptance of Islam?
Can any intelligent Moslem, free to think and judge
for himself, read the one set of positive and peremp-
tory limitations, and then without being utterly em-
barrassed and confounded, contemplate his Prophet as
a man of war and conquest, havoc, spoil, and rapine ?
No, by my life. No !
XV. Verily, We have revealed unto thee the Book
with trutJi ; he that is guided thereby, it is for Ids own
sold ; and he that erreth, he errethfor the same ; and
thou art not over them a Master. — SURA Zamr,
Meccan, (xxxix.) v. 41.
Commentary. — Mohammed being distressed at the persistence of
his people in unbelief, is told by the Almig-hty that the perfect and
glorious Book had been sent down a blessing and guide unto man-
kind, itself the Truth and a miracle proving its own divine origin ;
that whether men followed its guidance or went astray, it was
their own matter ; he was not guardian over them. "Thou art
not set to drive them to the faith in the way of force and violence ;
ENJOINING TOLERATION 51
its acceptance or rejection is their own affair," — all which w'as
meant to console the Prophet in his distress at their persistence in
unbelief. — R&zi.
Remarks. — The last six verses, taken from five
different Suras, are all to the same effect, that
Mohammed was forbidden to use compulsion or
constraint towards Unbelievers. He was not their
master to impose his own will and commands upon
them ; force, moreover, we are told, destroys the
virtue of conversion. God was the Master ; it rested
with Him to guide, and with Him to take account.
Man was free to accept the faith or to refuse.
Mohammed was not " over them a Master." Such
is the strenuously reiterated sense of the texts and
of the commentaries thereon.
The conclusions from the passages quoted in this
chapter may be thus summed up — (i) the unlaw-
fulness of compulsion in religion ; (2) or of interfer-
ing with those who refused the call of Mohammed ;
(3) the impropriety of even withholding alms from
such ; and (4) the Prophet's work was to preach
and warn, and that alone. Now consider, when
Mohammed was not only forbidden to use coercion
towards his opponents, but commanded to show
them kindness, — even to the extent of not with-
holding alms, lest the refusal might be held an
inducement to conversion, and lest such action
should detract from the merit of voluntary conver-
sion ; — after all these plain and stringent inhibitions,
was any possible plea left for the passages which
enjoin fighting and resort to force? Never! How
52 PASSAGES FROM CORAM
shall there be no constraint in the faith, and yet
constraint ; compulsion neutralising virtue, and the
virtue yet remain ; Mohammed sent without these
things, yet sent with them? By my life! could
any contradictions transcend these ? They are abso-
lutely irreconcilable.
How is it conceivable to attribute inconsistency
such as this to the Most High ; that He should say,
" I have sent My servant to such a work," and,
again, " I have sent him for a work directly opposed
thereto " ; — forbidden His servant as wrong a certain
line of action, and then commanded him to do what
He had just forbidden ; prohibited the use of force
and compulsion towards the unbelievers and the
hypocrites, and then appointed His servants to fight
against such, even to the death? Impossible! God
forbid that we should speak thus of the Most High
and Holy One !
REVIEW
The mild and tolerant precepts reviewed in this
chapter were acted on by Mohammed, so long as he
lived at Mecca, in a kindly, gentle, and forbearing
spirit ; and so, likewise, for a time after his flight to
Yathreb. But so soon as he had gained power there,
and found himself supported by a host of warriors
ready at his call, he saw it expedient to turn aside
from the paths of peace and moderation into those of
war, maraud, and plunder. From the messenger of
good tidings and simple warncr, he changed into .the
ENJOINING TOLERATION 53
champion and the autocrat ; from the man of peace,
into the man of war and rapine. Once begun,
forays, raids, battles, and campaigns followed fast on
one another ; and we might even have doubted that
words of peace had ever proceeded from his lips, if
we had not found them still there in the Coran.
The question of cancelment, that is, of opposing
verses, abrogating one the other, is reserved for a
separate chapter. I would here only ask the thought-
ful and unprejudiced Moslem, whether he does not
see that the doctrine laid down in these verses,
forbidding force and constraint in religion, is an
obligation for all time, — one of those moral principles
which cannot be abrogated, but must last as long as
the world itself. Such being the case, running
counter to it by action directly its opposite, is running
counter to what is eternally right. Can that be ?
And if not, who will help us out of the labyrinth ?
True, some Commentators, as we have seen, avoid
the difficulty by holding that the tolerant commands
of the Coran were intended by their Divine Author
to be of only temporary duration. But this, as every
impartial thinker must see, is an utterly untenable
assumption. If any Believer, out of desire to pre-
serve the harmony of his Scripture, should hold this
view, one can only say that he docs violence to
his sense of right and wrong; for the very passages
which enjoin toleration are amongst the most weighty
and dominant in the Coran, and the principle they
over and over inculcate beyond the possibility of
recall,— a perpetual rule (^f human obligation.
54 PASSAGES FORBIDDING COMPULSION
How can the enlightened and impartial Moslem
believe that these commands were sent down to be
observed by the Prophet only so long as he was in a
weak and helpless condition, and to be cast aside the
moment he became great amongst men, possessed of
resources, and surrounded by followers, while all the
time there was before his eyes, as in great letters of
gold—
Let there be no compulsion in the Faith.
We have not se?it thee but as a Messenger of good
tidings and a Warner.
To thee belongcth the message ; to Us the account.
How is the intelligent Believer to find his way here ?
If such commands be held, as they must needs be
held, binding and obligatory, where is the room for
the passages commanding war against the Unbelievers,
compulsion to join the faith, and vengeance against
those who refuse ? Can we reconcile the two sets of
passages, the tolerant and the hostile? And if not,
how can both have proceeded from the Almighty?
You endeavour to cut the Gordian knot by saying,
" Praise be to the Lord, the Glorious and All-wise ;
He knoweth that which we know not." Yes ; praise
be to the Lord, now and evermore ! — only, to praise
God, and exalt His holy name, is one thing, and to
understand aright these verses, their bearing, and the
bringing them into practice, is quite a different thing.
The Lord guide His servants by His grace and
mercy into that which is right and in accordance with
His glory ! He is over all things supreme, and He is
wcjrthy to be praised.
CHAPTER HI
PASSAGES IN THE GORAN THAT GANGEL, AND
PASSAGES THAT ARE GANGELLED
1. Whatever verse We cancel, or cause thee to forget,
We will give a better than it, or one like thereunto.
What ! dost thou not knozu that God is over all things
powerful ^ — Sura Bagr (ii.) V. 102.
Commentary. — It was one of the taunts of the Jews, "See yc not
that Mohammed ^ives a command to his Companions, and then
withdrawing it, gives a directly opposite one? He says one tiling
to-day, and next day revokes it." Whereupon this was reveakd.
That some passages are cancelled by others, admits of several
proofs. First, There is the present verse. Second, The j^eriod
before which a widow can marry again was changed from a ) ear
to four months and ten days. Third, The verse, that "twenty of
you if steadfast shall beat two hundred," that is to say, in the
proportion of one to ten, was cancelled by another verse which,
recognising that some were weak, lightened the burden thus : "If
there be one hundred steadfast amongst you, they shall beat two
hundred," or in the proportion of one to two. Fourth, The Ilaram
of Mekka cancelled the former Kibla of Jerusalem. And so that
passage, "When We change one verse for another, they say.
Verily thou art a forger." The cancelled passage may be either
taken away or it may be left in its place. It niciy also have been
caused to be forgotten before being recorded (as we are told of a
Sura which, recited overnight, had passed altogether from the
memory by next morning), so that the whole passage disappeared
from the Goran, and thus also from being used in recitation or
at prayer. It may also be that a command ii.is been eain clkd,
G5
56 PASSAGES FROM CORAM
wliiK- the passage containing it rcnuiiiis in llic Book, and continues
to be read. — Rdsi.
So also Beidha7vi: Tlio Jews and Idolaters saitl, "Look at
Mohammed ; he gives an order to his followers, and then tells them
exactly the opposite " ; on which this verse was revealed. Cancel-
ment consists cither in removing the verse itself or abrogating
what it commands, or both together. "We cancel," that is. We
command thee, or Gabriel, in respect of its abrogation, and thou
shall liiul it cancelled.
Abdullah has this various reading : "Whatever We cause thee to
forget, or cancel it. We bring thee a better than it " ; that is, one
which brings greater benefit and reward, or the like thereof.
" Knowest thou not that God is powerful over all things?" ; that
is, hath the power to cancel, and to give the like of what is can-
celled, or better? This verse proves that cancelment is to be held
as existing in the Goran.
And Jelalein : " Cancel " ; that is, cancel it in the heavenly Table.
"Cause thee to forget " ; that is, wipe it out of thy heart. "A
better " ; that is, a simpler and easier verse, or one bringing
greater reward. " Or like it " ; that is, in what it imposes, or the
reward it brings. " Over all things powerful " ; that is, as in other
things, so also here, able to cancel and change, or to alter the sense.
For the rest, as above.
Remarks. — I. Observe, first, the complaints of the
Idolaters and Jews ; what impartial person will not
recognise the reasonableness of their objection ? For,
as regard the Arabs, they are as famous for standing
by their word as for their generosity ; they would die
rather than change. So when they saw Mohammed
going back from what he had once said, authorising
to-day what he had prohibited the day before, they
took amiss a practice so foreign to Arabian wont, and
refused to accept the faith of Islam, which they held
responsible for it.
So also as regards the Jews scandalised at change
or cancelment ; they had never heard anything of the
THAT CANCEL AND ARE CANCELLED 57
kind either in their Law or Prophets. For no com-
mand or prohibition in the Law as given by Moses was
ever cancelled either by Moses himself, or by Joshua
his successor.- And all the prophets that followed,
even to the days of Jesus, observed the Law as it was
revealed to Moses without change or variation. So
when the Jews saw Mohammed, who laid claim to the
gift of prophecy, cancelling not merely the commands
of the Tourat, but many of the commands which he
professed himself to have received from God, and
that in order to suit the exigencies of day and place,
they denied his pretensions, looking upon them as
the mere expedients of a secular government.
II. Again, resort to change and cancelment is a
mark of defective power; and far be it from the
Almighty that there should be sign of weakness in
His dealings, for a work showing weakness can be none
of His. In one example given us, the interval before
which a widow could not remany was shortened, as if
the reason for so shortening it was not known before.
In the next, the change is in the number required to rout
the enemy, — the proportion being increased fivefold in
view of God's knowledge as to weakness amongst them,
as if that had not been known to the Almighty before !
III. As to the forgotten pas.sages, some hold that
they were altogether obliterated ; others, that their pur-
port was cancelled, but not their recitation ; others,
again, hold to both kinds of abrogation under the re-
peated "or" in the text; — "Or, We cause thee (Moham-
med or Gabriel) to forget." Of the various modes of
obliteration frf)in the memory or from the C'oran, of
r>S PASSAGES FROM CORAM
the text itself or of its purport, or of both, I would ask
my reader which he adopts ; and where the cancelled
verses remain in the Coran, how is it that they con-
tinue to be recited while their force and purport no
longer hold good ?
Again, " We shall make it forgotten " would signify
the obliviousness of the hearer or reader, — in fact, that
he became as if he had never heard it, — which hardly
accords with the tradition that the people read a Sura
to-day, and by the morning had forgotten all about it.
And if the cancelled verses continued in the Coran,
and so were read heard and understood, what does
the " cause it to be forgotten " mean, when it was not
forgotten ? Supposing now that this passage was
intended (as we are told) to silence the Jews and to
satisfy the Companions, the matter becomes stranger
still, for what is there in it at all likely to have such
an effect ? And now consider, in thus removing parts
of the law and supplying their place by others, " the
like thereof or better," what evidence is there of the
miraculous ? " True," you reply, " but knowest thou
not that God is over all things powerful ? " Rather,
is not all this a sign of the weakness of the creature,
who seeks to improve his work by revising it through-
out by changes and alterations ; and that just as is
the wont of authors from amongst mankind ?
II. A7id wJicn We substitute one verse in place of
another verse {and God best knoivetJi that which He
revealeth) they say, " Thoti art nothing but a forger."
Nay, but the most of them hnoiv not. Sa v, " The Holy
THAT CANCEL AND ARE CANCELLED 59
Spirit Jiatli revealed it from thy Lord ivitJi truth, to
stablish them that do believe, and as a guide and
good tidings nnto the Moslems!' — SuRA Al Nahl
(xvi.) vv. 99, .100.
Commentary. — Ibn Abbas tells us that when a severe revelation
came from heaven, and shortly after a more lenient one, the un-
believing Coreish would sa)-, " Trul}', Mohammed maketh sport
of his followers ; to-day he giveth an order and the next day for-
biddeth it ; he saith these things simply out of his own head";
whereupon this passage was revealed.
"Changing one verse for another" means taking away some-
thing and putting something else in its place, or cancelling one
verse by another. "God best knowcth," — He is acquainted with
what presses heavily, and what lightly, upon His servants, and
with their wants, modifying the revelation accordingly, — which is
an answer to the taunt of the Unbelievers, that the Prophet was
" a forger." " But most of them know not " ; that is, are ignorant
of the real nature of theCoran, and the advantage of changes and
cancelment for the benefit of His servants.
" The Holy Spirit," that is, Gabriel, brought down the Coran
from thy Lord, to stablish the Believers, and satisfy them in this
matter of cancelment. Abu Muslim (Ispahany school) alone holds
that there is no such thing as cancelment in the Moslem law, the
reference here being to the abrogation of something in the text of
the former Scriptures, — as the change of the Kibla from Jerusalem
to the Kaaba, — for which change the Unbelievers called the
Prophet " a forger." But the Commentators, without exception,
hold that cancelment has its place in the present law. Shafei, again,
says that no text in the Coran can be cancelled by the Sunnat, basing
this view on the text, "When Wk change one verse by avollwr
verse." But this argument cannot be based upon the text ; anil I)e-
sides, Gabriel revealed (lie Sunnat as well as the Coran. ^ — Razi.
BeidhuTvi : The cancelling verse t.'ikes the i)l;iee of tlie (ancciieil
both in word and authority. "The Lord best knmvilh wlial is
revealed" — liiat is, rjf its exiicdicncy ; wh.-il might l)e expedient
at one time might be iiurtlul aflerw.irds, and then it w'oul<I be
cancelled ; so also, what might not be expedient now miglit
become sf) there;iftc-r, .-iiid t.'ike- its j)lace. " They say thou art .-i
forger," palming o(T tilings of thine own on (Jod ; now issuing .-m
GO PASSAGES FROM CORAM
order, and then, having- changed thy mind, countermanding it, the
answer being, "The Lord best knowetli, but most of them know-
not " ; they know not the reason of such commands, nor can
distinguish tlie wrong from the right.
Jelalein : " When Wk change one verse for another," that is,
cancel it, and reveal a different one for the benefit of Thy servants,
they say to the Prophet, "Thou art a forger" — a liar; that is,
thou sayest just what is thine own. " But most of them under-
stand not " ; that is, the true sense of the Coran and advantage of
the cancelment.
Rcviai-ks, — The text contains no satisfactory answer
to the objections of the unbelieving Coreish. They
said that Mohammed trifled with his followers, giving
out as revelations from God things that came out of
his own head — " forgeries," as, in fact, they called
them ; and this both because of frequent abrogation
and change, and his failing to give any proof of the
Coran, and of the cancelled passages, being a divine
communication. The text simply denies the charge,
and asserts that the Coran is brought down from
heaven by Gabriel ; but as his opponents said that the
Coran was Mohammed's own composition, this simple
assertion, also from himself, left the accusation just
where it was.
The Commentators justify cancelment because "of
the advantage of the change so made for the benefit of
His servants." ^ True, both sides saw that the changes
were made for some object. The Arabs did not deny
that there was advantage to Mohammed in the war,
rapine, and victories sanctioned by such change;
what they did complain of was that the new com-
mands were diametrically opposed to the far more
1 Razi, i>. 59.
THAT CANCEL AND ARE CANCELLED Gl
numerous passages in which the Ahnighty was repre-
sented as absohitely prohibiting resort to force, as
shown in the second chapter. Their objection, in short,
was that they saw the Prophet changing the Coran so as
to suit the expediency and exigencies of the moment,
and concluded that it was therefore the creation of
his own mind ; for, had it come from the Almighty, it
would not have been cancelled and altered simply to
meet the varying motions of the human heart. And
so it might be said that the Coran followed the
Moslems, not the Moslems the Coran. As if the
great God, dependent on the will of His servants,
withdrew to-day from the command of yesterday, and
changed His word at the will, desires, and inclinations
of the creature. Far exalted is the Lord Almighty
above such a thought ! As for man, the creature of
change and circumstance, weak and sinful, to suppose
that the Almighty cancels and alters His word, making
that lawful now which He had before declared unlawful,
to suit the inclination of the creature and the expedi-
ency of the day, is nothing but to forge a lie against
llim. How could it be otherwise? He is the All-
wise, unchangeable in word, steadfast in design. He
unfoldeth to the creature His will, and rcvcaleth unto
inankind His commands, — all in accord with the
infinite perfections and unappR^achable greatness of
I Us divine nature. He is ncjt a man that He should
lie, or the son of man that He should repent. Shall
I Ic say, and not bring it to pass? Glory be to Him,
with whom there is neither change nor the shadow of
turning!
5
r,2 PASSAGES FROM CORAM
III. T/iosc of your women ivJio commit immorality,
let four of you be brought to witness against tJiem ;
and if they bear zuitness, tJien shut them up in apart-
ments until death release them, or God make a way for
them. — Sura Al Nisa, Medina, (iv.) v. 14.
Commentary. — It is thoug-ht that this text was cancelled by a
verbal command (Hadith) to the following effect : The Prophet
cried aloud, — " Come, listen to me ; listen to me ! God hath ' made
a way ' both for the maiden and the married woman. The maiden
shall be scourg-ed and sent away ; the married woman, scourged
and stoned to death." Afterwards the Hadith also was cancelled
by the word of God (in the Goran), — " The adulteress and the
adulterer, let both be scourged with an hundred stripes."
According to this view, the text in the Goran was cancelled by the
Sunnat (Hadith) ; and again the Sunnat cancelled by a second
text. Others hold that the text was cancelled by the verse com-
manding stripes instead. Such is the view of one set of Gom-
mentators.
Abu Bekr Al Razi, from his intense opposition to AI Shafei, says :
The first interpretation is the right one ; for if the verse enjoining
stripes had preceded the Prophet's call, " Gome, listen to nic,"
that call could have had no meaning. We must therefore hold
that the Prophet's call preceded the verse commanding stripes.
And for the same reason, the verse enjoining imprisonment was
cancelled by the Hadith ; and likewise the Hadith was cancelled
b)' the verse enjoining stripes. Hence it follows that the Goran
and the Sunnat may both be cancelled, the one by the other.
Other Gommentators again, differing from Abu Bekr Al Razi,
hold that the meaning of the first verse is, that sinning women
must be "shut up in apartments until the Lord should make a
way of escape" ; "the way" being thus left to be determined in
the future. Then followed the Prophet's command, that the
married woman was to be stoned, etc.; which was, in fact, "the
way " promised in the text, not the cancelling of it. It might
even be held that this Hadith refers to both, being an explanation
specially of the one verse, and generally of the other, thus avoiding
the necessity of repeated cancelment.
The school of Abu Hanifa hold that the text commanding im-
prisonment was cancelled by that commanding stripes. — Rdzi,
THAT CANCEL AND ARE CANCELLED G3
Remarks. — This verse, with its commentaiy, is in-
credibly strange ; the Coran cancelled by the Sunnat,
and the Sunnat by the Coran : a chase, as it were,
between the two. It is held that the text was can-
celled by the Sunnat (Hadith), " Come, listen to me,"
etc., as we have seen ; and, again, that the Coran
asserted its authority, cancelling the Sunnat by the
verse ordering stripes instead.^
It is as if the Coran and Hadith were, in respect
of this question, at variance, desiring each to discredit
the other. .Some seek to escape from the dilemma
by making the oral command in the Hadith to be,
in fact, " the way " promised in the text, — that is,
appointing stripes for the maiden, and stoning for the
married woman. Will this satisfy the sincere and
thoughtful Moslem? He will not fail to note that
the text, which lays down imprisonment as the
punishment for immoral women, is abrogated by the
later text, which substitutes stripes. Now, if " the
way " promised in the former text be (according to
the Hadith) stoning, then the subsequent verse sub-
stituting stripes must be held again to cancel the
Hadith; so that the Hadith, which prescribes stoning,
cannot be "the way" promised in the text. Now
consider (and the Lord guide thee aright !) what
all this implies. Does action of the kind here de-
scribed become the great and all-wise Creator? Is
it not derogatory to His perfections tliat He shmild
say one thing and then cancel it by a different (jrckr,
' Sufnui/ is the l.'iw (lorivod from the pr.iclicc or s.iyinj^'s ril" ihc
I'lnplii I. //(li/il/i is till- li';i(liiiiin rmbotlying- the same.
G4 PASSAGES FRO AT CORAM
aiul ai^aiii cancel the repealint^ order by a third?
Would this become any of the great men of tlic
earth ? Never ! Hast thou ever heard of behaviour
like this in the Princes of this world? And if it
would not be becoming in the creature, how much
more incompatible with the Lord of heaven and
earth! Far exalted is He above such infirmity.
High and mighty beyond such imputation !
REVIEW
There is nothing that more perplexes the thought-
ful Believer of the day than this question of parts of
the divine revelation cancelling other parts ; and the
uneasiness is all the greater when he sees the pur-
pose for which the changes were made. Can such a
one shut his eyes to the fact that the passages can-
celled contain instructions highly expedient for the
interests of the day, the Moslems being at the
moment in a weak and dependent state ; and that
what is substituted in their stead, of war and force,
was equally expedient {ox Islam and the government
of Mohammed when he became strong and powerful ?
Is it possible to see any way out of the difficulty when
one has ever before his eyes the absolute command
revealed over and again at Mecca, while Islam was yet
depressed ; — " We have not sent thee otherwise than
as a Messenger and a Warner"?^ No, by my life!
And again, what is equally perplexing, namely, the
inability to determine which is the command that
^ Sura Isr.'iel (Mecca), v. 104.
THAT CANCEL AND ARE CANCELLED 05
cancels and which the one cancelled ; possibly that
which cancels might, for all that is in the Coran, be
held by me to be the one cancelled or the reverse.
For example^ how can I tell whether the command,
" Let there be no compulsion in the Faith," ^ does
not cancel the passages authorising compulsion ? and,
indeed, some of the Commentators, as we have seen,
do construe the passage as a continuing prohibition
having a perpetual force in matters of religion.'^ But
if not, I would ask what was the occasion for the
repeated prohibition of force, seeing that Mohammed
was preceded by Jesus, son of Mary, who, as all men
know, was himself gentle and gracious to all around,
preached love and benevolence to the multitudes
who followed him, and left this command to his
apostles and people, " Love your enemies : do good
to them that hate you ; and treat them that despite-
fully use you with pity and forbearance." Now, if,
on the contrary, Jesus had come forcing men unto
the faith, and Mohammed appeared a mercy to man-
kiiKJ, there might have been reason for the revela-
tion, " Let there be no force in religion," as a warning
to avoid the ways cjf his predecessor, and confine
himself to the simple duty of a Messenger and
Warner. But as Jesus never taught the use of force,
the reiterated command could have had no reference
to the past dispensation, and must therefore be re-
garded as an embargo addressed to Mohammed,
forbidding him to do something which he was in
danger of doing. Ami what thnjws a suggestive
' Sur.i Al n.ikr, v. J5J. - Sic .ibovc, ("li,i|). II. p. ,-^3.
66 PASSAGES I'KOM CQRAN
lii^lU on the occasion is that other jmssagc : "Ah!
wiU tliou ci)mpcl (or art thou compclHng^) men to
bcHeve, wliile it appcrtaincth to no one to believe
but by permissicjn of God alone ? " Now what reason
can be assigned for this, but that the Prophet had
already begun to use force, or desired to do so ? and
thus it became necessary to forbid him, which was
done by the numerous passages enjoining toleration
quoted in the foregoing chapter. It follows that the
cancelment of this prohibition by the subsequent
command legalising force (nothing in the way of
compulsion having as yet taken place), shows that the
foregoing passages were really a prohibition of what
Mohammed desired, or possibly was already beginning
to do. And so when the prohibition was cancelled, the
above text remained as it were standing between the
two sets of contradictory commands. The course
may thus be conceived : when the desire to use force
and impose tribute began to stir in the Prophet's
breast, or to be tried in practice, then came the texts
prohibiting such compulsion ; and so, for a time, it
was given up, and resort had only to " preaching and
warning," until the desire returned overpoweringly
upon him ; and then no longer able to forbear, he
cancelled the prohibition of force, and legalised, by
the new law, resort to war. Thenceforward the
course before prohibited became the course he
was commanded to pursue : that which had been
declared contrary to right principles and spiritual
^ Sura Yunas(x.) vv. 97, 98 jOV^*^l tS"*^^ ^ywlAJi i^j' L::_-iJlii.
THAT CANCEL AND ARE CANCELLED 67
benefit, declared to be directly in accord with
both.
In illustration, will the reader consider what princi-
ples could be more irreconcilable than these, " Let there
be no compulsion in the Faith," compared with " Fight
against them till opposition cease, and the Faith be
the Lord's alone " ; ^ " Fight in the way of God
against them that fight against you, and transgress
not; for God lovcth not the transgressors";- "When
the sacred months shall ha\c passed, then slay the
heathen wheresoever ye find thcm";^ and "When ye
meet the Unbelievers, strike off their heads until ye
have made great slaughter amongst them, and bind
them in bonds," and so on.^
Also these texts : " Say unto those who have
received the Scriptures, and to the heathen. Will ye
believe? Now, if they believe {i.e. accept Lslam),
they are guided aright; but if tlic}- turn their backs,
thou hast but to deliver thy message, for God
watcheth over His servants";^ contrasted with, —
" height against those who believe not in God and in
the Last day, who forbid not that which God and His
Prophet have forbidden, and who follow not the
true religion, from amongst the people of the Book,
until they pay tribute with their hand, and are
abased.""
Also this: "Obey not llic Unbelievers and the
Hypocrites, and leave off troubling them; and place
1 Sura Hacr (ii.) 188. - Ihid. 185.
" Sura Al T.-iiih.-i (ix.) 5. ' Siii;i iMoh.immrtl (xKii.j 4.
" Sura Al Imraii (iii.) iH. '' Sura Al T.iiiba (ix.) 28.
68 PASSAGES FROM CORAM
thy trust in God, for lie is a sufficient guardian";^
with — "They would that ye should disbelieve, even as
they disbelieve, and that ye should become like unto
them ; wherefore, take no friend from amongst them
until they fly their country in the way of God ; but
if they turn their back, lay hold of them and slay
them wheresoever ye find them, and take not from
amongst them any friend nor any helper";- and " O
Prophet ! wage war against the infidels and the
hypocrites, and lay thy hand heavy upon them : their
home shall be hell, a miserable end." ^
Compare again these : " We have not sent thee
otherwise than as a preacher of good tidings and a
warner";'* "Thy duty is to bear the message. Ours
to take the account," '-^ and " Thou art not their
master";^ with the following, " Fight in the way of the
IvOrd ; cumber none other than thine own self, and
stir up the Believers (to battle)";^ and "O Prophet!
stir up the Faithful to fight ; if there be twenty
steadfast men among you, they shall conquer two
hundred," and so on.^ Such passages abound, and
one need quote no more.
To maintain the harmony of the Goran against the
imputation of contradiction or. discrepancy, it is held
(as we have seen) that one set of these passages is
abrogated by the other, namely, that the former were
meant to be effective but for a limited term, and that
1 Sura Al Ahzab (xxxiii.) 45. 2 gura Al Nisa (iv.) 88.
" Sura Al Tauba (ix.) 71, and Sura Tahrim (Ixvi.) 1 1.
■* Sura Israil (xvii.) 104. ^ Sura Al R.dd (xiii.) 40.
•> Sura Shora (xlil.) 4. '' Sura Al Nisa (iv.) 83.
^ Sura Al Anfal (viii.) 65.
THAT CANCEL AND ARE CANCELLED G9
this term was closed by the new revelation which
cancelled it, and brought in a new order of things.
When one asks for proof, we are referred to the
cancelling text as divine authority for the change.
But where is the proof of the cancelling text being
divine ? Is it in accordance with reason to suppose
that a course of action should be prohibited \\'hich
before was enjoined, and a new course commanded
which before was interdicted, and both by the same
divine authority? Can it be conceived that the
entire Coran, composed of such discordant materials,
should be from God ? And if one inquires, Which is
the cancelled command and which the text that, can-
celling it, brings it to its appointed end? — there is no
authoritative reply, when it is seen that, in the verse
said to be cancelled, there exists precisely the same
power of annulment as in the verse which is said to
cancel. How, then, is the simple reader of the Coran
to know whether the text, " There shall be no compul-
sion in the faith," and its fellows, do not in reality
cancel the verses directing compulsion, rather than
that they are cancelled by them? I cannot conceive
how any intelligent lieliever is able to reconcile his
mind to accept the abrogation of such distinct and
absolute prohibition of constraint, and of all approach
to coercion and intolerance. How much more, then,
with others than Moslems, who sec at once that the
transformation is in the Person, not in the Word; lliat
the wish to change the method changed the command ;
that the longing after war and its spoils led to the
supersession of the texts of peace and t«jleration by
70 PASSAGES FROM CORAM
those cnjuiiiiiiL; tlic use i)f arms; that thus the
preacher and man of peace became the warrior and
the man of violence ; the Bearer of good tidings, the
intolerant Dictator.
And what makes this all the more remarkable is,
that the act sometimes preceded the repealing text
which sanctioned it, not the text the act ; that is to
say, the command was transgressed prior to its being
cancelled ; the transgression itself being, in fact, the
occasion of the repeal of the command transgressed.
The expedition of Abdallah ibn Jahsh to Nakhla
affords an apt illustration.^ The text which cancels
the prohibition of war in the Sacred month is as
follows : " They will ask thee concerning the Sacred
month, whether they may war therein. SAY, Warring
therein is grievous ; but to obstruct the way of God,
that is more grievous with God," etc.^ Observe that
this sanction was revealed after Abdallah had made
his murderous raid on the Coreishite travellers who
were halting, secure in the sacredness of the season ;
after the fifth of the booty had reached Medina ; and
after the complaint of the Coreish, and the disquiet
of the Companions at the breach of the inviolate
month. The cancelling order followed the act which
it legalised, did not precede it, — a fact to be noted.
There are many other instances of the change
following the occasion, or the wish for it. Take that
of the transfer of the Kibla from Jerusalem to the
Kaaba.=^ We are told that Mohammed greatly
^ Life of Malmmcl, p. 201. - Sura Bacr (ii.) v. 217, and Razi.
'^ Life of Mahomet, p. 183.
THAT CANCEL AND ARE CANCELLED 71
longed for this change, and then came this revelation,
" Verily We have observed thee turning about tov\ ard
the heavens ; wherefore We shall cause thee to turn
thyself toward a Kibla that shall please thee. Turn
thy face, therefore, towards the Masjid al Ilaram ;
wheresoever ye be turn your faces towards it."^ Thus
we see that when Mohammed was not pleased with
the Beit III Makdas of the Jews as the Kibla of his
Arab followers, but, for objects of State desired to
substitute the Ilaram of Mecca as the spot to which
they should turn in prayer, the change was made in
accordance with his wish.
Another similar instance of a revelation following
the desire for it, is that of the Prophet's marriage
with Zeinab, wife of Zeid, his adopted son.^ Hav-
ing accidentally seen this lady in scanty attire,
Mohammed was smitten by her beauty. " Good
Lord!" he exclaimed, "that turncth the hearts of
men " ; and he desired to marry her if he could find
a way to avoid the scandal. Thereupon the following
verse sanctioning the marriage appeared: "And when
thou saidst to him on whom God had bestowed
favour, and on whom thou too hadst bestowed
favours, A'^^/ tJiy zvife to thyself , and fear God; and
didst conceal in thy heart that which God was
minded to make known ; and thou fcarcdst man,
whereas God is more worthy to be feared ; and when
Zcid had fulfilled her divorce, We joined thee with
her ill marriage," so on t(; the end of the verse.'^
' Sur.i Mai:r (ii.) v. 14O, ;iik1 Ra/.i. -' Li/c of MtilioiucI, \i. j8i.
' Sura Ali/.ab (xxxiii.) 236, and Razi.
72 PASSAGES FROM CO RAN
A dispensation was y,rantccl from Heaven to the
folk)\vers of the Prophet, who were allowed to consort
with their wives during the fast, thus: "It is lawful
on the nights of the fast to \^o in unto your wives.
They are a garment unto you, and you are a garment
unto them. God knoweth that ye are defrauding
yourselves, wherefore He hath turned unto you and
forgiven you. Now, therefore, consort with them " ; —
and so on to the end of the verse.^ We are told that at
first such an indulgence w^as not lawful to the Moslems,
according to the Jewish institution, on the fast being
thus prescribed : — "A fast is appointed, as it was to those
before you " ; ^ and that the restraint was removed by
the above verse. There are other traditions about this
matter, but they are hardly fit to be mentioned here.
Another not very attractive passage is that which
relates to an oath which Mohammed had imposed on
himself, and is as follows : " O Prophet, why dost thou
forbid thyself that which God hath made lawful unto
thee, seeking to please thy wives? and God is for-
giving and merciful. Verily, God hath made lawful
unto you the unloosing of your oaths ; and God is
your Master, He is the Knowing and the Wise."^
The occasion was in this wise. Haphsa, daughter of
Omar, being absent from her house, the Prophet took
advantage of the occasion to company with Maiy, his
Coptic slave-girl, in Haphsa's chamber; when she,
returning unexpectedly, surprised them thus together ;
and the affront was very grievous to her. On this
' Sura Bacr (ii.) v. i88, and Rftzi. - Ibid. v. 184.
^ Sura Tahrim (Ixvi.) vv. i, 2.
THAT CANCEL AND ARE CANCELLED 73
the Prophet pacified her, and begged her to hide the
matter. He also engaged to forego entirely the
company of INIary, and gave her other promises
regarding the advancement of her father. But
Haphsa went- and told Ayesha ; and so, when the
scandal got abroad, the Prophet separated from her,
and retired also from the society of his other wives
for nine and twenty days, until (as they say) Gabriel
descended and bade him recall Haphsa, as she was
a good woman, fasting and upright. According to
Masruc, the passage making lawful the breaking of
oaths had reference to the Prophet's promise to
Haphsa, when he forbade himself the society of his
Omm Walad (Mary the Coptic maid), and swore that
he would not again approach her ; from which oath
he was thus set free. The reader will observe that
Mohammed, having renounced further intercourse
with Mary, confirmed it by an oath ; and that he sub-
sequently separated from Haphsa. But he could not
bear the separation long, and, moreover, regretted
having divorced the daughter of his friend Omar.
Still, for a prophet to do that which would have been
unlawful in others lay heavy on his mind, until this
verse was revealed sanctioning his return to Mary,
the oath notwithstanding; and then the message con-
veyed by Gabriel restored Haphsa to her position as
his wife. Comment on all this is hardly needed.
The following narrative is also in point. At the
siege of the l>eni Nadhir Ca Jewish tribe close to
Yalhrcb), Mohammed caused the dale trees round
their village to l)e destroyed, — a practice repugnant
74 PASSAGES FROM CORAN
to the Jew ish law.' On this the Jews cried aloud from
their battlements : " O Mohammed, thou wert wont
to forbid injustice and rebuke the perpetrator thereof;
wherefore then hast thou cut down our date trees,
and burned them with fire ? Dost thou call that the
wrong or the right ? " The thing also displeased the
Companions, who were touched by the appeal of
the besieged. Thereupon the following justification
appeared : " That which thou didst cut down of the date
trees,- or left standing upon their roots, it was by the
command of God, that He might abase the evil-doers." ^
We may here notice a passage of another nature,
said to have declared an act of the Prophet's to have
been unlawful, namely, his having prayed over the
grave of the hypocrite ^ Abdallah ibn Abi Salul, and
forbidding him to do anything of the kind for the
future. The text is, " And do not thou ever pray
over any of them that may die, nor stand over his
grave ; for they have denied God and His Prophet,
and die in their wickedness."^ The text, we are told,
was revealed just at the moment when Mohammed
had finished the prayer over Abdallah's body, and
was standing by his grave to see it filled up. Others
say that Omar having counselled the Prophet not to
pray over the body of Abdallah on account of his
hypocrisy, and he not consenting thereto, this passage
^ RS.zi ; see also Life of Mahomet, p. 273.
^ ^J^JO the fine date of Medina having- no stone.
3 Sura Al Hashar (lix.) v. 5.
■* Hypocrite, i.e. outwardly a Believer, but at heart an inlltlel.
'•> Sura Al Tauba (ix.) v. 86.
THAT CANCEL AND ARE CANCELLED 75
was revealed confirming the view of Omar; as was
also the case in passages supporting Omar's advice in
respect of the Kibla, the curtaining of women, and the
prohibition of wine,^
And now reflect (and may the Lord guide thee !) on
the kind of wants and attractions, desires and actions,
which led to revelations such as these. By my life !
hast thou ever met with the like thereof in the Tourat ;
that the Lord should cancel anyone of His command-
ments, or make that lawful which He had forbidden,
in order to sanction transgression of law or breach of
faith, or hath promulgated laws to meet man's desires,
or to satisfy his inclinations or passion, be it for an
individual or a people, for a prophet or a king? On
the contrary, where is there a breach of faith or a trans-
gression which has not been denounced by the law of
God ; and many are the instances of passages which
were revealed to deter from the conimission of evil
acts and so frustrate unlawful designs. How different
this from that !
And now another point. Both the cancelled
passages and those which cancel remain equally in
the text of the Coran. One can imagine an unhappy
Moslem, upright and earnest, who morning and
evening reads his Coran with humility and reverence,
unable to distinguish between the commands that
remain and those that Jiave passed away, lost in
iiewildcrmcnt, giving vent tn liis anxiety in such
thfAights as these: "Alas! why all this opposition
a?id contradiction? Can these opposing passages
' RAzi and Sir.il Al .\.il)ii<v;il.i.
70 PASSAGES FROM CORAM
have proceeded from different sources? Nay, God
forbid ! for llic Scripture hath been sent down from
the One Almighty, and from Him alone. Then,
whence such contrarieties, and where the key to my
dilemma? Here are verses enjoining peace, toler-
ance, and free action as a perpetual obligation in the
Faith (and he muses over such texts as those
admonishing the Prophet that he is but a preacher
and a warner, forbidden to use constraint and force,
commissioned simply to deliver his message, whether
they will hear or whether they will forbear: — 'With
thee is the message, with Us the account ') ; — all this
sent in compassion from the great God, just as spake
Jesus and his holy apostles. What ! can the High
and Holy One turn back from His word ; the All-wise
and Merciful annul His command? Never; the
Lord forbid ! Had God sent His Prophet to fight
against the heathen and compel them to enter the
Faith, would He ever have revealed such texts as
those forbidding force and couched in terms incap-
able of change ? Could the Lord have commanded
Jehad, and He able under any contingency Himself
to succour and exalt His messenger? Where is the
way of escape, and which of these revelations shall I
accept ? I have been reading both one and the other
all my life as equally my rule of faith and practice,
and now I know not which are gone and which
remain, which disannul and which are the disannulled.
La hold, zva Id — ! "
The embarrassment will be all the greater when he
reflects on the challenge which he finds in the Coran
THAT CANCEL AND ARE CANCELLED 77
itself: " If it had been from any other than God, they
would have found therein many a discrepancy." His
bewilderment, too, will be increased when he sees the
doctors of Islam contending among themselves as to
which passages cancel and which are cancelled, as
if the great question were not whether there could
in a divine revelation be discrepancy, contradiction,
or cancelment at all ; and yet (as we have seen in
the first chapter) they spend their time in nothing but
petty discussion of verbal differences and such like.^
All that we ask, as the matter of supreme import, is,
whether the cancelling verse is not in contradiction to
the cancelled, and the text abrogated irreconcilable
w ith that which abrogates it. And what, O Believer,
dost thou call this discord and dissent? Perceivest thou
not between the two sets of passages in this chapter an
inapproachable divergence ; and if in the Coran there
are thus so many contradictions, from whom does the
revelation come ? We leave the answer to thy wise
and impartial judgment. May the Lord guide thee
aright; and to him that chooseth the right. He will
grant a gracious reward.
^ See pp. 23-26.
CHAPTER IV
ON PASSAGES IN THE CORAN TESTIFYING THAT
THE TOURAT AND THE GOSPEL HAVE NOT BEEN
ALTERED, NOR SUFFERED VERBAL CORRUPTION
I. Cloak )iot the truth zvith falsehood ; nor conceal
the truth zohile ye hiozo it. — SURA Al Bacr (ii.)
Commentary. — A command to depart from decepLion and error.
The first clause refers to persons who bruig in superfluous
matters to confuse those who are Hstcniny to the evidences of the
truth ; and the second, to persons who withhold the truth
altogether from those thus precluded from hearing it. " Clothe
not," that is, envelope not, the truth in doubts suggested to the
hearers ; and that because the texts in the Tour^t and Gospel re-
garding Moliammed embrace a hidden meaning which needs to be
set forth : and those here referred to wrangled about those evi-
dences, and suggested doubts to the mind of the inquirers. — Razi.
And Beidha-ivi : Clothe not the truth revealed unto you with
false interpretations of your own, hiding it so that the one cannot
be distinguished from the other ; or do not disguise the truth by
mingling it with the false, so as to hide it within its folds ; or by
false interpretations. " Hiding the truth as though they knew
it"; commanded to abandon error, they misled those who heard,
and hid the truth from such as did not hear it ; knowing all the
time they were doing wrong.
So alaojelalein, shortly : Mixing up the true with the false, and so
changing it ; knowingly hiding the truth in respect of the Prophet.
Remarks. — The leading Commentators are agreed
78
ON THE AUTHENTICITY OF THE BIBLE 79
on the sense of the text : the " clothing " and
"hiding" refer to the interpretation of passages and
the withholding of them. Thus, according to the
Coran, the People of the Book knew of passages bear-
ing on the description and character of the Prophet, but
did not dare, nor did their forefathers, to exclude or
alter them. They simply denied that such passages
when quoted bore evidence in favour of Mohammed ;
or they withheld their evidence altogether. The
clear inference is, that they believed in their own
Scriptures as a Revelation from God ; and so the
imputation made by some Moslems as to corruption
of the text falls to the ground, and has no claim to
our attention. It is quite clear that nothing more
was imputed by Mohammed to the Jews than mis-
interpretation and withholding evidence.
II. Do ye indeed desire that tJiey {the Jews) should
believe 07i you ? and truly a part of thevi, zuheu they
had heard the zvord of God, perverted the same after
they tenders tood it, and they luell kneiu. — SURA BiVCR
(ii.) v. 72.
Cutnmenlary. — Abstract of the most received interpretations—
It is said that the Prophet and his Companions desired that the
Jews should embrace Islam, but they refused ; on which the text
was revealed. Others, however, think that it refers to their
ancestors in the time of Moses. Imam Razi lakes the former
view, as the pronoun evidently refers back to the Jews whom tlu
Propiiet desired to convert.
Authorities differ as to the meaning of the words "llic}' ])er-
vortcd." The term (lahnf), it is held, implies either change of
word or change of meaning, and some adopt the former, i.e. that
tlie text w.-is .ijlered. Hut if that be not the case, then tlie " per-
version ■■ must be in the interpretation. VVcassunie lli;il Ihi- Tour/lt
80 PASSAGES F/^O.U CO PAN
was rcvoali'd conscciitivi'ly, as was the Coraii, in jicrfcct Innii.
Now, if tho chaiii;"cs were in Ihe lime of Moses, they would
naturally have had no relation to matters bearing' on the advent
of Mohaninietl. The probability tlu'reforc is, that tiie " perver-
sion " or change was made, not in the time t)f Moses, but in that
of the Prophet, in such passages as related to his description and
character ; or it may have been that they made alterations in the
law, as in the passage which enjoins stoning for adultery ; but
the Coran does not tell us what it was they changed. Some speak
of the repetition of the same idea in the words " understood " and
" knew," as mere surplusage ; but it is not so ; for (i) after they
" understood " the word of God, they gave it a corrupt interpreta-
tion, while they "knew" it was contrary to the will of God; or
(2) they "understood" the purport of God, and they "knew" that
their evil interpretation would bring calamity and punishment from
the Almighty.— A'rf^/.
Beidhaiin : Some of them, tliat is, a ]')arty of their ancestors,
heard the Torfit and changed it, — i.e. such as the description of
Mohammed, or the verse for stoning, — or the interpretation there-
of, explaining passages according to their own desires. "After
they understood it," i.e. had no doubt of the true meaning. And
they "knew" the same, i.e. that they were fabricators and abro-
gators. The object of the text is this, that the Jewish Rabbis
w'ere no better than their ancestors ; the Prophet, therefore, was
not to rely on their folly and ignorance, for they would disbelieve
and corrupt the word, as their fathers had done before them.
Remarks. — What has preceded in respect of the
first text will suffice in respect of the absence of
change in the Scripture. We shall not stop to make
observations on each text as it occurs. It is only-
necessary here to note that both Beidhawi and Razi
agree as to tahrif in this verse meaning not change
in the text, but corrupt interpretation and conceal-
ment. But they differ as to the " party " here
accused of the perversion ; Razi thinking that they
belonged to the time of Mohammed, and Beidhawi
to the age of Moses. It does not matter which.
ON THE AUTHENTICITY OF THE BIBLE 81
The main point is, what taJirif really consisted in,
I.e. in the interpretation or concealment, as in the
holding back of the text on the question of stoning
— not its alteration. The idea of "the change of
words from their places," or the possibility of such
change in the transmission of the Scripture, will be
amply shown to be groundless in what is to follow.
III. When a propJiet came iinto them from God
attesting that {Scripture) ivhich is with them, a part of
those to luhojn the Book was given cast the Booh of
God behind their hacks, as if they knew not. — SURA
Back (ii.) v. 97.
Commentary.— Thai which was "cast away" was the Toiinit ;
and if it be asked how that consists with their being- said to
"hold by" the same, we answer, that as the Tourat bore witness
to the description and person of the Prophet, such as made obli-
gatory the acceptance of the Faith, their rejection of Islam was
equivalent to casting- the Tourat aside. "As if they knew not,"
signifying- that it was done with due knowledge of the truth. The
text also proves that they were aware of the truth of the Prophet's
mission, seeing lliat they opposed that which they knew.—K^si.
Jeliilein: "Cast it away"; i.e. they acted in respect of the
testimony of the Tour/lt to the Prophet, etc., as if they km w not
that he was the true IVophct, and it lh<- Rook of God.
Remarks. — The reader will .see, thank God ! that
every passage cjuoted in this chapter decisively sup-
ports all that has preceded in respect of the integrity of
"the l?(xjk." No intelligent person but must observe
that the "casting c)f their Scriptures behind their
backs," means disobedience in not accepting the proofs
of Mohammed's mission heltl to be in the Toiiral, and
opposing that in il which they knew to be true; not
82 PASSAGES FROM CORAM
the putting out any part of it. lUit while Mohamined
clearly maintained that the Jews possessed their
ViOoV untampered with, he at the same time accused
them of misinterpretation, hiding, and " casting
away " ; that is, of suggesting doubts, suppressing
evidence, and shutting their eyes to the testimony
borne by these Scriptures to his mission : all which
should show to the believers in the Coran that
the Old Testament Scriptures are accredited by
Mohammed as free from the taint of corruption.
IV. J^cri/y they that hide that which God hath sent
dozvn of the Book, and sell the same for a small price,
they shall consume only fire in their bellies ; God shall
not speak with them in the Day of Resurrection, nor
purify them, and they shall suffer a grievous punish-
ment. — Sura Back (ii.) v. 170.
Commentary. — Ibn Abbas tells us that this text was revealed in
respect of Kab ibn Ashraf and other leading- Jews, who were in
the habit of receiving offerings from their followers. When the
Prophet appeared, they feared the loss of these gifts, and so they
concealed the prophecies regarding him and his dispensation ; he
also considers that the "hiding" consisted in altering (^,^^cv..')
the Tourat and the Gospel. But this cannot be accepted by the
learned, for both Tourat and Gospel had been handed down in
widespread and unbroken succession, which rendered that out of
the question. The meaning, then, was, that they kept back the
true interpretation of passages well known amongst them to bear
on the mission of the Prophet, and introduced false explanations
which diverted their true meaning as revealed by God, or, in other
words, hid it. — Rtizi.
Jelalein: "For a small price," that is, for revenues received
from their followers, and fear of their loss : their drink would be
the Fire.
ON THE AUTHENTICITY OF THE BIBLE 83
Remarks. — Note, first, the admission of the learned
Doctors, that tampering with the Tourat and Gospel
was impossible, because of the widespread and
unbroken succession of the Jewish and Christian
Scriptures throughout the world. Change in the text
is here admitted to be out of the question. Note,
secondly, that "hiding" means concealment of the
true sense of passages in the Book by false glosses,
diverting them thus from their true significance.
Now these two points are unequivocal evidence, not
only that the People of the Book never dared to
tamper with the text of their Scripture, but that they
were its trusted custodians, even as it was originally
revealed to them. Further, if the Jewish chiefs did,
as we are told, so " hide " the testimony of their
Scripture relating to Mohammed, from the fear of
losing influence in the eyes of their people, and also
the support they had hitherto enjoyed, it follows that
they did so cither by the misinterpretation imputed
to them in the preceding verses, or by keeping back
passages, as is supposed in the present text and the
commentary thereon. And if the learned Doctors of
Islam in after days held this view, how much more
did the I'rf)phct himself believe in the integrity and
purity of the Scriptures, who said : " O ye People of
the Book, why do ye deny the revelation of God, to
which ye yourselves bear witness " ; that is, feign
ignorance before those who have nc\er heard it, while
all the lime ye know the same, and bear witness to it?
V. O yc People of the P>ook, ivhy do ye doiy tlir
84 PASSAGES FRO AT CORAM
revelation of God^and yet yc are ivitnesscs of the same?
— Sura Al Imran (iii.) v. G'i.
Contnientary. — (i) The revelation (or "verses") here spoken of
means the Tour.^t and Gospel, which foretell of Mohammed.
(2) The Jews are accused as deniers of the very essence of the
Toiirat, seeing that they altered the same, and belied the existence
of the passages which bore evidence of the Prophet's mission.
" And ye bear witness," meaning- that in presence of the Moslems
and their own people they denied the existence of such passages
in the Toiiriltand Gospel ; then, when they were alone with certain
of themselves, they admitted their existence ; just like the text,
"Ye seek to make it crooked, and yet ye are witnesses thereof"
(Sura Bacr, v. 99).— y?(?^/.
Remarks. — From this verse and the commentary,
we gather that the Jews did not remove from their
Scriptures the passages which, as Mohammed sup-
posed, bore testimony to his person and mission.
The text is equally clear against any tampering with
the Scriptures, for they are said to have denied the
existence of such passages in them, while yet (when
alone) they admitted their being there ; and this
leaves no place whatever for the imputation that they
tampered with their Book. If there had been any
desire so to do, their first temptation would have
been to remove such passages altogether from their
Book, fearing their evidence in favour of Mohammed,
or to have altered them, instead of simply disbelieving
or withholding their testimony, " while they yet bore
witness to them," as parts of their Scripture. And
as they did not do anything of the kind, it follows
that they bestowed diligent and devoted care in
maintaining their Scripture intact as it was revealed
to them by the Most High.
ON THE AUTHENTICITY OF THE BIBIE 85
VI. Verily, there is amongst tJicin a party iJial
change their tongues in {j-eading) the Book, that ye
might think it to be from the Book, and it is not from
the Book. And they say, " This is from God" yet it
is not from .God ; and they ntter a lie against God,
knowing all the luhile. — SuRA Imran (iii.) v. yj.
Cotntnentary.— The Jews are said to have "altered" tluir
tontruc's, i.e. to have asserted a (hint;- and then contradicted it,
and so given a tortuous meaning. Others exphiin it as changing
(tahrif) of words, as the Arabs used to do in some of their dubious
expressions. And if it be asked how could there be change
(tahrtf) in the Tourat, spread as it was universally all over the
world, the answer is, that perhaps it was practised only by a few,
who passed ofl' their manipulated matter on some of the people,
and on such a supposition /«//r//" might have been possible.
Rilzi, on the other hand (speaking for himself), says that to him
the most reasonable interpretation is, that as the passages
referred to bore on tlie prophetical office of Mohammed, they
therefore needed for their explanation close inquiry and inward
thought ; and here the Jews introduced misleading points and
faithless objections, so as to cast doubt on their evidence for Islam
in the minds of those that listened ; for the Jews would hold that
the meaning of God in revealing these verses was that which we
say, not what you say ; and that is the real meaning of tahnf,
and " ciianging the tongue," or perversion in speech. In fact, it
is just what we sec in our own da\', wlu-n passages are quoted
from the Word of (lod, and the captious disputant introduces
rjueslions and doubts, saying (hat this is not the Lord's meaning,
but so and so. — RAzi.
And Jelahin : A party of the People of the Book, as Kab ibn
Ashraf, "change with their tongues"; i.e. in their reading of
the Book they join passages with others out of their places, thus
• hanging the meaning {/(i/irif) in respect of the description of llu-
I'rophet, "that ye njay think it," i.e. the perverted passage, to
be from God ; and it is not so. And I hey repeat against God a
!!<•, "(hey well knowing" that tli<y .'ir<' liars.
Remarks. — Tliis is a text whicli is so clear as
hardly to need comiticnt. It resembles tliose pre-
86 PASSAGES FROM CO RAN
ceding it, and shows clearly what the perversion
{tahrtf) of the Tourat charged against the Jews
really was, that is, reciting passages in such a way as
to give them a wrong meaning. They " knew that
they were speaking a lie against God," i.e. something
opposed to the text of their Tourat, — a clear proof
that they dared not tamper with the text itself.
Now I praise the Imam Razi, and admire his
fairness, in that he has not allowed himself to be
drawn into the path of those shallow thinkers who,
when asked how changes could have been made in
the Scripture, gave so weak and silly an answer.
They say, '■'■ perJiaps a small party may have done it,
and then passed off the manipulated matter on
others of their people." But the very word " perhaps "
shows that it was felt to be no real argument at all ;
and hou^ could "a small party" have tampered with
the Tourat ? Let them tell us, if they can, how it
would have been possible from the very beginning.
Are they so ignorant of the history of the Beni
Israel, that there were vast multitudes under the
leadership of Moses before the Law was revealed ;
that it was read to his people during his lifetime for
forty years ; that after him followed Joshua and a
succession of prophets, all acquainted with the Scrip-
tures ; and then, long before the rise of Islam, that
these were spread abroad everywhere in such abund-
ance as to render any change impossible ? How,
then, docs the " perhaps " fall into an impossibility !
And, after all, the interpretation of these Com-
mentators is quite sufficient for our purpose, since
ON THE AUTHENTICITY OE THE BIBLE 87
they hold that the party thus referred to falsified the
passages " with their to7igu€s " ; they did not touch
the texts themselves, or remove them from the Tourat,
simply made the meaning doubtful to the hearers by
equivocal suggestions and fallacious arguments. So
that, even in ' their view, this, and no more, is meant
by tahr// and change (U!) with their tongues. And
therein is matter for reflection.
VII. Afid when God tool' the covenant of those to
whom the Book luas given, — " That ye shal/ publish it to
mankind, and shall not hide it " ; yet they cast it behind
their backs, and sold it for a small price. Wretched is
that which they sold it /<?/-.— SURA Al Imran (iii.)
V. 185.
Commentary. — The followers of Moses and Jesus, to injure the
Prophet, concealed the passages in the Tourat and Gospel bearing-
on his mission ; and tampered (fahrtf) with them, or placed false
interpretations on them and suggested unworthy doubts. — Rdsi.
And Jelalein : The Jews acted so "for a small gain," namely,
the Ijeing looked up to by their followers as learned authorities ;
and they hid these passages for fear of losing that position : a
miserable bargain !
Remarks. — We have no instance anywhere of
Mohammed casting reflection on the safe guanh'an-
ship of the Tourat and Gospel ; and he always speaks
of the Jews and Christians as " the People of tlu>
IJook " ; neither does he ever throw out any suspicion
that the T(jurat, as in tlicir hands, was any other than
" the Ikxjk " revealed to Moses, nor the Gospel other
than that revealed to Jesus (as some ignorant Mos-
lems of the present day talk); he simpl)- .iccuses
«« PASSAGES FRO.}T CORAM
Ihcm df confusinL^ and liidiiinr the evidence which
(as he claimed) bore tesliniony to himself; just as
the Imam has told us before, they brought mis-
leading and embarrassing questions to bear on
passages that required careful thought and nice
discrimination.
From all this we conclude, first, that no Moslem
is justified in imputing tahnf, in the sense o{ tamper-
ing zvith tJtc text, to the People of the Book ; and
second, that every Moslem is bound to look rever-
ently on the Tourat and Gospel as now in the hands
of Jews and Christians; and himself to search there-
in for the proofs they were asserted to contain of the
mission of their Prophet ; and not only so, but he is
bound to accept all that is contained in them, and
to be guided himself thereby.
VIII. Of the Jews there are that change the ivord
from its place, and who saf, " JVe have heard, and
have disobeyed" ; and ''hear without being made to
hear"; and "- Raina" (look on us), changing {the
sense) zvith their tongues, and speaking evil of the
faith. Noiu, if they had said, " We have heard and
have obeyed" and ''Hearken and behold ns" it had
been better for them, and more uprigJit. Ihit God
hath cursed them for their unbelief, and they shall not
believe excepting a feiv. — SURA Al NiSA (iii.) v. 44.
Commentary. — Some explain it thus : the Jews changed (/aJirif)
one word for another, as ajt). {middle stature) into A(»L (tS\
{Ada7n lofty in stature) ; and if it be asked how this could be,
seeing that the Scripture, in word and letter, had been regularly
ON THE AUrHENTJCITY OF THE BIBLE 89
handed down, and spread all tlie world over, to the east and to
the west, we answer, first, that possibly it may have been when
the people, and especially those versed in the Book, were few in
number, and so the change was possible. And, secondly, the
meaning of tahrif is the casting of vain doubts on passages in
the Tourat ; just as schismatics in our own day do in respect of
passages in the Coran adverse to their tenets ; and this is the
true interpretation. It is also said that the Jews used to come
and ask the Prophet some question, and when he had answered,
they would go forth and change {tahrif) his words. — RAsi.
And Jelalein : They "changed the word from its place," i.e.
in which God had placed it ; or its critical mark ; or altered its
position, so as to give it another meaning from that origiiuilly
intended.
IX. They change the ivord from its place. — SURA
Al Maida (v.) v. 14.
Commentary. — That is, they change {tahrif) the word from the
position in which God had placed it ; meaning commands, sanc-
tions, and prohibitions, as laid down in His Word. The Com-
mentators cite in point the well-known case of the adulterers of
Kheibar. Now the penalty in the Tourat is stoning. But (he Jews,
looking to the rank of the offenders, sent a deputation to the
Prophet, hoping he would order a lighter punishment, saying at
the same time to them, "If he order stoning, bew^are, and do
not consent." When they had put the question to Mohammed,
Gabriel brought down the command for stoning. So they re-
fused the judgment ; on which Gabriel desired the Prophet to
propose Ibn Sureya of Fadak as arbiter between them. When
Mohammed had named him and described his person to them,
they said he was the best versed in the Scriptures of any Jew on
the whole face of the earth, and were content that he should judge.
So the Prophet put Ibn Sureya on his solemn oath as to whether
the punishment for adultery was stoning in the Tourill. He re-
plied that it was ; whereupon the Jewish rabble leapt upon him ;
but he was firm, saying that he feared to tell a lie for tlie |:)uiiish-
nienl thereof. Thereupon the Pro|)hi'l rirdered both offeiiiicrs lo
be stoned to death .it the gate of tin; Moscjue. Anil s(j the text
about " ( ii.inging the word from its pl.iee " refers to this affair, .-md
to tlie substitution of " scourging," in place of " stoning to death. '
90 PASSAGES FROM CORAM
Remarks. — These two verses tell the same thing.
Three interpretations are given: (i) change of one
word for another ; (2) wrong exposition ; (3) sup-
pression. The first has been sufficiently disposed
of;^ just one point is new, viz. the alleged difference
as to the height of our father Adam. One marvels
at such vain objections ; for where do we find in the
Tourat that Adam was tall in stature ? A mere hallu-
cination of some foolish creature seized on as tahrif\
It had become the critics better to have searched
the pages of the Tourat, and not to have fallen into
this slough. Praise be to the Lord that this solitary-
instance of alleged verbal alteration {talu'if) so utterly
falls to the ground ! And what is most surprising of
all is, the failure of the Commentators to notice the
bearing of those passages of the Coran, in which the
Jews are said to have admitted the existence of verses
in their books, which texts are said to have given
evidence of Mohammed's mission, but were clothed
by them in a false dress ; which simply means that
they interpreted them otherwise, or concealed them ;
so that no room whatever is left for the imputation
of taJirif^ or textual change, at any period, either in
early or later times. If, indeed, there had been
suspicion of textual interpolation, it would cer-
tainly have been mentioned in the Coran, as well as
misinterpretation and concealment. But the Com-
mentators themselves have no faith in any such im-
putation, since they qualify the suggestion, even when
they make it, with the proviso "possibly," showing
^ See pp. 85, 86.
ON THE AUTHENTICITY OF THE BIBLE 91
that, after all their endeavours, the conjecture is of the
weakest and shallowest nature. We need not, how-
ever, press the point further, since the Imam himself,
and others of the same high stamp, attach no credit
whatever to it, as we have already seen.
" Change of the word from its place " is said to
signify false glosses, or suppression, as in the case of
the Kheibar adulterers ; or perversion by his visitors
of Mohammed's own words, as mentioned in the
Imam's note on the first verse.^
X. And hozu shall tJicy make thee their Judge, since
they already have the Tourdt, in which is the judg-
ment of God? then they zuill ticrn their backs after
that, and they are not true believers. — SuRA Al Maida
(v.) V. 44.
Commentary. — An expression of surprise from the Almighty at
the Jews appeahng to the Prophet in the case of the adulterer,
while they had already the punishment of stoning laid down in
their Tour/it. This was evidence of their obstinacy and falsity, in
that they turned aside from the command of God in their Scripture,
and sought exemption from Mohammed to give up the practice of
stoning for adultery ; and consented to an appeal from the Word
of God to the word of one (Ibn Sureya) in whose admission even
they had no faith. — RCizi.
And Jclalein : " How shall they make thee their judge," and
they already have the sentence for stoning? They were not seek-
ing after the truth, but for what was the easiest for them.
" Turned their backs," that is, from the command which they
knew to be in their Scriptures. Then follows : " We have sent
down the TourAt, in which is guidance and light," that is, guid-
ance from crnjr, and a knowledge of the conimandments.
Remarks. — Three important conclusions from this
p. S.;.
' See 1). .S<)
92 PASSAGES FROAf CORAM
verse as commented on : — l^'irst, the testimony that
the Toui'at,as in the hands of the Jews, contained the
law of God, which sets at rest any question of tahrif
in the sense of tampering; for every inteUigent
Moslem must see that if there had been textual
corruption, there would have been nothing authori-
tative to refer to ; and here we are told of the Jews
that " they had the Tourat, in which is the judgment
(commandment or law) of God." Second, it follows
that the Tourat was sufficient for their guidance, apart
from the word of Mohammed or any other ; since it
sufficed (as we are told) in the case of adultery ; and
so in every other matter, for it is described as " a
guide out of the ways of error." Third, as the Jews
are said to have applied to the Prophet in the hope
of obtaining from him a sentence " easier for them
than the law of the Tourat," it follows that they did
not dare to tamper with their Scripture in order
to obtain the relaxation of their law w^iich they
desired ; and even if they had so desired, any
such tampering would have been impossible, owing
to the universal spread of their Scriptures all over
the world. " With them," that is, " in their hands, is
the Tourat." Consider this : The Tourat, in which are
the commands of God, is here affirmed to be in use
by the Jews ; the Scripture which, as shown above, is
genuine and free from touch. Let the candid believer
lay it to heart.
XI. A7id let the People of the Gospel Judge accord-
ing to that zuhich is revealed therein; and whoso
ON THE AUTHENTICITY OF THE BIBLE 93
judgeth not according to that ivJiicJi God hath revealed,
these are the wicked ones. — SuRA Al Maida (v.)
V. 48.
Commentary. — If it be asked how the Gospel could have been
the rule of judgment after the appearance of the Coran, we reply :
(i) that the Christians were bound to accept the evidences revealed
in their Gospel as to the mission of Mohammed ; there can be
no doubt about this ; (2) that they should still follow whatever in
tiie Gospel is not abrogated by the Coran ; (3) they are warned
ag-ainst tampering with their Scriptures, like the Jews who sup-
pressed the commands of the Tourat. "That the people of the
Gospel may judge," etc. ; that is, let them study the Gospel as
God has revealed it, without tiilin/or change. — Riizi.
Remarks. — It will not have escaped my good reader
that the testimony here given of tlie integrity of the
Gospel in the days of Mohammed, and of its freedom
from any change, is clear, seeing that Christians are
exhorted to abide by the commands which God has
revealed therein. The comment that this means the
evidence of Mohammed's mission, is but a testimony
to the integrity of the Gospel ; for if it had been tam-
pered with, what would have been the use of referring
them to its testimf )ny ? And the same inference arises
from the other interpretation of the text, as warning
the Christians to avoitl the example of the Jews in per-
verting and hiding the commandments of the ToiirAt.
Two clear and important lessons follow from t1iis
verse: (i) the integrity of the New Testament as
absolutely free from imi)Utation of tahrif or change ;
(2) the obligation devolving upon the followers of
Mohammed, c(iually with the j'eople of the Gospel,
to be guided by all that is revealed therein, not
merely in respect of its alleged support of the mission
7
in PASSAGES FROM CORAM
of Mohainmcil, but also in respect of its testimony to
Jesus Christ. Since, after the evidence that has been
given (and what is to follow) of the authenticity and
purity of the Gospel, it is not open to the Moslem to
accept parts of it and refuse others ; he is bound to
accept the zuho/c, as a guide of life and faith revealed
from above.
XII. The similitude of those ivlio have been charged
with the burden of the Tourat and have not borne it,
is as the similitude of the Ass laden zvith books.
Wretched is the similitude of that people. They give
the lie to the religion of God, attd God guideth not the
transgressing people. — SURA Al Jamaa (Ixii.) v. 5.
Cot)uuentary. — " Laden with the Tourat," that is, charged to act
in accordance with it, which the Jews failed to do, neglecting- the
intimation of the Prophet's advent, like an ass laden with books
and none the better for it. Evil is the similitude of those who give
the lie to prophecies of the kmd.^/etalein.
And Rdzi: Such is the similitude given by the Almighty of
those who, having this revelation, fail to act in accordance with its
precepts. They are like the ass ; for they are as little benefited.
The Tourat gives the description of Mohammed, with good tidings
of his coming and of his faith. They were "given this Tour.ut to
carry," that is, to give effect to its instructions and take their
stand thereon ; and failing to do this and believe on the Prophet,
they resembled the ass which, laden with books, was unaware of
their contents ; or as one who, knowing the teaching of the Coran,
lives as if he had no need of it.
Remarks. — The text is evidence that the Jews of
the day believed in the Tourat, as their fathers had
done before them, and faithfully preserved it as by
Moses handed down. The metaphor of the ass is clear
as to the absence of any tampering with their books,
ON THE AUTHENTICITY OF THE BIBLE 95
for the ass does nothing of the sort, nor can. In like
manner, the Jews did nothing to injure the text, only
they ignored its testimony in favour of Mohammed,
and failed to act in accordance with its precepts.
The Tourat being thus accredited, and the text con-
tinuing as it then was up to the present day, and
being available to all in Arabic as the counterpart of
the Hebrew, why do our Moslem friends not set them-
selves now to its perusal, searching in its prophecies
and types for the intimations alleged to be there in
respect of their Prophet? Let them do so, and
they will fnid none. To the fair and unprejudiced
student, ihc notices it contains are as far from Islam
as the heavens from the earth.
But how vastly are we not indebted to the Coran
for the testimony it gives us of the safe custody and
preservation of both Tourat and Gospel ; not, indeed,
as if wc ourselves, being People of the Book, stood in
need of any such testimony, but we earnestly long
that the Moslem world should enjoy the light of its
blessed teaching, and, sharing our joy, may believe
in it as the Word which God hath revealed for our
salvation.
X 1 11. They to ivJioni Wn have given the Book recog-
nise him as they recognise their own sons; they that
injure their oivn sonls^ these ivill not believe. — SUKA
In. AM, Mcccan, Cvi.) v. 20.
Comtucnlary. — W'liciicc \v;is this rccoj^iiition f)f tlic Pioplict, ns
of tlu-ir own sons, to he derived ? I-'irst, it in.iy he said, thai ti)c
ToiirAt and thetlospcl contained predictions thai a l'r(i|)hil was to
arise in the latter time, and call llie uoild tu lii<- iiuc- liiili. ( )i-
on PASSAGES FROM CORAM
socoiully, that, in ailililioii, di'taik'tl Intiinatioi) was g-'ivcii of the
time and place at wliich he was to appear, of liis descent, stature,
appearance, etc. Now as to the first, such indefinite prediction
wmild have been insufficient to indicate the person of the Prophet,
antl enable tlieni to recog-nise him as tliey tlid their own sons.
The second I'xplanation, ay.iin, would im])ly that every Jew and
Christian must everywhere have at once recog'nised Mohammed
from the description so yiven, and the idea of falsehood on so vast a
scale is not admissible ; for we know of a certainty thai the Toui\^it
and Gos|)el did not contain any such ])articiilars as would have
sufficed tor the purpose. If it be objected (i) that particulars of
Ihis naluri' may jiave existed al the lime the Prophet arose ; or (2)
that they ()i-iyin;dly existi'd, but had been already tampered with
antl left out at some previous period ; — the reply to the first is, that
the concealment of such detailed predictions would have been
impossible, seeiiit;;; that the Scriptures said to contain them were
spread over the whole world ; and the second is equally out of the
question, as in that case there would not have been Jew or
Christian in any land, at the rise of Islam, possessing- any know-
ledge of the promised coming of the Prophet ; so that this too falls
to the ground.
The real purport of the text is, that Jews and Christians versed
in their Scriptures, and thus men of discernment and judg^ment,
were able to test the evidence of Mohammed's mission, and to
estimate the weig^ht of his miracles, and consequently to recogfnise
him as sent by God ; and the metajihor in the text as to this
recog-nition is thus quite in point.
Rcinarks. — The Imam has done well to admit the
impossibility of the Toufat and Gospel containing any
detailed prediction of the time, place, appearance,
etc., of the coming Prophet; and so the idea that the
People of the Book could not help recognising him
falls thus to the ground. His own interpretation
implies (i) that the Jews and Christians were "men
of discernment and judgment"; (2) that they were
witnesses of the Prophet's miracles ; and (3) that they
consequently recognised him as sent of God. On the
ON THE AUTHENTICITY OF THE BIBLE 97
first, I observe that the People of the Book being in
Mohammed's time men of discernment and intelli-
gence, contradicts the previous text likening them to
the ass ; and again, how could they have recognised
him from their Scriptures as the coming Prophet if
they were as ignorant of the testimony they contained
as the ass is ignorant of what is in the load of books
upon its back? Could any contradiction be greater
than this ? Which of the two passages are we to
receive? Again, if the People of the I^ook, possess-
ing intelligence and judgment in respect of their
Scriptures, yet found no evidence therein regarding
Mohammed, it follows that they could not have
recognised him to be the coming Prophet " as they
recognised their own sons " ; for where is the man
that recognises his son and then denies him, but one
that is lost to all sense of humanity?
On the second point, how can it be said that the
People of the Book should have been convinced by
the miracles of Mohammed, since, as we saw in the
first chapter, he wrought no miracle? Alas, that the
Imam should have played here so childish a [)art,
and avoided an argument which can carry no weight
with any one having the least acquaintance w ilh the
Moslem faith ! And his third point fails w ith the
second ; for if they saw no miracle, they could not
therefrom have believed in the prophetic mission of
Mohammed. So that the idea r)f the Jews knowing
him as they knew their own sons, must have been
cither a mere conjecture, or based on the saying of
some of the Jewish converts. Thus (A Abtlailah ihn
98 /'ASS AGES FROM CORAM
Salaiii it is said that, mcctiiiii^ Omar, he told him that
ho iccugniscd Moliammcd as the Prophet of God
more surely than he recoLjnised his own son, for of
the legitimacy of the latter he never could be so
absokitely certain. Whereupon Omar arose and kissed
him between his eyes ; which shows that such was not
b}' any means the confession of his people generally,
even if converts to Islam.
Lastly, the text about the recognition of sons is an
inestimable testimony to the Moslem of the faithful
manner in which the People of the Book have watched
over its integrity. The Imam, as we have seen, has
gone in his questions by way of exact analysis into
the inability of the People of the Book to recognise
the Prophet as they did their own sons, and the im-
possibility of their having tampered with their Scrip-
tures ; and his reasoning is clear and irrefragable.
Seeking to find an escape from the difficulty, he is
landed in a conclusion which not only does not in the
least help him, but actually proves the absurdity of
the statement that the Jews recognised the Prophet in
Mohammed as they recognised their own sons. So that
the Imam rather criticises than substantiates the text.
XIV. And if thou art in doubt as to that which We
have revealed wito thee, ask those zvho read the Book
{revealed) before thee, for verily the truth hath come
unto tJiec from thy Lord. Be not thou, therefore, amo7tg
those ivho doubt. — SuRA YUNAS (x.) v. 92.
Com)iie)ilufy(}i.hv\<\'g^iX). — Some hold that it is the Propiict in his
own person who is here addressed ; others, that it is some other
ON THE AUTHENTICITY OF THE BIBLE 99
party ; others, ag-aiii, that it is the Prophet, but only so in
appearance, as in the Arabic proverb, in which, by " thee," ^ some
one else is meant. These last expositors think the text was
addressed, not to Believers or Unbelievers, but to such as halted
between two opinions, much in this sort of way : " O man, if thou
art in doubt as to that which We have revealed unto thee for
guidance by the tongue of the Prophet, then ask the People of the
Book, that they may assure thee of the truth of his mission."
There is difference of opinion also as to who the People of the
Book are to whom reference is here desired to be made. The
best opinion is, that tlioy were Jews who had come over to Islam,
as the two Kabs, Abdallah, etc. Others hold that it means both
those who had become Moslems and those who had not. And if
it be asked by such as hold tiiat the Scriptures were tampered
with, how confidence could still be placed in those same Scriptures,
we reply that the tampering consisted in the hiding of such
passages as bore testimony to Mohammed ; and if, nevertheless,
there remained in them that which ])roved the mission, the appeal
becomes all the stronger.
Lastly, if we suppose the Prophet himself to be here addressed
in his own person as "thou," the explanation is that, being a
man, he was, as such, liable to be troubled in his heart by doubts
and anxious possibilities, which could only be removed by clear
declarations and manifest proofs ; and the Almighty therefore
made this revelation to dispel these misgivings. And after all, it
is only stated as a possibility, " // " thou art in doubt. (The
above from R/izi.)
\nd IJcid/unvi: "The People of the Book iiave clear evidence
in their Scriptures of the truth of their history, in the manner that
We have made kiunvn their story unto thee" ; the reference being
to the truth thereof, and the testimony borne to it in the preceding
revelation. The Prophet is referred to the People of the Book as
well versed in the veracity of its contents ; or, it is a stirring up of
the Prophet, and consolidation of evidence, that there should be no
possibility of doubt in his mind.
.Also Jchtlvin : " If thou, O Prophet, art in doubt as to that
which We have revealed unto thee of past histories, ask those who
read the Book revealed before thee, for it is steadfastly believed in
by them, and they will assure thee of the truth thereof."
lUO PASSAGES FROM CORAM
Remarks. — ihc learned Doctors are siully em-
barrassed by this verse. Referring the Prophet, as it
does, to the People of the Book who would solve his
doubts, they have striven to explain it in such a way
as miy;ht maintain his ditjnity, and are thus driven
to interpretations, the strangest one has ever heard,
such as that it is addressed ostensibly to the Prophet,
but really to such as questioned his claim, — which is
in the last degree opposed to the sense of the text.
Others admit that it was Mohammed himself that is
addressed ; but, however much they change and turn
the compass, it ever points to the same celestial pole,
— the purity and preservation of the Scriptures. If,
again, we take the party addressed to be those who
doubted the truth of Islam, this throws open the
whole foundation of the Prophet's mission, regarding
which these are referred to the Jews for an answer
to their doubts ; which would only strengthen the
argument for the authority of the Scriptures, — a
result the Moslem critics will hardly be prepared for.
Now, if the person addressed be the Prophet
himself (the more received and natural view), the
appeal is conclusive as to the faithful guardianship of
their Scriptures by the Jews ; for when doubt of his
mission, and distracting questionings as to what " We
have revealed to thee," arose in his heart, he is
referred to them, — " y\sk those who read the Book
revealed before thee " ; and thus his doubts would be
dispelled and set at rest by the evidence and light of
their Scriptures. This is so clear a testimony to
their authenticity that it leaves no room for the
ON THE AUTHENTICITY OE THE BIBLE 101
Imam's question (p. 99, — " If it be asked by those who
hold the Scriptures tampered with, how confidence
could still be placed in them," etc.). How could the
Imam treat the text in this cold and indifferent
manner, as if it admitted any doubt ; for if the Book
had been corrupted, what confidence could have been
placed therein, or the Prophet have been referred to it
to calm and remove his misgivings? It was unworthy
of the Imam to play thus fast and loose. Had he
forgotten the proofs he himself had given in this
chapter, that no imputation of tampering could hold
good, and that taJirif was nothing more than
"hiding," " misinterpretation," or " changing with the
tongue" words away from their proper meaning?
And, indeed, had there been no other testimony than
this present verse, it would have been a decisive
answer to anyone who would impeach the integrity
of the Book, and the faithful custody of its possessors.
The idea of the party addressed being Jewish
converts to Islam is clearly inadmissible, as we learn
from the comments, and from the preceding verse.
So also with the suggestions of Beidhawi and Jelalein,
that the doubts in tlic Prophet's mind related to the
historical notices in the Tourat; for what possible
connection could the text have liad with these?
Razi hits the nail on the head. Tlic doubts and
qucstifjnings were, as he says, in the i'rophet's own
heart. And when he was commanded to refer to
the People cjf the liook for reassurance, it ecjually
results that liis followers are bound to ascertain in
like maimer the testimony of the preceding Scri[)-
10-2 PASSAGES J-'AU>.]/ CORAN
tures, aiKl accept their tlccisii)ii in all matters of faith
and doctrine, and the hne divich'ntj^ the true from the
false. Where, then, is the talk about talirif^ as if it
meant tampering;" w ilh the text ! The testimony of
the Coran should satisfy every hcjnest Moslem of the
safe guardianship of the People of the Book, and
consequent purity and authority of the Holy
Scriptures.
RKVIEW
The foregoing passages of the Coran, with the
explanations of the most famous and reliable Doctors
of Islam, prove incontestably the integrity of the
Tourat and Gospel. Anyone talking of taJirif or
corruption, contradicts the Coran, and denies the
evidence of what is held a direct revelation from
Heaven. He who impeaches "the Book" impeaches
the Coran, and is not worthy to be called a Believer,
for he casts the Coran behind his back.
And now, O Moslem ! dost thou satisfy thy soul
by lip-service to the Coran, without reflection on its
meaning ; or read its teaching, and yet not act upon
it ? Thou sayest, " Nay, but I do reflect, and also
act." Then it behoves thee to believe the Tourat and
Gospel,— the " Book " attested thus by the Coran as
genuine and authentic, and (the Coran being witness)
beyond the breath of change. Take and read it, as
thy bounden duty, at eventide and in the morning ;
learn its testimony, and lay to heart its precepts ; — a
Book from which the Coran derived its ancient
ON THE AUTHENTICITY OF THE BIBLE 103
chronicles and knowledge. And dost thou not
perceive that the Coran itself is none other than a
guide that, by bearing testimony to the Scriptures,
would lead thee to their perusal, and obedience to
their precepts ? Abounding, as it does, with histories
of the past, it, as it were, invites to search the
original from whence those histories were derived ;
just as if one passed a friend whose hands were
filled with rare and precious gems, found in a mine
hard by, would he not at once go on to that mine and
gather for himself specimens of the rich material ;
or if, shutting his eyes, he turned therefrom, would
it not be regarded as foolishness and stupidity?
And here is this precious treasure at thy very door.
The Christian advocate, indeed, need hardly waste
his strength in proving to Mussulmans the genuine-
ness of " the Book," for the proof lies in the Coran
itself, as attested by the learned of their own faith.
Believers in the Ccjran ha\c no need, therefore, for
testimony from without. And if they believe in that
testimony of the Coran as to the divine authority
of those Scriptures, as they certainly would have
believed it had they lived in the daj-s of their
Prophet, does it not follow that they sliouKl devote
themselves to their study now, accept what they
reveal, and reject all else beside?
CHAPTER V
PASSAGES FROM TIIK CORAN SHOWING THAT PRO-
PHECY AND REVELATION BELONG TO THE JJENI
ISRAEL
I. O Children of Israel! Remember the favour
lohereivith I have favoured you and preferred you above
all nations (or all creatures'). — SURA Bacr (ii.) v. 44.
Comiiicn/ary.— The Lord c:ills to mind His former benefits to
the Children of Israel as a reason why they should not now refuse
to obey His prophet. " Favoured you above all creatures" might
be held to mean, " even above Mohammed," but that would be out
of the question, (i) Some say the words imply simply a great mulli-
tude, as we speak of " a world of people " ; but Ihe word .J^ U
signifies every existing being beside the Creator ; so that cannot
stand. (2) Others, that "the whole world existing at (he time
being" is meant, not in the future; and so that would take
Mohammed out of the comparison. (3) They were superior, others
say, to all creatures ; but only in one thing, that is, in the favour
bestowed upon them, not in anything else.
Again, it is said that the "favour" conferred was only on the
believing part of the nation, the rebellious being turned into apes
and swine, and cursed of God. Nor is there anything to show
that the same favour, whether in secular or spiritual things, would
be continued, whether in this world or in that to come, otherwise
why the solemn warning that follows: " Fear the day on which
one soul shall be unable to make satisfaction for another"; the
answer being, that rebellion, after great favour, is all the worse
and more to be condemned ; and hence the warnine. — Rdsi.
104 ^^
PROPHECY IN THE LINE OF ISRAEL 105
An(\JflaIcin : Kemcnibcr with Ihankfulncss and obedience the
favour wherewith I have favoured you, that is, your forefathers,
beyond all the world of tiicir time.
Remarks. — One has no objection to the interpreta-
tion, that the superiority here affirmed of the children
of Israel simply means superiority over the rest of
the world for the time being, except the conclusion
that this must not be held to imply that they were
preferred before Mohammed ; and that for t\\ o
reasons, (i) Supposing Mohammed to be the Prince
of all the Prophets, — for whom, as they say, the
heavens and the earth were created, — then the seed
of Ishmael must certainly have been preferred over
the seed of Israel (Jacob) as the more favoured
race. If a prophet was to arise of the seed of Ishmael
greater than any prophet of the seed of Israel, how
then could it have been said that "We have favoured"
the latter beyond all the world, including at the
moment the seed of Ishmael? rhc Almighty, to
whom the end is as the beginning, must have know n
that this the greatest of all prophets was to be (^f the
seed of Ishmael, and therefore that the seed of
Ishmael (not that of Jacob) was the most favoured
race of all the world, which would be in direct opposi-
tion to the present text. (2) We are told that
Mohammed was the beginning of the creation ; that
he was a "//^///" which descended from the loins of
father to .son, — from Adam downwards, — till at the last
the I'rophet was born of Ahdallah and /\mina. In this
descent, it is held, he was ever present in the world ;
and soil follows from this verse tli.it the Almighty
10(1 rFSTi.\fOX\' u/- T//r. coram as to
favoured the seed (if Jacob over "the h'<jht " of
Mohammed, which was at tlial moment in the loins
of his ancestor of the day.
II. And We gave to him {Abraliani) Isaac and
Jacob, and both of them Wr directed aright.
Coiiimentary. — It" it be ;iskcd why only Isaac and Jacob are
named as given by God to Abraham, and not also Ishmael, whose
name is kept back till after the names of several others, we
answer, that the object here is to mention the prophetical race of
the Children of Israel, which altog-ether descended from Isaac
and Jacob ; while from Ishmael there descended no prophet but
Mohammed alone. It was not therefore permissible to mention
Mohammed in this place, since the Lord sent him to put down
polytheism among the Arabs ; while Abraham, in abandoning
polytheism and taking hold of the unity, obtained great blessing
both in spiritual and secular things,— his progeny becoming
prophets and royal personages. Such being the case, Mohammed
was barred from makiTig mention of himself in that connection;
and for the same reason from naming Ishmael along with Isaac.
—Rtisi.
Remarks. — The Imam is here like one who, finding
no outlet, and unable to scale the walls around him,
retires discomfited. Observe that the question put is,
Why Ishmael is not mentioned with Isaac and Jacob,
but among other names in quite another connection ?
and the attempted explanation throws no light upon
it, as you will see, for two reasons. First, the inquirer
does not ask why Mohammed is not named with
Moses and other prophets at the end of the verse,
but why Ishmael is not mentioned along with
Isaac ; where, then, is the pertinence of the answer,
"It was not therefore permissible to mention
Mohammed in this place"? And how did the Imam
PROPHECY BEING IN LINE OF ISRAEL 107
learn that the object of Isaac and Jacob — "the gift of
God to Abraham " — being named here, was that from
them descended the long line of Israelitish prophets ?
Supposing, however, that really to have been the reason,
then why was their brother Ishmael not also named
along with them, seeing that the greatest of all the pro-
phets was (as the Imam tells us) to arise from amongst
the descendants of Ishmael ? Second, if, according to
the Imam, the object in naming Isaac and Jacob as
having been " directed aright " was to indicate the pro-
geny of Abraham from whose line prophets should
arise, then it follows from the absence of Ishmael's
name that no prophet would arise from amongst his
descendants ; a point to be observed. And for the
same reason the Imam's remark about Mohammed
being " barred from naming himself," falls to the
ground, since he does not hold that the mention of
Ishmael with Isaac has any reference to Mohammed.
And so we see that aberration and disappointment
have led to the invention of reasons that are utterly
untenable.
III. And ivJien lie {Abj-a/iani) Jiad separated Jiimself
from t/icjH, and from that whicJi tJicy worsJiipped be-
side God, Wr gave him Isaac and Jacob ; and ]Vf.
made them both prophets ; and W k granted tinto them
{benefits of) our mercy ; and Wr granted unto them
a lofty t07igue of tnith. — SUKA Marvam (xix.) v. 49.
Commentury. — Wlun Abraham kft liis people, ami j;^ave up
their faith and liome, and went forth whither God had called him
logo, the Lord ^ave him a son and j^randson, Imili ])i<ipli( ts, —
g-nod ^-ifls both for tliis life and the next ; and of His niir( y He
108 TESTIMONY OF TflR CORAM AS TO
flirt iKTiiKiro jL^c.iiiUcl llu-m wcallli ami lioiioui-, aiul a ])iiic' and
lioly seed. He gave them nlso a true and noble tongue ; blessings
of the lips as well as blessings of the hand ; according to the
praver of Abraham, "Grant unto me a tongue of truth among
the race to come," so that he became a pattern of righteousness
to all the religions of the world. — Riisi.
So also Bcidhaii'i : Isaac and Jacob, God's gift to Abraham, arc
alone here mentioned as the root and ancestry from which the
race of prophets sprang; or because il was the object to notice
Ishmael in his excellence In' himself. " And made tiiem pro|)hets,"
i.e. both of them, or from amongst tlicni.
And Jclalchi : When Abraham departed to the holy land, Wic
gave him a son and grandson to live with liim, and made both
prophets, and gave to them {i.e. to .all three) of Our mercy, wealth,
and children, and an exalted name among all religions.
IV. And We gave him Isaac mid Jacob ; and Wr
placed among his descendajits the gift of prophecy and
the Scriptures ; and We gave him his rezvard in this
ivorld, and in that to cone he shall be one of the right-
eons. — SuRA Al Amkabut (xxix.) V. 25.
Co'iiiitenfary. — After explaining the verse, R;lzi raises two
questions. First, Ishmael was one of Abraham's children ; why,
then, is he not mentioned as well as Isaac and Jacob? The
answer is, that he is included among the descendants "to whom
We granted the gift of prophecy"; but he is not named here
because the intention was to show God's goodness to Abraham in
his sons and grandsons ; and so only one son is mentioned, and he
the elder ; and one grandson, and he the most famous.
Second, In answering Abraham's prayer, the Almighty may be
presumed to have shed abroad tlie gift of prophecy among .all his
children : why, then, did this gift prevail in the line of Isaac and
not in that of Ishmael ? We reply, that God hath divided time from
the day of Abraham to the Resurrection, in respect of all mankind,
into two halves. During the first lialf was the rise of prophecy,
— prophet following prophet in great numbers during this period.
Then, in the second half, arose fi'om the other son [i.e. Ishmael)
a single prophet, who combined in his jjcrson all the attributes that
were in the former race, .and whose mission was for .all mankind,
PROPHECY BEING IN ISRAELS LINE 109
namely, Mohammed, whom the Lord made the lasl of the prophets.
And so the world remained under the religion of the seed of Isaac
during the first cycle for above 4000 years, and it shall equally
remain under the faith of the seed of Ishmael during a like cycle.
—Rdzi.
Remarks. — The attentive reader will not fail to
observe that the Imam here changes his front, and
gives quite another reason for the omission of Ishmael's
name. Formerly he told us it was omitted, the
object being to mention Isaac as the progenitor of
the race of Israelitish prophets. Here he tells us
that Ishmael, though one of the gifts of God to
Abraham, is not mentioned, since Isaac being the first-
born, it was natural only to name him as the repre-
sentative of the family ; — a strange slip, seeing that
Ishmael was born long before Isaac who was the son
of Abraham's old age. And supposing that Ishmael,
the ancestor (as the Imam has it) of the Prince of the
Prophets, was thus given as a blessing to Abraham, it
would surely have been all the more incumbent that,
as the first-born, he should here have been named.
No ; the real reason why he is not named was (as
Beidhawi says), that Isaac and Jacob were " the root "
and ancestry of the race of the prophets, and that from
them was to spring Him in whom "all the nations
of the earth would be blessed " ; ^ — further, because
Isaac was the child of promise (as we see both in the
Tourat and Goran), according to the angelic message
to Abraham and Sarah, whereas Ishmael was born of
the bondsmaid Ilagar, without promise or heavenly
message. Again, the promise of the gift of prophecy
' Gen. xxii. 18, xxvi. 4, xxviii. 14.
no TESTJMONY OF TlfE CORAM AS TO
to the seed of Abraham, in immediate connection
with the notice of Isaac and Jacob as progeny given
by covenant to Abraham, is in strong contrast with
the absence of any such promise in passages where
Ishmael is named.^
And where did the Imam learn that the Ahnighty
divided the ages into two cycles, assigning the first
of 4000 years to the prophets of the Beni Israel, and
the second of a like period as the era of Mohammed
over all mankind, etc. ? Altogether opposed to fact !
For the religion of Jesus, i.e. of the Beni Israel, is
still predominant ; spread over the whole earth, — its
followers some three times the number of the followers
of Mohammed, and vastly exceeding in name and
authority all the other religions in the world.
Again, how can the Imam say that in Mohammed
were centred all the graces of the prophets of Israel ?
We need notice but two of these. As for Moses, the
Lord spake with him face to face, and gave to him
the Tables of the Law, on Mount Horeb, before
assembled Israel ; and his signs and miracles are
known to all. But, as for Mohammed, the Almighty
(as you hold) did not speak with him directly at
all, but sent Gabriel with His messages ; and as for
miracles, he showed none, as we have seen in the
first chapter. Where, then, are the graces of Moses
to be found in Mohammed ? And then, as to Jesus
Christ, how vastly His dignity exceeds even that of
Moses ! Born without an earthly father. He is called
^ Compare also Sura Al Anbia (xxi.) v. 82 ; and Sura
(xxxviii.) V. 46.
PROPHECY BEING IN ISRAEL'S LINE 111
in the Coran "the Spirit of God and His Word";
neither was there any fault found in Him, or need
of forgiveness, the Coran itself being witness ; while
His miracles surpassed those of Moses, in that (as the
Coran says) He raised the dead, healed the blind and
the leper, and made living creatures out of clay. Of
Mohammed, on the other hand, none of such wonder-
ful things can be said, cither in respect of birth or
works ; and that he needed forgiveness is plain from
the text : " Verily We have forgiven thee the sins
that have gone before and those that follow after."
How different from the pure and holy Jesus, gentle,
compassionate, and mild, who whithersoever He
went, scattered gifts and blessings amongst the poor
and wretched ! Where, then, is the comparison of
Mohammed with the Christ ?
And so, we see, it is easy to make assertions, a
different thing to prove them ; easy to rush into the
battle, and there find oneself all unprepared. The
Imam could hardly have considered how unreal was
such an argument, or with what ease it could be cast
aside by the People of the Book, to have adventured
on it. I scarcely think that such weak and groundless
reasoning will approve itself to the fair and intelligent
Moslems of the present day.
V. Afid IV Ji bestozued on him Isaac and Jacob as ati
additional (^ift ; and Wn made all of them righteous
persons ; \ Vi-: made them also leaders, that they might
guide others by Ouk command. And We inspired them
to do good loorks, the observance of prayer, and the
112 TESTIMONY OF THE CORAM AS TO
giving of alms ; and tJicy served Us. — SURA Al Anuia
(xxi.) vv. 69, 70.
Com men /(try. — W'lu'ii Ahraliatn pra^i-d, "O God, bestow oil
me :i riyhteous son," the Lord ;ui.s\vcrcd liis prayer, and gave liini
Isaac, and Jacob also as an "adtlitional gift "; and all were made
prophets and messengers, doing Mis will, virtuous and holy. " And
they served Me"; that is, as God fulfilled His promise, so they
fulfilled their part in obedience and worship. — R^2i.
Bcidhawi is much to the same effect ; but I add what he says
on the preceding text (No. IV.); Isaac and Jacob were "given,"
the latter as an "additional" (a.l.il;0 child, wlicn Abraham des-
paired of progeny on account of his age ; and on that account
Ishmael is not named. "Scriptures," he also says, mean the
"Four Books."!
Remarks. — Thus we have four texts from different
parts of the Coran, each excelHng that which precedes it
in the grandeur of the blessings bestowed on Abraham
and his two sons, (i) We guided them aright; (2)
We made them all prophets ; (3) We committed to
their progeny the gift of prophecy and the Scriptures ;
(4) and all of them We made righteous, — implying a
continuous grace in close accordance with the Tourat,
that " in their seed shall all nations of the earth be
blessed." Surely, then, if Ishmael had been a partaker
with Isaac in the promised blessing, his name would
have appeared somewhere in connection with it.
On 'Cc\& first of the series (No. ii.), the Imam remarks
that the word We " gave," signifies that Isaac was
born " from the loins of Abraham, and after him
Jacob from Isaac." It reads as if there was no other
son from his loins but Isaac, while we know that
Ishmael was also from his loins ; and yet he is not
! The Tourat, Psalms, Gospel, and Coran.
PROPHECY BEING IN ISRAELS LINE 113
named as coming within this "gift" from God, but only
his son Isaac and grandson Jacob. The only explana-
tion is, that the "righteous seed" in which the blessing
lay was that of Isaac and Jacob, apart from Ishmael.
And all this is in accord with the Tourat ; for when
Sarah cast out her maid Hagar with the boy Ishmael,
it was told .Abraham : " In all that Sarah hath said
unto thee, hearken unto her voice ; for in Isaac shall
thy seed be called" (Gen. xxi. 12),
Referring now to the second text (No. iii.), I praise
Razi for his honest admission that Ishmael had no
part in the promise there recited, either for himself
or for his descendant, — " the last and greatest of the
Prophets"; for he is nowhere mentioned as being with
Abraham, or even as his son. Jelalcin also speaks
of his two sons being given " to dwell " with Abraham,
and as being Prophets. But, Jclaluddeen ! was there
no other son ? and why is he not mentioned as
dwelling with his father? You have done well thus
to drop the verse. So also Beidhawi is sound in the
remark that Isaac and Jacob are named, being the "tree
or root" of the prophetic race ; but he adds " perhaps,"
because no doubt this would exclude Ishmael, who, if
ancestor of the greatest and last of all the prophets,
should have had the highest claim to be named with
the other two, and yet is altogether ignored.
Our Author then proceeds at considerable length to
review the Commentaries on the tJiird and fourtJi
verses (iv. and v.), — drawing from them the same con-
clusion that Ishmael is not alluded to as the progenitor
from whom any projihetical race was to arise ; that he
Ill TESTIMONY OF THE CORAM AS TO
must therefore be held exckidcd from the promise
given to the patriarch ; and that not being mentioned
as one of the " righteous " progeny, is significant that
there was nothing good in him,— the reason probably
why Abraham prayed for a better seed. Bcidhawi is
also taken to task for including the Coran in "the
l^ook," for the Book means the prophetical writings
of the Bcni Israel; and that expression is throughout
the Coran limited to the Tourat and the Gospel, as,
e.g., in the phrase, " the People of the Book."
The passage ends with these conclusions : First,
Prophecy and "the Book" are the peculiar inheritance
of the Beni Israel. Second, Ishmacl, son of the
bondsmaid, was not bestowed on Abraham, like Isaac
and Jacob, as "the gift of God"; nor was he a
prophet, or the progenitor of a prophet. The Coran
is thus in these conclusions in entire accord with the
words of the Tourat, that " in Isaac shall thy seed be
called " ; and with the promise to Abraham, that " in
thy seed shall all nations of the earth be blessed."
How true, then, the words of the Coran (No. i.),
" Verily, I have preferred you (the children of Israel)
above all the nations " ! ^
VI. And {Abmhani) said, Verily, I am going to
viy Lord zvho zuill direct me : O Lord, grant nnto me
a righteous {issue). Whereupon We gave him the
^ The English reader will wonder at the space and pains with
which our Author has returned with much reiteration to this
arg-ument ; but he has done well to bring it prominently forward,
since the doctrine that Mohammed came from the promised seed
of Ishmael is one on which Moslem apologists set much store.
PROPHECY BEING IN ISRAELS UNE 115
promise of a meek youth. And luJieji he had grown
up to be a helper to him, Abraham said, O my son,
Verily, I saw in a dream that I sJioidd offer thee in
sacrifice ; consider therefore luhat thou seest fit to be
done. He said, O my fatJier, do as tJiou art commanded ;
thou shall find me, if God please, one of the resigned.
So when they had stdfmitted themselves {to the divine
command), and Abraham had laid his son pjvstrate
071 his face. We cried unto him, O AbraJiam, verily
thou hast verified the vision : thns do We reivard the
good. Truly this was a manifest trial. And We
ransomed him zuith a noble victim. And We left for
him {this blessing) by the latest posterity : — Peace be
ON Abraham ! Thus do We reiuard the righteous,
for he was one of Our faithftd servants. And We
gave him the good tiditigs of the promise of Isaac, a
righteous prophet ; afid We blessed him and Isaac.
And of their offspring there ivere righteous doers, and
others that manifestly injured their otvn sotds. — SURA
Al Saffat (xxxvii.) vv. 95-109.
Commentary (in brief). — When iVbrahrim dcparlcd from his
native land to Syria, he beg-gfcd for a righteous ofFspring, and
Isaac was granted to him, — a "patient" son; and who more
patient than one that gave himself up to be offered in sacrifice?
As to the son offered, there is variety of opinion. That it was
Isaac was held by the chief Companions — Omar, Aly, Abbas, Ibn
Masud, Kab the Jew, and eight others. In favour of Ishmacl is
the younger generation, as the sons of Abl^as and Omar, etc.
There is also the tradition that Mohammed called himself " Son
of the two victims," meaning thereby Ishmael and his father
Abdallah, who was saved from sacrifice by the ransom of one
hundred camels.' Al Asmai gives us lliis story: "1 asked Abu
' Life of Mahomet, p. xcix.
ih; riiSTiMONv or TfiE coram as to
Ami- 11)11 al Ala whuli ll was, Isaac or Islimacl ; ' C) willoss!' lie
answered, ' knowest thou not that Isaac never was at Mecca ; but
Ishmacl Hvcd there, and aided by his father built the holy house
and place of sacrifice.' There arc also many accounts of the ram's
horn being- hunij up In the Kaaba. The sacrifice was therefore
certainly that of Ishmael at Mecca ; whereas if it had been Isaac,
the place of sacrifice would have been in Syria." ^
Others, again, hold thai it was Isaac; for the passage opens
with mention of the son promised to Abraham on his departure for
Syria, who could have been none other than he. Then there is
mention of his growing'- up, am! of the offering up of the same son.
And so, after the account of the sacrifice, the passage ends with
notice of that same son again, as a righteous prophet ;— the blessing
being awarded for his steadfast faith and patience in the sacrifice.
Thus from first to last the passage can refer to none other. A
further proof is, that in the letter to Joseph are these words,
"Jacob, the Israel of God, son of Isaac the sacrifice, son of
Abraham the friend of God." But, after all, what can we say but,
" The Lord knoweth " ? Those who say it was Ishmael, place the
sacrifice at Mina ; those who say Isaac, in Syria and Jerusalem ;
but God alone knoweth. — R^zi.
Remarks. — It is marvellous that with such inter-
pretations before them the Moslems of the present
day should hold that it was Ishmael, and not Isaac,
who was offered for sacrifice. In the first place, wc
have seen that the only son promised to Abraham
was Isaac, and here it was the same that was taken
for sacrifice. Next, observe that this is the view of all
the famous Companions, like Omar and Abbas, who,
being constantly about the Prophet, must have been
more likely than the next generation to have known
the mind of the Prophet. It must have been the
notion of the sacrifice at Mecca and Mina being more
in favour of Islam, which led to Ishmael being sub-
^ Ibn Amr ihn al Ala was one of the seven famous Goran
readers, d. A.ii. 154 ; and Asmai was a celebrated philologist.
PROPHECY BEING IN ISRAELS LINE 117
stitutcd for Isaac ; and it is impossible that if this
had been the view of Mohammed himself, it should
not have been known to Abbas his uncle, Aly his
cousin, and Omar his confidant ; in fact, if you give
up the opinion of his most immediate companions on
the interpretation of such a passage, you affect con-
fidence in the Goran itself; a result the Moslem would
hardly desire. There being thus no escape from
Isaac, the country must have been Syria, and the
place of sacrifice Jerusalem, or one of the surrounding
hills, not those about Mecca. In his commentary on
the next verse (vi.) we see that Razi mentions Isaac
" for his patience at the sacrifice," and this in accord
with the " Letter of Jacob to Joseph " ; and yet, after
this and all his admissions, is it not astonishing
that the Imam ends his comments by — " the Lord
knoweth " ?
Similarly the answer of Abu Amr to the " witless "
Al Asmai, as to Mecca and Mina having been always
the place of sacrifice, is no answer at all ; for Jerusalem,
as everyone knows, was the place of sacrifice from
the time of David to its destruction by the Romans ;
and it was on one of the hills in the land of Moriah
that Abraham was directed to take his son (see Gen.
xxii. 1-14). Then as to the horn of the ram being
suspended in the Kaaba, where is the proof? As if
there were no horns in the Hcjaz but that of the
sacrificed ram sent as a ransom to Abraham ! The
Kaaba has been over and again thrown down and
rebuilt, and we are to believe that this same horn has
been suspended there ever since ! Would any sensible
118 rEsmroNV of the coram as to
Moslem for a moment accept this horn as any proof?
Moreover, the place to which Abraham was sent was
a remote and uninhabited mountain, not a place with
a Masjid and inhabitants about it.^
VII. And remember Our servants, Abraham and
Isaac and Jacob, men strcmwus and prudent. Verily,
\Vf. purified them ivitJi a perfect purification, through
remembrance of the life to come. And tJicy ivere in
Our sight cJiosen men and good. And remember
Ishmael and Elislia and DJiul Kefl, all good men. —
Sura ^ (xxxviii.) w. 43-46.
Commentary. — Remember, O Mohammed, tlic constancy of
Abraham when cast into the furnace ; the patience also of Isaac
at the sacrifice ; and of Jacob when he lost his son, and his sight
departed from him. All men of action, knowledge, and wisdom ;
contemplation of the future life made them forget the present ;
exalted in the life to come ; and the Lord also granted them a
good name in the present world, answering thus the prayer,
" Grant to me a tongue of truth in the generations to come."
Then is added : " Remember Ishmael, Elisha, and Dhul Kefl, all
good men ; but these are another race from the Prophets, who
bore trouble in the religion of God." — RAzi.
Beidhmvi also praises Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob for their
power in God's service, their insight in spiritual things, and ex-
cellent w'orks.
Remarks. — This is now the fifth verse in which
Ishmael is not mentioned as of the family of Abraham ;
a difficult point for the Moslem to explain. How is it
that God bids Mohammed to remember Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob, their virtue, knowledge, and grace,
and not a word of his progenitor Ishmael, who is
1 The comments on this verse have been here again greatly
abbreviated.
PROPHECY BEING IN ISRAEL'S LINE 119
spoken of as if he " belonged to another generation,"
and not to Abraham at all ? We see, then, how vain
are the attempts of the Commentators to get over this
difficulty in their explanations of these texts.
Observe, also, that Ishmael is here named along
with Elisha, who lived some one thousand years after
him ; and that they, with Dhul Kefl, are said to have
belonged to a different race from the Prophets, — as if,
in fact, it had been another Ishmael altogether. But,
specially, it will not escape the intelligent Believer
that their Prophet is here desired to " remember " the
three patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, without
any reference to Ishmael, who had thus no title to be
associated with them ; — in complete accord with the
promise already quoted from the Tourat, that in their
line it was that the whole earth should be blessed.
REVIEW
From the foregoing texts, and the commentaries
thereon, three conclusions may be drawn, (i) The
children of Israel were exalted above the rest of
mankind, in that the Almighty raised from amongst
them the race of Prophets and Messengers, culminating
in the chiefest of them all, the Messiah, spoken of in
the Coran as " the Word from God and a Spirit from
I lim," who came to bless the world ; and to them He
gave the precious Book, a Light to lighten the Gen-
tiles; a " Guide to him who is directed thereby, antl
an explanation of every matter." (2) That the grand
I -JO rEsrn/ON]' of the coram as to
puriH)se aiul end of the Alniii;lily for mnnkind was
fulfilled through /Xbraham in the line of Isaac and
Jacob, the sons of promise, (3) That the son of sacri-
fice was Isaac, and the place of offering Jerusalem, not
Mecca. Further, we may conclude that no gift of
prophecy or revelation lies in the seed of Ishmael,
And the most remarkable thing is, that all this
comes from the Coran itself, Ishmael being absolutely
lost sight of, and cut off from the prophetical line ;
and one cannot help seeing the uneasiness and trouble
that consequently underlie the remarks of the Com-
mentators in their attempted explanations.
It is true that in one passage of the Coran we find
this verse, " And remember Ishmael, who was true to
his promise ; and he was a messenger and a prophet." ^
But in this text he is not even mentioned as a son
of Abraham, or in connection with him at all, but
separately, and that between Moses and Idris ; nor
(even if it be the same Ishmael) as a " gift of God " to
Abraham, like Isaac and Jacob, — a difficult problem
for the student of the Coran.
Now, from all this does it not follow that the testi-
mony of the Coran is in entire accord with the Tourat,
namely, that it is in the race of Israel the world was
to be blessed, and that from this seed was to arise the
Messiah, the Word of God and the Quickener of the
dead, — an expression which the reader will recollect
is explained by Beidhawi to mean " the Quickener of
the hearts and souls of mankind," and by Razi as
" One that giveth life to the world in their religions " ?
' Sura Maryam (xix.) v. 54.
PROPHECY BEING IN ISRAELS LINE 121
Such is the Messiah as described in the Coran ; and
what greater need have we than of this Ouickener
to revive the hearts and souls of mankind and give
life to the world ! One in whom, by the common
consent both of Tourat and Coran, all nations are to
be blessed.
CllArTER VI
PASSAGES IN THE CORAN POINTING TO THE
DIVINITY OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST
I. When the Atigels said, O Mary, verily God giveth
thee good tidings of the Word {proceeding) from
Himself; his name Jesus Christ, son of Mary ; exalted
both in this zvorld and in the zvorld to come, and one of
those near the throne. And he shall speak unto men in
the cradle, and when he is groivn up; and he shall be
one of the righteous.— S\]'e.K Al Imran (iii.) vv. 44, 45.
Commentary.—" The Word from him " i.e. from " the Word," i.e.
the essence of the Word, as one would say of a brave or generous
man: "the essence of bravery" or "generosity itself." Then
follow traditions on "the Messiah," so called as kept clear from
the taint of sin ; as anointed with oil like the Prophets, or at his
birth ; or touched by the wing of Gabriel when born to avert the
tact of Satan. "Exalted in this world" by the prophetic rank
and wonderful miracles, and vindication from the accusations of
the Jews; and "in the world to come," in virtue of his exalted
place with God, and intercession for his people and his heavenly
graces. "The Word from him"; the pronoun "him" refers
back to "the Word" ; just as the same pronoun in "Aw name "
refers to the Messiah. Why, then, is the pronoun not of the same
gender (feminine) as " the Word"? Because the person referred
to is masculine. — Rdsi.
Beidhawi: " The angels" ; i.e. Gabriel. The rest pretty much
as above.
122
PASSAGES ON THE DIVINITY OF CHRIST 123
Remarks. — The intelligent reader will not fail to
observe that the Imam's interpretation as to the
masculine pronoun (in the phrase, "the Word from
him") referring to the feminine noun "the Word," ^
— is inadmissible. For, first, it is a mere conceit of
his, opposed to all grammatical usage ; and even
if otherwise admissible, it would make no sense ;
for as Jesus is " the Word," it would signify that the
" Word " was from the " Word," i.e. Jesus, as it were
the father of Jesus; whereas, the message borne by
Gabriel being from God to Mary, that the son she
was to bear was "the Word from Him," plainly
signifies the Fatherhood of God in a way glorious and
far removed beyond the fatherhood of man to son ;
so that in the text there is a distinct intimation of the
grand mystery of the incarnation, entirely different
from the crude and unnatural construction of the
Imam. Again, his remark as to the different gender
of the pronoun carries no weight; for even had it
been feminine, it would (as he says) have referred to
" the Word " (cuii), which signifies a Person ; the good
tidings would thus have been of a Person to be born
of Mary, of the nature of that Person, — a manifest
solecism. The pronoun must therefore refer back to
the speaker himself, i.e. to God. And since the Kali-
mat or Word was to be of a nature thus proceeding
from God, what, I would ask, must that nature be?
'"The Word from liiinself" (Kalimat iiiin liii) ; the pionoiin
"/»«" or "him" (masculine) means, according to the Imam, the
Word (Kalimat) feminine; whereas the only legitimate construc-
tion is " froni llijHself," i.e. from God.
124 PASSAGES FRO. If CO RAN
1 kiuiw, iiuU'cxl, that there ai-c too mail)' Mussulmans
who will not oven enter on an arj^umcnt in this matter,
but simply shut their eyes and ears to it without
further thout;ht. lUit 1 trust tliat the ntiprcjudiccd
and tJioitgJttfiil reader w ill not let the question pass till
he has consideretl it from every point of view, and
compared it w itli w hat is said in the Gospel. It is no
part of wisdom to be satisfied with far-fetched inter-
pretations, like that of the Imam, who does not look
at the text for simple explanation, but as one anxious
only to avoid the difficulty involved in the simple and
natural explanation. He just interprets the verse so
as to square with his creed, without a thought as to
the interpretation being opposed to the obvious
construction, namely, that God sent good tidings to
Mary of a Son, the Messiah, " the Word from Him-
self."
As to the name " Messiah," the Commentators,
finding no explanation of it in the Goran, have
wandered altogether from its meaning. Now here
are two questions for the intelligent reader: (i) Why
has Jesus, Son of Mary, been distinguished by this
name above all prophets and apostles, to none of
whom it has been given but to Him alone? (2) What
is there in the person of Jesus which thus beyond all
others entitles Him to the name? Who can give
a satisfactory answer to either, apart from the Tourat
and Gospel? Now there we find He is so called
because God has anointed Him {inasahd) with the
Holy Ghost, a King over Israel and all peoples, His
Son in whom is life eternal. Thus He, who in the
POINTING TO DIVINITY OF CHRIST 125
Coran is exalted as " the Word of God and Spirit
from Him," is further distinguished by the title of
" Messiah," i.e. anointed Prince and King over all ;
the first {i.e. the divine " Word ") being the cause
of the second, and the second (the title Messiah)
being descriptive of the first.
How strange, then, and unmeaning are the at-
tempted explanations of the term " Messiah " ; such
as that the infant Jesus was rubbed over w ith oil at His
birth ! It was not with oil (like the kings of Israel
at their consecration) that He was anointed, but with
the Holy Ghost; as we read in Luke i. 35, when it
was said to Mary, "The Holy Ghost shall come
upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall over-
shadow thee ; therefore also that holy thing which
shall be born of thee shall be called The Son of
God."
Now, turning to the reasons assigned by our Com-
mentators for the description of the Messiah as
" exalted in this life and in the world to come," we
read that He was a Prince in this world because of His
high prophetic rank ; because His prayers were heard
and answered ; because He raised the dead and per-
formed other wonderful miracles ; because He was
innocent of the imputations of the Jews. And in the
world to come, because of the glorious place assigned
in heaven to Him by the Almighty; and because of
His acceptance as the Intercessor for His people: all
which, cfjming from the pen of the Commentators,
raise the Messiah far above men and angels. And
truly the features of the Messiah's person, outlined
9
126 PASSAGES FROM CORAM
thus in these two radiant verses, resemble links in a
golden chain, each reflecting brilliancy on that before
it, illustrating thus the sense intended. Taken all
together, they manifest the marvellous nature of " the
Messiah " the " Word of God " ; a prophet, not as
other prophets ; the Anointed, not as other anointed
ones; the Wonderful; unapproachable in Mis divine
and heavenly birth ; a Prince, both in this world and
in that to come. Consider this !
II. When God said, O Jesus, son of Mary ! call to
mind M y favour towards thee, and towards thy Mother;
when I strengthened thee zvith the Holy Spirit, so that
thou sJioiddest speak unto men in the cradle, and when
thou wast groivn up ; and zuhen I taught thee the Book
and Wisdom, and the Tourdt and the Gospel; atid thou
didst create of clay, as it tvere tJie figure of a bird, and
didst blozv thereon, and it became a bird by My leave.
And zvJien, by My leave, thou didst heal the blind and
the leper, and by My leave didst cause the dead to come
forth. And when I held back the children of Israel
from thee, what time thou camest to them zvitJi evident
signs ; and those of them that believed not said. This is
nought but manifest sorcery. — SURA Al Maida (v.)
v. Ill,
Commentary. — " Ruh ul Quds " : of the phrase "Holy Spirit"
there are two interpretations: (i) "The Spirit" means Gabriel;
" Holy" means God, as if the Lord added the term by way of being
honorific. (2) Or it implies that God distinguished Jesus by the
special and peculiar gift of the spirit of holiness, light, dignity,
exaltation, and goodness. What he said in the cradle was, " I
am the servant of God who hath given me the Book " ; the very
same words as he spoke when grown up. This is the singular
POINTING TO DIVINITY OF CHRIST 127
dignity given exclusively to Jesus, such as hath been given to no
prophet before him, nor to any after him. — Rdzi.
Remarks. — Of the two meanings given to " Holy-
Spirit," the Imam does not tell us which he accepts
and which he disapproves, or which he considers
nearest the mark, — a duty surely incumbent on the
Commentator. The first is evidently wrong, as
opposed to the Coran itself. For (i) the Coran
never thus addresses Mohammed, though it speaks
to him in such language as this : the " holy spirit
hath brought (the Coran) down unto thee in truth " ;
and again, " The faithful spirit hath caused it to
descend upon thy heart." (See Sura Al Nahal (xvi.)
V. 99; and Sura Al Shora (xxvi.) vv. 189, 190.) And
(2) the Messiah is elsewhere called "a Spirit from God,"
which the Commentators interpret to mean one of the
exalted and blessed spirits of heaven, the expression
" from God " being added as honorific. Now, do the
words, " I strengthened thee with the Holy Spirit," in
the present verse, refer to one of those exalted spirits,
or to " the special and peculiar gift" of the spirit, as in
the Imam's second interpretation? The apparently
inextricable difficulty for the Commentator is this :
If Jesus be — as i^\ ^^—%x — one of those exalted and
blessed spirits whom God distinguished as proceeding
" from Himself," how could this noblest of " holy spirits "
be addressed by God as " strengthened by the holy
spirit " : does it mean that a holy spirit is strengthened
by another holy spirit? What! did the Messiah,
that glorious Spirit whose place is (as wc are told)
near by the Almighty, need the helj) of any other
128 PASSAGES FROM CORAN
spirit to strcnglluMi llim lui' the pciiorniiincc of His
miracles? Never! Such strengthening would only be
atimissible for one who was not " the Spirit of God."
This verse, with the commentary on it, is the
highest possible testimony to the glory of the Messiah
as far exalted above all prophets and apostles, seeing
that the Almighty distinguished I Urn with the
l)eculiar spirit of purity, illumination, nobility, and
goodness. Now we ask the candid Moslem what
was this " spirit " reserved as a special distinction for
the Messiah? Is it a person and nature; oris it a
gift? If you say "a gift," then what is that gift? If
you say a gift such as inspiration or holiness, then I
reply, that this stultifies the assertion that the Messiah
was distinguished by it from all other prophets and
apostles; and the expression "a Spirit from Him"
would thus be meaningless. But if you reply " a
Person or Nature," then it is in entire accord with
the creed of the People of the Gospel, that the Messiah
hath two Natures — one from God, i.e. divine, the
other human. And only thus will you escape the
maze, and find a solution of the difficulty.
III. O People of the Book! Go not beyond just
bounds in your religion, and say not regarding God
aught but the truth. Verily, Jesus Christ, Son of
Mary, is the Apostle of God, and His Word whicJi He
conveyed unto Alary, and a Spirit from Him. Where-
fore, believe in God and in His apostles, and say not,
" There are Three." Forbear this ; it will be better for
you. For God is One God. Far be it from Him that
POINTING TO DIVINITY OF CHRIST 129
He should have a son. To Him belongetJi whatsoever
is in the heavens and iii the earth: and God is a
sufficient guardian. — SuKA Al Nisa (iv.) v. 128.
Commentary. — "Do not go beyond just bounds"; do not be
immoderate in your exaltation of the Messiah. " The Word," i.e.
he came forth by the word of God and His command, without
other cause or any human origin. " A spirit from him " : several
meanings given, (i) A spirit from Gabriel's breath ; " from Him,"
i.e. honorific, as you would say, "a gift from God." (2) From liis
being "the giver of life to the world in their religions." Or (3)
being "a mercy from Him," i.e. sent to guide the world to the
truth in their life, religious and secular. (4) There is a hidden
meaning in the word, signifying that the Messiah is one of the
glorious and blessed spirits; "from Him," added by way of
exaltation ; yet nevertheless he is but one of the prophets of God ;
" wherefore believe in him, as 3'e do in the other prophets, and
make him not a god." — R&zi.
And Beidharci : " His word conveyed into Mary " ; i.e. caused to
enter and rest in her. "A spirit from Him"; possessed of a
spirit proceeding from Him, not mediately but direct, both as to
origin and essence. Or " a Spirit " because he givelh life to the
dead, and to the hearts of men.
So aXsoJelalein : O People of Ihe Gospel, follow not heresy in
your religion ; antl speak not of CJod other than the words ot
truth, free from polytheisni or attributing a Son to the Almiglity.
" A Spirit from Him," added by way of exaltation ; but lie is not,
as ye think, the Son of God, or tlivine.
Remarks. — Christians are, in the text, addressed as
" People of the Book," the very name implying that
(as shown in Chap. IV.) they were custodians of an
authentic and authoritative Scripture. Was it not,
then, incumbent on Mohammed, before assuming that
they " went beyond bounds " in their faith, to have first
given them the opportunity of producing their warrant
from " the Book," just as we are told he gave the Jews
in the case of stoning for adultery ? It was surely not
180 PASSAGES FROM CORAN
just to acknowledge them as " People of the Book,"
aiul bouiul thereby, and at the same time to blame
them for holding doctrines as to the Sonship, which
they could have show n jiim to be in that very Book.
Nor is it fair and just in the Moslem of the present
day, as he recites this passage, to forget the opening
words, " O People of the Book," i.e. of the Scriptures
belonging to them, its Followers and its Keepers.
Neither is it just for him to hold that we Christians
go beyond that which hath been revealed to us therein
of the divine nature of the Messiah. It were more
reasonable to say; — Bring hither the Book, and let
us see whether your claim as to the Sonship and
Divinity of the Christ being revealed therein, is true
or false.^
Again, Jesus is called the " Apostle " or " Messen-
ger" of God (RasLil). And what more natural than
that the vMmighty should send His Son as His
messenger, just as a king might do on any important
business? Thus, over and over again, you will find
1 Our author might here have referred to the deputation of (he
Beni Harith and their bishop from Najran. Mohammed held a
disputation witli these visitors as to the nature of the Messiah,
and, when they differed, instead of appealing to their Scriptures,
challenged them to curse each other as a test of the truth, and
" to lay the curse of God on those who lie." The Christians, very
naturally, declined. The passage is as follows: ''Verily, the
analogy of Jesus is, 7vilh God, like unto the analogy of Adam. . . .
And whosoever shall dispute ivith thee therein, after that the true
knowledge hath come zmto thee. Say, Come let us call out (the names
of) our sons and your sons, of our 7vives and your wives, of ourselves
and yourselves, then let us curse one the other, and lay the curse of
God on those that //>."— Sl'RA Al Imran (iii.) v. 6. {Life of
Mahomet, p. 445.)
POINTING TO DIVINITY OF CHRIST 131
the Messiah called Son of God in " the Book " (Matt.
xi. 27, xiv. 33 ; Mark i. i ; Luke i. 35 ; John i. 34, 49;
Rev. ii. 1 8). And the Coran comes very near it when
it names Him not only the Messiah of God, but " His
Word and a Spirit from Him." How, then, can
Christians be accused of "exceeding just bounds"
when they call the Messiah the Son of God, — attest-
ing thus nothing but the truth as it is revealed in
the Book of which they are to this day the " People "
and Custodians ? A matter for reflection.
Razi's explanation of " His Word," namely, that the
Messiah appeared at God's command without inter-
mediate cause or human origin, is surely a mere
evasion. For Adam, and indeed all creatures, are
formed at the command of God. Adam, like Jesus,
had not an earthly father, yet no one would on that
account call him " the Word from God." The
miraculous birth of Jesus was because of His divine
nature as " the Word," not the origin of the name.
Then again, Adam, being the first of the human race,
had of necessity no human father, whereas, in the
case of the Messiah, His birth was a miraculous event
away from the course of nature. But if the Moslem
will close his eyes to the Gospel, no wonder he is
misled by the untenable interpretation of Razi.
In respect of the immaculate conception, the
observations of Beidhawi and Jelalein differ entirely
from Razi. They speak of Mary as the receptacle of
" the Word." Now this phrase, having been shown
to signify a person or nature, the commentaiy of
Beidhawi may at this pf^int be interpreted in the true
132 PASSAGES FROM CO RAN
sense of the Gospel, viz. the descent of the heavenly
nature or person into the womb of the Virgin.
However this may be, the explanation entirely
accords with the text, " God giveth thee (Mary) good
tidings of the Word from Him, his name the
Messiah." And the conclusion from this verse and
the two commentaries thereon is, that " the Word,"
of which good tidings is here given to Mary, means a
Person who existed before the " descent " ( J»l>.), and
that such, in fact, was the cause of the Messiah's birth
without a father.
" A spirit from him." Razi gives four interpreta-
tions, without telling us which is right and which
wrong. In the first he says that the words may
signify " the breath of Gabriel," by which the Messiah
was brought into existence. God breathed into
Adam, and he became a living man ; ^ and here the
Imam would ascribe the same function to Gabriel.
That the Messiah, who is admitted even by Razi to
be " one of the glorious spirits," exalted beyond
prophets and apostles, should have been created by
the breath of Gabriel, — the very idea is profane ! To
what inconsistencies is not the Imam led in seeking
to lower the dignity of the Messiah ; wandering after
far-fetched ideas, while the plain sense lies before
him. There is more to be said for his second and
third interpretations, namely, that Jesus is so called
from His having " given life to the world in their
religions " ; and yet here, too, is a perversion, for it
was in virtue of His divine nature as the Spirit and
' Sura Al Hejr (xv.) v. 30.
POINTING TO DIVINITY OF CHRIST 133
Word, that He gave spiritual life to the world, and
wrought such mighty works ; — not because of those
mighty works that He received the title. But,
apart from this, ^^•e see in the attributes given by the
Commentators to the Messiah, as raising the dead,
giving spiritual life to mankind, etc., a strong resem-
blance to His own words in the Gospel, as; — " I am
come that they might have life, and that they might
have it more abundantly " ; and again, " I am the
resurrection and the life; he that bclieveth in me,
though he were dead, yet shall he live." ^ How close to
this is the comment of Beidhawi, — that Jesus is called
the Spirit emanating from God " because he was the
raiser of the dead, and reviver of the human heart " !
Truly, men may seek to hide the light that streams
from the Son of God, but through it all gleams of
the truth will still shine through. Observe, also, how
remarkable is his interpretation, " the Messiah, so
called, as possessed of a Spirit proceeding from the
Almighty, not mediately but direct, both as to
origin and essence " ; what real difference between
this and the teaching that " the Messiah came
forth from God, and that He is the Son of God"!
Strange that, after all these testimonies, this blessed
Person should be held to be a mere messenger like
other prophets ; just as if one recognised a prince to
be the king's son, with all the dignity and glory of
his birth, and at the same moment stripped him of his
majesty, and treated him as a common servant or
mere courier of the court.
' Julrn X. lo, xi. 25.
134 PASSAGES FROM CORAM
IV. And for their saying, Wc have slain Jesus the
Messiah, Son of Mary, the Apostle of God. Yet they
sleiv him not, neither crucified him ; but he zuas simu-
lated unto them. And verily they ivho disagreed
concerning this matter zvere in doubt ; they had no
knozuledge thereof but folloiued mere conjecture. They
did not slay him of a certainty, but God raised him up
unto Himself. A fid God is mighty and w/j-^.— SURA
Al Nisa (iv.) V. 155.
Commentary. — Razi opens with a denunciation of the evils and
dangers of simulation in the daily walk of life, as well as in under-
mining confidence in testimony, tradition, and prophecy ; the
conclusion being against an interpretation which would make
simulation an act of the Deity.
Various explanations are then given. First, Many hold that
when the Jews designed the death of Jesus, God raised him up to
lieavcn ; and the Jewish leaders, fearing a tumult at his escape,
seized a man and crucified him, spreading the report that it was
the Messiah. Now the people knew the Messiah only by name,
for he mixed little with them, and so they were satisfied. And if
it be asked how the story of his death has been handed down
from their forefathers amongst the Christians, we answer that the
tradition originated amongst a small number, who might easily
have agreed to a lie.
Second, The next class represent the Almighty as causing the
simulation, (i) The Jews, knowing that Jesus was in a certain
house with his disciples, their leader, Yehudza, ordered one of
his companions, Tit4us by name, to bring out Jesus and slay him ;
but as he entered, God took Jesus up through the roof, and cast
upon that man the likeness of Jesus ; and so the people, believing
him to be Jesus, took and crucified him. (2) As Jesus ascended a
mountain, under charge of a guard, he was carried up to heaven ;
and God caused his likeness to fall on the guard, so that he was
slain while crying out, "I am not Jesus." (3) The Jews sought
to seize Jesus as he sat with his ten disciples, on which he said,
" Which of you will purchase Paradise by taking on my likeness ? "
One of them agreed, so he was taken out and slain, while Jesus
ascended \\\) to heaven. (4) There was a person called a disciple
POINTING TO DIVINITY OF CHRIST 135
of Jesus, but really a h3'pocrite. As this man went to the Jews to
betray his Master, God cast the similitude of Jesus upon him, and
he was crucified in his stead. These are the various explana-
tions. The Lord only knoweth the true one. — R&zi.
The note oi Beidhawi is to the same effect as No. (i) under the
second head, namely, that Tilaus was the betrayer on whom God
cast the likeness of Jesus.
Remarks. — Here, again, as in the preceding verse,
the majesty of Jesus above all other prophets is re-
cognised in this, that when the Jews sought His life,
He is said to have been carried up to heaven.
Next, if the reader wonders at Mohammed's denial
of the crucifixion, simply in opposition to the Jews
who claimed to have crucified Him, and without any
reference whatever, either here or elsewhere, to the
testimony and teaching of the Christians, — that won-
der will cease when he remembers that Mohammed
was surrounded at Medina only by Jews, and not
by Christians, and that neither the Prophet nor his
Companions were acquainted with the Gospel.
And here one would ask, — Did Mohammed not
know that the death of Jesus at the hands of the
Jews was the cardinal truth that runs through both
the Tourat and the Gospel?^ Moreover, Jesus Him-
self repeatedly foretold that the Jews would crucify
and put Him to death, and that on the third day
He would rise again; and the substance of His
disciples' preaching, as we find it in the Gospel, was
to the same effect, His death being the ransom for
our sins. Now both the Old and New Testaments
are acknowledged Ijy the Goran to be binding
' Our author iiirr' (|iiotes Isa. liii. .'ind I).in. ix. 24-27.
13G PASSAGES FROM CORAM
on Jews and Christians,' how is it, then, that
Mohammed denies the event which is the foundation
antl corner-stone of the whole? Better, surely, to
ha\e tlcnicd llie Book itself, the observance of which
is pressed upon them, than to have denied its main
purpose. Now, may we not picture to ourselves the
Christians of Mohammed's time addressing him
thus, as indeed we do this day : — O Abul Casim ! thou
tellest us to follow the commands of God sent down
to us in the Gospel that is in our hands. Good and
right. Now God hath there revealed to us the
history of the crucifixion and death of the Messiah at
the hands of the Jews, and His rising again the third
day from the dead, — all established by divers infallible
proofs. Moreover, these facts, as it cannot have
escaped thee, are the pivot of its teaching, that which
if thou takest away, thou takest away its very heart
and kernel. But if, in very deed and truth, thou dost
accredit this our Scripture, now before thee, then it
behoveth that thy faith be even as our faith, thyself
^ Here our Author quotes and comments on several texts of tlie
Coran, on the authority of the Scriptures, as follows : —
"And when a Prophet came unto them from God, confirming-
the Scripture which was with them" (observe with thevi). — Sura
Al Bacr (ii.) v. 97 {et passim).
"He hath sent down unto thee the Book in truth, confirming-
that which was revealed before it ; for Hk had sent down the
Tourat and the Gospel from afore, to be a guide unto mankind."
— Sura Al Imran (iii.) v. 2.
"And We have sent down unto thee the Book in truth, attesting-
the Scripture (?.^. Tourat and Gospel) revealed before it." — SuraAl
Maida (v.) v. 49. And so, in v. 48, the Christians are urg-ed to
follow its precepts thus : — "And that the People of the Gospel may
judge according to that which God hath revealed therein."
POINTING TO DIVINITY OF CHRIST 137
a Christian like us, and thou a preacher of the Gospel.
Else thy claim, that thou dost attest this Book of ours
now before thee, cannot be true ; for to attest a thing,
and in the same breath deny it, is an irreconcilable
contradiction. Moreover, history is in accord with the
Gospel narrative. How, then, can it be gainsaid ?
Turning now to the explanations on our text ;
built on the sand, they hardly deserve criticism. For
example, how could it be said that the Messiah, being
little among the people, was known only by His
name ? We learn from the Gospel that He lived
thirty years with His parents, known as the carpenter
of Nazareth ; travelled thereafter continually over the
land of Judca, its plains and hills, its cities and
villages, preaching the kingdom of God, calling men
to repentance and faith, and performing miracles and
works of mercy, until " His fame went throughout all
Syria," so that great multitudes crowded around Him
from all the country round about, bringing their lame,
diseased, and lunatics to be healed by Him. Indeed,
the Goran itself tells us that He healed the blind and
the leper, raised the dead to life again, and brought
down the "Table" from heaven. To every comer He
opened His heart with divine love and grace; no
wonder, then, that, as on rapid wing, they sought Him
from afar, and that the eager crowds pressed in on
every side around Him. And yet we are told that,
being little among the people, He was known only
by name !
And the view is that the story of the crucifixion has
come down from former generations, started originally
138 PASSAGES FROM CO RAN
by but a small number, w ho miLjlit easily have agreed
upon a fiction and a lie. So far from that, it was
preached abroad from the very first, being the essence
of the Gospel, as before set forth. And again, even if
it did rest on tradition (as we have before seen that
the authority of tradition is recognised by the
Moslems themselves^), are we to imagine that the
Apostles of Christ and His people gave forth a lie,
as here supposed ; these Apostles (tO^^^s-) being
styled in the Goran, Helpers (Ansar) of God ? -
Then as to the childish stories of the likeness of
Jesus having been cast by God upon some other person,
who was thus crucified in His stead, — apart from the
criticism of Razi against the morality of a proceeding
thus ascribed to the Almighty, — the tales are simply
got up by persons who see no natural escape from the
dilemma. And so Razi ends by saying, " The Lord
knoweth the truth of these explanations," i.e. " I
cannot vouch for them." Well spoken, so far, Imam !
If thou and thy forefathers had but sought for this
truth, they would have found it revealed in the Gospel,
" the Book " attested by the Goran of which thou art
an interpreter, i.e. the grand truth that the death of
Christ is the life of the world.
V. When God said, O Jesus, verily I will cause thee
to die, and I will raise thee tip unto myself ; and zvill
deliver thee fivm the Unbelievers ; afid will make them
that folloiv thee to be above the Unbelievers until the
day of resurrection. Then tmto Me shall be yotir
1 See above, pp. 8.* and 134. - Sura Al Iinran (iii.) v. 50.
POINTING TO DIVINITY OF CHRIST 139
return, and I will judge between you, concernmg that
wherein ye disagree. — SURA Al Imran (iii.) v. 53.
Commentary. — The interpretations being very lengthy, are here
much abbreviated. "Will cause thee to die"; (i) will bring- thy
life to an end, and not leave them to put thee to death, but cause
thee to ascend to heaven ; or (2) cause thee to die, — some saj'ing
that Jesus really died, but onl}' for three hours, others for seven,
and others that death took place as he ascended to heaven.
We have again a variety of views as to the simulation, some as
before questioning its justice ; others, that, being opposed to the
universal voice of Christendom, to question it would throw suspicion
on the value of traditional testimony, even on that of Islam.
Others say, that if Jesus had been taken up, and a similitude not
cast upon another, the ascension as a miracle would have reached
the limit of compulsion.
The old explanations as to the dissembling of the disciples, their
being few in number, etc., are repeated here as we have hatl them
before, ending with the conclusion that what Mohammed here tells
us in the heaven-inspired Coran, we must simply accept as the
word of God, surrounded as it is with difficulties ; and "it is the
Lord alone that can give the true direction." — RAzi.
Beidhaii'i says : " Cause thee to die " ; or rather " fulfil Ih)' lime
to its end, and save thee from being slain " ; or carry thee up from
the earth ; or raise thee upwards while asleep ; or cause to die
within thee all earthly desires that would hinder thee from ascend-
ing to the world above. Some, again, hold that God caused Jesus
really to die for seven hours ; then raised him up to the heavens,
whither the Christians will follow him: "will raise thee to My-
self," to the place of My glory, the habitation of My angels.
Remarks. — The text and commentaries thereon
suggest three things. First, the preceding verse
asserted that Christ did not die, but was taken up
to heaven alive ; here we are told as distinctly that
God caused Ilim to die, and then took Him up alive
to heaven, — two passages the direct contrary of each
other in a divine revelation ! The candid Moslem
falls here into a sad dilemma ; and the interpreters are
no /'ASSylGFS FROM CORAN
fain to resort to unworthy shifts. Thus the first ex-
planation gives an unheard-of meaning to ( <Cj>«»a,«>
— namcl)', to "bring to a close the term of thy life";
as if the word was ever used in any other sense
than that of natural death ; showing to what straits
they are reduced in seeking to reconcile the two
verses. And so we call on the followers of the Coran
either to confess the contradiction in these two verses,
or to explain it.
Another instance of strange reasoning is that in
which simulation is defended, on the ground that
Christ's ascension without the crucifixion of one like
Him, would have been wrong as a coercive miracle,
"to force the Jews," — l.a^^!l w\:^ (meaning apparently
to force them to the faith, or it may be to give up
their design of crucifying the Messiah). But, after
all, what should be the object of a miracle but such
as that, — for example, the quenching of the furnace
to effect the deliverance of Abraham, and the miracles
of Moses to make Pharaoh let the people go ? How
meaningless, then, is this alleged reason !
The next remark is still more indefensible. The
disciples of Jesus, it is supposed, were cognisant of
the facts, were aware of the simulation which took
place in their presence, and told those about them
that it was not Jesus, but one in His likeness that was
crucified. By my life, this is the most extraordinary
charge ! When and where did the disciples ever say
anything of the kind ? On the contrary, these true
and holy men wrote by the inspiration of the Holy
POINTING TO DIVINITY OF CHRIST 141
Ghost, and with the utmost detail the facts of the
crucifixion of Jesus under the Roman government,
and of His rising again from the dead and ascension to
heaven ; — all this the grand object of their ministry,
as thou mayest see, if thou wouldest but look into the
Gospel. I will only add, that simulation with the
view of making the Jews believe that they had
crucified the Messiah, — what else can we call it but
to spread a fiction and a falsehood ? and who dare
suggest such a thing proceeding from the great God ?
We now come to the fcnam's escape from this
disquieting problem. It is this : — " Upon the whole,
the views we have given expression to land us in
the midst of doubtful and perplexing questions ; but
when we remember that the inspiration of Mohammed
has been established, in all that he hath revealed to
us, by an invincible miracle (meaning the Goran), the
existence of such doubts and difficulties can in no-
wise militate against the text of the Goran. And after
all, with the Lord is the true direction." The Imam,
seeing that all the attempted explanations fail to
remove his doubt and difficulty, and are in themselves
a discredit to the Goran, simply accepts the situation,
however much against his will ; according to the
proverb, — " Escaping the bear, he falls into the pit."
For, as already shown, the Goran is not a miracle,
and what the Imam here says of these difficulties
militating against its text, is not this but an additional
evidence in the same direction? If, then, the Goran
be not a miracle, and there is (by admission) no other
miracle to prove M(jhammed's inspiraticjii, Imw can
10
142 PASSAGES FROM CO RAN
the Imam fall back on that inspiration, as proved by
the Coran, for a sufficient reply to the embarrassing
questions and bewildering inconsistencies in these
texts of the same Coran? It is, in fact, arguing in a
circle. The Coran is a miracle proving Mohammed's
inspiration ; and, again, Mohammed's inspiration is
proof against inconsistencies iti the Coran. The
Prophet rests on the Coran ; and, again, the Coran
rests on the Prophet. Surely the Imam must have
known that this was nothing of an argument. And so
these difficulties (which, as the Imam himself admits,
tell against the text) remain as they stand, and taken
in conjunction with the earlier chapters of this book
are decisive against the authority of the Coran. ^
REVIEW
From the Texts quoted in this chapter, and the
Commentaries, we learn that Jesus was exalted above
all creatures in nine respects. (i) He was born
without a father ; (2) He was " the Word from God," or
" the Word of God " ; 2 (3) He was " a Spirit from God " ;
(4) He was called the Messiah ; (5) — a Prince in this
world and in the next ; (6) He spake to those about
Him while yet in the cradle; (7) He created the living
out of that which had no life ; (8) He was raised from
the dead ; (9) He was carried up alive into the heavens.
He w^as called " a Spirit from God " (we are told)
^ This is much abridged. Reference is made especially to
Chap. I.
2 Pp. 124 and 128.
POINTING TO DIVINITY OF CHRIST 143
because He proceeded (^ Ju?) from God ; and " a Spirit,"
because " He gave life to the dead and to the hearts
of men." Also the greatness ascribed in the Coran to
Him " in this life," is explained to mean His being
cleared of the imputations cast upon Him by the
Jews ; and "in the life to come," because of His merits
and high rank with the Almighty; again, "in this
life," because of the acceptance of His prayers, and
His wonderful miracles, such as healing the sick, the
blind, and the leper ; and " in the life to come,"
because He is the recognised Intercessor of His people.
Now, my intelligent reader, do not all these distinctive
epithets, — which we find either in the Coran or in the
interpretations of the Commentators, — point out Jesus
to be of a marvellous origin and nature, far beyond that
of any prophet or apostle? And, considering it all,
can you blame the Christians for believing, in accord
with the words of their Scripture, that He is the Son
of the living God ? Now let us complete the lesson of
the close similarity and accord of the Coran with the
Gospel, in respect of what has gone before, by bringing
the testimony of both together in the subjoined table.
Coran and Commentaries
When the angels said, O
Mary, Verily God giveth tliec
good tidings of tlit; Word, pro-
ceeding from Ilimsflf; his
name Jesus, the Messiali, son
of Mary, exalted both in this
world and in the world to come,
and one of those near the
Throne. And he shall speak
Gospel
And in the sixth month the
angel Gabriel was sent from
God unto a city of Galilee, named
Nazareth, to a virgin espoused
to a man whose name was
Joseph, of the house of Uavid ;
and the virgin's name was
Mary. And the angel came in
unto her, and said, Hail, thou
144
PASSAGES FROM CORAN
CORAN ANP CoMMKNlARIHS
uiiti) Ml', ill tlio cradle, ami
when he is thrown up ; and ho
shall be one of the righteous,
— she said, O Lord, how shall
there be a son to me, and no
man hath touched me? He
answered, Even so, God cre-
aleth that which W- pleaselh.
When lie decreeth a thing-, He
hut saith unto it. Be, and it is. —
Si'RA Al I.muan (iii.) vv. 44-47-
He shall give thee (Mary )good
tidings of thcWord from Himself.
And His Word which He con-
veyed into Mary. — SuRA Al
NiSA (iv.) V. 167.
Commentary. — Conveyed into
Mary, or placed in her womb.
(See p. i2q.1
Gospel
Ihal art higlily favoured, the
Lord is with thee : blcssetl art
thou among women. And when
sill- saw him, she was troul)le<l
al his saying, and cast in her
mind what manner of saluta-
tion this should be. And the
angel said imto her, Fear not,
Mary : for thou hast found
favour with God. And, behold,
thou shalt conceive in thy
womb, and bring forth a son,
and shalt call his name jHSl'S.
He shall be great, and shall be
called the Son of the Highest :
and the Lord God shall give
unto him the throne of his father
David : and he shall reign over
the house of Jacob for ever ;
and of his kingdom there shall
be no end. Then said Mary unto
the angel. How shall this be,
seeing I know not a man ?
And the angel answered and
said unto her. The Holy Ghost
shall come upon thee, and the
power of the Highest shall
overshadow thee ; therefore also
that holy thing which shall be
born of thee shall be called
the Son of God. — Luke i. 26-35.
And the W'ord was made flesh,
and dwelt among us (and we be-
held his glory, the glory as of the
only begotten of the Father), full
of grace and truth. — JoilN i. 14.
Concerning His Son which
wasmadeoftheseed of David ac-
cording to the flesh. — Rom. i. 3.
POINTING TO DIVINITY OF CHRIST
CoRAN AND Commentaries
145
And a Spirit from him. —
Sl-RA Al Xisa (iv.) V. 167.
CommenUiry. — And possessed
of a spirit proceeding' from
Him. (Sec p. 129.)
And it is said that he is called
a Spirit, because he gave life to
the dead and to the hearts (of
men). (See p. 129.)
He is called a Spirit, since he
was the cause of the life of the
world in their religions. (See
p. 117.)
A Prince in this life, and in
the life to come.
Commentary. — "In this
world," because he was cleared
from the imputations of the
Jews here below, and because
his prayers were answered, etc.
Gospel
And he was clothed in a
vesture dipped in blood : and
his name is called The Word of
God. — Rev. xix. 13.
The Father himself loveth
you, because ye have loved me,
and have believed that I came
out from God. I came forth
from th'} Father, and am come
into the world. — John xvi. 27, 28.
Jesus said unto them. If God
werej'our Father, ye would love
me : for I proceeded forth and
came from God. . . . Verily,
verily, I say unto you. Before
Abraham was, I am. — John
viii. 42, 58.
Jesus said unto her, I am the
resurrection, and the life : he
that believeth in me, though he
were dead, yet shall he live :
and whosoever liveth and be-
lieveth in me, shall never die. . .
And when he had thus spoken,
he cried with a loud voice,
Lazarus, come forth. And he
that was dead came forth, etc.
—John xi. 25, 26, 43, 44.
Which of 3'ou convinccth me
of sin ? And if I say the truth,
why do ye not believe me ? —
John viii. 46.
Pilate therefore went forth
again, and saith unto them,
Behold, I bring him forth to you,
that ye may know that I find no
fault in him. — John xix. 4.
1 10
PASSAGES F/^O.U CORAM
CORAN AND COMMKNTARIKS
. . . .\iul ill 11k- lire ti)
como.
Coiniucntiiry. — Because lie
lialli been the Intercessor of his
true people.
His name, the Christ. — SuRA
Al Imran (iii.) V. 44.
Verily, Jesus the son of
Mary is the Apostle of God and
His Word, etc.— SuRA Al Nisa
(iv.) V. 167.
Commentary. — " His name,
the Christ," said Abu Amr
ibn al Ala, "the Christ the
King." (See p. 124.)
Gospel
And Jesus lifli-d up his eyes,
.-ind said. Father, 1 tiiaiiU thee
that thou hast heard nie ; and
I knew that thou he;irest me
always. — John xi. 41, 42.
W'iio is he that contlennielh ?
It is Christ that died, ye.a rather,
tluit is risen again, who is even
at the right hand of God, who
also niakcth intercession for us.
— Rom. viii. 34.
Unto you is born this day in
the city of David, a Saviour, which
is Christ the Lord. — LuKE ii. 1 1.
And Simon Peter answered
and said, Thou art the Christ,
the Son of the living God. —
Matt. xvi. 16.
God hath made that same
Jesus, whom ye have crucified,
both Lord and Christ. — Acts
ii. 36.
Now when Jesus was bcjrn in
Hethlehem of Juda;a in the d.'iys
of Herod the king, behold, there
came wise men from the east to
Jerusalem, saying, Where is he
that is born King of the Jews?
for we have seen his star in the
east, and are come to worship
him. . . . And when he had
gathered all the chief priests
and scribes together, he de-
manded of them where Christ
should be born. And they said
unto him. In Bethlehem of Judaea.
— Matt. ii. 1-5.
POINTING TO DIVINITY OF CHRIST 147
CoRAN AND Commentaries
And when thou didst create
from the clay as the figure of a
bird, and didst blow thereon,
and it became a bird by my per-
mission.^SLRA Al MAiDA(viii.)
p. 114.
When God said, O Jesus, 1
will cause thee to die, and I will
raise thee up unto myself. —
Sura Al Imran (iii.) v. 53.
Comtneritary. — It is related
of Ibn Abbas and Mohammed
ibn Ishac, that both explained
i Cx'i^'x.* to mean, " I will
cause thee to die." Then God
raised him up, and caused him
to ascend to heaven. Wahb
says, "caused him to die for
three hours, then raised him up
to heaven." And Mohammed
ibn Ishac, "caused him to die
for seven hours, then God
brought him to life again,
and raised him up to heaven.
(See p. 139.)
Gospel
As long as I am in the
world, I am the light of the
world. When he had thus
spoken, he spat on the ground,
and made clay of the spittle,
and he anointed the eyes of
the blind man with the clay,
and said unto him. Go, wash
in the pool of Siloam. . . .
He went his way therefore, and
came seeing. — John ix. 5-7.
And they crucified him, and
parted his garments, casting
lots. . . . Jesus, when he had
cried again with a loud voice,
yielded up the ghost.— Matt.
xxvii. 35, 50.
And it was the third hour, and
they crucified him. . . . Jesus
cried with a loud voice, and
gave up the ghost. — Mark xv.
25' 37-
And when Jesus had cried
with a loud voice, he said,
P'ather, into thy hands I com-
mend my spirit : and having
said thus, he gave up the ghost.
— Like xxiii. 46.
But when they came to Jesus,
and saw that he was dead
already, they brake not his legs.
—John xix. 33.
The angel answered ... I
know that ye seek Jesus, which
was crucified. He is not here ;
for he is risen, as he said. —
Matt, xxviii. 5, 6.
Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth,
which was crucified. He is
118 PASSAGES FROM CO RAN
CORAN AND COMMENTARlliS GOSPEL
risen : he is not here. — Mark
xvi. 6.
Why seek ye the living: among
the dead? He is not liere, but
is risen. — Luke xxiv. 5, 6.
And he led tiieni out :is far as
to Bethany ; and he lilted uj) his
hands, and blessed them. And
it came to pass, while he blessed
them, he was parted from them,
and carried up into heaven.
And tiiey worshipped him, and
returned to Jerusalem vvilli great
joy. — Luke xxiv. 50-52.
But ye shall receive power,
after that the Holy Ghost is
come upon you : and ye shall
be witnesses unto me both in
Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and
in Samaria, and unto the utter-
most part of the earth. And
when he had spoken these
tilings, while they beheld, he
was taken up ; and a cloud
received him out of their sight.
And while they looked stead-
fastly toward heaven as he
went up, behold, two men stood
by them in white apparel ;
which also said. Ye men of
Galilee, why stand ye gazing
up into heaven ? this same Jesus,
which is taken up from you into
heaven, shall so come in like
manner as ye have seen him go
into heaven. Then returned
they unto Jerusalem from the
mount called Olivet, which is
from Jerusalem a sabbath day's
journey. — Acts i. 8-12.
POINTING TO DIVINITY OF CHRIST 149
Now, dear reader, dost thou not perceive the
close agreement and wonderful harmony between
the passages on either side of this table and the
majesty of the Messiah rising far above the rank of
prophet or apostle? The various interpretations
of the Commentators may not everywhere touch
the mark, but certainly they come very close to it.
And the passages from the Gospel in respect of
the Messiah, are they not an explanation, one might
say, of the various statements in the Coran, although
they were, in fact, then original ? But, alas for the
blinding prejudice which an ancestral faith casts
between the truth and the judgment, making both
sage and fool at one ! There is no remedy for this
evil, or way out of these crooked paths, but for a man,
casting this prejudice aside, to come like a little child,
newly born as it were, simple and teachable, searching
after the truth by the gate that alone leads to it, and
praying for guidance to enter therein from its only
source.
CONCLUSION
Now, having reached the end J had in view, namely,
to show the testimony which the Coran bears to the
Scriptures of the inspired prophets, and the evidences
it contains pointing to the mystery of the divine
nature of the Messiah, I would seek to address an
earnest and loving appeal to thee, my true and gentle
reader, — one diligent in the Coran, constant at the
Mosque, and whose supreme concern is nought but
the pleasure of the Almighty. May I hope for thy
forbearance, — that thou wouldest give me thine ear to
hear, and a kindly regard toward that which I shall
place before thee ? and then let thy soul within thee
be the judge. For it is not to the heedless and
unwise I address myself, — those that rest in the
name of their faith, led captive by the bonds of
prejudice, manacled with the chain of ignorance.
Not to such, but to thee, my noble and pious
reader, that I submit my case for judgment and
consideration.
Now thou hast seen — praised be God ! — the evidence
adduced in this treatise in respect of the Jewish and
Christian Scriptures. They are borne testimony to
150
APPEAL TO THE READER 151
throughout the Coran, as in the hands of the People
of the Book, genuine and authoritative, a revelation
of the will of the Most High. Further, in view of
the most distinguished of your Doctors, they are pro-
nounced (as we have seen) to be true and authentic,
having been handed down by continuous succession
throughout the East and the West, and thus pure
from the taint of corruption or change. These learned
Doctors also believe that such passages as, — Clothe not
the true in the false, and hide not the truth when ye knoiv
it ; — They pervert the word from its place, and such like ;
— have no reference whatever to any tampering with
the text, but simply accuse the Prophet's opponents
of confusing their hearers with vain and doubtful argu-
ments ; preventing the truth from reaching others ;
putting false interpretations instead of true; changing
words, not in the text of their Scripture, but with
the lip in their speech ; and hiding or misrepresenting
the commands of God as in the case of the Jews of
Kheibar.^ There is no alternative for you, therefore,
but to accept the Tourat and the Gospel, as thus
accredited by the Coran. And when they tell thee,
— God forbid ! — as they tell the ignorant folk, that
verbal corruption has crept into these Scriptures
since the time of Mohammed and the Coran, — I say
at once that it is absolutely impossible, scattered as
these Scriptures already were, and have ever since
continued, throughout all nations, sects, and churches,
speaking various languages, bitterly opposed to one
another, and using the Sacred text in controversy
' See above, j). 89.
152 CONCLUSION
and in Ihcir Ihcological writint^s. Such a state of
things renders the charge of corruption, or of any
change whatever, altogether out of the question. In
the interval between Jesus and the rise of Islam,
that is, for six centuries, it is admitted that there had
been no tampering with, or change in, the text ;
is it possible, then, that such could have happened
since that time ? Never ! Further, we have seen —
the Lord guide thee ! — that the authority of what is
thus continuously handed down cannot be impugned ;
for to deny such continuity, your learned men hold,
would be to impugn the evidence of the prophetic
office of Mohammed or of the Messiah, — the evidence
even of their very existence, or of any of the prophets.^
And here I would pause, and ask thee to reflect.
If these Scriptures be incorrupt, genuine and pure,
what is incumbent on thee as one that seeks the
truth alone, but to accept what is revealed therein
of Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, and of His
death in the flesh a ransom for mankind ? for, surely,
belief in the inspiration and authenticity of the Book
must carry with it belief in all that is therein. And
now I think I see thee bewildered and perplexed ;
on one hand, unable to deny the authenticity of " the
Book," the grand object of the Tourat, the spirit of
prophecy, and the doctrines of the Gospel ; on the
other, equally unable to reconcile all this with the
teaching of Islam, and fearing to recognise anything
opposed to the Goran, as calculated to lead on to
disbelief in the revelation itself, and doing despite
^ Sec pp. 82, 134.
APPEAL TO THE READER 153
thereto. The writer deeply sympathises with thee
in thy struggle and distress ; — so often suffered by
those who reach this solemn stage of conflicting
thought, — who feel as if they could not relax their
hold on the belief inherited from their forefathers,
which is yet opposed to what is now seen and
apprehended. Yet would I fain hope that reflection
upon what has been advanced in the last two chapters,
with a single eye and a mind unprejudiced, may
dissipate the cloud of thy bewilderment, and let thee
go forth as one whose shackles are undone, in grateful
liberty.
As a house must stand on a firm foundation, so
Chapter V. is the foundation of Chapter VI. ; let us
therefore first revert to it, and may the Lord guide
thee aright ! Now in the Fifth chapter thou wilt find
these two positions established ; — namely (i) that Isaac
and Jacob were the sons of promise to Abraham, and
(2) that in their line was to be the gift of prophecy
and of the Scriptures. Ishmael and Esau are left
entirely out. The passages quoted from the Coran
all point with one finger to the race of Isaac and
Jacob as that in which the grand purpose of the
Almighty is to be wrought out ; and for this end
the children of Israel are " preferred beyond all
creatures," — exalted above all the world as the
chaimcls of spiritual blessing. The Commentators,
blinded by prejudice, too often miss the point; yet
ever and anon, even in their interpretations, the truth
appears. The Commentators have passed away ; but,
thank God, the texts of the Coran remain, — a witness
154 CONCLUSION
to the grand truth, that it is in tlic Hnc of Isaac and
Jacob \vc must look for " Prophecy " and " the Book,"
These passages bear witness that " God left, as an
inheritance to tlic children of Israel, the Book, a
direction and an admonition to men of understand-
ing," and that in this race the whole world is to be
blessed;^ — promises which find their full and only
accomplishment in the Messiah, the Redeemer of the
world, of the race of Jacob, — He of whose coming
the prophets spake, and whom they- magnify as a
blessing to all the world, — " a Light to them that sit
in darkness and in the shadow of death." Here,
then, the Gospel and the Coran are at one, declaring,
namely, that the Messiah came as a Blessing and
Mercy to all people.
We pass on to the argument in the Sixth chapter,
which might be called an immoveable bulwark, built
on the foregoing as its firm foundation. It is this ;
that the " the Word of God " announced to Mary was
a Person which existed before entering her womb ;
and that this Person, proceeding from God and of the
Divine essence, was conceived by her, which is the
cause of the Messiah being born without an earthly
father. Verily the account thus set forth in the
Coran of the divine origin of the Messiah, the de-
scription of Him as " the Word of God," and " a Spirit
from Him," His marvellous birth, and his wonderful
works, all cast a clear light on his Divinity. It is true
that the interpreters of the Coran deny the Divine
Nature thus proved by these signs and plainly set
' See Sura Al Mamiin (xl.) v. 51, and above, p. 109.
APPEAL TO THE READER 155
forth in the Gospel, being led thereto by the supposi-
tion that it detracts from the Unity of the Godhead.
But I would ask, — Does it consist with the independ-
ence of the soul to bind itself to the interpretation of
Commentators? Is it not more fitting to use the
intelligence which God has given us, in finding out for
ourselves what is the most natural meaning of the text?
And thou hast seen that certain of the Commentators
come singularly near the true interpretation, while some
are far off from it, and others again between the two.
In fact, as one reads their explanations, they seem
all to be hovering round one object, — and that is how
best to lower the Messiah, "the Word of God and His
Spirit," to the rank of other prophets and apostles ;
not perceiving in these texts the Divine origin and
Heavenly characteristics, which to the intelligent and
open mind must assign Him a place infinitely beyond
that of any other prophet or apostle. Surely no
sensible man could be satisfied with these interpreta-
tions in view of the wonderful nature and perfections
which could not possibly be assigned to any other
than to Him alone. In view of it all, my friend, is it
possible to let thine eye be darkened by any earthly
blind, so that thou shouldest not see, in the light
wliich streams all through these passages of the
Coran, the glory of the Son of God ? Beware ! for if
thou docst so, thou injurest thine own soul, and dost
rebel against the Almighty.
Let us now compare the passages in the Coran
regarding the Messiah with the account given in the
Gospel, and wc shall find in them at once corroboration
15G CONCLUSION
and also clusc resemblance. There is corroboration,
almost to the very letter, in the account of His
phenomenal birth. His wonderful works, — as raising
the dead, healing the blind, the sick, and the leper, —
and His lofty rank in both worlds. There is also
close resemblance, as in the miraculous birth of the
Messiah, and His name "the Word of God and a
Spirit from Him," — coming very near the words of the
Gospel in which He is called " the Word of God " and
"the Son of God"; the description in both pointing,
in fact, to a nature far exalted above all creation.
Indeed, the Goran, and the Moslem traditions, in
some things go even beyond the Gospel; — the former
telling us that Jesus spake to those about him while
yet in the cradle, and made a living bird out of clay.
The latter, that at the time of his birth the idols
throughout the world hung down their heads ; and
that whereas at birth every son of Adam screams at
the prick of Satan, Mary and her Son were alone
free from his touch, the Almighty having caused
Satan to retire humbled and disgraced when he came
for the purpose ; also that a host of angels surrounded
the infant, so that Satan was unable to approach.^
Does it, then, approve itself to thy reason, that the
Almighty should have caused such marvels to surround
the Messiah, and that the order of nature should have
been broken at His birth without some great purpose?
Impossible ! And doth not thy soul search high and
low to get at the secret of the mystery? Is it to be
found in the Goran ? Nay, my friend, it is not there.
^ Quoted from the Kilab Ahya of the IiiKini al Ghazaly.
APPEAL TO THE READER 157
True, the Coran gives thee some precious glimpses of
the Messiah's greatness ; but it stops short of unveiHng
His glorious perfections and divine majesty. It leads
to the portal, but fails to open the door ; it kindles the
flame, but leaves it in the heart a longing and unsatis-
fied desire. Art thou, then, content that this question,
in which the highest of human interests are bound up,
remain unsolved ? How now, if someone should re-
late to thee a marvellous tale leading up to a point of
intensest interest to thyself, and there stopped short,
wouldest thou be content, and not rather beg of him to
continue his story ? And should he say, " I know no
more than I have told thee," wouldest thou not ask
him to tell thee from whom he learned the story, or
where he read it, and where it was to be found ; and
when he told thee, wouldest thou not exhaust every
effort to get and read it for thyself, at whatever toil
or risk ? Now, by my life ! this is precisely what the
Coran hath done in respect of the Saviour, Christ. It
hath told thee of His wondrous nature and life, as
taken from the Gospel, but stopped short at the grand
purpose of it all, and said not one word about it. It
lifts thee, as it were, halfway out of the pit, then
leaves thee there, neither raising thee farther nor
letting thee drop. It fails to point to the Book
from which nearly all it tells thee has been taken,
namely, the Gospel, which alone can show thee the
completion of the story, and unveil the mystery ot
which but half is told thee in tlic Coran ; or send
thee to the Possessors of that l^ook, to whom, indeed,
Mohammed was himself referred for relief to his
II
158 CONCLUSION
soul, and settlement of the doubts arising in his
heart.^
And now, my friend, as thou believest in the inspira-
tion of the texts that have been quoted from the
Coran, and must see that it is incumbent on thee to
find out their full meaning and the lesson they would
teach ; seeing also — the Lord help thee ! — that thou art
aware of the authenticity of the Tourat and Gospel,
whose end and object is the incarnate Son of God,
who hath redeemed us from our sins by His own
blood ; seeing, further, that these verses of the Coran
agree with the Tourat and Gospel to a far greater
degree (as we have seen) than with the views of
the Commentators, — what becomes the duty incum-
bent on thee ? Wilt thou follow the careless world-
ling who fleeth away from any approach to the
Christian faith, that which alone can throw trans-
parent light on these texts regarding the Son of God ;
and say with him, — " God only knoweth what their
meaning is " ? Such a one recites these wonderful
verses over and over as, day by day, he reads the Coran
without thinking for a moment what their real meaning
is, or whether there may not be some way of under-
standing them, and getting at the heart of the matter.
As if the Almighty, having made a revelation to His
creatures, should yet render it impossible to compre-
hend the same, and hinder them from discussion and
search as to what its meaning is ! Or rather, wilt thou
not recognise the Messiah as raised in power and
glory far above all mankind, seek the guidance of the
^ See pp. 98, 99,
APPEAL TO THE READER 159
Almighty as thou approachest His Book, and study
the same with profoundest reverence and prayer for
guidance to learn the truth regarding the Person of
Jesus the Christ ?
Now, reflecting on the texts that bear testimony to
the unrivalled One, as alone in His birth, His nature,
and divine perfections, would not every thoughtful
earnest man put such anxious questions to himself as
these —
Who, thinkest thou, might that have been, con-
ceived without an earthly father, and to whom at His
birth Satan could find no way of approach ?
Who could that have been, named in the Coran
"The Word of God and a Spirit from Him"; called
also in the Sunnat "The Spirit of God"? For
what Being, one would ask, could be greater than the
Spirit of God ?
Who could that have been who, we are told, spoke
to those around Him while yet in the cradle? Who,
that could, as Beidhawi explains, give life to the dead
and to the hearts of men {i.e. to their bodies and to
their spirits) ; who other than the Almighty and the
Holy Ghost ? Who, that could form a thing of life out
of clay, even as God formed Adam out of the dust of
the ground ?
Who must that have been (as we read in the Coran),
free from all sin and frailty, who needed not as other
men, even the best and noblest of the Prophets,
to seek forgiveness? He, over whom death had
no power, nor corruption ; of whom one of your own
authorities says that He remained dead but for three
160 CONCLUSION
hours/ and another seven, aw\\ tlien was raised aHve
to heaven;- and who shall surely so come again in
like manner as He went, and shall slay Dajjal the
Antichrist, and destroy the hosts of Gog and Magog?^
Who must that have been who lived, unspotted by
the touch of the world, a life of purity, an example
to the innocent and virtuous ; who did no evil ; who
was to all around gracious, generous, and kind ; who
commanded to love our enemies, to do good to them
that hate us, to pray for such as despitefully use and
persecute us, and to be loving and beneficent to all
mankind, be they good or be they bad ?
Who may this be in whom centre all such glorious
perfections ? Were manifestations of divine origin and
heavenly perfection such as these ever seen in any of
the Prophets? Not one! Is it anywise consistent
with reason to hold Him a mere man? Never!
What ! doth God exalt Him, and wilt thou lower
Him? Doth the Almighty call Him His Word and
His Son (or the Coran " His Spirit "), testifying thus
to the loftiness of His Being, — a Nature that gives
Him the power of creating and that of " vivifying
both flesh and spirit," — and wouldest thou reduce
Him to the grade of messenger and servant? What
else should that be called than running counter to
the revealed will of God ; and what shall be the fate
of him that opposeth the Almighty ?
And now let me turn thy attention for a moment
1 Namely, by Mohammed Ibn Ishac, and Ibn Wahab, see p. 139.
* Imam Ghazaly, two references.
' Tradition quoted from Muslim.
APPEAL TO THE READER 161
to Sura Fateha. Look with favour upon it, and may
the Lord graciously incline thy heart unto its words,
which are these: Gicidc us in the Right ivay ; the Way
of those on whom Thou hast been gracious, not of those
against whom Thou hast becfi ajigiy, nor of those who
have gone astray. First, let us search the meaning
of this the opening prayer of thy Coran, and then of
the Commentary thereon. Now as to its meaning:
doth not the open and unprejudiced soul at once
reply, that the way into which we should seek to be
guided is the way of the servants of God, the Prophets
and Leaders of old ; of " those upon whom the Lord
hath been gracious," the way of faith in the Almighty,
the root and spring of all goodness and fear of the
Lord ? And who are they but those who have gone
before as patterns of righteousness, some of them prior
to Israel, as Noah, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob ; and
the rest that followed to whom God gave "the Book,"
or as thou mightest call it l^L^l^ the "Way" of life.
And all this quite in accord with that other text:
O Children of Israel, call to mind My favour where-
with I have favoured you, and have pj-ef erred you above
all other creatures;^ "preferred," how otherwise than
that He gave them the Book, and multiplied amongst
them Prophets, until at the last He sent unto them
the Prince of all the Prophets, the Messiah of God,
His Word and His only Son, — or (as thou hast it in
the Coran) " a Spirit from Him " ?
And next I [)lace before you some comments of
' Sura Bacr (ii.) v. 44.
162 CONCLUSION
the Imam al Fakhr al Razi on the Sura: First, the
Right Way is that which leads, he says, to earnest
endeavour after the favour of the Ahnighty ; and we
are given, as an example, the practice of Noah, who
used several times a day to retire into a covered spot,
where each time he would pray, O Lord, guide my
people aright! Second, it directs justly in our
daily conduct, keeping midway in all the concerns of
life from going beyond or from falling short. Third,
the prayer is : Cause us, O Lord, in everything to
recognise the marks of Thy divine nature and per-
fections. Fourth, guide us into the Way of those
Thou hast been gracious unto, those of the just who
have gone before and gained Paradise. And who are
these but the Prophets and righteous men of old, for
the blessing of God is on those who have the grace
of faith ? And so the end of it all is this, — Guide us
into the Right path of their direction.
Such is the Imam's instruction; and the lesson to be
drawn is this, that the Prophet is here, in the Fateha,
directed to seek for guidance in the lives and faith
of the former Prophets and Saints of God. And so
it behoveth us to search for the nature and teaching
of that same faith which was in these men of God ;
and where else is this set forth but in the Books of
Moses, Samuel, David, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and other
writers of the Old Testament, and in the Gospel? On
these grounds, then, both the purport of the Sura, and
the comments thereon, we conclude that the RiGiiT
Way by which Mohammed and his followers are here
commanded to seek for guidance, is the Sacred Scrip-
APPEAL TO THE READER 103
tures, the Way and the teaching of those upon whom
God hath been gracious, — the Prophets, namely, and
the Holy Men of old. All which is in entire accord
with those other texts: — Attd verily We have given
Moses guidance, and have caused the Children of Israel
to inherit the Book, a Guide and an Admonition to men
of understanding;'^ and, — Then IVe gave unto Moses
the Book, a perfect 7-ule for Jiim that doeth luell, a special
instruction in all things, a?id a Guide and a Mercy, if
perchance they might believe in the meeting with their
Lord- And here let me ask thee,— Hath that " Way,"
the way of the Prophets of old, passed into oblivion,
or is it still open for us to tread upon ? Surely the
Sirdt, the Way of right direction, can never pass
away ; and where are we to search for it, but with the
Jews and Christians — "the People of the Book," those
to whom Mohammed was referred for the calming of
his doubts? Again, I would ask, What difference is
there between the two texts : — Say unto those to whom
We have giveji the Book'^ and " Those to whom We
have given the Right Way'' \ for the " Way," as we
have seen, is but the knowledge of God, and faith in
His nature and perfections; the path that Icadcth unto
Paradise ; and this signifieth nothing else than " the
Book which is a Guide and Admonition (or Remem-
brancer) to men of understanding." Now, if the
Right Way, the precious " Book " which the Lord
revealed to the Prophets and Apostles of old time,
and caused the Children of Israel " to inherit," be
' Sura Al Miimin (xl.) v. 56. - Sura Al Inam (vi.) v. 153.
^ Sura Al Imran (iii.) v. 18,
1G4 CONCLUSION
still existinpf pure and uncontaminatcd (as hath been
made clear to thcc in the former part of this Treatise),
why dost thou hold back from seeking guidance of it,
— neither taking hold of the Book, nor striving to be
led by its direction? O Hungry One, thou longest
for bread ; here it is before thee, and thou touchest
it not. In darkness, thou searchest for light to guide
thee ; light is close by, and yet thou hidest thyself
from it ! Is it wisdom for a man to thus wander
vainly in search of that which he yet knoweth to be
in abundance about him ?
REVIEW
Now, in conclusion, I would say to my valued
Reader, — Thou hast seen that Mohammed showed
no miracle to prove that he was the Prophet of God ;
and that which has been attributed to him as a
miracle, namely the Coran, hath been proved to have
none of the attributes of a miracle. Further, in
respect of his claim to be a Messenger of the Lord ;
— it is declared in the Coran that he was not sent to
compel men to embrace the faith, nor in any way to
punish those who refused to acknowledge him ; he was
but a " Preacher of good tidings " and a " Warner " ;
with him lay the message, with God the account.
But these texts were cancelled by other texts for
political reasons; and we have seen in Chapter III.
how this question of cancel ment is fraught with
inextricable confusion, and surrounded with inconsist-
encies which could not possibly have proceeded from
APPEAL TO THE READER 165
the Almighty, and are indeed in some cases opposed
even to common intelHgence. Doth not my Moslem
reader see that, judging from the quotations of Coran
in the third chapter, there is no evidence to prove the
prophetic mission of Mohammed ? Rather, doth he
not perceive that in the cancelment of his first tolerant
principles, the course subsequently pursued was taken
by him as the Ruler of his people ? — a course dictated
by rare sagacity, and adapted with unrivalled address
and skill to the necessities of the day.
And lastly, in the next three chapters I trust that
the strongest testimony has been brought to bear
upon the authority of the Gospel from the Coran
itself, and the most convincing evidence of the truth
of the Christian faith as set forth in the Scriptures.
And now I trust that my reader will believe me
when I say that I have been led on to writing this
Treatise by no unworthy motives of prejudice and
race, or desire simply for victory in the field of c(jn-
troversy; and that, to the utmost of my power, I
have avoided any single word which might give
offence.
Indeed, my object at the first was simply to search
out the views of the earliest Doctors of Islam on such
passages of the Coran as I had long been pondering
over with wonder and with much perplexity. And
when I saw that their explanations generally agreed
with the plain sense and purpose of these texts, then
I began collecting and arranging them, with an
abstract of the Commentaries thereon and my own
12
100 CONCLUSION
remarks, as thou hast seen throughout this work ; so
that all, whether Moslems or others, miy;ht with case,
and without time spent in painful and wearisome
search, become possessed of these marvellous testi-
monies of the Coran to the authority of the Scriptures
and the truth of the Christian faith.
And now I humbly trust that by the compilation
of this treatise in the way described, I may have
rendered a service to the candid, pious Moslem, —
the most useful service it was in the power of one like
myself to offer. I know too well that the best and most
effective cordials for restoration of health are often
put aside or thrown away by the ignorant, although
indeed these have far greater need of them than men
of wise and noble minds, who will not refuse a share
of their attention to that which is placed before them
— looking to what is said, not to him that saith it.
Now I pray God that He may make this little
Book material of reflection to men of understanding,
and the means of bringing Truth and Light and Bless-
ing to His servants. May He guide and direct the
Reader to Himself! And to His name be the praise
and the glory, now and for ever. Amen !
MORRISON AND GIDB, PRINTERS, EDINBURGH,
SWEET FIRST-FRUITS. A True Tale of the N ineteenth
Century, on the Truth and Virtue of the Christian Religion. Trans-
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CaUphate." Crown 8vo, 2S. 6d. cloth boards.
Sir \V. Muir says: "It Is a work in many respects the most remarkable of its
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may be commended to readers of like leanings and sympathies." — Scotsman.
London : THE RELIGIOUS TRACT SOCIETY, 5G Paternoster Row, E.G.
WORKS BY
SIR WILLIAM MUIR,
K.C.S.I., LL.U., D.C.L., ril.U., ETC.
THE CALIPHATE: Its Rise, Decline, and Fall.
By Sir Wii.i.iAM MuiK, K. C.S.I. , LL.D., D.C.L., Vn.D., Author
of "The Life of Mahomet," "Mahomet and Islam," etc. New and
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MAHOMET AND ISLAM. A Sketch of the Prophet's
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