Jewish-Muslim
Encounters by
Rabbi Allen S. Maller
The
Qur'an is the only book of revelation that includes within itself a
theory of prophethood which includes other religions. There have
always been (since the days of Adam) people inspired by Allah who
urged their society to avoid destruction by turning away from its
corrupt and unjust ways and turning to the One God who created all
humans. The Qur'an mentions 25 prophets by name (most of them known
to non-Muslims too) and Muslims believe there were one hundred twenty
four thousand others, whose names are now unknown. Of the 25
mentioned by name in the Qur'an only four (Moses, David, Jesus, and
Muhammad) revealed books of sacred scripture that are the bases for
three religions that still flourish today.
According
to the Qur'an, every nation in the world receives at least one
prophet who speaks to it in its own language. However, one nation,
the Children of Israel, has received a great many prophets. The
Qur'an doesn't explicitly tell us why so many prophets arose within
the Children of Israel but a careful reading of the Qur'an reveals an
answer. This was what I learned from a profound and enlightening
essay by Irfan Ahmad Kahn in a book entitled Jewish-Muslim
Encounters
edited by Charles Selengut (Paragon House 2001). The book is a
collection of 11 papers given at a conference in Cordoba, Spain,
sponsored by the Inter-Religious Federation for World Peace.
Almost
all prophets, according to Kahn, are like Hud who was sent to Ad or
Salih who was sent to Thamud. They come to warn their own people of
their impending destruction due to their corrupt and immoral ways,
and to call them to repentance. However, the prophets of the Children
of Israel are different in two ways. First, Abraham is the only
prophet we know of whose two sons, Isma'il (Ishmael) and Ishaq
(Isaac), are also prophets. Indeed, Abraham's grandson Ya'qub (Jacob)
and great grandson Yusuf (Joseph) are also prophets. Thus starting
with Abraham Allah established a family dynasty of prophets. With
Joseph and his brothers (the tribes) the extended family became the
12 tribes of Israel or as they are usually called the Children of
Israel/Ya'qub. The Children of Israel were blessed with many prophets
who were the descendants of the Children of Israel/Ya'qub who
generation after generation urged the Jewish people to stay firm in
their covenant with God. This prophetic ongoing concern is expressed
in the Qur’an “When death approached Ya'qub, he said to his sons,
'Who will (you) worship after I am gone?' They answered, 'We will
worship your God, the God of our forefathers, Abraham, Ishmael,
Issac, the One God. Unto Him we will surrender ourselves.'” (2:132)
Second,
when Musa (Moses) is sent by Allah he comes not primarily to warn or
rebuke the Children of Israel (his own people) but he is sent “to
Pharaoh” ( 20:24, 51:38, 73:15 and 79:17), “to Pharaoh and his
chiefs” (al-mala) (7:103, 10:75, 11:97, 23:46, and 43:46) “to
Pharaoh and his people” (27:12). Musa is sent to Pharaoh to warn
him of the destruction that will fall on Egypt if he doesn't stop
setting himself up as a God, and doesn't let the Children of Israel
go free. Musa comes to rebuke Pharaoh and to rescue the Children of
Israel. Only when the nation is free from Egyptian bondage do they
receive the Torah from God, by the hand of Moses without any
mediation of an angel.
This very enlightening essay by Irfan Ahmad Kahn stimulated me as a
Reform Rabbi to realize that, as opposed to the accusations of some
who blame the Qur’an for being antagonistic toward Jews, the many
narrations in the Qur’an present events from Jewish history as
archetypal events for all humanity to draw lessons from. The Qur'an
stresses again that one part of the Children of Israel was faithful
and another party was not. This was also stressed by the Prophets of Israel. Perhaps the fact that the spiritual
history of the Children of Israel was so well known in Arabia is a
simple explanation of this. Or perhaps the Qur'an views the Jews as
an ongoing illustration of a religious community striving to live up
to its covenant with God. The Hebrew Scriptures contain the words of many prophets (including the Psalms of David) delivered over at least 7 or 8 centuries, so they reflect not only the generation of the prophet, but also the failings of many subsequent generations to abide by the words of their messenger. This is like the failure of so many caliphs after the first four rightly guided ones to establish a true Muslim government.
As
a Rabbi I believe that the many prophets Allah sends to the Children
of Israel is a sign of the ongoing covenant between Allah and the
Children of Israel. I
know Muslim interpreters interpret 2:63-64 to mean that the favors
mentioned in these verses were conditional with a certain period of
time when the Divine trust—the representation and promotion of
God’s eternal religion—rested on the shoulders of the Children of
Israel. The biblical religious tradition claims this trust is an
“ongoing covenant” between God and the Children of Israel.
Clearly not all Jews live up to this trust, but the commitment is
ongoing for the whole community of those who do. Although many
Christians claim the new covenant replaces the old covenant for all
Jews, and Muslims say the Jewish covenant has expired for all Jews,
faithful Jews remain loyal to their spiritual relationship with
God. I believe wisdom dictates that we follow the Qur'an's (22:67)
advice,
“For
every community We have appointed a whole system of worship which
they are to observe. So do not let them draw you into disputes
concerning this matter.” The
Qur’an relates this ongoing concern when Prophet Moses speaks to
his people as follows: “O my people! Remember God’s favor upon
you, for He appointed among you Prophets, and rulers, and He granted
to you favors such as He had not granted to anyone else in the
worlds” (Maidah 5:20).
The
principle that God can make a covenant with a whole people, and not
just with those who are faithful believers, also helps me understand
a powerful verse where the Koran narrates that at Sinai, before Allah
gives the Torah to the Children of Israel, He makes a covenant with
them. Allah raises the mountain above the whole people saying, “Hold
firmly to what We have given you (the Torah) and remember what is in
it” (2:63). The whole nation's fate stands under the shadow of
mount Sinai, and this explains the miracle of all Israel agreeing to
the covenant. This may be the reason why Musa is the only prophet
whose book comes not from an angel but directly from Allah.
Individuals who hear a prophet may choose to believe or disbelieve,
but in this case God Almighty makes “an offer that you can't
refuse,” so, as far as Judaism is concerned, everyone of the
Children of Israel has to struggle for all generations to come, with
living up to the covenant theyir ancestors chose to enter into. This
concept, of a chosen (by being pressed into) choosing people, can and
among many ultra orthodox Jews has, lead to exaggerated and
self-righteous feelings of pride. Thus, when the Qur'an (A’raf
7:171) mentions another time the same event, when the Mount was moved
above the Children of Israel, this verse is followed by a reminder in
7:172 that “children of Adam” were all made bear witness against
their own souls: “‘Am I not your Lord?’ They said ‘Yes, we do
bear witness.” God Almighty made a covenant with all individuals
“lest [they] should say on the Day of Resurrection, ‘We were
indeed unaware of this'”. This reminder by the Qur'an that no
religious community should be self-righteous is similar to that of
prophet Amos who tells the Children of Israel, “Are you not like
the Children of Ethiopia to me, O Children of Israel? says God. Did I
not redeem Israel from Egypt, and the Philistines from Caphtor, and
the Syrians from Kir?” (Amos 9:7) Indeed, the Rabbis taught that
God had made a prior covenant with Noah and all his decedents that
applies to all humanity.
Thus,
although the covenant was made with the whole community of Israel,
this community like all other nations, also had people among them
whose hearts are like rocks that spring forth streams, while others
only yield water when split, and others sink for fear of Allah
(2:74). It is this last segment of the Children of Israel that
Prophet Muhammad refers to when he rebukes the Children of Israel.
The Qur'an correctly understood doesn't attack all of Israel. Every
community, including the Muslim ummah, contains groups of faithful
believers and a party who disbelieve. This has always been true and
sadly will remain true until the end of time when Judgment Day will
occur.
There
are ten other papers in this book which will be informative and
enlightening to most people; one of them is a stimulating comparison
of the similarities and differenced between Sufi mysticism and
Kabbalah mysticism. I recommend this book to both Jews and Muslims
who would like to get an insight into a neighbor's religion as well
as a new insight into one's own religion.
Rabbi
Allen S. Maller, Temple Akiba Culver City, CA