The Treatment of Earlier Prophets in the Koran - Essay Example

As the last of the Abrahamic religions, the Koran treats Abraham, Moses and Jesus with respect but in some instances, the Koran differs in how these individuals were known and how they are to be treated. Perhaps the greatest difference comes from the manner in which the Koran vehemently denies that Jesus was the son of god and instead notes him as the son of Mary. In essence, the notion of divinity which may be given by many Christians to the person of Jesus is taken away in the Koran. The Treatment of Earlier Prophets In Chapter 4, Verse 163, the Koran notes that, “We have sent thee inspiration, as We sent it to Noah and the Messengers after him: we sent inspiration to Abraham, Ismail, Isaac, Jacob and the Tribes, to Jesus, Job, Jonah, Aaron, and Solomon, and to David We gave the Psalms”. Undoubtedly, these are the same prophets which were revered by many Christians and the Jews living at the time of Muhammad. Of course, the Koran does not mention all the prophets which came before Muhammad but in the very next verse of the same chapter, this idea is clarified as the Koran reads, “Of some messengers We have already told thee the story; of others We have not;- and to Moses Allah spoke direct (Chapter 4, Verse 163)”. In essence, the prophets claimed by the Jews and the Christians are also claimed as the prophets of the Muslims. In fact, in an earlier verse, Muslims are told to “believe in what hath been revealed to thee and what was revealed before thee (Chapter 4, Verse 162)”. This goes to show that the Koran is a continuation of an older message which does not lose its validity by the coming of the Koran. Perhaps this is the reason why Muslims are told, “And dispute ye not with the People of the Book, except with means better (than mere disputation), unless it be with those of them who inflict wrong (and injury): but say, "We believe in the revelation which has come down to us and in that which came down to you; Our Allah and your Allah is one; and it is to Him we bow (in Islam). (Chapter 29, Verse 46)”. Abraham Having clarified this, the Koran also gives the stories of the earlier prophets which are in many ways similar to the stories and ideas revealed about them in the holy books which came before the Koran. For example, in Chapter 2, Verse 124 it is noted that Abraham was tested by Allah and was to be rewarded by being the leader of nations while from his offspring as well, leaders would emerge. This is further clarified in the same chapter, in verse 133 where Abraham is noted by Jacob’s sons as being one of their ancestors. Abraham thus becomes a father figure as his progeny are mentioned at several points throughout the Koran especially in Chapter 13 which is titled Abraham. Interestingly, the Koran also shows that the earlier prophets (much as Muhammad) had their own doubts about the revelation given to them and the powers of God but that they were clarified by God through revelation, inspiration or practical examples. For example, in Chapter 2, Verse 260, “Abraham said: "Show me, Lord, how You will raise the dead, " He replied: "Have you no faith?" He said "Yes, but just to reassure my heart." Allah said, "Take four birds, draw them to you, and cut their bodies to pieces. Scatter them over the mountain-tops, then call them back. They will come swiftly to you”. Here the Koran shows the humanity of the prophet since they needed assurances even if they had absolute faith in the powers of god. However, the Koran notes that, “Abraham was indeed a model, devoutly obedient to Allah, (and) true in Faith, and he joined not gods with Allah. He showed his gratitude for the favors of Allah, who chose him, and guided him to a Straight Way. And We gave him Good in this world, and he will be, in the Hereafter, in the ranks of the Righteous (Chapter 16, Verse 120-122)”. In essence, the message of Islam of having no gods but Allah was attributed to Abraham as he (like Muhammad) was described as a prophet. Not only with Abraham but also with Moses as many of the messages contained in the Koran can also be found in “the Books of the earliest (Revelation), the Books of Abraham and Moses (Chapter 87, Verse 017)”. Moses The Koran places many of the earlier prophets such as Moses, Jesus, Abraham and others together and tells the people to “make no distinction between one and another among them (Chapter 3, Verse 84)”. The parity between all prophets makes the message of Muhammad equal to the messages carried by Jesus, Moses and Abraham and lends distinction to Muhammad who otherwise had no champion except the Koran. The Koran also notes the miracles performed by Moses in great details and also describes how those opposed to Muhammad by saying “Why are not (Signs) sent to him, like those which were sent to Moses? (Chapter 28, Verse 48)". In the next verse, the Koran answers this by declaring itself to be the miracle sent to Muhammad. Therefore, while the miracles of Moses are noted as truly miraculous events (albeit given through the will and assistance of Allah alone), the miracle given to Muhammad is the book as guidance to all those who follow Muhammad. The incident of Moses and the burning bush is also related in the Koran from Chapter 27, Verse 7-11 and the parting of the sea is noted in Chapter 44, Verse 24. In this manner, the Koran accepts what the Jewish scriptures and stories say about Moses along with his battles with the Pharaoh of Egypt. However, significant differences come up when we note how the Koran treats Jesus as not being the son of god or even the personification of God. Jesus For example, in chapter 5, verse 17, the Koran reads “In blasphemy indeed are those that say that Allah is Christ the son of Mary”. In fact, Jesus is compared to Adam as being a human being and nothing more where the Koran says, “The similitude of Jesus before Allah is as that of Adam (Chapter 3, Verse 59)”. Further, the miracles which are attributed to Jesus through his divinity in Christianity are described in Verse 110 of Chapter 5 but the miracles themselves are said to be through the will of Allah. For example, the verse notes things such as Jesus speaking like an adult in infancy, having wisdom about the gospels, giving life to birds, healing the blind and the lepers, even bringing back the dead are all done not through Jesus himself but through the will of Allah. However, the Koran also tells that Allah strengthened Jesus with the “holy spirit (Chapter 5, Verse 110)” yet continually reminds the reader that he is not the son of god but the “Son of Mary (Chapter 5, Verses, 110, 112, 114, 116)”. This reminder becomes evidently clear when the Koran notes the followers of a trinity to be evident blasphemers in Chapter 5 Verse 73 as, “They do blaspheme who say: Allah is one of three in a Trinity: for there is no god except One Allah”. Even Jesus himself is noted in the Koran (Chapter 43, Verse 64) as saying that there is no god except Allah and Allah should be the one who should be worshipped. Thus the Koran not only denies the idea of the trinity, it is quite opposed to any notion which breaks the unitary singularity of Allah. In these terms, perhaps Islam is closer to Judaism which also supports the idea of there being only one god who does not have a son and does not have any partners than Christianity which gives Jesus the position of God’s son and confers on his person a notion of divinity. Surprisingly, despite their commonalities, it seems that the three great religions of the world have been at war with each other for centuries (Gelvin, 2008). The wars which started from the crusades have only come down to the present age where a war of civilizations between Islam and the West seems to be brewing in our midst (Huntington, 1996). Examining the Koran to the holy scriptures of Christianity and Judaism is a natural comparison which shows that the Koran uses many of the same words, images and ideas that were used in earlier books. Of course, the Koran is said to be unaltered and unadulterated as it was preserved in the original language it was first written down in while the other scriptures have certainly gone through some changes (Dawood, 2003). As to the treatment and stories of the prophets contained within them, unnamed groups of people, tribes and individuals such as kings or rulers fight against prophets; they deny their miracles and ridicule them while the prophets show patience and forbearance. However, it seems that the humanity of the prophets comes across more clearly in the Koran as compared to earlier scriptures since the prophets claim to be nothing more than ordinary people who have been given certain powers by Allah. Perhaps the only thing they have more than other people around them is the divine knowledge given to them by god and this brings the prophets to the level of the people they were preaching to and not take them to the level of god. Of course it can be questioned why exactly does the Koran do that? The answer which comes to mind is that Muhammad had no miracles except a book. In conclusion, it seems that the prophets of the earlier revelation had to be shown as nothing more than ordinary human beings and that would certainly go to strengthen and support the claim of Muhammad being a prophet since he too was an ordinary human being. Word Count: 1,728 Works Cited Dawood, N. 2003, Koran. Penguin Group. Gelvin, J. 2008, Modern Middle East: A History, Oxford University Press, Huntington, P. 1996, Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order, Simon & Schuster, Inc. University of Southern California. 2008, ‘An Index to the Qur’an’, [Online] Available at: http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/Koran/Koranindex.html Read More