Voices of Islam (25 page)

ADAM: THE FIRST MESSENGER

In the Qur’an, the first of these ‘‘half-brothers’’ is Adam. Whereas the Christian tradition sees Adam as a fallen being in need of salvation through Jesus, in the Qur’an he is presented as the first of all Prophets and the first with whom God made a covenant: ‘‘We made a covenant with Adam before, but he forgot; We did not find in him any determination’’ (Qur’an 20:115). In Islam, the cyclical drama of receiving, forgetting, breaking, and renewing the covenant with God, which is a central theme of the Hebrew Scriptures, begins not with Abraham but with Adam, the fi of all human beings. As such, the Qur’an gives a different version of Adam’s fall than does the Bible. In the Qur’an, Adam is not tempted by Eve. Satan tempts both Adam and Eve, and both are responsible for their fall from the Garden. Because of their transgression, all of humankind was banished: ‘‘God expelled them from that in which they were. We said, ‘Descend all of you, as foes to one another’’’ (Qur’an 2:36). This ‘‘descent’’ from the Garden as ‘‘foes to one another’’ represents the consequences of forgetting and breaking God’s covenant. In the Qur’an, after the fall, Adam and Eve repent for their sins: ‘‘They said, ‘Our Lord, We have wronged ourselves. If You do not forgive us and do

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not have mercy upon us, we will be among those who are lost’’’ (Qur’an 7:23). Then God relents unto Adam and reveals His guidance:

Then Adam received words [of revelation] from his Lord, so He relented to him; Truly, He is the Oft-Relenting, the Merciful. We said, ‘‘Descend from [the Gar- den] all of you, and when a guidance comes to you from Me, then for whomever follows My guidance there is no fear, nor shall they grieve.’’

(Qur’an 2:37–38)

From one perspective, the words received by Adam from God mark the beginning of the cycle of revelation. Before falling from grace, Adam and Eve were in no need of words to remind them of the oneness of God and submission to His will. However, now that they have forgotten these truths, human beings must receive periodic reminders to bring them back to their realization. They are in need of Messengers and Prophets to remind them of the Truth.

ABRAHAM: A FATHER OF MONOTHEISM

The name Abraham is mentioned as frequently in the Qur’an as in the Hebrew Scriptures and the New Testament. Many verses are dedicated to the story of Abraham and his struggle against polytheism. These verses repeat some of the accounts from the Bible. However, as with all of the Prophets, the Qur’an provides additional information and new perspectives that are not available in the Bible.
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These do not contradict the Biblical accounts; rather, they complement them.

One of the most important additions to the Biblical story of Abraham concerns his first turn to monotheism and his denunciation of his father and tribe. In the Bible, Abraham’s father is named Terah (Genesis 11:24–32), but in the Qur’an, he is called Azar. The story begins with Abraham’s opposition to his father’s idol worshipping: ‘‘Abraham said to his father Azar, ‘Do you take idols for gods? Truly I see you and your people in manifest error’’’ (Qur’an 6:74). The Bible recognizes the polytheism of Abraham’s father in the book of Joshua but says little about it. In the Qur’an, however, the conflict between Abraham and the polytheism of his people is of central importance. It is presented as a foreshadowing of the conflict that the Prophet Muhammad would later experience with the idol worshippers of pre-Islamic Arabia. The Qur’an provides a direct reference to the situation in Mecca during the life of the Prophet by switching seamlessly from the story of Abraham and his tribe to that of Muhammad and the Arabs:

When Abraham said to his father and his people, ‘‘Surely I am innocent of what you worship, save Him who originated me, for truly He will guide me.’’ He made

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it an enduring word among his posterity, so that they would return [to God]. Nay, but I gave these and their fathers enjoyment until the Truth and a clear Messenger came to them. And when the Truth came to them, they said, ‘‘This is sorcery; truly we do not believe in it.’’ They say, ‘‘Why was this Qur’an not made to descend upon a great man from one of the two cities [Mecca and Ta’if]?

(Qur’an 43:26–33)

Positioned between the two accounts, it is not clear whether the sentence beginning with, ‘‘Nay, but I gave these and their fathers enjoyment’’ applies to Abraham’s people or to Muhammad’s people, or to both. Indeed, Muhammad’s rebuke of his people is portrayed in the same way as Abraham’s rebuke of his father:

O my father, why do you worship that which cannot hear or see, and avails you not? O my father, Truly there has come to me knowledge which has not come unto you. So follow me, and I will lead you on a right path.

(Qur’an 19:41–43)

Like the idol worshippers of Mecca, Abraham’s father and his people were obstinate and unyielding. For they too were more devoted to the ways of their ancestors than to the ways of God. The conflict between these opposing ways is illustrated in the following passage:

Truly, We gave Abraham his guidance beforehand, and We were knowledgeable of him, when he said to his father and his people, ‘‘What are these images to which you pay devotion?’’ They said, ‘‘We found our fathers worshipping them.’’ He replied, ‘‘Truly you and your fathers were in manifest error!’’ They said, ‘‘Have you come to us with the truth, or are you among those who jest?’’ He replied, ‘‘No, rather your Lord is the Lord of the heavens and the earth, who created [these images]; and I am among those who testify to that.’’

(Qur’an 21:51–56)

Having thus challenged his people, Abraham then smashes all of their idols except the largest. When asked what had happened, he responds that the largest idol had destroyed the others and invited his people to question the idols regarding this. They respond, ‘‘You know well that they do not speak’’ (Qur’an 21:65). To which Abraham replies, ‘‘So instead of God do you worship what can neither benefi nor harm you? Fie, upon you and all that you worship instead of God! Do you not understand?’’ (Qur’an 21:66–67)

For many Muslims Abraham represents the archetype of the sincere mono- theist, who will stop at nothing to eradicate the iniquities that surround him. They thus hearken to Abraham as a father of pure monotheism and see the Qur’an and the
Sunna,
or custom, of the Prophet Muhammad as a renewal

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of Abraham’s mission. Several verses of the Qur’an imply that for his sincere belief and indefatigable opposition to polytheism, Abraham was rewarded with offspring who would maintain the line of prophecy: ‘‘And when he had withdrawn from them and what they worshipped instead of God, We granted him Isaac and Jacob and each of them we made a Prophet’’ (Qur’an 19:49). The line of Prophets that have come forth from Abraham’s loins is thus seen as a means by which God keeps His covenant by continuing to guide all of humankind. Whereas Judaism only recognizes the line of Prophets who emerged from Abraham’s son Isaac and grandson Jacob, Islam maintains that Abraham’s eldest son Ishmael was also party to the covenant and that the legacy of prophecy would be continued in his progeny as well. Indeed, it is from the line of Ishmael that the Prophet Muhammad descended.

ISHMAEL AND ISAAC

Ishmael is seldom mentioned in the Hebrew Scriptures and is never men- tioned in the New Testament. From this perspective, the Qur’an can be seen as the great restorer of Ishmael to his place in salvation history, for it claims that he too was party to all that was promised to the family of Abraham in the Torah.
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Thus, the Qur’an repeatedly mentions both Isaac and Ishmael among the Prophets of God (Qur’an 2:136; 3:84; 4:163).
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Like the Hebrew Scriptures, the Qur’an provides extensive accounts of the descendants of Isaac, from Jacob to Jesus. However, the Qur’an focuses more upon the life of Ishmael and his relationship with Abraham than upon the life of Isaac. Even the famous sacrifice of Isaac is retold in a manner that makes it appear that the elder son Ishmael may have been the subject of the sacrifi instead of his brother. Some scholars, however, argue that the Qur’anic account supports the Biblical account in which Isaac is the one who was to be sacrificed:
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Abraham said, ‘‘As for me I am going to my Lord who will guide me. My Lord, grant to me [progeny] among the righteous.’’ Therefore, We informed him of a noble son. When he reached the age of maturity, Abraham said, ‘‘O my son, I see in my dream that I am to sacrifice you. So what is your opinion?’’ He said, ‘‘O my father, do what you are commanded! You will find me— God willing— one of the forbearing. When both had submitted and [Abraham] laid [his son] down upon his forehead, We called to him, ‘‘O Abraham, you have verified the vision.’’ Thusly do We reward those who do what is beautiful. Truly, this is the clear trial. So We redeemed him with a great sacrifice, and left it for future gener- ations. May peace be upon Abraham. Likewise do We recompense those who do what is beautiful. Truly, he is among Our righteous servants. Then We informed him of Isaac, a Prophet from among the righteous, and We blessed him and Isaac.

(Qur’an 37:100–112)

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In accordance with Abraham’s act of complete submission, Muslims con- tinue to celebrate this event every year at the end of the annual Hajj pilgrim- age to Mecca. This day of commemoration is the highest Holy Day of the Muslim calendar and is called the Feast of Sacrifice (
‘Id al-Adha
) or the Great Feast (
al-‘Id al-Kabir
). Muslims throughout the world gather for a morning prayer, pay alms to the poor, and then sacrifice a ram, designating a portion of the sacrifice for those who are less fortunate.

According to Muslim belief, the Hajj and its rites, including the sacrifice, were not originated by Muhammad; they were first consecrated by Abraham and Ishmael. In one of Abraham’s visits to the desert where Hagar and Ishmael had settled, he was instructed to build the sanctuary of the Ka‘ba in the valley of Mecca, also known as ‘‘Baca,’’ and establish the annual pilgrimage:

We established for Abraham the place of the House, [saying], ‘‘Do not associate anything with Me, and purify My House for those who circumambulate it, those who stand, and those who bow down. And announce the pilgrimage to the people, that they may come to you by foot and by every lean mount, coming from every deep ravine; that they may bear witness to the blessings they have and remember the name of God on specific days.’’

(Qur’an 22:26–28)

In another verse, the command, ‘‘Purify My house,’’ is addressed to both Ishmael and Abraham (Qur’an 2:125). According to Muslim historians, Abraham and Ishmael built the Ka‘ba together on the site where Adam had built a sanctuary 20 generations before. The final piece of the Ka‘ba was the Black Stone, which was brought to Abraham by an angel. Of this stone, the Prophet Muhammad said: ‘‘It descended from Paradise whiter than milk, but the sins of the sons of Adam made it black.’’
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Having established a line of his progeny in the deserts of Arabia and worked with Ishmael to establish a house of worship in accordance with the command of God, Abraham prayed and thanked God:

Our Lord, I have settled a line of my offspring in a barren valley at Your Holy House— our Lord— that they may perform prayer. So make the hearts of the people incline to them and nourish them with fruits that they may be grateful
.. .
Praise be to God who has granted me Ishmael and Isaac in spite of my old age. Truly, my Lord hears supplications.

(Qur’an 14:37–39)

Abraham’s prayer was granted, and the Ka‘ba became a site of worship vis- ited by pilgrims from Arabia and beyond. According to Muslim historians, the Arabs kept the covenant of Abraham through circumcision and pure

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monotheism. In recognition of this bond, the Ka‘ba was honored by the descendants of both Ishmael and Isaac. The pilgrimage to Mecca or ‘‘Baca’’ is thus consecrated in a Psalm of David:

Blessed are those whose strength is in You, And who have set their hearts on a pilgrimage. As they pass through the Valley of Baca,

They make it a place of springs;

The autumn rains also cover it with pools. They go from strength to strength

Until each appears before God in Zion.

(
Psalms
84:5–7)

In later generations, the Ka‘ba came to be contaminated by the polytheism of the surrounding Arab tribes. Through the course of time, the rites of worship that had been revealed to Abraham and Ishmael were forgotten. Nonetheless, there remained in Arabia a few lone worshippers, who contin- ued to follow the religion of Abraham and Ishmael. These were known as the
hunafa’
(sing.
hanif
), or ‘‘True Devotees.’’ However, by the time of the Prophet Muhammad in the seventh century
CE
, few remained who practiced the traditions of Abraham.
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Thus, when the Prophet Muhammad reestablished the proper observance of the pilgrimage toward the end of his life, the term ‘‘the legacy of Abraham’’ was constantly upon his lips.

MOSES IN THE QUR’AN

Although the Prophet Muhammad is seen in Islam as a renewer of the pri- mordial religion of Abraham and the Qur’an alludes to correlations between Abraham and Muhammad in their confrontations with idolaters, the most prominent Messenger in the whole of the Qur’an is Moses. The basic outline of the story of Moses and the Israelites in the Qur’an is the same as that in the Bible. His mother entrusts him to the waters of the Nile, and he is found and raised in the house of Pharaoh. However, in the Qur’an it is the wife of Phar- aoh, not Pharaoh’s daughter, who finds Moses. When he comes of age, Moses kills an Egyptian who was abusive toward a Jew. He then flees to the land of Midian, where he marries a daughter of Jethro (the Prophet Shu‘ayb in the Qur’an) and serves him for 8–10 years as part of his marriage pact. As he returns to Egypt, Moses begins his prophetic mission with his encounter with the burning bush.