The Islamic-Christian-Jewish studies stand for three kinds
of studies:
1) Studies of Muslim scholars that are based upon Christian, Jewish, or
both references without comparison to the Islamic references or with comparison
in much or few amount aimed at achieving Islamic goals.
2) Studies of Christians or Jews that are based upon Islamic references
only, or by comparison with the Christian, Jewish, or both references in
different amounts aimed at achieving Christian goals.
3) Secularistic comparative Islamic-Christian-Jewish studies aimed at
achieving secular goals.
Trends, here, stand for the advanced viewpoints that
are included and, in most cases, observed by the forthcoming studies.
Goals stand for the points intended through the
forthcoming studies.
Courses stand for the approaches of study.
The Islamic-Christian-Jewish studies hold three trends that
can be easily assorted:
First: The Christian-Jewish trend of studying the Islamic
references: This trend relies upon a theory stating that Prophet Muhammad
(s) was influenced by the Bible from which he drew most of his information,
stories, and legislations.
Second: The Islamic trend of studying the Christian and Jewish
references: This trend relies upon the belief in Muhammad as God’s Prophet
and Messenger as well as the seal and chief of all Prophets and Apostles, and
in the Holy Quran as a Divine Book confirming the Scriptures that came before
it and guarding it in safety.
Third: The Secular trend of studying the religious
references comparatively: This trend is usually based upon the theory of
separating the Islamic-Christian-Jewish heritage from the divine revelation and
holding it as a human heritage influencing each other in different amounts.
Most of the so-called Orientalists fall under the first and
third trends as they have their own students following their courses in both the
Arabic and Islamic worlds.
A Muslim researcher of the Christian and Jewish references
has generally three aims to achieve,
1) Proving the Prophethood of Muhammad. For a Shiite Muslim researcher,
this aim expands to include proving the Imamate of the Twelve Imams, too. On
more than one occasion, the Holy Quran attracts attentions to this aim, such as
the following text, “Those who follow the Messenger-Prophet; the Ummi whom they find
written down with them in the Torah and the Gospel enjoining them good and
forbids them evil and makes lawful to them the good things and makes unlawful
to them the impure things and removes from them their burden and the shackles
which were upon them.” In forthcoming
chapters, this point will be discussed in details,
2) Presenting the features of the genuineness of the Islamic holy texts,
being not derived from the references of the Scriptures at all and, following,
being characterized by their representation of the divine religion and the
Prophetic movement in all the aspects and theoretical and practical treatments
with which they have concerned. The Holy Quran has also referred to this point,
saying, “And you did not recite before it any book, nor did you transcribe one
with your right hand, for then could those who say untrue things have doubted,” and
3) Identifying the elaborate arguments aroused against the Holy Quran, the
Holy Prophet, the Shariah, and the History of Islam, such as the spurious
argument that the Holy Prophet was frequently marrying, or that Islam was extended
by sword, (i.e. power), or that the Shariah is no more than a modified face of
the Roman law of the Oriental empire, or that the letters ‘Alif Lam Mim’, which
are the openings of many Surahs are in origin the prefatory utterance that
frequently occurred at the beginning of the Prophets’ predictions meaning ‘The
Lord said to Me’ (Amr Li Mirio), and that ‘Kaf Ha Ya Ain Sad’ that is the
opening of Surah of Mariam (Virgin Mary) was used as the secret word of
acquaintance among the Christians during the age of ordeal because it is
numerically equal to ‘Christ is my Lord’ since both have the same value: 195,
and many other spurious arguments that should be discussed calmly, whatever the
style and level are.
Each of the aforementioned Islamic goals has its own course
and experiences suiting its nature. The course of proving Muhammad’s prophethood
from the Scripture is obviously based upon the reference to the Holy Book by
reviewing at and interpreting its texts. It is worth mentioning that the
interpretation of these texts is a branch of knowledge having its own
principles and prerequisites.
Apart from the question of proving Muhammad’s prophethood
and the inimitability of the Holy Quran, the course of presenting the features
of the genuineness of the Islamic holy texts as being not derived from the
references of the Scriptures at all is based upon two things: 1) Proving the
absence of any scholastic or theoretical relationship between the Holy Prophet
and his companions from one side and the Scriptualists from the other in a form
supporting the Islamic references and culture’s being developed aspects of the
Scriptures’ references, and 2) making studies about the Quranic texts and the
juristic writings of the Muslims as compared to the texts of the Old and New
testaments as well as the content of the Scriptural culture aimed at
demonstrating the priority of the Holy Quran, the Sunnah, and the Islamic
juristic writings in a way confirming the fact that such texts and writings
cannot be superior to the Scriptural writings unless they are divine
revelations.
The course of identifying the elaborate arguments that
Christians, Missionary Jews, or Secularists arouse against the ideology and history
of Islam cannot be restricted to a definite course because of the variety of
the natures of such arguments some of which is related to the Holy Quran, some
to the Islamic doctrines, some to the Islamic history along with its
references, and others to the Islamic jurisprudence and its references. Each of
these sciences has its own course, and a Muslim researcher must take this fact
into consideration during confuting a certain spurious argument by being
well-versed in that field. He also may seek the advice of the well-versed
scholars.
During this study, we will try to touch, yet briefly, on the
basic references of both the Islamic School and the Scriptural School with a
concise thesis on the earlier and the writings involved.
The Islamic holy texts indicate the Holy Quran, the Sunnah, and the verbal
heritage of the Ahl al-Bayt. Holiness of the
Quran stands for its freedom from any error in addition to its being highly
above any text that comes after. On this account, it is obligatory to believe
in and submit to it. Holiness of the Sunnah—the true Sunnah that is actually
originated from the Holy Prophet— stands for its freedom from any error and its
being highly above any text that comes after. Holiness of the Ahl al-Bayt’s
verbal heritage—the narrations and instructions that are actually said, done,
or confirmed by the Ahl al-Bayt— stands for its freedom from any error and its
being highly above any text that comes after. For all Muslims, the holy texts
are the Quran and the Sunnah, while the Shiite Muslims add the heritage of the
Ahl al-Bayt.
The Quran is the same for all Muslims and is represented by
the copy that all Muslims hold and agree upon unanimously and it is impossible
to find any other copy at any sect belonging to Islam. The literal translations
of the Holy Quran are not regarded as Quran; rather interpretations of its
meaning. This point is also an object of consensus for all Muslims.
The books of the Sunnah are classified into two major schools:
School of the Four Books: These four books are the
main comprehensive books of hadith for the Shiite Muslims. They are:
1) Al-Kafi, by Shaykh al-Kulayni (died in AH 329),
2) Men La Yahdhuruhu al-Faqih, by Shaykh al-Saduq (died in AH.
381),
3) Al-Tahdheeb and 4) al-Istibssar by Shaykh al-Tusi (died
in AH 460).
These books were compiled on the light of the famous
‘Four-Hundred Principles’ and the alike records of the disciples of the
Immaculate Imams who are the actual inheritors of the Sunnah written by the
hand of Imam Ali and at the dictation of the Holy Prophet (s).
School of the Six Books, which are the most reliable
reference books of hadith for the Sunnis, and they are:
1) al-Sahih, by al-Bukhari (died in AH 256),
2) al-Sahih, by Muslim (died in AH 261),
3) al-Sunan, by Ibn Madjah (died in AH 275),
4) al-Sunan, by Abu Dawoud (died in AH 275),
5) al-Sunan, by al-Tirmidhi (died in AH 279), and
6) al-Sunan, by al-Nassa’y (died in AH 303).
The compilers of these books depended on some recordings
that had been derived directly from the words of the earlier narrators who
quoted them on the authority of the Prophet’s companions.
It is worth mentioning that these most reliable reference
books of hadith are sub-classified into a number of books and each of these
books into sections.
The Islamic Religious Works are the writings of the
Muslim scholars on the light of the Holy Quran and Sunnah in the fields of
exegesis of the Holy Quran, Islamic doctrines, Islamic jurisprudence, ethics,
and history. These works are not regarded as sacred since they might be exposed
to erring and falsity for their authors’ having been ordinary people. These
works are also not the most exalted in the sense that others can write a new
work or adopt a new idea opposing or even canceling these found in such books
regarding the insight of a definite Ayah or hadith after presenting sufficient
proofs on the light of the fundamentals of this knowledge.
All Muslims agree unanimously upon the words and utterances
of the Holy Quran but they have different views about exegesis. Also, they all
agree about the protestation of the Sunnah
regarding it as evidential as the Holy Quran that ‘No falsehood can approach it
from before or behind it,’ but one, unified, and consensual form of the Sunnah
is unfortunately not available, though Islamic reference books of hadith may
contain some common narrations. Each of the Islamic sects has its own books of
hadith and its own evaluation of the narrations therein. A researcher, however,
has to pay attention to this point in study and discussion.
The holy reference books of the Christians and Jews are the
Holy Scripture and the Mishna (Hebrew: Repeated Study, the oldest authoritative
postbiblical collection and codification of Jewish oral laws, systematically
compiled by numerous scholars.) To the Hebrew Jews, the Holy Scripture is the
Tanak (***): Hebrew
Scriptures comprising the three canonical divisions of the Law, the Prophets,
and the Hagiographa or Writings. The letter ‘t’ stands for the Torah (***)—the
will of God as revealed to Moses, comprising five books: Genesis, Exodus,
Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. The letter ‘n’ stands for the Prophets (nabi’im
***) that comprises the Books of Joshua, Judges, 1 & 2 Samuel, 1 & 2
Kings, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, and the twelve minor prophets; Hosea,
Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai,
Zechariah, and Malachi. The letter ‘k’ stands for the Books (the Ketuvim***)
comprising the Psalms and Lamentations of Jeremiah, Song of Solomon, Proverbs,
Book of Job, and Ecclesiastes, I and II Chronicles, Book of Ezra, and Book of
Nehemiah, Book of Daniel, Book of Ruth, and Book of Esther. The arrangement of
these books in the Hebrew version produced after the Islamic era is different
from the Greek version known as Septuagint (from the Latin septuaginta,
"Seventy"). To the Samaritan Jews, the Holy Scripture
is the five-book Torah, according to their own narration, in addition to the
Book of Joshua only.
It is worth mentioning in this regard that the Tanak has had
many important historical translations called the Targum ‘translation’. The
most famous Aramaic translations of the Old Testament are the Targum of
Onkelos, the Targum of Pseudo-Jonathan,
and the Targum of Jonathan ben Uzziel. The most famous Greek translations are
the Targum of the Septuagint, derived from the legend that there were
seventy-two translators who translated the work into Greek in the third century
B.C, and the Arabic Targum of Sa’adia ben Joseph. The Samaritan Jews have only
one Targum in Aramaic and another in Arabic.
The Holy Book of the Christians is a collection of the
Hebrew Tanak called ‘the Old Testament’ in addition to the ‘New Testament’
comprising the Four Gospels, the (Twenty-one) Epistles of St. Paul, and the
Telling of Jonah. Christians have added to the Old Testament other Books called
‘Apocrypha’, esoteric writings excluded by the Jews from the Old Testament and
not regarded as sacred canons, such as the Book of Ezra II in the Septuagint
and Ezra III in St. Jerome’s’ famous Latin translation called the Vulgate, the First
and Second Books of Maccabees, the Additions of Daniel, the Extensive Portions of
the Book of Esther, Book of Baruch, the Letter of Jeremiah, Tobit, Judith, the Wisdom of
Solomon, and Ecclesiastics (Wisdom of Jesus the Son of Sirach).
For Christians, the most important versions of the Bible are
the ancient Syriac Peshitta, (Syriac: simple) in addition to the Ethiopic, Coptic,
Armenian, and Arabic versions.
Mishna is terminologically the same as the Muslims’ Sunnah,
and the Jew scholars (called amoraim) of the Mishna are the same as the
Muslim narrators of hadith. Jews believe that the Mishna, like the Torah, had
been revealed to Moses who, later on, conveyed it to the scholars (the judges
or the chieftains according to the Quranic expression) who, in turn, conveyed
it to the prophets who also conveyed it to the men of Grand Knesset (assembly)
of the Jew scholars, which was founded after the Babylonian Exile at the end of
the fifth century B.C. The last three members of the Knesset were Gamaliel,
Shimon, and Johanan ben Zakkai each of whom was called Rabbi.
The following is quoted from the Book of Avot (Fathers), the
Mishna, 1:1:
(***)
The previous text implies that Moses delivered the Torah in
Sinai, and it was then delivered to Joshua and then to the Patriarch Fathers and
then to the Prophets and then to the clerks (Sefarim—the rabbis of the Grand
Knesset).
As a footnote, scholars of Talmud have commented, “Torah, in
the previous text, refers to the Holy Scripture and its oral explanations. Patriarch
Fathers include the judges who came after Joshua who succeeded Moses.”
They have also said, “The Grand Knesset, founded by Ezra, is
a body containing one hundred twenty scholars.
The Jews call the scholars of the Mishna in the period from
200-10 BC as Tanaim whose age began, after the death of the last member
of the Grand Knesset, with the school
of House of Hillel and House of
Shammai and ended at Judah
ha-Nasi (220-135 BC).
The Mishna, which later on became the center of the
Babylonian and Palestinian Talmud, is the compilations of Judah ha-Nasi who
divided it into six sections, or orders, that the Jews called shishah
sedarim (***) and contain sixty-three tractates (messekhtaot) in
all, each of which further divided into five hundred twenty four chapters (perakim).
The six orders of the Mishna are:
1) Seder Zaraim (***) Order of Agriculture,
2) Seder Mu’id (***) Order of Festivals
3) Seder Nashim (***) Order of Women
4) Seder Nazqin (***) Order of Damages
5) Seder Kaddashim (***) Order of Sacredness
6) Seder Tahurat (***) Order of Purity
It is worth mentioning that the Hebrew is the language of
the Mishna, while the Gemara was written in Aramaic.
The Arabic version of the Old Testament was written in
Hebrew alphabet in the third century of Hegira by Sa’adia ben Joseph who
attained scholarly prominence and headed the Jewish scholars of his age. This
version, being unknown to the Arabic speakers, was first published in Arabic
with a group of historical versions in a multi-language copy in 1648 AD and
then published in Hebrew alphabet in 1872 in Leiden with a collection of
Sa’adia’s jurisdictional theses also written in Arabic but Hebrew alphabet. In Egypt,
Yemen, and Iraq,
many Jewish scholars imitated Sa’adia’s method, such as Musa ben Maymoun, Ibn
al-Fasi, and many others most of whose books were published in Leiden
in the Netherlands
as well as other countries.
In addition to the Tanak and the Mishna, the Gemara
comprises the scholars’ explanations of the Mishna and comments of each others
in many fields, especially laws and ordinances (Halakhah) or doctrines,
stories, and history (ha-Agadah).
In early
manuscripts and printings, the commentary on the Mishna and the Gemara was
called Talmud. However, scholars in Babylonia and in Palestine
independently produced a Talmud and, hence, there are two Talmuds: (1) The
Babylonian Talmud, which is the fruit of the academies of Babylonia at Sura,
Nehardea, and Pumbedita, in the period between the second and the fifth
centuries AD, and (2) The Palestinian Talmud, which is the fruit of the
academies of Palestine in the period between the second and the fourth
centuries AD. Jewish scholars have agreed that the Babylonian Talmud is more
extensive than the Palestinian and, thus, it is more famous and more
circulating.
Besides the Talmud, there are the books of the Midrash, a composite of commentaries on the
Pentateuch. Twenty-four Midrashic collections were divided into three
groups according to their historic stage: (1) the Early Midrashic Books that
were collected in the period between 400-600 BC, (2) the Middle Midrashic Books
that were collected in the period between 640-1000 BC, and (3) the Late
Midrashic Books that were collected in the period between 100-1200 BC.
Christians and Jews agree unanimously on the first five Books
of the Old Testament but differ as to the contents. The Samaritan Jews have
their own narrations and version and the Hebrew Jews have two versions, one
before the Divine Mission of Prophet Muhammad and the other, which is currently
depended, after that. A researcher, however, has to pay attention to this point
in study and discussion.
In the future, more details will be presented for sake of
comparison and manifesting the peculiarities and genuineness of the Islamic
school.
The following Quranic texts (Ayahs) prove undoubtedly the
Holy Quran being the founder of this course:
“Those who follow the Messenger-Prophet; the Ummi whom they
find written down with them in the Torah and the Gospel enjoining them good and
forbids them evil and makes lawful to them the good things and makes unlawful
to them the impure things and removes from them their burden and the shackles
which were upon them.”
“And most surely this is a revelation from the Lord of the
worlds. The Faithful Spirit has descended with it, upon your heart that you may
be of the warners in plain Arabic language. And most surely the same is in the
scriptures of the ancients. Is it not a
sign to them that the learned men of the Children of Israel
know it?”
“Those whom We have given the Book recognize him as they
recognize their sons, and a party of them most surely conceal the truth while
they know (it).”
And they say: Our hearts
are covered. Nay, Allah has cursed them on account of their unbelief; so little
it is that they believe. And when there came to them a Book from Allah
verifying that which they have, and aforetime they used to pray for victory
against those who disbelieve, but when there came to them (Prophet) that which
they did not recognize, they disbelieved in him; so Allah's curse is on the
unbelievers.
To sum it up, the previous Quranic texts confirms that the
Torah and the Gospel comprise predictions about the advent of the Ummi Prophet
and that the Israelite scholars realize this fact as same as they realize their
own sons and that they used to intercede the name of Muhammad when they prayed
for victory during their battles against people of Yathrib (lately, Medina)
before Prophet Muhammad’s Mission. It seems that the Jews propagated the
predictions of the advent of the Holy Prophet when he was in Mecca,
in the first stages of his promulgation for Islam, and when his followers and
he used to direct towards Jerusalem
in prayers. But, their attitude changed reversely when the Holy Prophet
immigrated to Medina and God
instructed him to turn his face to the Kaaba, instead of Jerusalem,
in prayers.
Books of Sirah (the Life of Prophet Muhammad), have
recorded numerous reports bearing out that the Holy Prophet used to remind the
Jews of the gospels (good news) preached by their Holy Books about him. Let us
now refer to some of these reports:
Ibn Ishaq narrated the following:
Mahmud ben Sayhan, Nu’man ben Adhaa, Bahri ben Amr, Uzayr
ben Abu-Uzayr, and Salaam ben Mushkim (among the Jewish scholars) came to the
Holy Prophet and asked, “Muhammad! Is it true that you are conveying the truth
from God, because we do not see it as consistent as the Torah?” Answering them,
the Holy Prophet said, “I swear by God that you know it is indeed from God
because you can certainly find it in the Torah.”
The following report is narrated by Eban ibn Uthman al-Ahmar on the authority
of Eban ibn Taghlib, Ikrimah, and (Abdullah) ibn Abbas respectively:
During his campaign against the Banu-Qurayzhah, the Holy
Prophet summoned Ka’b ben Asad to execute him.
When Ka’b was brought before him, the Holy Prophet said, “You, Ka’b, should
have listened to the advice of Ben Hawwash, the Rabbi, who came from Syria and
declared that he had left the pleasures of Syria and came to this poor land for
nothing other than expecting the advent of the new Prophet who, very soon,
would come from Mecca and reside in this land. He would be smiling and killing
(rightfully). A few pieces of bread and a few dates would satisfy him. He would
ride on a saddleless donkey. Between his two eyes there would be redness and
between his shoulders there would be the brand of prophethood. He would carry
his sword on his shoulder and challenge anyone to oppose him. His dominance
would be as extensive as one can reach.”
Ka’b commented, “This is true, but if I believe in you, the
Jews will dishonor me thinking that I did so because I was afraid of killing.
Therefore, I have lived as Jew and will die as Jew.”
Let us refer to some of the Ahl al-Bayt’s numerous
narrations in this regard:
Shaykh al-Mufid reported that the Holy Prophet, just before
the campaign against people of Khyber, said to Imam Ali, “Be it known to you,
Ali, that their Books have preached that the one who will destroy them carries
the name ‘Eli’; therefore, as soon as you meet them, declare that you are ‘Ali’
so that they will be defeated, God willing.”
Shaykh al-Mufid also reported that when Imam Ali, in the
same incident, declared his personality, one of the Rabbis shouted, “You shall
be defeated! I swear it by that which was revealed to Moses.”
Nasr ibn Muzahim, in his famous book entitled waq’at
Siffin, and Ibn Dizil, in his book carrying the same title, have recorded
the following:
Habbah reported that when Imam Ali resided in an area called
al-Bulaykh on the bank of the River Euphrates, a monk there left his
hermitage, directed towards the Imam, and said, “may I show you a book preached
by the disciples of Jesus (son of Virgin Mary) and we have inherited from our
fathers and forefathers?”
“Yes, you may,” the Imam answered.
The monk, reciting the book, stated, “In the Name of God,
the All-beneficent, the All-merciful: the One Who has ordained what He wishes
to ordain and command has decided to raise among the inhabitants of Mecca a
Messenger from among themselves to teach them the Book and the Wisdom and lead
them to the path of God—a Messenger who shall be neither rough, nor hard-hearted,
nor roaring in marts, nor recompensing evil for evil; rather he shall forgive
and pardon. His nation shall be filled with gratitude as they shall thank God
for every situation and in all conditions. They shall exhaust their tongues
with statements of exaltation, praise, and glorification of the Lord. God shall
give him –the predicted Prophet- victory over all his foes. When God grasps his
soul, his people will be engaged in discrepancies, then consolidate for a considerable
period, and then engaged in discrepancies again. A man from his nation, who
will enjoin good, forbid evil, judge with justice, and will not respond to any
influencing factor with respect to issuing verdicts; the world, in his view,
will be as worthless as ash on a stormy day, and death, in his view, will be as
easy as a drink of water for the thirsty; he will fear God in secret, offer
good advice for His sake in public, and will not fear the blame of any
blamer—this man will pass by the bank of the River Euphrates.”
The Imam commented, “All praise be to God Who has not
ignored me. All praise be to God Who has referred to me in the Books of the
pious ones.”
The monk then did not leave the Imam for even a single
moment until he was martyred in the Battle of Siffin. After the battle was
over, Imam Ali ordered his soldiers who wanted to bury the martyrs to find the
dead body of the monk. When they did, the Imam offered the Prayer of the
Deceased to the body and buried it saying, “This is one of us—the Ahl al-Bayt.”
The Imam also prayed frequently to God to forgive him.
Al-Kulayni has related on the authority of Abu-Ubaydah
al-Haddhaa that Imam Ja’far al-Sadiq, interpreting God’s saying, ‘…whom they
find written down with them in the Torah and the Gospel,’ had said, “This is an
indication to the Holy Prophet, his Successor (i.e. Imam Ali), and al-Mahdi
(the Twelfth Imam concealed from view by God).
Shaykh al-Saduq has reported the following on the authority
of al-Hasan ibn Muhammad al-Nawfali:
By the arrival of (Imam) Ali ibn Musa al-Ridha, al-Ma’mun
(the Abbasid caliph) ordered al-Fadhl ibn Sahl to summon the heads of the
different religions and sects, such as the Catholicos –Patriarch of the
Nestorian Church-, head of the Rabbis, head of Sabianism, Roman translator of
the Scripture, and other scholars so as to listen to their discussions… Al-Ma’mun,
referring to Imam al-Ridha, said to the Catholicos, ‘This is my cousin; Ali ibn
Musa ibn Ja’far, one of the descendants of Fatima,
daughter of our Prophet, and Ali ibn Abi-Talib. I want you to commune with him
(upon your and his religion) fairly.’ ‘O Amir al-Mu’minin,’ said the
Catholicos, ‘How can I commune with a person whose evidence are a book in which
I do not have faith and a Prophet in whom I do not believe?’ ‘O Christian,’
intruded the Imam, ‘What if I present the Gospel in which you believe as my
evidence? Will you accept?’ ‘Of course I will,’ replied the Catholicos, ‘How
can I reject something mentioned in the Gospel? If you do, I will have to accept
it. I swear this by God.’ ‘Ask anything you want and you will listen to its
reply,’ suggested the Imam. ‘What is your attitude about Jesus' prophethood and
Book? Do you reject even a part of them?’ asked the Catholicos. ‘I do believe
in Jesus' prophethood, Book, and gospels he preached to his nations and the
Disciples accepted, but I completely reject the claims that Jesus had not
believed in the prophethood of Muhammad, nor his Book, nor had preached gospels
about Muhammad's advent.’ ‘Well,’ said the Catholicos, ‘Judgments are usually
issued due to the testimony of two decent witnesses, are they not?’ ‘Yes, they
are,’ said the Imam. ‘You should then submit two decent witnesses, not
embracing your religion, testifying the prophethood of Muhammad, and we should
do the same thing,’ suggested the Catholicos. The Imam answered, ‘What if I
submit a person who will recite statements from the Gospel referring to
Muhammad and his (Immaculate) Household? Will you believe him?’…
‘O Christian,’ said the Imam, ‘Do you confess that the
following has been mentioned in the Gospel: Jesus said: I am going to your and
my Lord, and the Paraclete came; he will advocate my truth… he will explain to
you everything… he will smash the pillar of atheism.’ ‘We believe in every
single statement you have mentioned as being from the Gospel,’ said the
Catholicos.
The Imam said, ‘O Catholicos, discrepancy is found only in the
version of the Gospel currently in use. Had you all depended upon the original
version, you would not have been engaged in such many a discrepancy. For your
information, when the original Gospel was lost, Christians gathered around
their scholars asking for a copy of the Book they had lost after the so-called
killing of Jesus. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John answered that they had the Book
by heart and they would reveal commonly one by one each Sunday… Those four
(Evangelists) were only disciples of earlier disciples of the Disciples.’
The Imam then turned his face towards the head of the Rabbis,
opening a discussion. ‘I will ask you but accept evidences quoted from the
Torah or the Psalms of David only,’ said the Rabbi, ‘How can you prove the
prophethood of Muhammad?’ ‘I can prove it through the declarations of Moses
(son of Imran), Jesus (son of Virgin Mary), and David,’ asked the Imam. ‘How
can you prove the declaration of Moses?’ asked the Rabbi. ‘Moses addressed to
the children of Israel saying: A prophet belonging to your brethren shall come
to you, and you should believe in and listen to him,’ said the Imam, ‘As you
have knowledge in the relationship between Israel (Prophet Jacob) and Ishmael
(son of Prophet Abraham), can you name any brothers of the children of Israel
other than sons (and descendants) of Ishmael (the ancestor of Prophet Muhammad
and the Arab peoples)?’ ‘We do not reject the previous statement of Moses,’
submitted the Rabbi. ‘Has any prophet belonging to the brethren of the children
of Israel come
to you except Muhammad?’ asked the Imam. ‘No,’ answered the Rabbi. ‘Do you not
authenticate the previous reference to Moses’ words?’ asked the Imam. ‘We do
authenticate,’ said the Rabbi, ‘but we want you to refer to it as it is
mentioned in the Torah.’ ‘Do you deny the following words as being mentioned in
the Torah: The Light has come from Mt.
Sinai and we have seen its light
from Mount Seir
and it has appeared to us from Mount
Paran?’ ‘No,’ answered the
Rabbi, ‘I know these words, but I do not know what they mean.’ ‘I will explain
to you,’ said the Imam, ‘the Light that comes from Mount Sinai stands for the
Lord’s revelation to Prophet Moses, Mount Seir is the place where Almighty God
revealed (His Mission) to Jesus, and Mount Paran is one of the mountains of
Mecca that lies at a distance of one day walking away from Mecca.’
‘You, as well as your followers, claim that Prophet Isaiah
has said: I see (coming) two riders; one on a donkey and the other on a camel,’
said the Imam, ‘Do you know who the rider of the donkey and the rider of the
camel are?’ ‘No, I do not,’ replied the Rabbi, ‘Can you say who they are?’
‘Yes, I can,’ answered the Imam, ‘the rider of the donkey is Jesus and the
rider of the camel is Muhammad. Will you deny the previous statement of the
Torah?’ ‘No, I cannot,’ answered the Rabbi.
The Imam then asked, ‘Do you know Prophet Habakkuk?’ ‘Yes, I
do,’ replied the Rabbi. ‘Your Book has confirmed that Prophet Habakkuk said:
Almighty God has brought the elucidation from Mount Paran, and the heavens have
been filled up with the Praise of Ahmad and his nation—he will lead his horses
in the sea in the same way as he leads them on land. He will come with a new
book after the demolition of Jerusalem,’
said the Imam, ‘this new book is the Holy Quran. Do you know the previous
statement and believe in it?’ ‘I know Prophet Habakkuk and I do not deny his
statement,’ replied the Rabbi.
‘In the Psalms,’ Imam al-Ridha said, ‘(Prophet) David prays
saying: O God, (I implore to You to) send the maintainer of the divine customs
and traditions after (a period of) languor. Can you, Rabbi, name a prophet who
maintained the divine customs after a period of languor other than Muhammad?’…
Scholars of the Ahl al-Bayt’s School have imitated the Holy
Prophet and Imams through their books on theology. Let us refer to four of those
scholars:
Ali ibn Ibrahim (died in the beginning of the fourth century
of Hegira) has mentioned the
following in his famous book of Tafsir:
The (Book of) Psalms comprises statements about God’s unity,
glorification, prayers, and predictions about the Holy Messenger of God, Amir
al-Mu’minin (i.e. Imam Ali), and the Imams. It also includes predictions about
the Doctrine of Rajah –restoration to life- and references to Imam
al-Mahdi.
Muhammad ibn Ibrahim al-Nu’mani (died in the middle of the
fourth century of Hegira) records the following in his famous book entitled al-Ghaybah:
After presenting the declarations of the Holy Book of God,
the Shiite Muslims’ narrations of the Holy Prophet and Imams, the Sunni Muslims’
narrations on the authority of their own trustworthy narrators, and the
statements of the aforetime revealed Holy Books about the confirmations of the
advent of the Twelve Imams—after all these, no more arguments or evidences
should be presented to the deniers…
The following is quoted from al-Masa’il al- Sarouriyah
of Sheikh al-Mufid (died in 413 AH):
Almighty God preached
the advent of the Holy Prophet and Imams in the ancient Holy Books that He
revealed to His Prophets and are currently found in the Books with the
Christians and Jews. One of these gospels is Almighty God’s following statement
addressed to Prophet Abraham (the Intimate Friend of God): “And for Ishmael I
have heard thee: behold, I will bless him, and will make him fruitful, and will
very greatly multiply him; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a
great nation.” In addition, many
similar texts are found in the ancient Holy Books.
In
his book entitled I’lam al-Wara bi-A’lam al-Wara, al-Tabersi (died in
542 AH) records the following:
About
the Holy Prophet’s being from the descendants of (Prophet) Ishmael and about his
characteristics, the following is quoted from the Torah:
(***)
Its
meaning is: About Ishmael, I have accepted your prayers about him and blessed
him and grown him and enlarged his number through one of his descendants named
Muhammad, numerically equal to ninety-two, from whose lineage I will raise
twelve kings (Imams) and give a people of great number.
The
following is quoted from Ibn Ishaq (died in 158 AH); the earliest biographer of
the Holy Prophet:
“Regarding
the prophetic features of the Holy Prophet preached by Jesus (son of Virgin
Mary), as he received from the Lord, in the Gospel and, lately, confirmed by
John –the Disciple (the Evangelist) - who presented a copy of the Gospel after
Prophet Jesus, the following is narrated to have been a part of the Gospel: “He
who hates me has hated the Lord. Had I not made before them some actions that
none before me had done, they would not have had any sin. But, from now on,
they have become reckless thinking that they are comforting me and the Lord.
However, the Word that is in the Code shall inevitably be perfected. They have
hated me for nothing. Our Menahem will have come—the
one whom God shall send to you from the Lord and the Holy Spirit, the one who
shall come out from the Lord being the witness on me and you and the Holy
Spirit as well, because in the past you were with me. I have said so in order
that you will not suspect.”
Commenting on the previous statement, Ibn Ishaq adds, “Menahem,
meaning in Syriac ‘Muhammad’, is the same as the Roman ‘Paraclete’ that is the
name of the Holy Prophet.”
Like Ibn Ishaq, many Muslim scholars, such as Ibn Kuthayr in
al-Bidayah wa’l-Nihayah, al-Qurtubi, Ibn Hazm, Ibn Taymiyah and many
others have referred to many gospels from the ancient holy books regarding the
advent of the Holy Prophet—Muhammad.
Ali ibn Rubban al-Tabari is regarded as the earliest scholar
who converted to Islam, from Christianity. He worked as physician for the
Abbasid caliph, al-Mutawakkil (died in 861 AD). In the middle of the third
century of Hegira, he wrote his book, al-Din wa’l-Dawlah (Religion and
the State), in which he cited texts from twelve Books of the Bible—all
concerning the advent of the Holy Prophet:
The first is quoted from Genesis, 17:20 -the author,
however, has skillfully proved the evidence included by the text-, the second
from Deuteronomy, 18:15-22 and 33:2, the third from Book of Psalms, 45:3-6,
48:2, 50:2, 72:10-7, 110:1-7, and 152:?, the fourth from Book of Isaiah,
2:11-9, 3 (5):26-30, 5 (9):1-6, 10 (21):1-16,11:…, 16:…, 19:…, 20:…, 22 (46):…,
23 (49):…, 26 (54):…, 28 (60):…, and 24 (63):…, the fifth from Book of Micah,
Ch. 4, the sixth from Book of Zephaniah, Ch. 3, the seventh from Book of
Habakkuk, Ch. 3, the eighth from Book of Zechariah, the ninth from Book of Nehemiah,
in miscellaneous chapters, the tenth from Book of Ezekiel, in miscellaneous
chapters, the eleventh from Book of Daniel, in miscellaneous chapters, and the
twelfth from Book of John, chapters 15-6.
In spite of his comprehensive discussions in these chapters,
the author has neglected important chapters from Book of Isaiah related to the
Holy Prophet, Imam al-Husayn, and Imam al-Mahdi. In my conception, this
negligence has not been unintentional; because the book was under the
supervision of al-Mutawakkil who would
certainly prevent the author from making any reference to any of the Imams in
general and Imam al-Husayn in particular. It was al-Mutawakkil who demolished
the tomb of Imam al-Husayn and massacred his
descendants and adherents. If the author is excused in this regard, it seems he
is not in many other texts of the Holy Scripture preaching the advent of the
Holy Prophet except that he might have depended upon a brief copy of the Book
of Isaiah or that the discrepancy in the words and the forms of summation might
be justifiable reasons.
Having converted from Judaism, al-Samaw’al Abu-Nasr ibn
Abi’l-Baqaa Yahya Abbas al-Maghribi -the Moroccan- (died in 570 AH) authored a
book entitled ‘Ifham al-Yahud, (Confuting the Jews). His book is
characterized by brevity and quotations of the texts in their original, Hebrew
or Aramaic, languages before explaining in Arabic. Let us quote a model of his
study entitled ‘Paragraphs and Signs in the Torah Denoting Muhammad
al-Mustafa’s Prophethood:’
[Jews cannot deny the paragraph of the Torah meaning that I,
the Lord, shall raise up a prophet like you from the midst of your brethren,
and in whom you should believe. It carries a
clear-cut indication to Prophet Muhammad and their binding belief in him.
Jews, however, may claim that the statement, ‘from the midst
of your brethren,’ usually indicates the Israelites. To refute this claim, we
say that the Holy Scripture has comprised an indication to ‘your brethren
children of Esau,’ In the same way as
‘children of Esau’ are the brethren of the Israelites, because Esau and Israel
are sons of Isaac, the children of Ishmael are their brethren since all of them
are sons of Abraham.
Also, they may claim that the text is a reference to Prophet
Samuel who was like Moses –and the gospel has referred to the statement, ‘like
you’- both of whom were the descendants of Levi, son of Jacob and father of one
of the twelve tribes of Israel. To refute this claim, we put the following
question: What for does your Prophet command you to believe in Prophet Samuel
while you are claiming that he did not make any change or abrogation? Did Moses
fear that you would not believe in Samuel? The main mission of Prophet Samuel
was to support you against the Philistines and to take you back to the law of
the Torah. A Prophet with such a mission does not need to be preached because
you would naturally hurry to believe in him. A Prophet whom is expected not to be
believed by you is one who would abrogate your religion and change
comprehensively your traditions and laws. To preach the advent of such a
prophet is naturally acceptable and inevitable. On this account, Prophet Moses
did not predict the coming of Jeremiah, Isaiah, and the other Prophets. This
fact proves that the Torah, in this very section, has ordered you to believe in
and comply with the Holy Prophet, Muhammad.
About the reference to Prophethood of Moses, Jesus, and
Muhammad, the Torah says that the Light has come from Mt.
Sinai and we have seen its light
from Mount Seir
and it has appeared to us from Mount
Paran.
Jews have realized that Mount
Seir is the same as
Mount
Sherat on which the children of
Esau, who believed in Jesus, lived. Furthermore, it is the dwelling of Jesus.
They have also realized that Mount Sinai is the same as
Mount
Tabor (Hebrew: Har Tavor). They,
however, have not realized that Mount
Paran is the same as a mount in
Mecca.
It is now very clear that the reasonable should investigate why these three
places, which have been the centers of the prophethood of those three Prophets,
have been mentioned therein.
The obvious proof, inferred from the Torah, on
Mount
Paran’s being the
mountain
of Mecca is that the Holy Book
itself has mentioned that Prophet Ishmael, having left his father (Prophet
Abraham), resided in the wilderness of Paran. Because the center
of the third prophethood, according to the gospel of the Holy Book, would be
Mount
Paran, which is the dwelling of
Prophet Ishmael, according to the Holy Book too, then the expected Prophet
should belong to the descendants of Ishmael. Furthermore, everyone has
understood that the one preached to be the Prophet belonging to the descendants
of Ishmael is Muhammad who, according to gospels, would grow up in Mecca,
which is the dwelling of Prophet Ishmael. Hence, Mount
Paran should, consequently, be the
mountain
of Mecca—the place preached by the
Holy Book to be the center of the third prophesy; prophesy of Muhammad.]
Converting from Christianity, Saeed ibn Abi’l-Khayr –or
Yahya ibn Saeed- (died in 589 AH) was from Basra.
He worked as physician and lived in the same period of al-Samaw’al. He compiled
his famous work entitled ‘al-Naseehah al-Eamaniyyah fi Fadh al-Millah
al-Nasraniyah.’
Converting from Judaism in the tenth century of Hegira
during the reign of Sultan Ba-Yazid II, Abd al-Salaam compiled his famous book
entitled ‘al-Risalah al-Hadiyah.’
The Iranian scholar, Muhammad Ridha Yazdi who converted from
Judaism in the beginnings of the thirteenth century of Hegira during the reign of
Fat’h Ali Shah, the Qajar king, wrote a book entitled ‘Manqul al-Ridhaee,’
which is regarded as the most comprehensive and considerable in the field of discussing
the Jews and proving Muhammad and the Ahl al-Bayt as the Prophet and the Imams.
During the reign of Nasiruddin Shah, Sayyid Ali ibn al-Husayn al-Husayni
al-Tehrani translated the book into Persian giving it the title ‘Iqamat
al-Shuhoud fi Radd al-Yahud,’ and keeping the Hebrew texts in their
original language and script.
The Iranian scholar Muhammad Sadiq Fakhr al-Islam who
converted from Christianity in the fourteenth century of Hegira wrote a book
titled ‘Anees al-A’lam fi Nusrat al-Islam,’ in five volumes the last of
has been devoted to the gospels of the Holy Scripture about Prophet Muhammad
and the confutation of all spurious arguments in this regard. Though the book
was written in Persian, the texts of the gospels were written in their Syriac
origin but in Arabic alphabet. Like the previous, the scholar has referred to
some texts about the Imamate of the Ahl al-Bayt.
The Iranian scholar Abd Al-Ahad Dawud converted form
Christianity in earlier the twentieth century and wrote his famous book, Nubuwwat(u)
Muhammad fi al-Kitab al-Muqaddas’ (Muhammad’s Prophethood in the Holy
Scripture) in English. Later on, the book was translated into Arabic.
The Coptic, Egyptian priest Khalil Philips, having converted
to Islam, changed his name into Ibrahim Khalil Ahmad and wrote his book ‘Muhammad
fi al-Taurat wa’l-Injeel’ (Muhammad in the Torah and the Gospel). This book
has been reprinted five times so far.
In addition, many ancient and modern scholars have followed
this course.
Many modern authors have compiled independent books in this
regard, such as Dr. Hijazi al-Saqqa in his thesis for Doctorate entitled ‘The
Expected Messiah,’ Shaykh Qays al-Kalbi in his book entitled ‘Al-Nabi
Muhammad, Khatam al-Rusul, fi al-Taurat wa’l-Injeel’ (Prophet Muhammad,
Seal of the Apostles, in the Torah and the Gospel, Dr. al-Sadiqi in his book
entitled ‘Nabiy al-Islam’ (Prophet of Islam), and Thamir Mustafa in his ‘Basha’ir
al-Asfar bi Muhammad wa Aalih (i) al-At’har’ (Gospels of the Books about
Muhammad and his Immaculate Household).
The last two authors are Shiites and, thus, they have
referred to some texts regarding the Twelve Holy Imams. The last one, however,
is characterized by developing the study of the Book of John and referring to
gospels about Fatima al-Zahra, the Twelve Holy Imams in
general, and Imam al-Husayn and Imam al-Mahdi in particular.
The answer of this question is definitely no, for many
reasons some of which to be mentioned hereinafter:
First, the cultural reactions to these writings are
continuous and, as a result, such writings should be repeatedly renewed so as
to stand against all arguments.
Second, such studies are generally lacking the
characteristic of comparativeness and comprehensive observation to the texts in
their original languages as well as the historic languages into which such
texts have been translated. For the Old Testament, these languages are the
Hebrew, the Aramaic, the Greek, the Syriac, the Ethiopic, the Latin, and the
Arabic respectively. The Arabic is the last language into which the Old
Testament was translated, and the translation of Sa’adia ben Joseph, in the
third century of Hegira, was the first in this regard. Nowadays, these
historical translations, along with the English versions, have been easily
available. The reason beyond the necessity of such comprehensive observation
and not being satisfied with the currently available version of the Old
Testament is that this version has depended upon the narration of the Jews of
the Islamic reign about whom the Holy Quran says, ‘Some of those who are Jews
change words from their context,’ and this version
is different from the Hebrew version that was available before Islam and was
translated into the aforementioned historical languages. On this account, it
has been necessary to refer to these historical versions of the Old Testament
so as to compare, at least, between the two Hebrew versions. This is not a mere
presumable claim; rather it is the result of comparative studies of all the
versions concluding the same result confirmed by the Holy Quran regarding the
Jews of the Islamic era on bases of numbers, not mere belief. These studies
have been discussed in details in The Gospels.
As an example, let us study carefully Genesis, 49:10:
In the Masoretic version of the Old Testament –the narration
of the Jews of the Islamic era-, the paragraph takes a form different from that
mentioned in the Hebrew version before Islam—the version translated by the Jews
into Greek in the third century B.C and translated into Latin by Jerome, a
Christian Scholar, in the fourth century B.C.
According to the Masoretic
version of the Old Testament, the paragraph is as follows:
The scepter will not
depart… until Shiloh come, and to him will be the obedience
of peoples.
(***)
According to the Hebrew version before Islam,
the paragraph is as follows:
The scepter will not
depart… until Shiloh (the Apostle) come, and him will be
the expectation of the peoples.
(***)
In the previous texts, the change of word from their
context, referred to by the Holy Quran, is obviously noticeable.
At any rate, not claiming that we will find such things in
every text exposed to our study, we only intend to confirm the fact that many,
yet various, additional information about a text will be discovered if we only
adopt the course of investigating such texts in the historical versions of the
Bible.
Third, there is an urgent need for an Islamic
translation of the Hebrew texts after being reformed. A Muslim researcher is
more competent, than anyone else, to choose the most appropriate synonym of a
word that complies with the Quranic reference of an item of information
concluded by a comparative investigation. Thus, the unity of the Divine Books
and Revelations and the unity of the Prophets’ movements will be proved more
evidently.
Fourth, there is an urgent need, too, for studying
the texts of the Gospels in such a comprehensive, interrelated way producing
compound evidences that are saved from the arguments arisen against some of the
incompletely studied texts.
Fifth, many texts of the Gospels regarding the Holy
Prophet and his Household in general and Imam al-Husayn and Imam al-Mahdi in
particular have not yet been discussed thoroughly even by Shiite scholars. The
Holy Imams have, on many occasions, called the attentions to such too many
texts. Furthermore, the earlier disciples of the Imams and many converts who,
accordingly, embraced Shiism have paid much attention to such texts. Even the
Sunni scholars could not keep silent against so. Listen to the following
paragraph quoted from Ibn Kuthayr, in al-Bidayah wa’l-Nihayah in this
regard:
“In the Bible of the Christians and Jews, it is recorded
that Almighty God had foretold Prophet Abraham of the birth of Prophet Ishmael
that He would bless, make fruitful, and very greatly multiply him that he would
produce twelve great persons… etc. In this regard, our master Abu’l-Abbas ibn
Taymiyah says: Those twelve persons preached in the Bible are the same as those
about whom the Holy Prophet foretold in the narration of Jabir ibn Samarah. The Holy Prophet
said that those persons would come in various times in this nation before the
Day of Resurrection. Nevertheless, many of those who converted to Islam have
fallen in the falsity that those preached persons are the same as those twelve
Imams followed by the Rafidites (i.e. Shia)!”
Finally, the picture of the gospels about the Holy Prophet
will undoubtedly be brighter if the gospels about the Ahl al-Bayt are added.
(***)
“(17:20) And for
Ishmael I have heard thee: behold, I will bless him, and will make him
fruitful, and will very greatly multiply him; twelve princes shall he beget,
and I will make him a great nation.
Genesis, 17:20
(***)
“(33:2) And he said, Jehovah came from Sinai, And rose up
from Seir unto them; He shone forth from mount Paran, And he came from the
myriads of the sanctuary; From his right hand [went forth] a law of fire for
them.”
Deuteronomy, 33:2
Pp 25
Pp 26
Pp 27
Pp 28
(***)
Chapter VI
(***)
References to the
Virtues of the Messiah (…) May God, out of His mercy, expedite so
(***)
Be it known to you,
brother, may God lead you and us to gaining His contentment, that this chapter
is of high quality, and its knowledge is one of the most excellent
(***)
Hence, we intend to refer
to a part of the virtues of the Messiah as well as some of the characteristics
given exclusively to him by God as signs of his preference to the earlier
Prophets
(***)
Be it known to you
that, in the beginning of the book, we have referred to the munificence of God,
the Praised, and His favors to the First Intellect
(***)
By creating it so
perfectly and soundly making it the best of species and elements. Thus, it has
become intellect, rational, and reasonable.
(***)
Being intellect means
that it has contained all the things that the Creator, Exalted is He, has given
to him
(***)
Being rational means
that he has understood his essence and considered his Maker high above the
features that he has seen in his essence
(***)
Being reasonable means
that he is understood by everything that is lower than him. It is the total
soul that has come out and been originated from him.
