If it is held that the Quran is of eternal origin, recorded in heaven and lying on the ‘Preserved Table’ (Al-Buruj 85:22) then all effort to find any human origin for any part of it must be in vain. Now, if we can trace the teaching of any part of it to an earthly source, or to human systems existing previous to Muhammad’s age, then Islam at once falls to the ground. Here Islam is put to the test to enquire whether any portion of the doctrines and tenets of Islam can be traced back to Judaism.
The historical incidents found in the Quran which Muhammad borrowed from Judaism are embodied in his book indifferent to all order and system. Ignorant of Jewish history, Muhammad appropriates none of the historical land-marks which determine the great epochs recorded in the Old Testament, but confines himself to certain occurrences in the lives of single individuals. We give just a few examples.
Cain and Abel
The full account of the story of Cain and Abel can be found in Al Maeda 5:27-32. The account given in the Quran of Cain’s conversation with Abel, before he slew him is the same as that in the Targum of Jerusalem, generally called pseudo-Jonathan of particular interest is the way in which Cain deposited Abel’s body which is written as follows:
> “The soul of the other (Cain) led him to the murder of his brother: he murdered him, and became one of the lost ones. Then Allah sent a raven, who scratched the ground, to show him how to hide the shame of his brother. “Woe is me!” said he; “Was I not even able to be as this raven, and to hide the shame of my brother?” then he became full of regrets. On that account: We ordained for the Children of Israel that if any one slew a person unless it be for murder or for spreading mischief in the land it would be as if he slew the whole people: and if any one saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of the whole people.”
This story of Cain and Abel, as given in the Quran, has been told us in a variety of ways by the Jews for example in the Midrashic work on Genesis by Pirke Rabbi Elieser, 21, we find the source of the burying of Abel as described in the Quran. The only difference in the two accounts is that the raven indicates the mode of burial to Adam instead of Cain.
Noah
Noah stands out as a preacher of righteousness, builds the ark, and is saved, with his family (Al-‘Araf 7:59-61; Hud 11: 35-48; Al-Mu’minun 23:23;26-29; Al-Qamar 54:9; Nuh 71:1 and others); his character is however, drawn more from Rabbinical than Biblical sources. The conversation of Noah with the people, and the words with which they mocked him whilst building the ark, (Sanhedrin 108) are the same in Talmudic writings as in the Quran.
Abraham
Among all the patriarchs, Abraham was most esteemed by Muhammad, as being neither Jew nor Christian, but a Muslim. That he wrote books is also the belief of the Jewish doctors (The Jews ascribe to him the Sepher Jezirah). The story which is scattered in different parts of the Quran relates that Abraham’s father was outraged at the behaviour of his son in destroying the family idols. He took him, for the purposes of punishment, to Nimrod who was made out to be a persecutor of Abraham. Muslim commentators relate that Abraham was bound and thrown into the midst of a fire but that he was delivered by the angel Gabriel. The name Nimrod does not occur in the Quran but his name is mentioned frequently in the Muslim traditions. The source of the Quran story is the ancient Jewish book Midrash Rabbah (Genesis, Parash 17) which is a homily on the book of Genesis. The scattered verses in the Quran are here collected so the story line may be clearly brought out.
a) Abraham receives revelation about the falsity of worshipping many gods (Al-An’am 6:74-83)
b) Abraham invites his father to follow Islam (Maryam 19:41-47)
c) Abraham’s father (Azar) refuses yet Abraham affirms his confidence in Allah alone (Ash-Shua’ara 26:69-82)
d) Abraham is called to appear before the disputer (Nimrod) to explain his actions: (Al Baqarrah 2:258)
e) The idol worshippers celebrated their Eid and placed food before the idols but in the peoples absence Abraham attacks the idols (As-Saffat 37-83-96)
f) Abraham destroys all but the biggest idol (Al-Anbiya 21:57-58)
g) Abraham is brought before the people and sentenced: (Al-Anbiya 21:59-70)
h) (Nimrod) and the people prepare to burn Abraham but Allah saves him (Al-Anbiya 21:67-70 & As-Saffat 37:97)
Genesis 10:9 show that Nimrod was a prominent person in Babel but he lived one or two centuries before Abraham.
Visit of the Queen of Sheba
The story of Balqis, Queen of Sheba’s visit to Solomon so closely corresponds with 2 Targum of the Book of Esther that it was evidently taken from it as Muhammad heard it from Jewish sources. A Targum is an explanatory translation or a paraphrase of the Jewish scriptures in Aramaic. In the synagogue the Targum was given orally, while the Hebrew text was read from a scroll. The whole story of the Queen of Sheba is found in Al-Naml 27:17-44 here we just give an overview.
a) When Solomon called the birds together the hoopoe (lapwing) was absent but he justified his absence by saying he had visited Saba where he found a queen ruling. As well as worshipping Allah she worshipped the sun (v 20-24). In place of the hoopoe in the Quran, the Targum speaks of a red-cock.
b) Solomon desired to see her throne so an ‘Ifrit of the jinns volunteered to bring it into his presence. The throne was transformed but the Queen still recognised it when she came. She was bestowed knowledge to submit to Allah alone. (38-43) The story differs from the Targum only in the following way. 1.The throne is said to belong to Solomon and there was none comparable to it in the land. 2. The throne was ascended to by six steps of gold and on each step there were twelve golden lions while twelve golden eagles were perched around. A further twenty-four eagles were above the king and when he wanted to move anywhere these powerful eagles descended and lifted the throne in the direction he wished. They performed the same duty that the jinn did in the Quran.
c) The Queen was asked to enter the lofty palace but when she saw it, she thought it was a lake of water, so she tucked up her skirts, uncovering her legs. Solomon assured her that the palace was paved smooth with slabs of glass. She submits to Allah the Lord of the Worlds. (v 44) We find the uncovering of the Queen’s legs in the Araish al Majlis “and so she uncovered her legs, that is, to pass over to Solomon; and lo her legs and feet were covered with hair ………. ‘
d) In the Jewish Targum the Queen put several enigmas before Solomon to solve; and though this is not mentioned in the Quran, it is in the Muslim traditions. The facts of the Queen’s visit are found in 1Kings 10:1-11 and 2 Chronicles 9:1-9 but Muhammad having heard the story from his Jewish friends believed that the account he rendered in the Quran was from the inspired scriptures.
The Lowing Calf in Sinai
The matter here in question concerns the incident of Moses in the wilderness and of how the golden calf came out of the fire which was kindled by the people at Sinai. The Quran tells us it came out lowing.
> “They said: “We broke not the promise to thee, as far as lay in our power: but we were made to carry the weight of the ornaments of the (whole) people, and we threw them (into the fire), and that was what the Samiri suggested. “Then he brought out (of the fire) before the (people) the image of a calf: It seemed to low: so they said: This is your god, and the god of Moses, but (Moses) has forgotten!” (Ta-Ha 20:87-88)
The origins of this fiction is found in the Jewish writings of Pirke Rabbi Eliezer on his homiletic Midrash exegesis on Genesis which states:” The calf having cried out, came forth and the children of Israel saw it.” Rabbi Yahuda, who taught the Mishnah of Eleazer, said “Sammael from inside it made the cry in order to lead the Israelites astray.” No doubt Muhammad learnt this baseless story from the Jews.
The Eternal Quran on a Preserved Table
> “Nay, this is a Glorious Quran, (Inscribed) in a Tablet Preserved! (Al Buruj 85:21,22)
The account of the giving of the Ten Commandments in two tables of hewn stone is found in Deuteronomy 10:1-5, later we are told that these tables were preserved in the Ark of the Covenant (Exodus 24:12, 1Kings 8:9). In the course of time the Jews imagined that all the books of the Old Testament, and the Talmud itself, were deposited in the Ark on Tablets. Muhammad hearing this of the Jewish Law and the Scriptures, imagined the same of his own and said the Quran was placed on the Preserved Table. The Jews hold that the Tables to be of a date beyond time and in the words from Pirke Aboth, v.6: “at the creation of the world at the sunset before the Sabbath day.”
Extract from the Sources of Islam by Rev St. Clair-Tisdall
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