Sura 5 Al-Maidah – (The Table spread with Food) Medina
While this chapter of the Quran accepts that Jesus brought the gospel it includes non-biblical legendary miracles and takes away the vital Christian doctrines of the deity of Christ and the Trinity. The law is shown to be given to Moses yet we read of the fictitous story of the Sabbath breakers who were turned into apes! Muhammad has now explained and perfected the religion of Islam and so therefore we find a variety of matters relating to the observance of religious duties required by Muslims such as performing ablutions before prayer, the pilgrimage to Mecca, and legal rulings in respect of halal food, retaliation, and the punishment of the cutting off of hands for theft. The chapter takes its title from another strange story found in verse 112, where the disciples of Jesus asked their master to send down for them food from heaven. Their request was granted.
The Perfected Religion
“This day have I perfected your religion for you, completed My favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion” (v 3)
Muhammad in the tenth month of the Hijra performed the ‘Greater Pilgrimage’ on one of those days he went to the top of Mount ‘Arafat and spoke these words. Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas says these words mean’ I have explained to you the laws regarding things lawful and unlawful, and the positive and negative precepts.’ While this true context refers to the completion of Muhammad’s legal requirements for Muslims modern commentators suggest the text means that Islam is the most perfect religion. Maulana Muhammad Ali writes ‘Muhammad was the last of the prophets, because religion being now perfected no prophet was needed after him’ (Holy Quran p.253). It is admitted that when Islam came to a pagan race it did some good for example it put away infanticide, cannibalism, human sacrifice and fetish worship but the perfections of Islam are often over-rated.
“Fo
rbidden to you are: dead meat, blood, the flesh of swine, and that on which hath been invoked the name of other than Allah; that which hath been killed by strangling, or by a violent blow, or by a headlong fall, or by being gored to death; that which hath been (partly) eaten by a wild animal; unless ye are able to slaughter it (in due form); that which is sacrificed on stone (altars); (forbidden) also is the division (of meat) by raffling with arrows: that is impiety. This day have those who reject faith given up all hope of your religion: yet fear them not but fear Me. They ask thee what is lawful to them.. Say: lawful unto you are things good and pure: and what ye have taught your trained hunting animals (to catch) in the manner directed to you by Allah: eat what they catch for you, but pronounce the name of Allah over it: and fear Allah; for Allah is swift in taking account” (v 3, 4)
The Quran permits most foods, including fish and game caught by hunting dogs. It forbids only carrion, blood, pork and animals which have been beaten or strangled or which have been slaughtered in the name of any but Allah as the following hadith relates: Narrated ‘Aisha: The people said to the Prophet , “O Allah’s Apostle! Here are people who have recently embraced Islam and they bring meat, and we do not know whether they had mentioned Allah’s Name while slaughtering the animals or not.” The Prophet said, “You should mention Allah’s Name and eat.” (Bukhari Volume 9, Book 93, Number 495)
The food of Jews and Christians might be eaten
“This day are (all) things good and pure made lawful unto you. The food of the People of the Book is lawful unto you and yours is lawful unto them” (v 5).
According to this verse Muslims are permitted to eat the food and meat prepared by Christians however, in this same sura below we find that only halal food can be eaten: “Eat not of (meats) on which Allah’s name hath not been pronounced: That would be impiety” (v 121)
Permission to marry women of the People of the Book
“(Lawful unto you in marriage) are (not only) chaste women who are believers, but chaste women among the People of the Book, revealed before your time, when ye give them their due dowers, and desire chastity, not lewdness, nor secret intrigues if any one rejects faith, fruitless is his work, and in the hereafter he will be in the ranks of those who have lost” (v 5).
La ws of purifications for prayer
“O ye who believe! when ye prepare for prayer, wash your faces, and your hands (and arms) to the elbows; Rub your heads (with water); and (wash) your feet to the ankles. If ye are in a state of ceremonial impurity, bathe your whole body. But if ye are ill, or on a journey, or one of you cometh from offices of nature, or ye have been in contact with women, and ye find no water, then take for yourselves clean sand or earth, and rub therewith your faces and hands, Allah doth not wish to place you in a difficulty, but to make you clean, and to complete his favour to you, that ye may be grateful” (v 6).
The great emphasis on outward purity that is found in Islam is based on the practise of Muhammad as can be seen from the following ahadith. 1) Narrated ‘Ata’ bin Yasar: Ibn ‘Abbas performed ablution and washed his face (in the following way): He ladled out a handful of water, rinsed his mouth and washed his nose with it by putting in water and then blowing it out. He then, took another handful (of water) and did like this (gesturing) joining both hands, and washed his face, took another handful of water and washed his right forearm. He again took another handful of water and washed his left forearm, and passed wet hands over his head and took another handful of water and poured it over his right foot (up to his ankles) and washed it thoroughly and similarly took another handful of water and washed thoroughly his left foot (up to the ankles) and said, “I saw Allah’s Apostle performing ablution in this way.” (Bukhari Volume 1, Book 4, Number 142)
2) Ablutions performed in this world will be identified in the next: Narrated Nu’am Al-Mujmir: Once I went up the roof of the mosque, along with Abu Huraira. He performed ablution and said, “I heard the Prophet saying, “On the day of resurrection, my followers will be called “Al-Ghurr-ul-Muhajjalun” from the trace of ablution and whoever can increase the area of his radiance should do so (i.e. by performing ablution regularly).’ ” (Bukhari Volume 1, Book 4, Number 138)
The divinity of Christ denied
“In blasphemy indeed are those that say that Allah is Christ the son of Mary. Say:
“Who then hath the least power against Allah, if His will were to destroy Christ the son of Mary, his mother, and all every one that is on the earth? (v 17).
“As to the thief, male or female, cut off his or her hands: a punishment by way of example, from Allah, for their crime: and Allah is exalted in power. But if the thief repents after his crime, and amends his conduct, Allah turneth to him in forgiveness; for Allah is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful” (v 38, 39).
While Muhammad was expanding his power and authority by raids on different Bedouin tribes some sick families from the ’Urain and Ukka tribes accepted Islam and were given permission to stay on the pasture lands and drink the milk of the she-camels. They were however, ungrateful, and, after killing the keeper of the camels, stole fifteen of them and ran away. They were caught and the punishment found in this ’revelation’ was inflicted upon them.
The penalty according to a hadith quoted below was qualified according to the value of the thing stolen, however, this is the Word of Allah clear, pure and unadulterated prescribing it seems in an absolute form the cutting off of hands for theft. This is alarming for the Roman law of Justinian forbade a thief to be maimed and this seems more reasonable. Muhammad knew nothing of the government, policy or law of Rome, to which all the civilised world has paid its tribute of respect. Stealing was often the effect of being poor, to cut off that limb would be to deprive him of the means of getting his livelihood in an honest manner. According to the traditions Muhammad is said to have punished a woman who had been guilty of theft when he was on route to Mecca before its capture. It seems as though her repentance was to late to stop the mutilation: Narrated ‘Aisha: The Prophet cut off the hand of a lady, and that lady used to come to me, and I used to convey her message to the Prophet and she repented, and her repentance was sincere. (Bukhari Volume 8, Book 81, Number 792)
Further examples of this mutilation can be seen in the following ahadiths:
a) Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah ‘s Apostle said, “Allah curses the thief who steals an egg (or a helmet) for which his hand is to be cut off, or steals a rope, for which his hand is to be cut off.” (Bukhari Volume 8, Book 81, Number 791)
b) Narrated Ibn ‘Umar: Allah’s Apostle cut off the hand of a thief for stealing a shield that was worth three Dirhams (Bukhari Volume 8, Book 81, Number 787)
c) Narrated ‘Aisha: The hand of a thief was not cut off during the lifetime of the Prophet except for stealing something equal to a shield in value (Bukhari Volume 8, Book 81, Number 783)
The Law of retaliation
“We ordained therein for them: “Life for life, eye for eye, nose for nose, ear for ear, tooth for tooth, and wounds equal for equal.” But if any one remits the retaliation by way of charity, it is an act of atonement for himself. And if any fail to judge by what Allah hath revealed, they are wrong-doers (v 45).
See Exodus 21: 23-27. This verse seems to inform us that if the injured person forgave the transgressors, no punishment was to be inflicted. In practice in Islam the following injunctions were applied: Narrated ‘Abdullah Allah’s Apostle said, “The blood of a Muslim who confesses that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and that I am His Apostle, cannot be shed except in three cases: In Qisas for murder, a married person who commits illegal sexual intercourse and the one who reverts from Islam (apostate) and leaves the Muslims.” (Bukhari Volume 9, Book 83, Number 17)
The Scripture of Moses is the book of Go d
“It was We who revealed the law (to Moses): therein was guidance and light. By its standard have been judged the Jews, by the prophets who bowed to Allah’s will, by the rabbis and the doctors of law: for to them was entrusted the protection of Allah’s book, and they were witnesses thereto: therefore fear not men, but fear me, and sell not my signs for a miserable price. If any do fail to judge by what Allah hath revealed, they are unbelievers” (v 44).
Jesus taught the gospel given by God
“And in their footsteps We sent Jesus the son of Mary, confirming the Law that had come before him: We sent him the Gospel: therein was guidance and light, and confirmation of the Law that had come before him: guidance and an admonition to those who fear Allah. Let the people of the Gospel judge by what Allah hath revealed therein. If any do fail to judge by what Allah hath revealed, they are (no better than) those who rebel” (v 46-47).
Muhammad believed he was doing very similar work to the prophets and Jesus Christ, they were like a brotherhood which ran through out the ages: Narrated Abu Huraira: I heard Allah’s Apostle saying, “I am the nearest of all the people to the son of Mary, and all the prophets are paternal brothers, and there has been no prophet between me and him (i.e. Jesus).” (Bukhari Volume 4, Book 55, Number 651)
The high praise that Muhammad showers upon the scriptures is once again recorded. Sir William Muir noted that there are one hundred and thirty one quotations referring to the scriptures. He goes on to say “The sincere and honest Muslim is earnestly invited to examine the subject, and to satisfy himself, as he may easily do, that the Bible of the present day is the Bible of the days of Muhammad. What fearful audacity is displayed by some modern Muslims who ignorantly and blasphemously speak against ‘the Book which is sent down’, the Holy ‘Furqan’, ‘the Word of God’. As for ourselves, the People of the Book, it is only in conformity with the express inculcation of the Prophet of Islam, that we observe and hold by, both the Law and the Gospel; and that in accordance with his challenge, we examine those scriptures to which he appealed. Let them search the scriptures diligently, and they will find the whole tenor of those sacred books to be ‘that God is in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself; that Jesus is ‘the Way, the Truth and the Life’: This is eternal life, that they might know Thee, the true God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent.”
The Quran confirms the veracity of the scriptures
“To thee We sent the Scripture in truth, confirming the scripture that came before it, and guarding it in safety: so judge between them by what Allah hath revealed, and follow not their vain desires, diverging from the truth that hath come to thee. To each among you have we prescribed a law and an open way. If Allah had so willed, He would have made you a single people, but (His plan is) to test you in what He hath given you” (v 48)
This is generally interpreted to mean that God has given to each prophet various laws and such laws were abrogated with successive prophets. Jews and Christians can no longer follow their distinctive laws because they have been abrogated and Islam is now the law of the present age.
Jews or Christians not to be taken as friends
“O ye who believe! take not for friends and protectors those who take your religion for a mockery or sport, whether among those who received the Scripture before you, or among those who reject faith; but fear ye Allah, if ye have faith” (v 57).
Muhammad now is an open opponent of Jews and Christians. They refuse to accept that his Quran abrogates their scr
iptures (verse 48) and so this leads to open conflict.
Jews changed into apes and swine
“Say: Shall I point out to you something much worse than this, by the treatment it received from Allah? those who incurred the curse of Allah and His wrath, those of whom some He transformed into apes and swine, those who worshipped evil; these are worse in rank, and far more astray from the even path!” (v 60).
The legend concerns some Jews who lived in the days of David at Elath, on the Red Sea. On the night of the Sabbath it is said that the fish came in great numbers to the shore to tempt them. Some of the inhabitants broke the command to keep the Sabbath, so David cursed them, and God changed them into apes and swine. c/f 2:265.
The testimony of the Quran to the Taurat and Injil
“Say: O People of the Book! ye have no ground to stand upon unless ye stand fast by the Law, the Gospel,
and all the revelation that has come to you from your Lord Those who believe (in the Quran), those who follow the Jewish (scriptures), and the Sabians and the Christians,any who believe in Allah and the last day, and work righteousness, on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve.” (v 68-69)
The Jews were to retain a faith in the Taurat; the Christian in the Injil; but both Jews and Christians were expected to receive the Quran as a complement of both.
The divinity of Christ and the Trinity denied
“They do blaspheme who say: “Allah is Christ the son of Mary.” But said Christ: “O Children of Israel! worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord.” Whoever joins other gods with Allah, Allah will forbid him the garden, and the fire will be his abode. There will for the wrong-doers be no one to help. They do blaspheme who say: Allah is one of three in a Trinity: for there is no god except one Allah. If they desist not from their word, verily a grievous penalty will befall the blasphemers among them (v 72, 73).
The closeness of Chritians and Muslims
Strongest among men in enmity to the believers wilt thou find the Jews and Pagans; and nearest among them in love to the believers wilt thou find those who say, “We are Christians”: because amongst these are men devoted to learning and men who have renounced the world, and they are not arrogant. And when they listen to the revelation received by the Messenger, thou wilt see their eyes overflowing with tears, for they recognise the truth: they pray: “Our Lord! we believe; write us down among the witnesses (v 82, 83).
Some consider that because this is a composite sura this verse records in grateful recollection the kindnesses shown to the Muslim exiles in Abyssinia, some joined the Christian Church in Abyssinia. Others believe that this praise of Christians was due to the fact that some were ready to embrace Islam. These verses are not the last comment on Muhammad’s relationship with the ’People of the Book’ for that verdict we have to look at the last but one sura that was revealed, namely the ninth. This verse of course conflicts with verse 57 of Al-Maidah which prohibits entirely friendship with Jews or Christians.
The Miracles of Jesus
“Then will Allah say: “O Jesus the son of Mary! Recount My favour to thee and to thy mother. Behold! I strengthened thee with the holy spirit, so that thou didst speak to the people in childhood and in maturity. Behold! I taught thee the Book and wisdom, the Law and the Gospel and behold! thou makest out of clay, as it were, the figure of a bird, by My leave, and thou breathest into it and it becometh a bird by My leave, and thou healest those born blind, and the lepers, by My leave. And behold! thou bringest forth the dead by My leave. And behold! I did restrain the Children of Israel from thee when thou didst show them the clear signs and the unbelievers among them said: ‘This is nothing but evident magic.’” (v 110).
Speaking from the cradle has been noticed in Sura 3:45. Another legend that is added here is that Jesus made a clay bird live. These tales of our Saviour’s childhood have nothing to do with the Gospel but have been taken from imaginary and fabulous Christian writings, such as those taken from a Greek storybook called The Gospel of Thomas the Israelite, and the Arabic Gospel of the Infancy.
The Table
“
Behold! the disciples, said: “O Jesus the son of Mary! can thy Lord send down to us a table set from heaven?” Said Jesus: “Fear Allah, if ye have faith.”They said: “We only wish to eat thereof and satisfy our hearts, and to know that thou hast indeed told us the truth; and that we ourselves may be witnesses to the miracle.” Said Jesus the son of Mary: “O Allah our Lord! Send us from heaven a table set, that there may be for us for the first and the last of us a solemn festival and a sign from thee; and provide for our sustenance, for thou art the best sustainer.” Allah said: “I will send it down unto you: But if any of you after that resisteth faith, I will punish him with a penalty such as I have not inflicted on any one among all the peoples.” (v 112-115)
The chapter heading ‘The Table’ rests on these verses which seem to have arisen out of an imperfect understanding of Christ’s last supper with his disciples and the institution of the Eucharist. Some Muslim writers believe the whole incident was meant to be parabolic.
Jesus denies he requested worship for himself and his mother
“And behold! Allah will say: “O Jesus the son of Mary! Didst thou say unto men, worship me and my mother as gods in derogation of Allah’?” He will say: “Glory to Thee! never could I say what I had no right (to say). Had I said such a thing, thou wouldst indeed have known it. Thou knowest what is in my heart, Thou I know not what is in Thine. For Thou knowest in full all that is hidden” (v 116).
Muhammad’s understanding of Christianity was poor. The Christian Trinity did not consist of the Father, Mother and Son. Jesus is made to say ’I know not what is in thee’ while this contradicts his saying in John 10:15 ‘As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.’
* * * * * * * * * * *
Sura 6. Al-An’am (The Cattle) Mecca
In this chapter some pre-Islamic practices are condemned such as infanticide. The idolaters continue to scoff and reject any idea that the Quran has a heavenly origin so thoughts of leaving Mecca begin to develop in Muhammad’s mind. Muhammad claims to be the first Muslim while Abraham along with other later prophets are approved for displaying their monotheism. The Law of Moses is honoured but the Jews are accused of suppressing those parts that are allegedly said to refer to Muhammad. The chapter derives its title from the frequent mention of cattle in connection with the idolatrous rites of the people of Mecca.
The unbelief of the Qurraish
“If We had sent unto thee a written (message) on parchment, so that they could touch it with their hands, the unbelievers would have been sure to say: “This is nothing but obvious magic!” They say: “Why is not an angel sent down to him?” If we did send down an angel, the matter would be settled at once, and no respite would be granted them” (v 7)
The Qurraish did not see anything in the Quran significantly miraculous to convince them of its heavenly origin so Muhammad says thet they would not have believed even if an angel had come down to them from heaven.
Muhammad’s task was to warn unbelievers
“This Quran hath been revealed to me by inspiration, that I may warn you and all w hom it reaches” (v 19).
Muslims believe that every word and letter of the Quran has been revealed by God.
Scoffers of the message – tales of the ancients
Of them there are some who (pretend to) listen to thee; but We have thrown veils on their hearts, So they understand it not, and deafness in their ears; if they saw every one of the signs, not they will believe in them; in so much that when they come to thee, they (but) dispute with thee; the unbelievers say: “These are nothing but tales of the ancients.” Others they keep away from it, and themselves they keep away; but they only destroy their own souls, and they perceive it not. (v 25-26)
The persons referred to are Abu Sufyan, Nadhir, Walid, ’Utba, Shaibu and others. They asked Nadhir if he understood what Muhammad was saying. He replied that he did not; he only saw that he moved his tongue and told foolish stories. The reference in the next verse is to the same persons, who forbade people to become Muslims, or to Abu Talib, who forbade the enemies of Muhammad, his nephew, to injure him but would not himself accept Islam. (Baidawi volume 1 page 287)
All creatures written in the heavenly book
“There is not an animal on the earth, nor a being that flies on its wings, but (forms part of) communities like you.
Nothing have we omitted from the Book, and they shall be gathered to their Lord in the end” (v 38).
Punishment of those who charge Muhammad with impostu re
“But those who reject our signs, them shall punishment touch, for that they ceased not from transgressing” (v 49).
This is the sixth time in this chapter that this accusation has been made showing how frequently such accusations were made.
Observance of the times of prayer
“To establish regular prayers and to fear Allah: for it is to Him that we shall be gathered together.” (v 72).
There are five stated times of prayer: 1) “From dawn to sunrise. 2) When noon is past. 3) Midway between noon and sunset. 4) A few minutes after sunset. 5) From sunset till midnight. All prayers must be in Arabic.
Abraham’s testimony against idolatry
“Lo! Abraham said to his father Azar: “Takest thou idols for gods? For I see thee and thy people in manifest error.” So also did We show Abraham the power and the laws of the heavens and the earth, that he might have certitude. When the night covered him over, He saw a star: He said: “This is my Lord.” But when it set, He said: “I love not those that set.” When he saw the moon rising in splendour, he said: “This is my Lord.” But when the moon set, He said: “unless my Lord guide me, I shall surely be among those who go astray.” When he saw the sun rising in splendour, he said: “This is my Lord; this is the greatest ” But when the sun set, he said: “O my people! I am indeed free from your (guilt) of giving partners to Allah (v 74-78).
Abraham’s father is called Terah (Genesis 11:26). In his book Qisas al-Anbiya, Al-Najjar said:”Azar is only a name that Abraham used to call his father. It means,’You old man!’ Yet the name of Abraham’s father was Terah, he had two names.” The Torah does not explicitly or implicitly say that Terah worshipped idols. What it does say is written as follows: “ And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran his son’s son, and Sarai his daughter in law, his son Abram’s wife; and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; and they came unto Haran, and dwelt there.” ( Genesis 11:31.) It may well have been that Terah was so frustrated with the idolatry in Ur that he moved his family away.
The prophets after Abraham
“That was the reasoning about Us, which We gave to Abraham (to use) against his people: We raise whom We will, degree after degree: for thy Lord is full of wisdom and knowledge. We gave him Isaac and Jacob: all guided: and before him, We guided Noah, and among his progeny, David, Solomon, Job, Joseph, Moses, and Aaron: thus do We reward those who do good: And Zakariya and John, and Jesus and Elias: all in the ranks of the righteous: And Isma’il and Elisha, and Jonas, and Lot: and to all We gave favour above the nations “(v 83-86).
Of twenty-five prophets mentioned in the Quran, eighteen are mentioned here. The order in which they occur shows Muhammad’s ignorance of history. Several of them Zecharias, Ismael and Lot, were not prophets.
The Jews accused of suppressing part of the Scriptures
“No just estimate of Allah do they make when they say: “Nothing doth Allah send down to man (by way of revelation)” Say: “Who then sent down the Book which Moses brought? a light and guidance to man: But ye make it into (separate) sheets for show, while ye conceal much: therein were ye taught that which ye knew not neither ye nor your fathers.” Say: “Allah (sent it down)”: Then leave them to plunge in vain discourse and trifling (v 91).
The Jews are here, and frequently in the Quran, accused of suppressing and altering those parts of their scriptures which referred to the theory of the mission of Muhammad. These verses show that Muhammad does not accuse the Jews of corrupting the original text but rather they are accused of writing the text down on separate sheets with the intention of concealing or suppressing Muhammad’s claims
Instructions to leave Mecca
Follow what thou art taught by inspiration from thy Lord:
there is no god but He: and turn aside from those who join gods with Allah. (v 106)
This is a composite sura and contains some Medina verses. He decided to leave Mecca because his success had only been marginal. “Despite having high family connections, relationship with the guardians of the Ka’aba, many person virtues, indomitable patience, uncompromising fearlessness and fervid eloquence …… his mission at Mecca was a complete failure. (Rev Canon Sell) “ In a healthy community like that of Mecca Islam gained no hold but in one that was ailing from long years of strife it could spread apace (Margoliotth Muhammad p. 198)”
What food may be eaten
“So eat of (meats) on which Allah’s name hath been pronounced, if ye have faith in His signs. Why should ye not eat of (meats) on which Allah’s name hath been pronounced, when He hath explained to you in detail what is forbidden to you except under compulsion of necessity? But many do mislead (men) by their appetites unchecked by knowledge. Thy Lord knoweth best those who transg ress” (v 118-119).
Before any animal is killed for food, ‘In the name of God’ must be pronounced. Only if necessary, may other food be eate n.
The jinn
“O ye assembly of jinns and men! came there not unto you messengers from amongst you, setting forth unto you My signs, and warning you of the meeting of this day of yours?” (v 130).
T
he jinns were supposed to be supernatural beings created, like the devils, of fire instead of clay, and possessed of miraculous powers. They are devoutly believed in by Muslims, and are supposed to be subject to the same controlling laws as mankind, and to have also had prophets sent to them. Some of them were good, some were said to be converted to Islam, but generally they were seen as evil as the following hadith shows. Narrated ‘Aisha: Some people asked the Prophet regarding the soothsayers. He said, “They are nothing.” They said, “O Allah’s Apostle! Some of their talks come true.” The Prophet said, “That word which happens to be true is what a jinn snatches away by stealth (from the Heaven) and pours it in the ears of his friend (the foreteller) with a sound like the cackling of a hen. The soothsayers then mix with that word, one hundred lies (Bukhari Volume 9, Book 93, Number 650).
The idolaters at Mecca rebuked
“Out of what Allah hath produced in abundance in tilth and in cattle, they assigned Him a share: they say, according to their fancies: “This is for Allah, and this” for our “partners”! but the share of their ” partners “reacheth not Allah, whilst the share of Allah reacheth their “partners”! evil is their assignment! Even so, in the eyes of most of the pagans, their “partners” made alluring the slaughter of their children, in order to lead them to their own destruction, and cause confusion in their religion. If Allah had willed, they would not have done so: But leave alone them and their inventions.”(v 136, 137)
The idolaters divided the produce of their fields and flocks into two parts – one for God and the other for inferior deities. Should the portion of God prove greater at the time of harvest, they changed their portions, giving the larger portion to their ’partners’,
Evil customs of the Quraish exposed
“And they say that such and such cattle and crops are taboo, and none should eat of them except those whom – so they say – We wish; further, there are cattle forbidden to yoke or burden, and cattle on which, (at slaughter), the name of Allah is not pronounced; – inventions against Allah’s name: soon will He requite them for their inventions. They say: “What is in the wombs of such and such cattle is specially reserved (for food) for our men, and forbidden to our women; but if it is still-born, then all have share therein. For their (false) attribution (of superstitions to Allah), He will soon punish them: for He is full of wisdom and knowledge” (v 138, 139).
Among the Arabs one tree was dedicated to the gods and allowed to grow untouched. They were forbidden to eat some animals or ride upon others. Some might be eaten by men and not by women, and vice versa. Such customs are condemned.
Child murder forbidden
“Lost are those who slay their children, from folly, without knowledge, and forbid food which Allah hath provided for them, inventing (lies) against Allah. They have indeed gone astray and heeded no guidance” (v 140).
Female infanticide occurred amongst the Arabs. Daughters were buried alive as soon as they were born if the parents thought that they could not maintain them.
Muhammad the first Muslim
“Say: “Truly, my prayer and my service of sacrifice, my life and my death, are for Allah, the cherisher of the worlds:
No partner hath He: this am I commanded, and I am the first of those who bow to His will (v 162, 163).
Allah must have meant here that Muhammad was the first of Muslims from amongst the Qurraish otherwise there is a serious contradiction with Al-Imran 3:67. Abraham is recognised by Muslims as not a literal Muslim but a spiritual Muslim: ‘Abraham was not a Jew nor yet a Christian; but he was true in faith, and bowed his will to Allah’s (which is Islam), and he joined not gods with Allah.’
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