Blogging the Qur’an: Sura 14, “Abraham”

Part 35

( Read find out what the Qur'an really teaches )

February 4, 2008 7:36 am By Robert Spencer

The claim circulates now and again among those who grasp at straws to be optimistic that the Qur’an promises the land of Israel to the Jews. This sura, unfortunately, undercuts their optimism.

This is yet another late Meccan sura. Its name comes from v. 35, where Abraham appears and prays, but following the convention of the naming of Qur’an chapters, this name has little to do with the content of this sura; more is said about Abraham elsewhere in the Qur’an.

Allah begins by celebrating the “Book which We have revealed to you” (v. 1) — which is, of course, the Qur’an that was, according to Islamic tradition, delivered to Muhammad. In the words of Ibn Kathir, it is “the most honored Book, that Allah sent down from heaven to the most honored Messenger of Allah sent to all the people of the earth, Arabs and non-Arabs alike.”

With this Book, Muhammad can “bring mankind out of darknesses into the light” (v. 1) — the light of Allah — but of course for the unbelievers there is a terrible penalty in store (v. 2): “woe to them on the Day of Judgment because they defied you, O Muhammad, and rejected you,” says Ibn Kathir. For they dared to prefer this world to the next and to keep people from the path of Allah, and they are “seeking to make it deviant” (v. 3) — that is, they are, in the words of Maulana Bulandshahri, “ever vigilant to expose any defect that they hope to find in the religion (D’in) of Islam.” Yet Allah has sent messengers to people speaking in their own language so they can understand the message clearly (v. 4), but after that, says the Tafsir al-Jalalayn, echoing the Qur’an itself, “God then sends astray whomever He will and He guides whomever He will.”

Then Allah, never afraid of repeating himself, returns to the stories of Moses (vv. 5-8) and some of the other prophets (v. 9). The unbelievers “returned their hands to their mouths” (v. 9) on hearing the messengers’ clear proofs. “It is said,” explains Ibn Kathir, “that they pointed to the Messengers’ mouths asking them to stop calling them to Allah, the Exalted and Most Honored. It is also said that it means, they placed their hands on their mouths in denial of the Messengers. It was also said that it means that they did not answer the call of the Messengers, or they were biting their hands in rage.” Then comes a dialogue between the unbelievers and the messengers (vv. 10-15) that appears to be meant to apply to all the experiences of all the prophets Allah has sent to the world, but which once again, as we have seen in other late Meccan suras, closely traces and universalizes Muhammad’s dealings with his own people, the pagan Quraysh of Mecca. Maulana Maududi makes this clear when he explains that v. 13, “The disbelievers warned their Messengers, ‘You shall have to return to our community or we will assuredly expel you from our land.” This is a reference to a threat the Quraysh had issued to Muhammad: the verse “clearly indicates,” Maududi says, “that the persecution of the Muslims was at its worst at the time of the revelation of this Surah, and the people of Makkah were bent on expelling the Believers from there like the disbelievers of the former Prophets.”

But Allah will turn the tables on the unbelievers: “We will surely destroy the wrongdoers, and We will surely cause you” — that is, Muhammad and the Muslims — “to dwell in the land after them” (vv. 13-14). This gives the lie to the often-repeated claim that the Qur’an promises the land of Israel to the Jews. This claim is based on Qur’an 5:21: “O my people, enter the Holy Land which Allah has assigned to you and do not turn back and become losers.” But the Jews, according to the Qur’an, did turn back, earning the curse of Allah (2:89, 3:112, 9:30), and as this verse shows, the Muslims inherit the land they were promised.

Allah follows this up with more warnings for the unbeliever: “Before him is Hell, and he will be given a drink of purulent water” (v. 16). The unbeliever will suffer “a massive punishment” as “death will come to him from everywhere, but he is not to die” (v. 17), and his work in this world will come to nothing (v. 18). Allah can even replace the entire creation if he wishes (v. 20). On Judgment Day, the weak will blame the arrogant (v. 21), and Satan will acknowledge that while both he and Allah made promises to people, he — Satan — proved to be a betrayer (v. 22). According to Ibn Jarir, Satan will tell the unbelievers at that point, when it’s too late: “I deny being a partner with Allah, the Exalted and Most Honored.” And “Iblis [Satan],” says Ibn Kathir, “may Allah curse him, will stand and address” those whom he led astray, “in order to add depression to their depression, sorrow to their sorrow and grief to their grief.” No mention is made, however, of the conundrum created by Allah’s leading people astray. The righteous, in any case, will enter “ gardens beneath which rivers flow” (v. 23).

Allah then compares his word to a strong tree and the “bad word” (v. 26) to a tree without roots — a comparison reminiscent of Jesus’ parable in Matthew 7:17-19 (see also 7:24-27). Muhammad once told his companions, “There is a tree among the trees which is as blessed as a Muslim,” and explained, “It is the datepalm tree.” (Bukhari 7.65.355) This may have been because of the spiritual powers of dates. Muhammad also said: “He who eats seven Ajwa dates every morning, will not be affected by poison or magic on the day he eats them.” (Bukhari 7.65.356) Allah will strengthen the believers in this world and the next (v. 27); Muhammad explained: “When a Muslim is questioned in his grave, he will testify that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and that Muhammad is Allah’s Apostle, and that is what is meant by Allah’s statement” in v. 27.

After that, Allah yet again warn the unbelievers of hellfire and remind them of Allah’s blessings (vv. 28-34). In a hadith, Muhammad identifies “those who exchanged the favor of Allah for disbelief and settled their people the home of ruin?” (v. 28) as “the disbelieving pagans of Mecca,” thus reinforcing Maududi’s impression of this sura as a warning to the Quraysh when tensions between them and the Muslims were high.

In verses 35-41 Abraham prays that Allah will make Mecca “secure” (v. 35) for himself and for his children, some of whom he has settled “in an uncultivated valley near Your sacred House” (v. 37) — that is, the Ka’aba, which Abraham built, according to Islamic tradition. That the land is barren makes them dependent upon the good will of those in the area: Abraham asks Allah to “make hearts among the people incline toward them and provide for them from the fruits that they might be grateful” (v. 37). However, according to Ibn Abbas, Mujahid and Sa’id bin Jubayr, this is restricted to Muslims only: “Had Ibrahim said, ‘The hearts of mankind’, Persians, Romans, the Jews, the Christians and all other people would have gathered around” the Ka’aba. But Abraham, they explain, said “some among men,” thus “making it exclusive to Muslims only.”

According to one of Muhammad’s companions, Abdullah bin Amr, Muhammad recited part of Abraham’s prayer here — “indeed they have led astray many among the people” (v. 36) — and wept, crying out three times: “O Allah, Save my Ummah [community]!” In another indication of the importance of Muhammad to Allah, he sent Gabriel to the prophet with these instructions: “Go to Muhammad and tell him this; “˜We will make you pleased with your Ummah, O Muhammad, and will not treat them in a way you dislike.”

Allah then repeat still another time that the sinners who remain heedless of his truth will nonetheless face his dreadful judgment (vv. 42-52).