The Bible Undressed

            In this sura Muhammad gives some good teachings, and some questionable ones, but the title of the sura comes from one of his strangest stories. Muhammad begins as usual:

In the name of God, the Lord of Mercy, the Giver of Mercy.

            In the first verse Muhammad makes mention of a famous miraculous event:

Glory to Him who made His servant travel by night from the sacred place of worship [meaning Mecca] to the furthest place of worship [meaning Jerusalem], whose surroundings We have blessed, to show him some of Our signs: He alone is the All Hearing, the All Seeing. (17:1)

This “Night Journey” is more formally known as “Isra and Mi’raj” literally meaning Jerusalem and Heaven. The full story is only alluded to in the Qur’an; it is actually found in other Islamic writings, known as the Hadith. There are variations of the story but this is the basic form: the angel Gabriel brings Muhammad a divine horse, called the Buraq. Muhammad flies with the Buraq from Mecca to Jerusalem where he is tested by Gabriel, and passes the test (he chooses milk over wine). He then flies up to Heaven where he tours the seven levels of Heaven, meeting previous prophets at each level: first Adam, then John the Baptist and Jesus, then Joseph, then Idris (Enoch), then Aaron, then Moses, and lastly Abraham. He even meets God, who tells Muhammad to pray 50 times a day. Wise Moses advises him that 50 is too many, so Muhammad is able negotiate it down to 5 times a day (which is still standard Muslim practice). Whew! Good call, Moses!

Later in Europe the story was translated as
the Book of Muhammad’s Ladder

            Now, how do you feel about such a story? Do you believe it? If so, why? It seems rather far-fetched. If you do not believe it, I would ask: Do you believe other stories in your religion that are just as far-fetched?  Think of Elijah going up to Heaven in a fiery chariot, for example. It is odd that we humans have a capacity for believing stories we want to believe in, such as those in our own religion, while rejecting similar stories told in other religions. It is especially odd since the evidence for ancient miracles in other religions is just as good as the evidence for those in your religion; that is: none. (See Bible post #54: We Need Better Miracles.)

            Anyway, the Qur’an does not tell the story; you can go to Wikipedia or other sources if you would like to read more about the Night Journey. But it is an interesting part of Islamic lore.

            Muhammad does give some practical teachings in this sura:

• Set up no other god beside God (v.22). (as in the Ten Commandments)
• Be kind to your parents (v.23). (again as in the Ten C.)
• Give relatives their due, and the needy, and travelers; do not squander your wealth wastefully… (v.26)
• Do not be tight-fisted, nor so open-handed that you end up blamed and overwhelmed with regret. (v.29)  Seems like good advice: be generous but not foolishly so.
• Do not kill your children for fear of poverty – We shall provide for them and for you -killing them is a great sin. (v.31)  What?! It was not that uncommon in ancient cultures for parents to abandon infants if they did not want them or could not support them (often the infant would die, but might be adopted by someone wanting a child, or even taken by slave traders). I appreciate Muhammad speaking up against such a practice. I don’t think the Bible has any explicit command against this practice.
• Do not go anywhere near adultery: it is an outrage, and an evil path. (v.32)
• Do not take life, which God has made sacred, except by right. (v,33)  Similar to what the Bible says. See Exodus 20 (the Ten C.) where it says ‘Do not kill’ but in the next chapter exceptions are given. Sad that both books tell us not to take life, as it is sacred, and yet the religions based on these books have shed so much blood over the centuries.
• Do not go near the orphan’s property, except with the best [intentions], until he reaches the age of maturity. (v.34)  I like this protection of orphans. But then, Muhammad was an orphan, so you can understand his sympathy for them.
• Honor your pledges: you will be questioned about your pledges. (v.34) Not unlike what Jesus taught in Matthew 5:33-37.
• Give full measure when you measure, and weigh with accurate scales: that is better and fairer in the end. (v.35)
• Do not follow blindly what you do not know to be true: ears, eyes, and heart, you will be questioned about all these. (v.36)  Now, I find this interesting in a religious text. Most of what is written in such texts (the Qur’an, the Bible) we cannot “know” to be true. The Bible itself says we should walk by “faith” not “sight.” Regardless, I think this is very good advice: “Do not follow blindly what you do not know to be true!”
• Do not strut arrogantly about the earth. (v.37)  Arrogance is never an attractive virtue.

Muhammad receiving instruction from Gabriel.
From the manuscript Jami’ al-tawarikh
by Rashid-al-Din Hamadani, 1307, Ilkhanate period.

            After these words of advice Muhammad chastises the unbelievers, particularly those who scoff at the idea of life after death:

‘What? When we are turned to bones and dust, shall we really be raised up in a new act of creation?’  Say, ‘[Yes] even if you were [as hard as] stone, or iron, or any other substance you think hard to bring to life.’ Then they will say, ‘Who will bring us back?’ Say, ‘The One who created you the first time.’ Then they will shake their heads at you and say, ‘When will that be?’ Say, ‘It may well be very soon: it will be the Day when He calls you, and you answer by praising Him, and you think you have stayed [on earth] only a little while.’ (vv.49-52)

I see this as being not unlike the preaching of Jesus: there will be a resurrection, and a judgment, and it may be any day, so be ready!  There is so much overlap between the teachings of Muhammad and what we find in the Bible. It is a shame the Muslims, Jews and Christians, the three Abrahamic traditions, have spent so much time and effort fighting one another over their differences rather than sitting down as brothers to discuss their common beliefs. Do you think your God wants you all to argue and kill or to discuss and persuade?

            Of course, Muhammad himself suggests a reason for this: “Satan sows discord among them: Satan is a sworn enemy of man.” (v.53)  Like the Jews of Jesus’ day and the early Christians, Satan gets the blame. Personally, I think human nature is to blame. Maybe someday intellect and reason will overcome our beastly tendencies, but probably not in my lifetime.

            Muhammad gives other teachings, most of which we have discussed in his other surahs, like the promise of Heaven for the believers and the threat of Hell for the unbelievers. Let me mention one particular passage, though:

So perform the regular prayers in the period from the time the sun is past its zenith till the darkness of the night, and [recite] the Quran at dawn– dawn recitation is always witnessed – and during the night wake up and pray, as an extra offering of your own, so that your Lord may raise you to a [highly] praised status. (vv.78, 79)

Let’s suppose you’re visiting some friends and their child comes up to them and says, “Mother and father, you’re the best parents in the world! I love you!” You would probably find that charming. But a half hour later the child comes back and says it again. And a little later again. And again. At some point you would stop think this is charming and start to think it is weird, even pathological. Especially if the parents encouraged this constant repetitive praise from their child. So, why does God need such constant prayer and praise from His children? It just seems pathological to me for a supreme being to be so emotionally needy. Yet the Bible and the Qur’an seem to portray God as needing our constant praise and worship. Really?

Faithful Muslims praying in a mosque,
Be thankful; it could have been 50 times a day instead of 5!

            At the end of the sura God does tell Muhammad this:

[Prophet], do not be too loud in your prayer, or too quiet, but seek a middle way and say, ‘Praise belongs to God, who has no child nor partner in His rule. He is not so weak as to need a protector. Proclaim His limitless greatness!’ (vv.110, 111)

Kind of reminds me of Jesus telling people not to pray loudly in the synagogue or street corner so as to be seen and heard by men (Matthew 6:5). Still, while God may not be ‘so weak as to need a protector’ He still seems to need his frequent doses of praise. His power may be great but is His ego so weak?

Thinking Exercises:

1. What do you think of Muhammad’s Night Journey? Is it any less or more believable than some of the stories found in the Bible?

2. Many of Mouhammad’s teachings echo those found in the Bible. He frequently references people and stories found in the Bible. So why do Muslims, Jews and Christians have such a hard time living in peace?

3. Even within Christianity there are many divisions and sects, all claiming the same foundational book. Why do you think people of faith so often divide themselves up on the basis of their differences rather than bringing themselves together on the basis of common beliefs?