Once again Muhammad uses a Biblical character to make a point, showing that either he believes these Bible stories or at least is willing to use them in his teaching. This time it is Jonah, but he also mentions Noah and Moses. It seems that Muhammad expected his audience to know these stories. Was he preaching mostly to the Jews and Christians? Or did the pagans in Arabia also know these stories? Makes you wonder.
The Book of Jonah in the Bible portrays God giving him the mission to preach to the people of Nineveh that in 40 days God will bring judgment down upon them and destroy them (see Bible post #56). At first Jonah tries to run away and ends up swallowed by a great fish (not whale).
“Jonah and the Whale”, Folio Probably from a Jami al-Tavarikh
(Compendium of Chronicles), Iran, ca. 1400, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art
After a few days of repentance the fish spits him out and he goes to Nineveh. They are so moved by Jonah’s preaching that they repent, and then God repents of His threat. This makes Jonah throw a fit, seeing that his promise of destruction did not come about! Apparently he forgot his own story of repentance and salvation. But this reference to Jonah does not come until the end of the sura. Let me summarize the rest of the sura and then discuss what he says about the Jonah situation.
“In the name of God, the Lord of Mercy, the Giver of Mercy”
(the usual beginning of a sura)
If you have read the previous posts you know that Muhammad spends time in every sura (chapter) exhorting people to believe that he is a prophet of God (Allah) and that he is reciting the very words of God. Those who listen to and believe him will enter the ‘Gardens of Bliss’ (10:9) while those who do not will enter the Fire (10:8). Sounds serious, Muhammad, but where is the evidence that you, out of all the people in the world, are the one speaking for God? He does sometimes use some reasoning to justify himself, saying “He explains His signs to those who understand” such as “It is He who made the sun a shining radiance and the moon a light, determining phases for it so that you might know the number of years and how to calculate time.” (10:5) Yes, that was nice, if God did in fact do that, but of course we now have natural explanations for such things. Later in verse 31 Muhammad says, “Who provides for you from the sky and the earth? Who controls hearing and sight? Who brings forth the living from the dead and the dead from the living, and who governs everything?”
Well, even if you think this was all the working of a god: Which god? And how could you possibly know it was that god speaking to Muhammad? It could just as easily be the Jewish God or the Christian God or the Hindu pantheon of gods who did such things. Claiming that you are speaking for this Creator God does not make it so. I do not think it is unreasonable to expect some extraordinary evidence to support the extraordinary claim that you are speaking for the God of the Universe. If you offer no more evidence than the Jews or Christians or Hindus, then we might just as well take our pick and go with it. Or pick ‘none of the above’ as many people do.
In verse 37 he says, “Nor could this Quran have been devised by anyone other than God.” Well, Muhammad, that’s quite a claim but I don’t find that at all convincing. Mormons believe the Book of Mormon is from God and I certainly am not convinced of that, either. It reminds me of Christians quoting 2nd Timothy 3:16 as proof that the Bible is from God: “All Scripture is inspired [God-breathed] by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness.” Just because a book claims to be inspired by God does not make it so. Otherwise we should all accept the Quran, too, because it makes the same claim.
Anyway, let’s get to some of the Biblical references in this sura. In verse 71 he brings up Noah. He likes this story, as it depicts a righteous man speaking from God, but most people do not listen and so are drowned in the Flood. I think Muhammad sees himself much as Noah: listen to me or you will drown! Or actually the opposite: you will be thrown into the Fire!
Then it’s Moses and Aaron before Pharaoh in Egypt (10:75). Basically the same message: Pharaoh and his people would not listen and believe. Don’t be like them! But to be fair: they had multiple miraculous signs to warn them. We have no such signs to tell us to heed Muhammad.
Then he makes this statement which I find interesting for two reasons:
We [God and His angels] settled the Children of Israel in a good place and provided good things as sustenance for them. It was only after knowledge had come to them that they began to differ among themselves. Your Lord will judge between them on the Day of Resurrection regarding their differences. (10:93)
First, he acknowledges that God put Israel in their promised land. So why are today’s Muslims trying so hard to displace them? Of course, one might also ask, Why are the Israelites trying to displace the Palestinians who have been there from ages past? Seems to me the Muslims need to accept the existence of Israel and the Israelites need to accept that even their own stories show that Palestinians have been in the land longer than they have. But of course the situation is much more complex, but accepting each other’s existence would be a start.
The other odd thing is Muhammad acknowledging God blessing the Children of Israel but then saying “they began to differ.” Differ how? I am not clear on why he takes issue with the Jews, as he seems to believe God was blessing them and that they worship the One True God. The only ‘difference’ I can see is that the Jews do not accept camel as kosher, whereas the Arabs (Muslims) do. The camel, its milk and meat and usefulness, is a part of the Arab culture. It seems like a strange reason to cause a major split in the world’s religions: we want camel and you say we can’t! You must have digressed from the true word of God to say such a thing! Look, folks, get over the camel thing and stop fighting one another.
Toward the end of the sura he finally gets to Jonah:
[referring back to the people of Noah’s and Moses’ time:] If only a single town had believed and benefited from its belief! Only Jonah’s people did so, and when they believed, We relieved them of the punishment of disgrace in the life of this world, and let them enjoy life for a time. Had your Lord willed, all the people on earth would have believed. So can you [Prophet] compel people to believe? No soul can believe except by God’s will, and He brings disgrace on those who do not use their reason. (10:98-100)
Again, his point is that people should listen, believe, repent and so be saved, like the people of Nineveh in Jonah’s day. But in making this plea he raises some questions.
He claims that “Had the Lord willed, all the people on earth would have believed” and “No soul can believe except by God’s will.” Well, doesn’t God want everyone to believe and be saved? Apparently not. It almost sound like the concept of Predestination in some Christian sects: God decides who is saved and who is lost; it is not up to us. (This idea is not endorsed by all Christians.) I would think a loving and compassionate God would want everyone to believe and be saved. Not they he would ‘force’ them to believe, if that would even be ‘belief,’ but that He would enable everyone to believe.
But then he says God “brings disgrace on those who do not use their reason.” So, maybe God honors those who use their reason and blesses them with the ability to believe and be saved? That’s not predestination. But clearly Muhammad thinks the only ones using their reason are those who listen to him and accept his recitations as coming from God. Well, I guess I’m in trouble, because my reason does not lead me to accept such a claim. I suppose it is not God’s will that I will believe? But I’m using my reason. I’m confused…
So, what about you? Does your reason lead you to believe that Muhammad is speaking from God? Will you be like the people of Noah’s day treading water while watching his family sail off to safety? Or like the people of Nineveh who listened to Jonah, repented, and were saved? Or does your reason lead you somewhere else entirely?
Thinking exercises:
1. What are your criteria for believing that someone is speaking for God? Does Muhammad meat those criteria? What about the prophets of the Old Testament? What about Jesus?
2. What leads people to accept a particular religion? Family? Culture? Reason? God’s will? How did you settle on your current religion (or non-religion)?
3. What evidence would you like to see in the Quran that might convince your reasoning mind that Muhammad is speaking for God?