Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By admin on January 20, 2022

According to Islam, there been really only one true religion, i.e. the message of Allah (SWT), submission to the will of Allah (SWT). This is called Islam. It was the religion preached by Abraham, Noah, Moses, Jesus and all the prophets, by whatever name it may be called. People, however, have corrupted that pure light and called their religions by different names. Although Islam teaches Muslims to bear with them all, and allow the names for convenience, but it also insists equally on prevailing of truth over all distorted forms of religion. The Qur'an says, "It is He who has sent His messenger with Guidance and the Religion of Truth. That he made it prevail over all religion, even though the pagans may detest (it)".

In corollary to it the continuity of this message of truth has been also shown. He has chosen you, and has imposed no difficulties on you in religion, it is the religion of your father Abraham. It is he, who has named you Muslims, both before and this (Revelation), witness for you, and you be witness for mankind. So establish regular prayer, give Zakat, hold fast to Allah. He is your protector the best to protect and the best to help

In this way, Islam has existed before the preaching of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) on the earth, as the Qur'an expressly calls Abraham (AS) a Muslim. Its teaching (submission to Allah's will) has been and will be the teaching of religion for all time and for all peoples. There has been a continuous chain of prophets throughout the annals of history of mankind and the Quran calls the Prophets in the Jewish, Christian, Muslim dispensation frame one family literally, and even claims further that all men of faith form one family. "Allah did choose Adam and Noah, the family of Abraham, and the family of 'Imran above all people' offspring one of the other".

In this way, Islam is universal and claims to date from Adam. Moreover, father Abraham is mentioned as the great ancestor of those among whom Islam was first preached, i.e. Jews, Christians and Arabs. The Quran mentions that the children of Israel were granted the book, the power of command and Prophethood. They were also favoured above all nations as they were the custodians of the message brought by the prophets. Clear signs were granted to them in the affairs of religion.

It was only after knowledge had been granted to them that they fell into schisms; through insolent envy among themselves, verily Thy Lord will judge between them on the Day of Judgment as to those matters in which they set up differences. Since the prophets came with a divinely ordained knowledge and guidance, it contained the message of unity. We know that the message brought by Moses (AS) was presenting integrity. It was one book. But the present Old Testament is a collection of odd books (sheets) of various kinds? Why? Because its integrity was lost or concealed by the Jews themselves. The same applies to the New Testament. It shows that all the prophets mentioned above had one mission and explained their teachings with conformity with each other. But this mission was damaged by the schisms prevalent in their rank and file. "Who then sent down the book which Moses brought? A light and guidance to man. But ye make it into (separate) sheets for show".

In this, the Quran' exposes the excesses and distortions made by the Israelites in the message of Allah (SWT). They have even concealed several portions of it or added some spurious elements to it. "While you conceal much (of its contents): there in were you taught that you know not-neither you nor your fathers", say, "Allah (sent it down)".

The Qur'an elaborates the same point and says that the purpose of new revelation was two-fold: to bring blessings of God in form of the universal and unadulterated message, and to confirm the earlier revelations. The Qur'an says, "And this is a book which we have sent down, bringing blessings and confirming (the revelations) which came before it, that thou mayst warn the mother of cities and all round her".

Makkah being traditionally associated with Abraham was nonetheless the mother of cities. Therefore, this also indicated the universality and continuity of religion, i.e. Islam. Moses was also followed by a succession of messengers. Jesus was also sent with clear signs to the people to continue the same message of Islam. "We gave Moses, the book and followed him up with a succession of messengers. We gave Jesus the son of Mary, clear (signs) and strengthened him with the Holy Spirit".

However, as has been mentioned above, Torah was distorted and rendered into various fragmented portions. The books such as Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy are traditionally ascribed to Moses. They were in their present form probably compiled sometime after the return of the Jews from the Babylonian captivity. The decree of Cyrus permitting such return was in 536 BC.

Ernest Renan (1823-1892) has doubted even the existence of Moses, owing to the messy condition of the present Torah. He is doubtful whether Moses was not a myth. But as Muslims, we believe that Moses existed; that he was an inspired man of God; that he gave a massage which was afterwards distorted or lost, that attempts were made by Israel at various times to reconstruct that message; and that the Torah as we have it is not earlier than the middle of the 5th century. The primitive Torah must have been in old Hebrew, but there is no Hebrew manuscript of the Old Testament available presently which can be dated with certainly earlier than 916 AD; at the time of Jesus, it must have been cultivated.

Hebrews used the Greek language, and others used Aramaic, including Syriac and Chaldean, Latin or local dialects. There were also some Arabic versions. No standard text of the Old Testament is found in its Hebrew form. The versions differ from each other frequently in minor particulars and sometimes in important particulars. It was the merit of Islam that it pointed out that as a scripture; Torah was of no value, although it recognized Moses as an inspired messenger. All his original law as having validity in his period until it was superseded. In its criticism of the Jewish position, it said in effect: You have lost your original law, even what you have now as its substitute, you do not honestly follow; is it not better, now that an inspired teacher is living among you, that you should follow him rather than quibble over uncertain texts.

After Moses came Jesus, whose mission was to his own people, the Jews, "I am not sent but to the lost sheep of Isreal"92, and 'It is not wit to take the children's bread, and to cost it to dogs'. The Quran says, "And remember, Jesus, the son of Mary, said:

O Children of Israel, I am the messenger of Allah (sent) to you, confirming the Taurat (which came, before me) and giving glad Tidings of a messenger to come after me, whose name should be Ahmad. But when he came to them with clear signs, they said, "This is evident Socrecy."

"And Allah will teach him the book and wisdom, the Torah and the Gospel and (appoint him) a messenger to the children of Israel, (with this message)."

(Author is Head, Department of Religious Studies, and Central University of Kashmir. Former Director, Shah-i-Hamadan Institute of Islamic Studies, University of Kashmir Srinagar. He can be reached on hamidnaseem@gmail.com)

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Submission before God is the perennial religion - Rising Kashmir

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