Muhammad, the Qur'an and Islam
having been given the Book, and states that Jesus was given clear signs and
strengthened with the Holy Spirit. The Jews are charged in the same verse
with having accused some messengers of lies and of having killed others.
The vv. 82f tell of the Jews' rejection of the Qur'an, which book is said to
have confirmed what the Jews (already) had. The v. 86 mentions the Israel's
rebellion both in the matter of the golden calf and when the mountain was
said to have been raised over them (cf. 7:170). The vv. 88-90 an^29 d 91-97
are thought to have been directed at specific individuals,^30 and in Islamic
traditions the Jews are said to have been Gabriel's enemy (v. 91). The^31
names of Gabriel and Michael are mentioned together in v. 92, a^32 nd the vv.
93f indicate that at least some of the Jews rejected the Qur'an. In v. 96
Solomon is declared not to have been an unbeliever, and the f^33 igures Harut
and Marut are named. The v. 98 seems to show how a derogatory gre^34 eting
of the Jews was to be avoided, and many traditions also give o^35 ther alleged
Jewish greetings which were used against the Muslims. The v. 9^369
mentions "unbelievers" among the "People of the Book," v. 100 explains
the Qur'anic doctrine of abrogation, and v. 103 presents many of the People
of the Book as looking for converts among the Muslims, whereby the word
"unbelief" seems to be used in the sense of disbelief in the Qur'an or
Muhammad's messengership (cf. v. 99). The v. 104 gives an exhortation to
prayer and paying alms, v. 105 reproduces the claim that only Jews or
Christians will go to Paradise, and v. 107 gives the alleged remarks of Jews
against Christians and Christians against the Jews. The v. 108 seems to
refer to a Meccan prohibition of Muslims praying at the Kaba, and the^37 denial of God having a son was probably directed against Christians. The^38 v. 114 contains the complaint that the Jews and Christian are not satisfied until one follows their religion(s), and v. 115 states that those who recite the scriptures correctly, also believe them. The vv. 118f represent perhaps one of the earliest Qur'anic passages to mention the Abraham legend, in which Abraham and Ishmael are credited with the building of the Kaba, and^39
Ishmael is recognized as being one of Abraham's sons. The v. 1^4018
describes Abraham as having been an "imam" (leader of a people or
religion), and the vv. 119f mention the "maqam (station) of Ab^41 raham"
(here probably the Kaba complex) as a place of prayer, giving an alleged command of God for Abraham and Ishmael to purify the house (Kaba).^42
Islamic traditions usually show that `Umar influenced the revelation,
declaring the "maqam of Abraham" to be aplace for prayer, a^43 nd it may