Muhammad, the Qur'an and Islam
In Medina Muhammad appears to have learned not only that Ishmael was
Abraham's (older) son (cf. 2:127, 130), but probably also th^111 at Ishmael
was considered to have been a father of the Arabs by the Jews.^112
Muhammad could not have helped but to notice that Abraham predated the
Mosaic Law (cf. 2:136) and had doubtless become acquainted with the
pilgrimages of the Jews and Christians to Jerusalem, which for the Jews
were ultimately based on the Abraham - Moriah - Temple doctrine.^113
Muhammad then claimed that Abraham and Ishmael purified "God's house"
(the Kaba - 2:119) and built its foundations (2:121). Islam was then defined to be the "way" (religion) of Abraham (2:124), which predated Judaism and Christianity (2:132). Islamic tradition generally creditsUmar
with the idea of choosing the "maqam of Abraham" (most probably the
whole Kaba complex) as a place of prayer, and Muhammad is la^114 ter reported to have said that if any among his followers were inspired,Umar
would have been one of them.^115
For the Jews at least, the Temple area in Jerusalem (cf. I Kgs. 8:30; Dan.
6:10; etc.) was also their "qibla" (direction of prayer). Muhammad is said to
have wanted to change the qibla previously (2:139), and in 2:136f the
Islamic qibla was apparently changed from Jerusalem to pagan Mecca. This
open break with the Jews is said to have occurred some 16-18 months after
the Hijra.^116
Whereas Muhammad had earlier sought to adopt practices from Jews and
Christians, he now seems to have turned against them. Canonical traditions
report Muhammad as having said that one should neither pray as a Jew,^117
nor dress as they do for prayer. Muhammad is quoted as having^118 said that
the Muslims were not to follow the Jews and Christians, and he^119 even
seems to have encouraged others to do the opposite of the People of the
Book. Muhammad appears to have rejected the Sabbath as a day o^120 f
worship (cf. Qur'an 16:125), and chose Friday as a day of assembly. Not^121
to be outdone by Jews and Christians, prayer is said to have been instituted
and an Islamic call to prayer (adhan) was introduced, which was
intentionally distinct from those of the Judaism and Christianity.^122
Interestingly enough, most of the rites which Muhammad then developed
for Islam are essentially based on Jewish practices.