Muhammad, the Qur'an and Islam
Sura 41Sura 41Sura 41Sura 41 also begins with mysterious letters, and states that the Qur'an has
been sent by the Compassionate, in Arabic, as a bringer of good news and a
warning (vv. 1f). The v. 4 is remotely reminiscent of II Cor. 3:13f. In the
vv. 5f Muhammad is presented as being a man, to whom Monotheism was
revealed, a woe is then expressed to pagans who do not give alms or believe
in the Resurrection, and a good reward is promised those who believe and
do good. Contrary to other Qur'anic passages, the vv. 8f describe the
Creation of heaven and earth as having lasted 8 days, which inconsistency
has also been noticed by Christian polemicists. The vv. 12^6 f speak of the
thunder against the Ad and the Thamud and then summarize these narratives. The vv. 18f relate that the various human body parts will testify at the Judgment, and this notion seems to be based on Jewish sources. The^7 vv. 25f give the remarks of unbelievers, and the vv. 30f tell about the future state of believers. In the vv. 34f Muhammad is counseled on how to deal with evil, the vv. 37f refer to the witness of Creation, and the vv. 41f describe the Qur'an as also being a sign. The v. 45 reiterates that Moses was given the Book, the vv. 47f speak of the Judgment and the vv. 52f relate the consequences of those who reject God's signs. 41:46 is remotely similar to Prov. 9:12. A Sira tradition depicts Muhammad as having recited 41:1-4 (approx.) toUtba b. Rabi`a; however, this information does not seem to be
very reliable.^8
Qur'an 45Qur'an 45Qur'an 45Qur'an 45 opens with mysterious letters, and describes the Qur'an as having
been sent down by God. The vv. 2f speak of the witness of Creation, the vv.
5f portray the Judgment of unbelievers, and God is presented as provider in
the vv. 11f. The v. 13 was thought by some to have been Medinan, and the
address to "believers" no doubt influenced this view. The vv^9. 15f state that
the children of Israel received the Book, wisdom and prophethood, but that
they soon fell into disagreement. In the vv. 17f Muhammad is said to have
been placed on the Way, the vv. 19f speak of unbelievers and th^10 ose who
believe, and v. 22 deals with the subject of predestination. The vv. 23f
appear to reproduce pagan objections to the doctrine of the Resurrection,
and the vv. 26f tell of the Judgment, in which, somewhat reminiscent of Is.
45:23 the peoples are shown to be on their knees. The verse 45:12 is also
similar to Ps. 8:6f.
The Sira traditions relate that during one pilgrimage a number of the
Khazraj listened to Muhammad's message and became Muslims. The^11
Khazraj are said to have become acquainted with Monotheism through the
influence of their Jewish neighbors in Medina, whose apparent references