Muhammad, the Qur'an and Islam
Musaylima is said to have sent Muhammad a letter with the proposal of
dividing the land between themselves, but Muhammad refused.^256
Qur'an 5Qur'an 5Qur'an 5Qur'an 5 appears to be composed of very many fragments from various
time periods. The vv. 1f essentially forbid hunting during th^257 e pilgrimage,
and v. 3b shows that the former hate against the Meccans was to be laid
aside. The v. 4 speaks of dietary laws and forbids arrow casting as
divination. The v. 5 states that faith has been perfected and^258 that the
dietary laws can be broken if one is suffering from hunger. The vv. 6f
continue with the subject of dietary regulations, and v. 7b abruptly begins
to speak of mar- riage laws, whereby the marriage to a Jew or Christian
seems to be allowed. The vv. 8f deal with ablutions before prayer, and v. 10
seems to refer to Ex. 24:3, 7. The v. 15 speaks about an alleged covenant
made with the children of Israel, in which those who perform the prayer,
give alms, and believe the messengers are said to have their sins forgiven
and will be sent to Paradise. The v. 16 says that the Jews broke the
covenant, exchanged some of the words and forgot parts of what was told
them. The v. 17 states that a covenant was also made with the Christians,
but they forgot part of it and (as a punishment) hate and emnity was sown
among them. The v. 18 says that Muhammad has come to proclaim what
the People of the Book had hidden– a light from Allah by which people
are led from the darkness to the light (cf. Acts 26:18). The v. 19 states that
the unbelievers say that God is the Messiah, and asks who would have had
more power than God in order to have killed Him. The v. 20 says that God
has power over everything, and in v. 21 the Jews and Christians, who claim
to be the sons of God are asked why God punishes them for their sins. The
v. 22 maintains that Muhammad has come after an intermission in the
prophetic ministry. The vv. 23f give a narrative in which Moses
anachronistically alludes to God as having already appointed kings from
among the Israelites (v. 23); the people's (spies) answer to the
commandment to enter the land is referred to (v. 25), an ambiguous story
about two men who disobeyed and did not enter a city is given (vv. 26f),
and the forty years of wandering is mentioned as having been a punishment
(v. 29). The vv. 30f give a short narrative about the two sons of Adam
[Cain and Abel], The v. 37 says that those who oppose Allah and^259
Muhammad by making destruction in the earth, are to be punished by being
killed and crucified with their (alternate) hands and feet being cut off, or by
banishment. The v. 38 excludes the punishment of those who co^260 me and
repent before they come into the hands of the Muslims. The v. 39
encourages to fight in "Allah's way," and the vv. 40f show that the