Muhammad, the Qur\'an & Islam

Appendix D

10:98 10:98 10:98 10:98 The people of Jonah believed. The people of Jonah believed. The people of Jonah believed. The people of Jonah believed.

Cf. Jonah 3:10. See Tabari, History, vol. 4, p. 160, where the phrase
"people of Jonah," may have caused the Muslim scholars to think Jonah
was originally from Nineveh.

34:14f 34:14f 34:14f 34:14f The two gardens and a flood in Saba' The two gardens and a flood in Saba' The two gardens and a flood in Saba' The two gardens and a flood in Saba'

(Sheba). (Sheba). (Sheba). (Sheba).

Andrae, Ursprung, p. 133, thinks this was also based on the Syrian garden
parable (Anecdota Syriaca, vol. 3, pp. 39 f.). However, others maintain that
this actually refers to the dam breaks of Ma'rib, which occurred in 456, 549
and c. 570 AD (Rudolph, Koran, p. 388, n. 10; cf. Watt and Bell,
Introduction, p. 7). Horovitz, Untersuchungen, pp. 115 f, also shows that
among the pre-Islamic Arab poets al-A`sha speaks of the dam in Saba'.

7:105 7:105 7:105 7:105 Moses performs the miracle of the leprous Moses performs the miracle of the leprous Moses performs the miracle of the leprous Moses performs the miracle of the leprous

hand in front of Pharoah. hand in front of Pharoah. hand in front of Pharoah. hand in front of Pharoah.

Speyer, in Erzählungen, p. 265, gives Pirke Rabbi Eliezer, 48 as the Jewish
source for this.

7:139f 7:139f 7:139f 7:139f Moses requests to see God, but God doesn't Moses requests to see God, but God doesn't Moses requests to see God, but God doesn't Moses requests to see God, but God doesn't

allow this; destroys a mountain instead. allow this; destroys a mountain instead. allow this; destroys a mountain instead. allow this; destroys a mountain instead.

Speyer, Erzählungen, pp. 341 f, believes that the destruction of the mountain
is a corruption of a Talmudic legend, in which Moses threatened to let the
mountain fall on the people, because they refused to accept the Torah;
cf. Avodah Zarah 2b; Shabbat 88a.

7:163f 7:163f 7:163f 7:163f Fish which would only come on the Sabbath. Fish which would only come on the Sabbath. Fish which would only come on the Sabbath. Fish which would only come on the Sabbath.

Speyer, Erzählungen, p. 314, thinks that Muhammad probably confused
various Jewish traditions in this narration; cf. Kiddushin 72a; Shabbat 118a.