Muhammad, the Qur'an and Islam
91; Speyer, Erzählungen, p. 170; etc.), the Qur'anic legend of Abraham is
forged in Medina. Although Nöldeke and Schwally, (GQ, p. 147, n. 3)
suggest that this idea may have come from Arab Jews or Christians (or just
Arabized Jews; cf. SEI, p. 399; Crone, Trade, p. 190, n. 104), the negative
reactions of the Jews and Christians and Muhammad's conciously making a
break with them in 2:129-140 show that the idea could not have come from
them. Moreover, the change of the qibla (2:136f), which Muhammad
essentially justifies by introducing Abraham and Ishmael as the builders of
the Ka`ba, also shows that this notion must have been original with
Muhammad; the Jews prayed facing Jerusalem and Christians in the East
prayed facing eastwards. There can be little doubt that the inspiration for
Muhammad's idea was found in the Abraham - Moriah - Temple teaching
of the Jews (cf. Gen. 22:2 - II Chr. 3:1 - Josephus, Antiquities, I, 13, 2.)
2:248 2:248 2:248 2:248 Saul was made king by a prophet. Saul was made king by a prophet. Saul was made king by a prophet. Saul was made king by a prophet.Cf. I Sam. 10:1f. Horovitz, Untersuchungen, p. 123, holds with Geiger
(WMJA, p. 179) that the Arabic form comes from "to be tall" (cf. I Sam.
9:2). Horovitz (Ibid., p. 106) also thinks that since the name rhymes with
the Arabic for Goliath (and Muhammad was inclined to making such pairs),
this form was also due to Muhammad.
2:250f 2:250f 2:250f 2:250f Saul's soldiers are tested by a river as Saul's soldiers are tested by a river as Saul's soldiers are tested by a river as Saul's soldiers are tested by a river as
they advance toward Goliath. they advance toward Goliath. they advance toward Goliath. they advance toward Goliath.Muhammad obviously confused the narration of Gideon, cf. Judges 7:4f,
with that of Saul. It is highly probable that this narrative was composed
after the battle of Badr, in that about 950 Meccans are said to have been
defeated by just more than 300 Muslims. Even later Muslim authorities, in
allusions to the Muslim victory at Badr, deliberately confuse the story of
Saul with Gideon, where the latter defeated a numerically superior foe (the
Midianites) with only 300 soldiers; cf. Sahih Bukhari, vol. 5, pp. 201 f; Ibn
Sa`d, Classes, vol. 2, 1, pp. 19 f; Tabari, History, vol. 7, p. 39. The
additional reference to David killing Goliath (Qur'an 2:252) could have also
been an allusion to the battle of Badr.
2:260 2:260 2:260 2:260 He [Nimrod] who argued with Abraham. He [Nimrod] who argued with Abraham. He [Nimrod] who argued with Abraham. He [Nimrod] who argued with Abraham.Geiger, WMJA, pp. 121 f., gives Midrash Rabbah Genesis, parag. 17 as a
Jewish source, but this midrash really only relates how Abraham was