Muhammad: Meccan Oppositionof past. The v. 193 shows how the doctrine of revelation was moved away
from pagan Arab descriptions (cf. 81:23f; 53:5f) toward a mo^91 re Biblical
basis. The v. 195 states that Muhammad warns in clear Arabic, an^92 d v. 197
is probably one of the first direct references to the Jews, for which reason
some scholars consider this verse to have been Medinan. The^93 re is
evidence, however, which indicates the presence of Jews in Mecca, and^94
the Arabs of Mecca must have at least had frequent contact with Jews as
merchants. The vv. 208f hint that, as a parallel to the punishment narratives
of this sura, a punishment for the city of Mecca is to be expected if the
Meccans reject Muhammad's message (cf. 15:4f). In the Sira traditions v.
214 is usually dated very early, but such a notion has been r^95 ejected by
most Western scholars on the grounds that the style of the verse indicates a
later time period. The vv. 221f refer to the eavesdropping of^96 spirits (cf.
37:10; 72:9; 15:18; etc.), and vv. 224f contain a ridicule of Arab poets,^97
from which this sura derives its name.
Qur'an 15Qur'an 15Qur'an 15Qur'an 15 begins with mysterious letters, and v. 1 parallels 26:1. The^98
vv. 2-5 refer to the now specific judgment of Mecca (cf. 20:208f), v. 6
shows that Muhammad was accused of being possessed, and th^99 e vv. 7f
reveal that the Meccans asked for a sign (in this case an angel), which was
not given because they would still persist in their unbelief (vv. 8, 14f).^100
Qur'an 15:18 is reminiscent of other passages (cf. 37:10; 26:221f; 72:9;
etc.), after which a short narrative of Adam and Satan (Iblis) similar to the
one in 20:115 is told. The description of Hell as having seven doors (v. 44)
seems to have come from Jewish sources. The story of Abraham a^101 nd his
guests (vv. 51f) pretty much follows the account in Qur'an 51:24f, with
notable exceptions being that it is now known that it was Lot's household
who was to be saved (v. 59), but not his wife (v. 60). In the vv. 78^102103 f the
people of the Thicket are mentioned briefly, and the story about those of
al-Hijr (vv. 80f) is thought to refer to the Thamud (cf. 15:82 with 26:149).
The various theories as to what the "seven mathani" (v. 87) could mean are
inconclusive, but it seems that the seven punishment narratives of Qur'an 26
may be meant, rather than the typical Muslim view that the "m^104 athani" are
the seven verses of Qur'an 1. The vv. 90-91 appear to be missin^105 g some
text, and the vv. 94f show again that Muhammad was being oppos^106 ed. As
with Qur'an 26:214, the passage 15:94 is often placed much earlier in the
Sira traditions, however, this idea is again rejected by Western scholars in
that the verse betrays a style in keeping with later passages. Some sources^107
claim that this sura originally contained 190 verses, instead of the 99 of
today's verses.^108