The Meccans who listened to Muhammads revelations probably became well-acquainted with the stories about Noah and Moses, because Muhammad re-told those stories quite a few times, with the intention of picturing himself in a prophetic role like Noahs and Moses. (Noahs story is also presented in 8759-64, 11:25-48, 23:23-32, 26:105-122, and 37:75-82. Moses story is also presented in 7:103-137 and 20:9-99 and other places.)
For those who have only encountered the Biblical statements about Noah, which include only one brief mention (in Second Peter 2:5) of any preaching that Noah did before the Flood, it may seem surprising that Muhammad would compare his preaching to Noahs preaching. But Muhammad and his audiences were probably familiar with extra-Biblical tales about Noah, and in those accounts, Muhammad found the material that he needed to form a parallel between the situation of a recognized prophet and his own situation in Mecca. So that is what he used, even though this made his revelation vulnerable to the oft-repeated charge that he was merely repeating tales of the ancients, rather than getting his information from Gabriel.
Noahs message to his pagan contemporaries in v. 71 is a barely-veiled statement of what Muhammad wished to convey to the pagans in Mecca. It seems clear that Muhammad believed that some Meccans had become so annoyed with him that they were plotting to kill him.
Verse 74, which makes a transition from Noah to Moses, seems difficult. After v. 73 stated that those who had opposed Noah were drowned, and Noahs descendants had flourished for a while, v. 74 states that Allah sent messengers to their people. But They would not believe what they had already rejected before hand. But when had those particular people ever previously rejected anything?
Most of this surahs presentation of the story of Moses is similar to the presentation in surah 7 (Al-Araf). Moses challenge to Pharaoh and the contest with Pharaohs sorcerers are first described. It is not difficult to see, where the Quranic text wanders from the Biblical text, that the Quranic text serves as an illlustration or comment upon Muhammads own situation. For instance, nowhere in the Biblical story of Moses do the Egyptian sorcerers ask Moses if he has come to turn them away from their ancestors religion. But that is what the Egyptians sorcerers ask Moses in 10:78, because that is the sort of thing which the Meccans were asking Muhammad.
Verse 83 is difficult to reconcile with 7:112-126. 7:120 says that the sorcerers fell down prostrate and records both Pharaohs claim that they had believed Moses, and their own claim that they believed in the revelations that their Lord had sent, and their appeal to God to let us die as Muslims. Obviously, in surah 7, the sorcerers become believers. Here in 10:83, though, None believed in Moses except the offspring of his people, because of the fear of Pharaoh and his chiefs.
In v. 87, Moses and Aaron are said to have been instructed to tell the Hebrews to Provide dwellings for your people in Egypt, and make your dwellings as places for your worship. This is not easy to make sense of, because the Hebrews already had dwelling-places in Egypt; they had been living there for generations.
Verse 90 refers to the cry which Pharaoh is said to have made as he was drowning ~ he suddenly proclaimed himself a Muslim! Verses 91-92 follow up: despite Pharaohs desperate confession, he was not delivered. Allah caused his body to be washed ashore so that he would be a sign to those who came after him. The reference to Pharaohs body is taken in the Hilali-Khan translation as a reference to his corpse (however, the term used for body is capable of referring to body-armot). The intended lesson seems to be that Allah caused his corpse to appear to either show that those who have rejected a profusion of divine guidance will not be saved by last-minute conversions (in sync with 4:18), or simply that Pharaoh had been a tool, not the one in control of the events of the exodus.
Verse 93 summarizes the aftermath of the exodus, stating that Allah proceeded to settle the Hebrews in an honourable dwelling-place. It seems strange that many Muslims (every member of the Hamas group, for example) insist that the Jews have no right to occupy the territory which was once known as the land of Canaan, despite passages like this in in their own Quran that say that Allah arranged for the Jews to have the land.
Yours in Christ,
Waterrock
For those who have only encountered the Biblical statements about Noah, which include only one brief mention (in Second Peter 2:5) of any preaching that Noah did before the Flood, it may seem surprising that Muhammad would compare his preaching to Noahs preaching. But Muhammad and his audiences were probably familiar with extra-Biblical tales about Noah, and in those accounts, Muhammad found the material that he needed to form a parallel between the situation of a recognized prophet and his own situation in Mecca. So that is what he used, even though this made his revelation vulnerable to the oft-repeated charge that he was merely repeating tales of the ancients, rather than getting his information from Gabriel.
Noahs message to his pagan contemporaries in v. 71 is a barely-veiled statement of what Muhammad wished to convey to the pagans in Mecca. It seems clear that Muhammad believed that some Meccans had become so annoyed with him that they were plotting to kill him.
Verse 74, which makes a transition from Noah to Moses, seems difficult. After v. 73 stated that those who had opposed Noah were drowned, and Noahs descendants had flourished for a while, v. 74 states that Allah sent messengers to their people. But They would not believe what they had already rejected before hand. But when had those particular people ever previously rejected anything?
Most of this surahs presentation of the story of Moses is similar to the presentation in surah 7 (Al-Araf). Moses challenge to Pharaoh and the contest with Pharaohs sorcerers are first described. It is not difficult to see, where the Quranic text wanders from the Biblical text, that the Quranic text serves as an illlustration or comment upon Muhammads own situation. For instance, nowhere in the Biblical story of Moses do the Egyptian sorcerers ask Moses if he has come to turn them away from their ancestors religion. But that is what the Egyptians sorcerers ask Moses in 10:78, because that is the sort of thing which the Meccans were asking Muhammad.
Verse 83 is difficult to reconcile with 7:112-126. 7:120 says that the sorcerers fell down prostrate and records both Pharaohs claim that they had believed Moses, and their own claim that they believed in the revelations that their Lord had sent, and their appeal to God to let us die as Muslims. Obviously, in surah 7, the sorcerers become believers. Here in 10:83, though, None believed in Moses except the offspring of his people, because of the fear of Pharaoh and his chiefs.
In v. 87, Moses and Aaron are said to have been instructed to tell the Hebrews to Provide dwellings for your people in Egypt, and make your dwellings as places for your worship. This is not easy to make sense of, because the Hebrews already had dwelling-places in Egypt; they had been living there for generations.
Verse 90 refers to the cry which Pharaoh is said to have made as he was drowning ~ he suddenly proclaimed himself a Muslim! Verses 91-92 follow up: despite Pharaohs desperate confession, he was not delivered. Allah caused his body to be washed ashore so that he would be a sign to those who came after him. The reference to Pharaohs body is taken in the Hilali-Khan translation as a reference to his corpse (however, the term used for body is capable of referring to body-armot). The intended lesson seems to be that Allah caused his corpse to appear to either show that those who have rejected a profusion of divine guidance will not be saved by last-minute conversions (in sync with 4:18), or simply that Pharaoh had been a tool, not the one in control of the events of the exodus.
Verse 93 summarizes the aftermath of the exodus, stating that Allah proceeded to settle the Hebrews in an honourable dwelling-place. It seems strange that many Muslims (every member of the Hamas group, for example) insist that the Jews have no right to occupy the territory which was once known as the land of Canaan, despite passages like this in in their own Quran that say that Allah arranged for the Jews to have the land.
Yours in Christ,
Waterrock
