Here contrasts are drawn between those who reject Muhammad, and those who accept him as a prophet. The point of the stories about the punishments rendered to those who rejected prophets in the past is thus driven home. The surah concludes with a couple of remarks about how members of Muhammads congregation should behave when they are assembled.
Verse 180 alludes to "the Most Beautiful Names" of Allah. There are 99 such names (for a list, see www.sufism.org/society/asma/index.html ). Muslims typically use rosaries to count these 99 names; however members of the Wahhabi sect, viewing rosaries as an innovation, prefer to use their knuckles in the name-reciting devotions. The reference to those who "belie or deny His names" is about Meccans and others who worshiped idols with names that resembled one or more or these Beautiful Names (for instance, those who worshiped the pagan deity Allat were charged with corrupting the name "Allah").
Most of the names are what one would expect a great, good, righteous, merciful Supreme Being to be called, and are in sync with the depiction of God in the Old Testament. Quite a few of the Beautiful Names are applicable to Jesus in the New Testament:
Jesus forgave sins Matthew 9:2-8 (Al-Ghaffar).
Jesus is the Truth John 14:6 (Al-h Haqq).
Jesus is the Ever-living One Rev. 1:18 (Al-Hayy).
Jesus is the First and the Last Rev. 1:17, 22:13, also Isaiah 44:6 (Al-Awwal and Al-Akhir).
Jesus is the Light John 1:9, 12:46 (An-Nur).
There is one descriptive name that is conspicuously absent: Allah is not called Father.
Islamic scholars have an answer to the inevitable question, Why 99 names instead of an even 100? The answer is that Allah is one, and since 1 is an odd number, it is more suitable that the names which describe Allah should be odd in number, not even.
Verse 180, like verse 6:106, instructs Muhammad to leave the idolaters. Then the text describes the unbelievers: they might not be experiencing Allahs punishment yet, but thats just because Allah wants them to be all the more surprised when their punishment arrives. This passage resembles 68:44-45; in both places the pronoun changes to I and My rather than We and Our.
Verses 184-198 are focused on three questions: (1) Is Muhammad crazy? (2) When is Judgment Day? And (3) Is it okay to worship idols? The answers are pretty much what you might expect Muhammad to say:
(1) Hes not crazy; hes a prophet.
(2) Only Allah knows when Judgment Day will be. Muhammad is just a messenger.
(3) The attribution of partners to Allah is an error as old as Adam and Eve, but it is still an error. Only Allah should be called upon.
In the course of answering the third question, the text relates an anecdote about Adam and Eve which seems to have a rabbinical source: when Eve was pregnant with Cain, as the baby within her got bigger, Adam and Eve were puzzled by what was happening to her, and figured that she must be with child. They prayed that she would have a healthy child. But when Cain was born, They ascribed partners to Him.
Genesis 4:1 says the exact opposite: when Cain was born, Eve said, I have acquired a man-child from the LORD. Now, if one takes a look at the Targum of Pseudo-Jonathan on Genesis 4:1, it says -- as related at religion.rutgers.edu/iho/targum.html -- that Eve said that she had gotten a man-child from the angel of the LORD which, strange to relate, probably refers to the fallen angel she had seen in the garden (identified variously in rabbinical literature as Satan, Azazel, or Sammael). The idea, perhaps, is that Eve thought that she had gotten pregnant, not from conjugal relations with Adam, but by eating the forbidden fruit which the serpent/demon had persuaded her to eat. Some rabbinical lore even claims that Cain was literally the offspring of Eve and a demon (who knows how this idea got started perhaps some teacher referred to Cain as a son of Belial and a student took it literally, and the story grew).
In verses 191-194, Muhammad confronts angel-worship: the angels are "slaves like you." Their existence is not denied. Then in verses 195-198, the text shifts to confront idol-worship. Muhammad seems to have lifted some material from Psalm 115:5-8, almost word-for-word ~ "They [the idols] have mouths, but they do not speak. They have eyes, but they do not see. They have ears, but they do not hear. They have hands, but they do not handle. They have feet, but they do not walk."
Verse 199 instructs Muhammad to "Show forgiveness, enjoin what is good, and turn away from the foolish," -- again, his departure from Mecca is forecast. The meaning of the opening phrase of v. 199 is debated. Though the Hilali-Khan translation says Show forgiveness, Rodwell translates the phrase as Make the best of things. Perhaps Be indulgent is a fair rendering. The idea has been kicked around that this might mean that Muhammad was to use the assets that his community has provided to further the faith, without insisting on receiving precise proportions of their income, but that doesnt fit the context very well.
Surah 114 (the last surah in the Quran) is basically a short prayer in which one does what Muhammad is instructed to do here in 7:200 (and in 41:36) -- seek refuge with Allah against the whispers of Satan. Muhammad was bothered by whispers from Satan during his career. Verse 201 seems to clarify that this is merely a reference to temptations, not to audible voices.
Verse 203 abruptly turns back to the subject of those who reject Islam. Theres a translation-related question here: some say that the opening phrase is, "And if you do not bring them a miracle," and some say, "And if you do not bring them a verse." Although Muhammads mockers often did ask for miracles, the context here indicates that on this occasion they were demanding a fresh revelation. The jib is sharp (Havent you put it together yet?) and leaves no doubt that the mockers thought that Muhammad was patching his material together by natural means, relying on his secondhand knowledge of Jewish Scriptures, legends, and rabbinical stories.
Verses 204-206 are unrelated to the preceding material. Wherry claims (toward the end at answering-islam.org.uk/Bo...y2/ch7.htm ) that v. 204 was revealed on an occasion when a young Muslim repeated aloud the verses which were being read during a mosque-service, thus distracting the rest of the congregation. An alternate origin-theory is that the verse was revealed on an occasion when the Muslims were using too much time in the mosque-services to greet each other instead of listen to Quran-recitation. Verse 205 emphasizes that prayers at morning and evening are to be made without excessive volume. (This, by the way, suggests that when this passage was revealed, Muhammad had not yet enforced the five-prayers-a-day standard, just morning and evening prayers.)
Verse 206 mentions that Allahs angels in heaven prostrate themselves before Him. This verse, taken together with 41:37-38, is used as grounds for the custom of Sajdah, i.e., prostration. Some Qurans are specially marked at this point with a symbol shaped like a minaret. This is a cue for Muslims to pause at this point to prostrate themselves. (The prostration-break is traditionally done at 14 or 15 places in the Quran, where prostration (or Allahs Throne) is mentioned. At www.quran.org.uk/ieb_qura...ations.htm they are listed.)
Yours in Christ,
Waterrock
Verse 180 alludes to "the Most Beautiful Names" of Allah. There are 99 such names (for a list, see www.sufism.org/society/asma/index.html ). Muslims typically use rosaries to count these 99 names; however members of the Wahhabi sect, viewing rosaries as an innovation, prefer to use their knuckles in the name-reciting devotions. The reference to those who "belie or deny His names" is about Meccans and others who worshiped idols with names that resembled one or more or these Beautiful Names (for instance, those who worshiped the pagan deity Allat were charged with corrupting the name "Allah").
Most of the names are what one would expect a great, good, righteous, merciful Supreme Being to be called, and are in sync with the depiction of God in the Old Testament. Quite a few of the Beautiful Names are applicable to Jesus in the New Testament:
Jesus forgave sins Matthew 9:2-8 (Al-Ghaffar).
Jesus is the Truth John 14:6 (Al-h Haqq).
Jesus is the Ever-living One Rev. 1:18 (Al-Hayy).
Jesus is the First and the Last Rev. 1:17, 22:13, also Isaiah 44:6 (Al-Awwal and Al-Akhir).
Jesus is the Light John 1:9, 12:46 (An-Nur).
There is one descriptive name that is conspicuously absent: Allah is not called Father.
Islamic scholars have an answer to the inevitable question, Why 99 names instead of an even 100? The answer is that Allah is one, and since 1 is an odd number, it is more suitable that the names which describe Allah should be odd in number, not even.
Verse 180, like verse 6:106, instructs Muhammad to leave the idolaters. Then the text describes the unbelievers: they might not be experiencing Allahs punishment yet, but thats just because Allah wants them to be all the more surprised when their punishment arrives. This passage resembles 68:44-45; in both places the pronoun changes to I and My rather than We and Our.
Verses 184-198 are focused on three questions: (1) Is Muhammad crazy? (2) When is Judgment Day? And (3) Is it okay to worship idols? The answers are pretty much what you might expect Muhammad to say:
(1) Hes not crazy; hes a prophet.
(2) Only Allah knows when Judgment Day will be. Muhammad is just a messenger.
(3) The attribution of partners to Allah is an error as old as Adam and Eve, but it is still an error. Only Allah should be called upon.
In the course of answering the third question, the text relates an anecdote about Adam and Eve which seems to have a rabbinical source: when Eve was pregnant with Cain, as the baby within her got bigger, Adam and Eve were puzzled by what was happening to her, and figured that she must be with child. They prayed that she would have a healthy child. But when Cain was born, They ascribed partners to Him.
Genesis 4:1 says the exact opposite: when Cain was born, Eve said, I have acquired a man-child from the LORD. Now, if one takes a look at the Targum of Pseudo-Jonathan on Genesis 4:1, it says -- as related at religion.rutgers.edu/iho/targum.html -- that Eve said that she had gotten a man-child from the angel of the LORD which, strange to relate, probably refers to the fallen angel she had seen in the garden (identified variously in rabbinical literature as Satan, Azazel, or Sammael). The idea, perhaps, is that Eve thought that she had gotten pregnant, not from conjugal relations with Adam, but by eating the forbidden fruit which the serpent/demon had persuaded her to eat. Some rabbinical lore even claims that Cain was literally the offspring of Eve and a demon (who knows how this idea got started perhaps some teacher referred to Cain as a son of Belial and a student took it literally, and the story grew).
In verses 191-194, Muhammad confronts angel-worship: the angels are "slaves like you." Their existence is not denied. Then in verses 195-198, the text shifts to confront idol-worship. Muhammad seems to have lifted some material from Psalm 115:5-8, almost word-for-word ~ "They [the idols] have mouths, but they do not speak. They have eyes, but they do not see. They have ears, but they do not hear. They have hands, but they do not handle. They have feet, but they do not walk."
Verse 199 instructs Muhammad to "Show forgiveness, enjoin what is good, and turn away from the foolish," -- again, his departure from Mecca is forecast. The meaning of the opening phrase of v. 199 is debated. Though the Hilali-Khan translation says Show forgiveness, Rodwell translates the phrase as Make the best of things. Perhaps Be indulgent is a fair rendering. The idea has been kicked around that this might mean that Muhammad was to use the assets that his community has provided to further the faith, without insisting on receiving precise proportions of their income, but that doesnt fit the context very well.
Surah 114 (the last surah in the Quran) is basically a short prayer in which one does what Muhammad is instructed to do here in 7:200 (and in 41:36) -- seek refuge with Allah against the whispers of Satan. Muhammad was bothered by whispers from Satan during his career. Verse 201 seems to clarify that this is merely a reference to temptations, not to audible voices.
Verse 203 abruptly turns back to the subject of those who reject Islam. Theres a translation-related question here: some say that the opening phrase is, "And if you do not bring them a miracle," and some say, "And if you do not bring them a verse." Although Muhammads mockers often did ask for miracles, the context here indicates that on this occasion they were demanding a fresh revelation. The jib is sharp (Havent you put it together yet?) and leaves no doubt that the mockers thought that Muhammad was patching his material together by natural means, relying on his secondhand knowledge of Jewish Scriptures, legends, and rabbinical stories.
Verses 204-206 are unrelated to the preceding material. Wherry claims (toward the end at answering-islam.org.uk/Bo...y2/ch7.htm ) that v. 204 was revealed on an occasion when a young Muslim repeated aloud the verses which were being read during a mosque-service, thus distracting the rest of the congregation. An alternate origin-theory is that the verse was revealed on an occasion when the Muslims were using too much time in the mosque-services to greet each other instead of listen to Quran-recitation. Verse 205 emphasizes that prayers at morning and evening are to be made without excessive volume. (This, by the way, suggests that when this passage was revealed, Muhammad had not yet enforced the five-prayers-a-day standard, just morning and evening prayers.)
Verse 206 mentions that Allahs angels in heaven prostrate themselves before Him. This verse, taken together with 41:37-38, is used as grounds for the custom of Sajdah, i.e., prostration. Some Qurans are specially marked at this point with a symbol shaped like a minaret. This is a cue for Muslims to pause at this point to prostrate themselves. (The prostration-break is traditionally done at 14 or 15 places in the Quran, where prostration (or Allahs Throne) is mentioned. At www.quran.org.uk/ieb_qura...ations.htm they are listed.)
Yours in Christ,
Waterrock
