The list of rejected prophets whose people were subsequently punished continues: the story of Lot, and the destruction of Sodom, known to Jews and Christians from Genesis 19, is summed up in verses 80-84. The alterations, though minor, are sufficiently large to see Muhammads precedent-inventing agenda. Lot is said to have brought a message to his people, and is described (in 26:161) as their brother even though he was fairly new to Sodom. Thus the text emphasizes that Muhammad, by prophesying to /his/ people, was following precedent. And, although the Sodomites attempt to attack Lot to abuse him and his guests in Genesis 19:9, in the Quran the intention of the Sodomites (expressed also in 27:56) is like the intention of the Meccans who opposed Muhammad.
In v. 80, the text presents Lot accusing the Sodomites of committing sin such as none preceding you has committed in the Alamin. Some translations render this so as to say, such as no creatures before you have committed, thus raising a question, since homosexual behavior is known to exist in other species. However, Rodwell notes that the Arabic text has Min il 'alamina, which (he seems to think, anyway) may be interpreted to mean among the wise, rather than in all the worlds.
Notice the parallel which the text draws between Lot and Muhammad in v. 83: Lots family escapes Sodom except for his wife. Similarly Muhammad was planning to depart Mecca but his wife Khadija, by the time this surah was delivered, was already dead. Elsewhere, the Quran (11:81) seems to depict Lots wife leaving Sodom with Lot, but looking back, as described in Genesis 19. Another parallel in 26:170-121 emphasizes that Lots wife was "an old woman." This detail is found nowhere in Genesis, but it fits the facts regarding Khadija, who was quite a bit older than Muhammad.
Shuaib, the prophet who is the focus of verses 85-102, is the same individual known in the Old Testament as Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses. A few online Muslim interpreters dispute this, but the tradition supporting this identification seems strong, and Wherry, in his commentary, cites a source which states that Ephream the Syrian, in his commentaries, referred to Jethro as Shuaib.
Shuaibs message in v. 85 is basically statements Muhammad himself made elsewhere: his opening line is the same as the opening lines given in the text by Noah, Hud, and Salih. His appeal to the Midianites to "give full measure and full weight" is a component of the Straight Path advocated by Muhammad in 6:152, and the appeal against doing mischief echoes 7:56. Shuaibs comments in v. 87 are particularly interesting: he is depicted appealing to the patience of those who disagree with him, as if to say, "Some of you agree with me and some of you disagree with me. Lets just wait and see what Allah says about the things we disagree about." This was precisely Muhammads tactic in his early days in Mecca. (How things changed once he had an army!!)
Similarly, the discussion depicted between Shuaib and the Midianites in verses 88-90 is a virtual echo of Muhammads own discussions with the leaders of Mecca. It seems possible that when Muhammad spoke this surah, he was planning to leave Mecca, and he expected an earthquake to destroy the city. In verses 78 and 91 the text points out that the towns which rejected earlier prophets were destroyed by earthquakes.
Shuaib's feelings, expressed in v. 93, are precisely the feelings of Muhammad, after he had made numerous efforts to persuade the Meccans to abandon their idols: he expected them to be destroyed, and he did not feel very sorry for them.
Verses 94-102 consist of generalized statements about the towns that were destroyed after their inhabitants rejected the prophets of the past (that is, the prophets whose careers Muhammad described in verses 59-94). Verse 94 may allude to a famine that had struck the vicinity of Mecca before Muhammads departure the idea being that if the Meccans had listened to Muhammad, the famine would not have occurred. The famine was not devastating, though, and so the Meccans naturally took it in stride, as described in v. 95. The section concludes by repeatedly criticizing those who feel secure that they can reject a prophet with impunity, and by repeating the verdict that most of the inhabitants of the destroyed towns (and, by inference, Mecca also) were rebellious.
Lets review verses 59-102:
Noah instructed his people to worship only Allah, but they rejected him, and were destroyed.
Hud instructed his people to worship only Allah, but they rejected him, called him a liar, followed their fathers religion, and were punished.
Salih instructed his people to worship Allah, but most of them disobeyed him, and were destroyed in an earthquake.
Lot instructed his people to stop lustfully sinning, but they disobeyed him, and he and his family left Sodom, except for his old wife, before it was destroyed.
Shuaib instructed his people to worship Allah and behave properly, but they rejected him, and tried to get his followers to recant, and were destroyed in an earthquake.
The theme here seems pretty clear: each prophet is drawn so as to resemble Muhammad, and each town or people is drawn so as to resemble the Meccans.
Yours in Christ,
Waterrock
In v. 80, the text presents Lot accusing the Sodomites of committing sin such as none preceding you has committed in the Alamin. Some translations render this so as to say, such as no creatures before you have committed, thus raising a question, since homosexual behavior is known to exist in other species. However, Rodwell notes that the Arabic text has Min il 'alamina, which (he seems to think, anyway) may be interpreted to mean among the wise, rather than in all the worlds.
Notice the parallel which the text draws between Lot and Muhammad in v. 83: Lots family escapes Sodom except for his wife. Similarly Muhammad was planning to depart Mecca but his wife Khadija, by the time this surah was delivered, was already dead. Elsewhere, the Quran (11:81) seems to depict Lots wife leaving Sodom with Lot, but looking back, as described in Genesis 19. Another parallel in 26:170-121 emphasizes that Lots wife was "an old woman." This detail is found nowhere in Genesis, but it fits the facts regarding Khadija, who was quite a bit older than Muhammad.
Shuaib, the prophet who is the focus of verses 85-102, is the same individual known in the Old Testament as Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses. A few online Muslim interpreters dispute this, but the tradition supporting this identification seems strong, and Wherry, in his commentary, cites a source which states that Ephream the Syrian, in his commentaries, referred to Jethro as Shuaib.
Shuaibs message in v. 85 is basically statements Muhammad himself made elsewhere: his opening line is the same as the opening lines given in the text by Noah, Hud, and Salih. His appeal to the Midianites to "give full measure and full weight" is a component of the Straight Path advocated by Muhammad in 6:152, and the appeal against doing mischief echoes 7:56. Shuaibs comments in v. 87 are particularly interesting: he is depicted appealing to the patience of those who disagree with him, as if to say, "Some of you agree with me and some of you disagree with me. Lets just wait and see what Allah says about the things we disagree about." This was precisely Muhammads tactic in his early days in Mecca. (How things changed once he had an army!!)
Similarly, the discussion depicted between Shuaib and the Midianites in verses 88-90 is a virtual echo of Muhammads own discussions with the leaders of Mecca. It seems possible that when Muhammad spoke this surah, he was planning to leave Mecca, and he expected an earthquake to destroy the city. In verses 78 and 91 the text points out that the towns which rejected earlier prophets were destroyed by earthquakes.
Shuaib's feelings, expressed in v. 93, are precisely the feelings of Muhammad, after he had made numerous efforts to persuade the Meccans to abandon their idols: he expected them to be destroyed, and he did not feel very sorry for them.
Verses 94-102 consist of generalized statements about the towns that were destroyed after their inhabitants rejected the prophets of the past (that is, the prophets whose careers Muhammad described in verses 59-94). Verse 94 may allude to a famine that had struck the vicinity of Mecca before Muhammads departure the idea being that if the Meccans had listened to Muhammad, the famine would not have occurred. The famine was not devastating, though, and so the Meccans naturally took it in stride, as described in v. 95. The section concludes by repeatedly criticizing those who feel secure that they can reject a prophet with impunity, and by repeating the verdict that most of the inhabitants of the destroyed towns (and, by inference, Mecca also) were rebellious.
Lets review verses 59-102:
Noah instructed his people to worship only Allah, but they rejected him, and were destroyed.
Hud instructed his people to worship only Allah, but they rejected him, called him a liar, followed their fathers religion, and were punished.
Salih instructed his people to worship Allah, but most of them disobeyed him, and were destroyed in an earthquake.
Lot instructed his people to stop lustfully sinning, but they disobeyed him, and he and his family left Sodom, except for his old wife, before it was destroyed.
Shuaib instructed his people to worship Allah and behave properly, but they rejected him, and tried to get his followers to recant, and were destroyed in an earthquake.
The theme here seems pretty clear: each prophet is drawn so as to resemble Muhammad, and each town or people is drawn so as to resemble the Meccans.
Yours in Christ,
Waterrock
