Verses 74-82 describe Abrahams decision to become a monotheist. Verse 74 says that Abrahams father was named Azar. The Bible says that Abrahams father was named Terah, and Muslims have resolved this difficulty in two ways.
Some say that Azar (which means "fire") was Abrahams uncle, rather than father, inasmuch as the term used here for "father" can be used to refer to senior male relatives in general. At www.ummah.net/khoei/append1.htm one can see an example of this view. (One likely rationale for this view is that it hurdles the notion that Abraham married his half-sister.)
Others say that Azar and Terah are the same individual. This view would probably have never been contested if some Muslims had not insisted that there had never been any idolaters in the genealogy of Muhammad (as stated in a hadith they accepted). The Quran is the first piece of known literature to call Abrahams father "Azar," but Eusebius of Caesarea (bishop and writer in the early 300s) referred to Abrahams father as Athar, and in the Talmud he is sometimes called "Zarah," and both of those names are fairly close to "Azar." A hadith in Sahih-Bukhari, Vol. 4, #569 plainly refers to Azar as Abrahams father. (Thus this hadith, and the hadith in which Muhammad claims that all his male ancestors were noble monotheists, cannot both be true.)
In verses 75-79, Abraham is presented pledging worship to a star, then to the moon, and then to the sun, only to realize that such things which set cannot be God. He concludes that monotheism must be true. The term with which Abraham is said, in v. 79, to describe his monotheistic belief Hanifa was used by Muhammad to refer to /his/ beliefs, before the terms "Islam" and "Muslim" became more prevalent.
This material - which is supplemented elsewhere in the Quran, for instance in 21:51-72 - is probably a presentation of a previously existing tradition about how Abraham became a monotheist. Josephus, in Antiquities of the Jews, Book One, chapter 7, part 1, provides the gist of the traditional material. I snipped and paraphrased the following excerpt (for the full text see www.earlyjewishwritings.com/text/josephus/ant1.html ) ~
Abram, a person of great sagacity, was the first to advocate the notion that there is only one God, the Creator of the universe, and that other supernatural beings, if they contributed at all to the happiness of men, did so because they were appointed to do so. He derived this opinion by observing the irregular phenomena that were visible both at land and sea, as well as those that happen to the sun, and moon, and all the heavenly bodies. He reasoned, 'If these bodies had power of their own, they would surely take care of their own regular motions. Since they do not preserve such regularity, they make it plain that in so far as they work to our benefit, they do it not of their own abilities, but they are subservient to a Commander, and it is to Him alone that we should justly offer our honor and thanksgiving.' On account of this teaching, the Chaldeans and other people of Mesopotamia raised a tumult against him, so he thought it fitting for him to leave that country. And at Gods command and with Gods assistance, he came and lived in the land of Canaan."
The words that are in Abrahams mouth in verses 80-82 were probably very similar to words spoken by Muhammad as he debated with the men of Mecca. Muhammad saw himself as one who was walking in the footsteps of Abraham so much so that, like Abraham (as depicted in the Talmud, at any rate), when persecuted he felt compelled to leave his hometown.
According to Sahih-Bukhari Vol. 1, #31, when Muhammad delivered 6:82 (which states that believers who do not mix their belief with Zulm [i.e., iniquity] are secure and rightly guided), some listeners asked, "But who among us has not committed iniquity?" Then the statement "Truly, joining others in worship with Allah is a great Zulm indeed" was "revealed." That statement, which at the time was a way of clarifying what sort of iniquity was being referred to in 6:82, is found in the Quran, in 31:13, as part of the words of an individual named Luqman.
Verses 84-87 list other prophets, who are not listed chronologically. "Zakariya" is Zachariah, the father of John the Baptist. "Iliyas" is identified as Elijah, and "Al-Yasa" is identified as Elisha.
In verses 88-89, the text states that if the prophets had regressed into idolatry, their good deeds would not have benefited them. The same sentiment is explained in Ezekiel 33:12. It would be difficult for the Meccans to grasp the immediate application: just as Allah could abandon the prophets if they abandoned Him, then after Mecca -- which Muhammad believed to have been blessed by Abraham and Ishmael - rejected Muhammads message, he could take his message elsewhere, to other people who would be more receptive.
The first phrase of v. 90, referring to the prophets who were just listed, says, "Follow their guidance." Thus the Quran instructs readers to follow the guidance provided by the prophets, including Zachariah, John the Baptist, and Jesus.
Zachariah said that his child John "Will be called the prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to His people by the remission of their sins, through the tender mercy of our God" (in Luke 1:76-77). And John the Baptist fulfilled his fathers prophetic words when he went to the Jordan River and preached baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. When he saw Jesus, John said, "Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world." And Jesus told His disciples (in John 5:23), "He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him." He instructed them to baptize those who believed the good news about Him - not in the name of the Father, Mother, and Son, but in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Whoever really follows the guidance of the prophets listed in verses 84-86 will be guided to become a disciple of Jesus the Messiah.
The last part of v. 90, to be said by Muhammad, closely resembles part of a statement which, in surah 26:109, is presented as if spoken by Noah. The statement pops up again, in Noahs mouth, in 11:29 (and in 12:104, 25:57, 34:47, 38:87, and in 42:23 where the statement is qualified) -- and in the first part of 11:31, one finds in Noahs mouth the words which were in Muhammads mouth in 6:50. It looks like Muhammad, as he delivered this passage in surah 6, regarded his relationship to the men of Mecca as comparable to the relationship between Abraham and his unbelieving contemporaries in Ur, and as comparable to the relationship between Noah and his unbelieving contemporaries before the Flood.
Yours in Christ,
Waterrock
Some say that Azar (which means "fire") was Abrahams uncle, rather than father, inasmuch as the term used here for "father" can be used to refer to senior male relatives in general. At www.ummah.net/khoei/append1.htm one can see an example of this view. (One likely rationale for this view is that it hurdles the notion that Abraham married his half-sister.)
Others say that Azar and Terah are the same individual. This view would probably have never been contested if some Muslims had not insisted that there had never been any idolaters in the genealogy of Muhammad (as stated in a hadith they accepted). The Quran is the first piece of known literature to call Abrahams father "Azar," but Eusebius of Caesarea (bishop and writer in the early 300s) referred to Abrahams father as Athar, and in the Talmud he is sometimes called "Zarah," and both of those names are fairly close to "Azar." A hadith in Sahih-Bukhari, Vol. 4, #569 plainly refers to Azar as Abrahams father. (Thus this hadith, and the hadith in which Muhammad claims that all his male ancestors were noble monotheists, cannot both be true.)
In verses 75-79, Abraham is presented pledging worship to a star, then to the moon, and then to the sun, only to realize that such things which set cannot be God. He concludes that monotheism must be true. The term with which Abraham is said, in v. 79, to describe his monotheistic belief Hanifa was used by Muhammad to refer to /his/ beliefs, before the terms "Islam" and "Muslim" became more prevalent.
This material - which is supplemented elsewhere in the Quran, for instance in 21:51-72 - is probably a presentation of a previously existing tradition about how Abraham became a monotheist. Josephus, in Antiquities of the Jews, Book One, chapter 7, part 1, provides the gist of the traditional material. I snipped and paraphrased the following excerpt (for the full text see www.earlyjewishwritings.com/text/josephus/ant1.html ) ~
Abram, a person of great sagacity, was the first to advocate the notion that there is only one God, the Creator of the universe, and that other supernatural beings, if they contributed at all to the happiness of men, did so because they were appointed to do so. He derived this opinion by observing the irregular phenomena that were visible both at land and sea, as well as those that happen to the sun, and moon, and all the heavenly bodies. He reasoned, 'If these bodies had power of their own, they would surely take care of their own regular motions. Since they do not preserve such regularity, they make it plain that in so far as they work to our benefit, they do it not of their own abilities, but they are subservient to a Commander, and it is to Him alone that we should justly offer our honor and thanksgiving.' On account of this teaching, the Chaldeans and other people of Mesopotamia raised a tumult against him, so he thought it fitting for him to leave that country. And at Gods command and with Gods assistance, he came and lived in the land of Canaan."
The words that are in Abrahams mouth in verses 80-82 were probably very similar to words spoken by Muhammad as he debated with the men of Mecca. Muhammad saw himself as one who was walking in the footsteps of Abraham so much so that, like Abraham (as depicted in the Talmud, at any rate), when persecuted he felt compelled to leave his hometown.
According to Sahih-Bukhari Vol. 1, #31, when Muhammad delivered 6:82 (which states that believers who do not mix their belief with Zulm [i.e., iniquity] are secure and rightly guided), some listeners asked, "But who among us has not committed iniquity?" Then the statement "Truly, joining others in worship with Allah is a great Zulm indeed" was "revealed." That statement, which at the time was a way of clarifying what sort of iniquity was being referred to in 6:82, is found in the Quran, in 31:13, as part of the words of an individual named Luqman.
Verses 84-87 list other prophets, who are not listed chronologically. "Zakariya" is Zachariah, the father of John the Baptist. "Iliyas" is identified as Elijah, and "Al-Yasa" is identified as Elisha.
In verses 88-89, the text states that if the prophets had regressed into idolatry, their good deeds would not have benefited them. The same sentiment is explained in Ezekiel 33:12. It would be difficult for the Meccans to grasp the immediate application: just as Allah could abandon the prophets if they abandoned Him, then after Mecca -- which Muhammad believed to have been blessed by Abraham and Ishmael - rejected Muhammads message, he could take his message elsewhere, to other people who would be more receptive.
The first phrase of v. 90, referring to the prophets who were just listed, says, "Follow their guidance." Thus the Quran instructs readers to follow the guidance provided by the prophets, including Zachariah, John the Baptist, and Jesus.
Zachariah said that his child John "Will be called the prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to His people by the remission of their sins, through the tender mercy of our God" (in Luke 1:76-77). And John the Baptist fulfilled his fathers prophetic words when he went to the Jordan River and preached baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. When he saw Jesus, John said, "Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world." And Jesus told His disciples (in John 5:23), "He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him." He instructed them to baptize those who believed the good news about Him - not in the name of the Father, Mother, and Son, but in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Whoever really follows the guidance of the prophets listed in verses 84-86 will be guided to become a disciple of Jesus the Messiah.
The last part of v. 90, to be said by Muhammad, closely resembles part of a statement which, in surah 26:109, is presented as if spoken by Noah. The statement pops up again, in Noahs mouth, in 11:29 (and in 12:104, 25:57, 34:47, 38:87, and in 42:23 where the statement is qualified) -- and in the first part of 11:31, one finds in Noahs mouth the words which were in Muhammads mouth in 6:50. It looks like Muhammad, as he delivered this passage in surah 6, regarded his relationship to the men of Mecca as comparable to the relationship between Abraham and his unbelieving contemporaries in Ur, and as comparable to the relationship between Noah and his unbelieving contemporaries before the Flood.
Yours in Christ,
Waterrock
