There are competing traditions about the background of verses 100-102. Some say that some people would ask Muhammad, "Who is my father?" and "Where is my lost camel?" and these verses were "revealed" because of this - either because such questions were distractions, or because the possession of such knowledge would cause problems (or because it was obvious that Muhammad did not know the answers).
Another tradition says that on one occasion, when Muhammad had preached about how to perform the Hajj, a man asked, "Is this command ordained only for this year, or for every year?" and Muhammad did not reply. The man kept on asking, and then Muhammad rebuked him, explaining that if he answered "For every year" then his statement would be liable to be interpreted to mean that Hajj was supposed to be undertaken by every Muslim every year.
Both of these accounts show that this passage does not forbid the scientific investigation and analysis of the Quran.
Rodwell renders a phrase in v. 101 as if it means, "If you ask of such things when the entire Koran shall have been sent down," but the Hilali-Khan translation and others render it to mean "If you ask about them while the Quran is being revealed." Rejecting Rodwells rendering here, I am left with the impression that v. 101 means that if someone asked Muhammad a question while Muhammads revelation-reception was underway, it would be answered even if the answer was liable to cause trouble for the questioner. (Perhaps this was never put to the test, being taken to mean that no one should ask questions during revelation-reception.)
Verse 103 states that Allah is not the source of the practice of designating certain camels as Bahirah, Saibah, Wasilah, and Hami. These camels were dedicated to the idolatrous deities of Mecca and were allowed to roam freely. Different writers give different definitions, and sometimes multiple definitions, of these terms. Here are some top-contending definitions:
A "Bahirah" was a she-camel with its ears cut in a certain way (as alluded to in 4:119) to signify that it was dedicated to a deity and no one was allowed to milk her.
A "Saibah" was a domesticated she-camel released to roam (presumably as a show of its owners gratitude, either to a deity or to the camel or both, after some crisis), and no one was allowed to put a burden on her.
A "Wasilah" was a she-camel, ewe, or she-goat, released to roam freely after giving birth to a set of brother-and-sister twins.
A Hami" was a retired stud-camel (retired when one of his offsprings offspring had offspring); no one was allowed to drive it from water or to trim its hair.
The backstory here is that Muhammad integrated some features of Arabian religion into Islam, and not others. When he adopted something, it was said to be the practice of an ancient monotheistic patriarch (Abraham or Ishmael, for example) which had been corrupted. Some things that he rejected were said to be the inventions of a fellow named Amr Ibn Luhayy. The period in which the monotheistic religion of Abraham and Ishmael is said to have been overshadowed by the polytheism instigated by Amr Ibn Luhayy is called the "Jahiliyyah."
Verse 104 repeats the sentiment of 2:170 (and 43:22-24). The description of the forefathers of the pagans is similar to the description of the forefathers of some Jews in Jeremiah 16:19 ~ "Surely our fathers have inherited lies, vanity, and things in which there is no profit." Jeremiah 14:20 displays the cry of repentance which God wants to hear: "We acknowledge, O LORD, our wickedness, and the iniquity of our fathers: for we have sinned against You." It is never an easy thing to attribute profound error to ones ancestors and parents, but truth should not be denied or ignored.
The appeal to "Take care of yourselves" in v. 105 is primarily about spiritual maintenance, sort of like the advice given to Christians in Jude verses 20-21. The Quran promises here, "No hurt can come to you from those who are in error." The New Testament does not issue such an unqualified promise; when Peter (in First Peter 3:13-14) wrote, "Who is he who shall harm you if you become followers of what is good?" he added, "But even if you suffer for righteousness sake, you are blessed."
Verses 106-108 relate to an occasion in which a Muslim merchant named Ibn-i-Abi-Mariyah died while on a journey. He instructed two men, who were Christians at that time (Tamim al-Dari and Uday?), who were with him, to deliver his goods to his relatives. The accounts of this incident differ in some details, but probably what happened next was something like this: Tamim and Uday took one of the valuable bowls owned by the deceased man, and they sold it to someone. Then they delivered the remaining property to the relatives. One of the relatives discovered an inventory-list in the property, and noticed that the bowl was missing. The relatives accused Tamim and Uday of pilfering the bowl. Tamim and Uday denied it. The dispute was unresolved, until one day someone recognized the missing bowl in the possession of someone else, who said he had bought it honestly, but not from Ibn-i-Abi-Mariyah. So the relatives took their case to Muhammad, and the bowl was returned to them. Although some of the details about this incident are not firmly established, that was the sort of setting in which this passage was "revealed."
Yours in Christ,
Waterrock
Another tradition says that on one occasion, when Muhammad had preached about how to perform the Hajj, a man asked, "Is this command ordained only for this year, or for every year?" and Muhammad did not reply. The man kept on asking, and then Muhammad rebuked him, explaining that if he answered "For every year" then his statement would be liable to be interpreted to mean that Hajj was supposed to be undertaken by every Muslim every year.
Both of these accounts show that this passage does not forbid the scientific investigation and analysis of the Quran.
Rodwell renders a phrase in v. 101 as if it means, "If you ask of such things when the entire Koran shall have been sent down," but the Hilali-Khan translation and others render it to mean "If you ask about them while the Quran is being revealed." Rejecting Rodwells rendering here, I am left with the impression that v. 101 means that if someone asked Muhammad a question while Muhammads revelation-reception was underway, it would be answered even if the answer was liable to cause trouble for the questioner. (Perhaps this was never put to the test, being taken to mean that no one should ask questions during revelation-reception.)
Verse 103 states that Allah is not the source of the practice of designating certain camels as Bahirah, Saibah, Wasilah, and Hami. These camels were dedicated to the idolatrous deities of Mecca and were allowed to roam freely. Different writers give different definitions, and sometimes multiple definitions, of these terms. Here are some top-contending definitions:
A "Bahirah" was a she-camel with its ears cut in a certain way (as alluded to in 4:119) to signify that it was dedicated to a deity and no one was allowed to milk her.
A "Saibah" was a domesticated she-camel released to roam (presumably as a show of its owners gratitude, either to a deity or to the camel or both, after some crisis), and no one was allowed to put a burden on her.
A "Wasilah" was a she-camel, ewe, or she-goat, released to roam freely after giving birth to a set of brother-and-sister twins.
A Hami" was a retired stud-camel (retired when one of his offsprings offspring had offspring); no one was allowed to drive it from water or to trim its hair.
The backstory here is that Muhammad integrated some features of Arabian religion into Islam, and not others. When he adopted something, it was said to be the practice of an ancient monotheistic patriarch (Abraham or Ishmael, for example) which had been corrupted. Some things that he rejected were said to be the inventions of a fellow named Amr Ibn Luhayy. The period in which the monotheistic religion of Abraham and Ishmael is said to have been overshadowed by the polytheism instigated by Amr Ibn Luhayy is called the "Jahiliyyah."
Verse 104 repeats the sentiment of 2:170 (and 43:22-24). The description of the forefathers of the pagans is similar to the description of the forefathers of some Jews in Jeremiah 16:19 ~ "Surely our fathers have inherited lies, vanity, and things in which there is no profit." Jeremiah 14:20 displays the cry of repentance which God wants to hear: "We acknowledge, O LORD, our wickedness, and the iniquity of our fathers: for we have sinned against You." It is never an easy thing to attribute profound error to ones ancestors and parents, but truth should not be denied or ignored.
The appeal to "Take care of yourselves" in v. 105 is primarily about spiritual maintenance, sort of like the advice given to Christians in Jude verses 20-21. The Quran promises here, "No hurt can come to you from those who are in error." The New Testament does not issue such an unqualified promise; when Peter (in First Peter 3:13-14) wrote, "Who is he who shall harm you if you become followers of what is good?" he added, "But even if you suffer for righteousness sake, you are blessed."
Verses 106-108 relate to an occasion in which a Muslim merchant named Ibn-i-Abi-Mariyah died while on a journey. He instructed two men, who were Christians at that time (Tamim al-Dari and Uday?), who were with him, to deliver his goods to his relatives. The accounts of this incident differ in some details, but probably what happened next was something like this: Tamim and Uday took one of the valuable bowls owned by the deceased man, and they sold it to someone. Then they delivered the remaining property to the relatives. One of the relatives discovered an inventory-list in the property, and noticed that the bowl was missing. The relatives accused Tamim and Uday of pilfering the bowl. Tamim and Uday denied it. The dispute was unresolved, until one day someone recognized the missing bowl in the possession of someone else, who said he had bought it honestly, but not from Ibn-i-Abi-Mariyah. So the relatives took their case to Muhammad, and the bowl was returned to them. Although some of the details about this incident are not firmly established, that was the sort of setting in which this passage was "revealed."
Yours in Christ,
Waterrock
