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153 after him forever. And he brought about as he promised during that time while he loved Israel. But now you are the sons of Abraham, and God is accomplishing his promise to Abraham and his seed for you. Love sincerely only the God of Abraham, and go and seize your land which God gave to your father Abraham. No one will be able to resist you in battle, because God is with you.” (Sebeos, Armenian History, 95–96) Quraanic Evidence Most introductory books on Islam begin with the biography of Muhammad and then explain the Quraan according to that At that time a certain man from among those same sons of Ishmael whose name was Mahmet, a merchant, as if by God’s command appeared to [the Arabs] as a preacher [and] the path of truth. He taught them to recognize the God of Abraham, especially because he was learned and informed in the history of Moses. Now because the command was from on high, at a single order they all came together in unity of religion. Abandoning their vain cults, they turned to the living God who had appeared to their father Abraham. So Mahmet legislated for them: not to eat carrion, not to drink wine, not to speak falsely, and not to engage in fornication. He said: “With an oath God promised this land to Abraham and his seed Chapter 7 The Historical Context of the Quraan v The Emergence of islam 154 biography. In the present chapter, we will do things the other way around. Instead of asking what the biography of the Prophet can teach us about the Quraan, we will ask what the Quraan can tell us about the biography of the Prophet, and about the emergence of Islam in general. In fact, our study of the Quraan in chapter 5 has already taught us two lessons about the historical context of Islam’s origins. First, the Quraan’s interest in taking Christians to task for their doctrines about Christ suggests the Islam emerged in an environment where theology and Christology were topics of general interest. Second, the Quraan’s frequent reference to biblical traditions (and the allusive nature of those references) suggests that Islam emerged in a context where biblical literature was well known (including later Christian works such as the Protoevangelium of James). An Arabic Quraan In the present chapter, we turn to a quality of the Quraan—its Arabic language—that offers us a third lesson on Islam’s origins. The point here is not simply that the Quraan is written in Arabic (although, as we will see, this is indeed remarkable). Instead, the point is that the Quraan itself repeatedly emphasizes that it is written in Arabic. Neither the Old Testament, written (mostly) in Hebrew, nor the New Testament, written in Greek, boasts much about its language. The Quraan, however , most certainly does. In sura 16, the Quraan refers to its language while refuting the accusation that the Prophet has an informant: “And We know very well that they say, ‘Only a mortal is teaching him.’ The speech of him at whom they hint is barbarous ; and this is speech Arabic, manifest” (Q 16:103). The Quraan does not reveal here the name of the person rumored to have been teaching the Prophet (if indeed the “him” in “teaching him” is a reference to Muhammad). The Quraan does declare, however, that this person did not speak Arabic; his tongue was barbarous. This declaration is revealing. Apparently, there were non-Arabic speakers in the Prophet’s milieu (although according to the traditional biography both the Meccans and the Medinans spoke Arabic). Elsewhere, the divine voice of the Quraan presents the Arabic language as one of its fundamental qualities: “Truly it is the revelation of the Lord of all Being, * brought down by the Faithful Spirit * upon thy heart, that thou mayest be one of the warners, * in a clear, Arabic tongue”(Q 26:192-95). In sura 12:2, the Quraan has God explain why He has chosen to send a revelation in Arabic: “We have sent it down as an Arabic Quraan, so that you [plural ] might understand” (Q 12:2, my translation ). This is a revelation, in other words, for the Arabs. The same conclusion can be made about Quraan 42:7: “And so We have revealed to thee an Arabic Quraan, that thou mayest warn the Mother of Cities and those who dwell about it, and that thou...

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