Here I am again,
Busy, busy, busy. I have been working on research of the Quran and the Torah. Take a look if you are interested!
Promising a post soon!
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Mariah Lilligren
March 24, 2009
Rel: 490-01, Independent Research
Dr. Sam Thomas
The Beginning and the End
The theories of creation and the afterlife between the Qur’an and the Torah have many similarities as well as slight differences. These two texts have related details referring to the importance of monotheism, preservation of life and God’s creation, and the characteristics of God. More closely it is observed that the Qur’an and the Torah share similarities between the heaven, hell, creation, and the afterlife.
Islam is a religion, like Judaism, that is very strict concerning monotheism; the Qur’an asserts the belief in one single God who is unique and has no associates and with whom no one can be compared with (Esposito, 203). Today, some may include the extreme worship of leaders such as Marabous, Imams, etc. The Bee (An-Nahl) in the Qur’an it states,
016.051: Allah hath said: Choose not two gods. There is only one God. So of Me, Me only, be in awe (Holy Quran).
This along with many other passages in the Qur’an and the assertiveness of the belief in a single God, who has been named Allah, one can see that the direction that Islam has taken is one of strict monotheism. This is interesting to see, considering the area and the time in which the Qur’an and Islam began, which will be discussed later in this study.
The Torah takes a similar view in strict monotheism. In Deuteronomy chapter 5 verses 6-7, “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me” ( Holy Bible). This is the very first commandment of the ten commandments given to Moses, the most important of the 10. This is just one of the many verses that the Israelites were instructed that they should only follow one god, the God, who had brought them out of slavery and who is “one” stated in Deuteronomy 6:4 (Holy Bible).
In the Qur'an as in the Torah, God is depicted as a creator and sustainer. The Qur'an lists at least 99 names for Allah, defining attributes such as being merciful and compassionate (Esposito, 16). The Qur'an states,
010.031: Say: “Who is it that sustains you (in life) from the sky and from the earth? Or who is it that has power over hearing and sight? And who is it that brings out the living from the dead and the dead from the living? And who is it that rules and regulates all affairs?” They will soon say, “Allah”. Say, “will ye not then show piety (to Him)?
003.190: Behold! In the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the alternation of night and day,-there are indeed signs for men of understanding (Holy Quran).
In the first chapter of Genesis, verses 26-27 it states,
“Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, [b] and over all the creatures that move along the ground. 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them” (Holy Bible).
To begin, God said, “Let us make man in OUR image...” I am putting an emphasis on the “OUR” because this little word tends to get read over too quickly, when it is brought up it is skimmed. Now, what could this possibly mean? Some tend to think that it is God and his angels, a typo, or represents early onsite to the Trinity. Secondly, God does then go on to create man in his likeness and the Bible also describes God as compassionate, merciful, and loving. And then there was Adam and Eve.
It is interesting to examine the time and era from which the Qur’an and Islam grew. Before the coming of Muhammad there was enormous opportunity for merchants, social and cultural exchange with passers-by and different religions (Aslan). Throughout the Islamic world and the Islamic conquest, Muslims were not allowed to practice Judeo-Christian traditions and legends. Muslims were, however, encouraged to learn traditions about the biblical and extra-biblical pre-Islamic prophets, though they were apparently forbidden to study and copy Jewish or Christian scriptures in order to learn their practices. Before this time many Muslims looked to the resources of Jews and Christians for answers and history that were not provided in the Qur'an. According to some scholars this is one reason why there are so many similarities between these religions (Firestone).
Not only do religions have similarities but many of the important figures found in the Bible are also mentioned hundreds of times in the Qur'an, These “biblical” figures normally have the same name but slightly different roles in the Quran yet are very recognizable. Muslims believe and claim that both quranic and biblical revelation originated from the same Holy Scripture and that is also why there are so many similarities.
This is a passage taken from the Qur'an which gives an example of how the Quran supports and affirms the Torah or the “Tawhid” according to Muslims, and its gospel. The Tawhid is at the head of Islamic thought today (Esposito, 318).
005:046 Subsequent to them, we sent Jesus, the son of Mary, confirming the previous scripture, the Torah. We gave him the Gospel, containing guidance and light, and confirming the previous scriptures, the Torah, and augmenting its guidance and light, and to enlighten the righteous (Holy Quran).
According to Muslims, death is referred to as “the certainty” in the Qur’an because everyone will certainly die one day. Muslims believe that death should be contemplated throughout life because it is the most critical stage in the soul’s progress. Muslims believe that suicide is a sin and that an abortion should only be undertaken in certain critical circumstances. If a pregnant woman is sentenced to death the death sentence should wait until the baby is born (Esposito, 65).
When someone dies, the Quranic surahs, specifically number thirty six should be recited. The corps is sewn with a pure white cloth and buried preferably the same day. The body is then laid on its right side in the grave facing Mecca (Ndiaye). The Islamic profession of faith “shahadah” should be recited in the dying person's ear in the hope that they will remember it and other Islamic principles when they are questioned in the grave by Munkar and Nakir (Esposito, 65). This passage states the duty of the Angles after the death of a Muslim.
006.061: He is the irresistible, (watching) from above over his worshippers, and He sets guardians over you. At length, when death approaches one of you, Our Angels take his soul, and they never fail in their duty.( Holy Quran)
The afterlife in Islam is determined by the affirmation of one's faith to the unity and justice of God, if one acted with mercy and justice toward others, and was ethically responsible. Entrance to heaven is achieved by those who had faith in God and His revelation and lived their life according to specified moral conduct. Unbelievers and evildoers are punished in hell for eternity. On Judgment Day, each and every individual will be held accountable for their own. Heaven is the reward in the afterlife for Jews, Christians, and Muslims but for each there is a distinct of difference.
Although the Day of Judgment is not specified in the Torah, it is thought to be near in the future. When this Day of Judgment comes, every person, deed, and spirit will be returned to God for a verdict. In the book of Ecclesiastes chapter 3:17 it says,
I thought in my heart, “God will bring to judgment both the righteous and the wicked, for there will be a time for every activity, a time for every deed” (Holy Bible).
In Chapter 12 of Ecclesiastes it also states,
"The dust will return to the ground as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it "(Holy Bible).
In the Qur'an heaven is described as a garden “jannah” wherein inhabitants enjoy shade, fruit, cool drinks, wine, and meat as they desire; they recline on couches adorned with armlets of gold and pearls, wearing green and gold robes of embroidered silk, and are waited on by servants. Men of this garden are to enjoy the company of “beautiful dark-eyed companions”. Many interpreters find descriptions like these to be metaphorical and to them according to tradition, the ultimate reward of heaven is dwelling in God’s presence (Esposito, 110).
In Islam hell is known as al-Nar and Jahannam. This punishment is assigned to evildoers and unbelievers in the afterlife. Hell is described in the Qur'an as “a place of eternal fire with crackling and roaring flames, fierce boiling waters, scorching wind, and black smoke and is often depicted as having seven gates or levels. Evildoers will tumble from the Bridge of Sirat into the fire below. Inhabitants sigh and wail, drinking foul liquids in a hopeless effort to assuage their thirst. Scorched skins are exchanged for new ones so that pain can be experienced repeatedly. Boiling water is poured over heads, melting the insides. Iron hooks drag people back if they try to escape” Many scholars also find this to be a metaphorical description for the awareness of guilt and deprivation of divine presence (Esposito).
Interesting are the many similarities in Islam and Judeo-Christians have with Satan. Even the Story of how Satan came about. The Arabic term shaytan means “adversary”. Used in the Qur'an in both the singular and the plural, often interchangeably with Iblis (considered to be a particular Satan) this disobedient angel was ejected from heaven for disobeying God. Iblis tempts Adam and Eve into disobedience; in which this story he is referred to as shaytan. Also sometimes referred to as Jinn, giving rise to scholarly assumption concerning the exact nature of Satan and Iblis. But most scholars agree that he represents a principle of evil (Esposito).
004.118-004.119: Allah did curse him, but he said: “I will take of Thy servants a portion Marked off; I will mislead them, and I will create in them false desires; I will order them to slit the ears of cattle, and to deface the (fair) nature created by Allah. “Whoever, forsaking Allah, takes Satan for a friend, hath of a surety suffered a loss that is manifest (Holy Quran).
Muslims believe that at the end of time, all human beings will have to face God and account for their deeds, good and bad. God will judge then accordingly, assigning reward or punishment. The time of the Day of Judgment is not specified in the Quran but is understood to be near. Its depiction is similar to biblical accounts, with earthquakes, moving mountains, the sky splitting open, heaven being rolled back, the sun ceasing to shine, stars being scattered and falling upon the earth, oceans boiling over, graves opening and earth bringing forth hidden sins as well as lost stories and the dead themselves, and people vainly trying to flee divine wrath. Everyone will bow before God (Esposito).
In the Old Testament, the prophets of the Old Testament refer to the "Day of the Lord" in Joel 2:31; Ezekiel 13:5; and Isaiah 2:12. In which the nations will be summoned to judgment. Joel 2:31 says, “The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD.” Rabbi Allison Bergman Vann states in her sermon Rosh Hashanah: The Day of Judgment,
“As we do every year, this Rosh Hashanah we come before God to be judged. Yom HaDin, the Day of Judgment, is another name for this sacred occasion. Our tradition tells us that today God reviews all of our deeds and passes judgment upon them. As we read in our prayer book: As the shepherd seeks out his flock, and makes the sheep pass under his staff so do you muster and number and consider every soul, setting the bounds of every creature's life and decreeing its destiny (Bergman)”.
The interesting similarities between the Torah and the Qur'an could lead to the conclusion that the Qur'an took from the Torah since the Torah was around first. The suspicion of borrowing leads to the deniability of the Islamic revelation, but the fact that Muslims were not able or unwilling to borrow or learn the biblical material accurately (Firestone). What is more interesting is the similarities in creation, death, the afterlife, heaven and hell and how these similarities play a role in the lives of Muslims, Christians, and Jews all around the world.
These similarities that these religions share between heaven, hell, creation and the afterlife. Inspire important questions, if two religions agree or at least their “Holy” texts can confirm there are most definitely similarities between heaven, hell, creation, and the afterlife, why can they not see eye to eye in life today? There are certainly countries like in West Africa, where Muslims, Jews, and Christians live together under a Muslim government and are at peace with each other. Although perhaps the government does not provide the best example, the way the Senegalese interact with each other whether Muslim, Jew, or Christian, should be an inspiration to other religiously dominated countries.
The Qur’an and the Torah, two completely different yet similar texts, have such a strong impact on millions of followers across the globe; between the major religions of today there are conflicts in the interpretations of these texts. But one can see that these two “Holy” texts each support the characteristics of God, the preservation of life, and monotheism. These religions agree both on the beginning of life and the end; now what is more important is the in-between, where life actually takes place. There are too many similarities between these texts to examine just the beginning and the end.
