Introduction
Public discourse on any subject will always be subject to misunderstandings and intentional distortions, but when it comes to religious affairs, this is even more problematic, because religion can be intertwined with identity and culture, thus, sensitivities and emotions become involved, without the benefit of patience and deep thought.
The Qur'an (39:3) teaches that religion is supposed to be specifically for God. It also teaches that faith should be backed by rational arguments and evidence (22:46, 46:26, 12:1, et al).
It is with those teachings in mind that we present A deep dive into false ideas regarding Islam: with a focus on the Abrahamic ties, to function as a clarification and a reference to those in particular that are associated with the Abrahamic faiths, to address wrong and often ignorant assertions made from such quarters about the religion of Islam, some of those notions having existed for centuries, but with the advent of mass communication, made much easier with the internet and social media, have the capacity to spread further and be taken as credible, simply because of marketing.
Below, we take a look at some of the leading false ideas that are to be found in the public discourse:
Islam is for Arabs (only)
This particular assertion is made by those who can concede that Muhammad (peace be upon him) was indeed a Prophet of God yet find his message (risaalah) relevant only to the Arabs. Such an idea comes from the assertion that Muhammad was the "founder" of Islam, and that because the scripture (Qur'an) is in Arabic, it is therefore Arab-centric with no value to the wider world.
Such a view contradicts the religious teachings as well as historical realities regarding the Muslim community globally. (ft.1)
The Qur'an refers to Muhammad as "The seal of the Prophets" (33:40), a "mercy to all nations" (21:107) as well as a Messenger "sufficient for all people" (34:28). These references should suffice in terms of how the Prophet is portrayed insofar as his potential audience.
Moreover, the Islamic scripture speaks very eloquently on humanity's diversity as evidence of Divine power, wisdom, and as a means for mutual growth (Q 30:22, 49:13), and the Prophet to whom it was given has himself shown clearly that racism and "chosen people" concept have no place in faith. Although there are many statements made by him recorded, his words in his famous final speech (khutbat al widaa') provide a powerful message. He has stated " An Arab carries no virtue over a non-Arab, nor does a non-Arab over an Arab, nor a white over a black, (the only criterion being) piety."
What about Ishmael and Isaac?
Another notion widespread, in particular among Jews and Christians, is that Islam functions as a religious rebellion, generated by the feud between the sons of Abraham, itself being an extension of the feud between their respective mothers (Sarah and Hagar).
This notion is further given fuel by the fact that while Judaism (and by extension Christianity) asserts that the identity of the sacrificed son is Isaac (the progenitor of the Jews) while Islam teaches that the son here would be none other than Ishmael (the progenitor of the Arabs).
While it is true that there is a difference in the identification of the particular son (ft.2), as well as the fact that the Bible (Gen.16:12) uses disrespectful language regarding Ishmael, it should be noted that the Qur'an never does the same thing to Isaac!
Isaac is viewed with reverence by Muslims, he is given in the Qur'an as one of the carriers of the Divine message (37:112 among other places), and the invocation of peace is recited by Muslims when he is referenced.
This is also strong proof that Islam is not a tribalistic faith, nor is it centered in Arab nationalism.
Qur'an vis-a vis Bible
Seven Quranic texts are often cited by missionaries of various denominations as proof that the Qur'an is relatively useless when it comes to matters spoken of in the Judeo-Christian dispensation. Islam does teach that God has sent forth communication and even scriptures before the advent of the Qur'an to Prophet Muhammad (see the Qur'an 2:1-5, 3:1-3, among other places), however it also teaches that the Qur'an itself functions as a clarification of matters that are present in the Judeo-Christian discourse (Q 27:76). It also sees itself as a "guardian" insofar as preserving essential truths as conveyed in the past (Q 5:48). It portrays itself as the "best narration" (Q 39:23) and the ultimate criteria for judgement (Q 25:1).
A summary of the cited texts is given below, along with a thorough yet succinct explanation.
[1] Q 5:43. This verse requires a simple reading of verses 41-42 which precede it. The context shows the insincerity of the party approaching Prophet Muhammad for a legal ruling. It is here a bit of sarcasm when it reads " And how do they come to you (O Muhammad) for judgement, while they possess the law, therein being God's judgement, then, they turn away after a while, and they are not of those who possess faith."
[2] Q 5:44. The "Law" possessed light and guidance. Remember that the particular aspect of "law" (here being "Taurah") that is referred to is the law of retribution, mentioned in Q 5:45 as something which appears not only in the Qur'an, but in the "law" which came before.
[3] Q 5:46-47: "Injeel" means "Good news", being the Arabic rendering of what is called in English "Gospel". It does NOT reference an actual book, let alone the largely anonymous collections of "Gospels" that came into circulation after the time of Jesus. Jesus did not carry a book with him called "The Gospel", on the contrary, he represented and embodied that "good news". Therefore, his "followers" should conduct themselves in that light. In any case, the very next verse (5:48) tells us that now we have a scripture of Divine Origin, given to the global messenger, that safeguards the core truths that were conveyed before. It is worth mentioning here that Islam teaches that God's guidance was conveyed to peoples all over the world, not limited to a semitic context, and that we have limited information currently on the history (and even identities) of them. (Q 13:7, 40:78).
[4] Q 5:66-68. They did not, in fact, stick to Divine guidance, however, with the Qur'anic revelation to Muhammad, the chance for that guidance emerges once again.
Modern scholarship has confirmed what has been hinted at in the Qur'an (2:79) regarding the editing process of the Bible, not only in theological points, but even in texts which seemingly are innocuous. (ft.3)
Some important examples of differences
One must keep in mind that the Qur'an is for the benefit of all God-aware human beings (Q 2:1), and a thorough reading of its contents and language will show that its general message and application can fit in any time, place and cultural context. We have chosen below some examples to illustrate the Quranic logic vis a vis the rituals and laws that are associated with the Bible or with the faiths tied to it.
[1] Sabbath: The Bible gives two different reasons for its observance: that God "rested" after the creation of the universe (Gen.2:2) and as an act of gratitude to God for liberation (of the Jews) from Egypt (Deut.5:15). (ft.4).
In Islam, there is no concept of God having to "rest", even as a metaphorical expression! The Qur'an says directly "God, none deserves worship except him, the self-subsisting, the eternal, slumber does not overtake him, nor does sleep." (Q 2:255).
Thus, the theological assumptions present in the Biblical language have no equivalent in the Qur'an, thus, that assumption is rejected, and no need for Muslims to observe the Sabbath. Moreover, the other reason given, as an act of gratitude, at best, is for that immediate audience, not for all of humanity.
[2] Divorce: Allowed in the Mosaic dispensation (Deut.24:1), it is said to have been forbidden by Jesus, allowed only in cases of adultery (Matthew 19:9). If the Biblical text can be taken as authoritative, it becomes apparent that divorce was too easy and too lax in Jesus' time and insofar as his audience, so he seeks to stop the abuse of the Mosaic allowance.
Islam, as a faith for all mankind, not only allows divorce, but it also gives us regulations on it. There's an entire chapter called "Divorce" (Soorah at Talaq, 65). This is logical, in that the bulk of mankind would not necessarily face the same issues as faced by the audience of Jesus in his time.
[3] Alcoholic Consumption: While the Bible writers have expressed language ranging from praise of it (Psalm 104:15, Ecclesiastes 9:7) to condemnation of drunken behavior (Proverbs 20:1), nonetheless it has been generally allowed in most strands of Judaism and Christianity.
The Qur'an, given to humanity as a guide to safety and maximum benefit, has decreed that it is totally forbidden. The Qur'an simply states that the harms of alcohol outweigh its benefit (2:219. also see 5:90)
Footnotes
(1) The Arab world only constitutes 20 % of Muslims globally. They are a minority in the Muslim world, the largest nation of Muslims being Indonesia, as well as half of the African continent. Moreover, "Islam" is an Arabic word which means "surrender to God", and according to the Qur'an, submission to God has been taught by the authentic prophets and teachers of the past, in both semitic and non-semitic societies. As for faith as presented in the Bible and Qur'an, refer to the paragraph "Islam: The path of Jesus and Muhammad" in the following article. Click here
(2) There are several issues present that need to be looked at. {I} The older son of Abraham, Ishmael-the progenitor of the Arabs- would be the logical son for the sacrifice. {II} While the Bible (Gen.22) certainly names Isaac (the younger son) as to be the sacrifice, it incorrectly calls him "Your only son", which, at no time, was ever the case! The Biblical wording absolutely suggests the motivations of tribal prestige, which is totally absent from the Qur'an. It is also relevant here to mention that the covenant, often spoken of by missionaries with Biblical citations, has a totally different expression than the Quranic language. In Q 2:124, we read that God tells Abraham that he will make him a leader of global impact ("Imaaman"), Abraham asks if this extends to his descendants, to which he is told "My covenant extends not to the oppressive". Thus, Islam teaches that neither tribe or bloodlines (real or imagined) carry any weight insofar as ties with God are concerned.
(3) It has been convincingly argued, for example, that Mark's Gospel was written in Rome (and not Palestine) by citing Mark 10:12, which allows a woman to seek out divorce. Such an allowance occurred under Roman law, but not in Jewish law, which is exclusively with the man! See Barton, John A HISTORY OF THE BIBLE: THE BOOK & ITS FAITHS, Penguin books, 2019, pg.297. Many authorities, similarly, have been able to detect that the famous story of the adulteress spared by Jesus with the words "let he who is sinless cast the first stone" to be a later interpolation. See Bart D.Ehram, MISQUOTING JESUS: THE STORY BEHIND WHO CHANGED THE BIBLE AND WHY, HarperSanFrancisco, New York, 2005, pp.63-66. Even the famous "Lord's prayer", the most recited supplication in Christendom, has been dismissed as wrongly attributed to Jesus later on. See John Shelby Spong BIBLICAL LITERALISM: A GENTILE HERESY. Harper One, New York, 2016, pp.135-137. This is just the tip of the iceberg.
(4) Genesis 2:2 is rendered as "ceased" in the JPS translation ( TANAKH THE HOLY SCRIPTURES, pg.4, New York, 1988) but has a note that allows for "rested". Robert Alter has also used the same word in his translation (THE FIVE BOOKS OF MOSES, New York, W.W.Norton & Company, 2004, pg.20). While this text has different understandings among Jews and Christians respectively, Islam does not allow for even this sort of language to be used. Thus, the theological importance of the Quranic text 2:255. which is famously called the verse of the throne (Ayatul Kursiyy). A brief examination of that text can be found here
