Quran Garden

Session 358

Chapter 3

Verse 23

a continuation

Didn't you see those who were given a share of the scripture? When they are called to God's Book to arbitrate between them in their disputes, a group from them turns away objecting.  (Chapter 3: Verse 23)

The verse under study is related to an incident that happened at the time of Prophet Muhammad as the Jews and Christians argued endlessly.  One of their arguments was over the religion of Prophet Abraham.  Allah sent the following verse to resolve the matter: 

You argue about some things of which you have some knowledge, but why do you argue about things of which you know nothing? God knows, and you do not. Abraham was neither a Jew nor a Christian. He was upright and devoted to God, never an idolater.  The people with the strongest claim to Abraham are those who followed him and this Prophet and those who have faith. Allah is the Protector of the believers. (3:66-68)

Judaism and Christianity came well after the time of Abraham.  How could they argue over something that defies history? Maybe we should ask, what are these disagreements truly about?  God answers in verse 19 of chapter Al-Imran, "Those who were given the Book did not differ except after true knowledge had come to them, out of envious rivalry among themselves."  Such conflicts were commonplace, not only across religions but also within Judaism and Christianity. 

When arguments arise, we should look to God and the scriptures for answers.  But which scripture is this verse referring to? Is it the Quran? That is a possibility.  Our beloved Muhammad invited the people of the book to use the Quran to solve their disputes, because the Quran confirms all the heavenly books sent previously.  The Jews and the Christians of the time were called to measure what they knew to be true in their books against the Quran, and then adopt the Quran as the prevailing heavenly revelation.  However, most of them were not interested in the truth.  They were busy chasing after worldly rivalries out of hatred and envy. 

Another possibility is that the disagreements were regarding the Torah and the Bible.  But which share of the scripture is God referring to? Were the disagreements about the share of the Torah and the Bible that were available at hand? Or about the share they lost and neglected? We answer that the disputes were about the portion of the scriptures the Jews and Christians had at hand.  They had little confidence in the authenticity of their scriptures, and on many occasions they ignored them altogether. 

For example, at the time of Prophet Muhammad, two Jewish residents of Medina, a woman and a man from the tribe of Khyber, committed adultery.  They were from prominent respectable families.  Feeling the social pressure, the rabbis who adjudicated the matter tried to conceal the ruling in the Torah, which is stoning.  They wanted to spare the elites from public humiliation.  So, they resorted to trickery and suggested that the families should go to Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him.  The action of the rabbis raises two questions: why Muhammad, and did they really trust him to solve all their disputes? We answer that seeking Prophet Muhammad for this dispute gives you a clear idea of the kind of clergy the rabbis were.  They only went to him to circumvent the Torah and find a solution that was socially acceptable despite God's teachings.  In short, stoning was too harsh for their elites; maybe Muhammad would judge differently. 

When the Jewish group sat with Prophet Muhammad, two men spoke: Numan bin Awfa and Bahry ibn Amru.   They said, "O Messenger of God, judge between these people." He, peace be upon him, responded, "Don't you have a clear ruling for this matter in the Torah? I will judge according to your scripture." They reluctantly replied, "That would be fair."

Prophet Muhammad first explained that the ruling for adultery in Islam is stoning, and then he asked for one part of the Torah to be brought in.  He asked, "Which of you has the most knowledge of the Torah?" They named Abdullah bin Suriya, who was brought forth and given the section of the Torah that Prophet Muhammad had specified.  Bin Suriya began to read, but when he reached the verse about stoning he covered it with his hand and skipped ahead.  A companion named Abdullah bin Salam said, "O Messenger of God, did you see him covering the verse!?" Bin Salam moved the man's hand and revealed the hidden verse about stoning. 

This showed everyone that, when it came to adultery, the judgment was identical both in the Quran and the Torah.  It also revealed that Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, was guided by the Divine Power to the exact part of the Torah that contained God's ruling.  Moreover, Abdullah bin Salam, a Jewish convert to Islam, knew very well his people's trickery to forge and falsify.

The story of Abdullah bin Salam accepting Islam is wonderful.  After faith had settled in his heart, he came to the Messenger of God and said,"God has opened my heart to Islam, and the words "There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is His Messenger" are always on my tongue.  But, before I declare my faith publicly, I would like you to meet with the Jewish leaders so that you can ask their opinion of me.  I know my people, and I want to see how they act." Prophet Muhammad met with the Jewish leaders and asked them about Abdullah bin Salam.  They said, "Our chief, the son of our chief, and our rabbi.  He is among the best of us." They kept on showering him with praise.  Then Abdullah bin Salam stood and announced, "I testify that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is His Messenger." In an instant, the Jewish leaders turned on Abdullah, cursed him, and accused him of bad traits.  They contradicted everything they had said just a few moments ago.  Abdullah bin Salam turned to Prophet Muhammad and said, "O Messenger of God, didn't I tell you that they are maligned corrupt people? By God, I wanted you to know what they truly thought of me before I become a Muslim." 

It was Abdullah bin Salam who moved the palm of Abdullah bin Suriya away from the stoning verse in the Torah.  God says:

Didn't you see those who were given a share of the scripture? When they are called to God's Book to arbitrate between them in their disputes, a group from them turns away objecting. 

(Chapter 3: Verse 23)