Quran Garden

Session 359

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)

Why would anyone refuse God as a judge? In the previous session, we gave the example of the rabbis of Medina who ignored stoning as a punishment when the adulterers were from the social elites.  They desperately searched for a lesser sentence and went as far as consulting Prophet Muhammad, hoping for a better outcome for the prominent Jewish families. 

It is a classic example of "worldly authority", known also as "temporal authority." What is the "worldly authority?"  It is a power grab that comes from abusing religion.  People take from the sacredness of religion what benefits them, then cast themselves as righteous, and abuse this authority.  In fact, all the transgressions made against the Torah and the Bible stem from this type of greed for power. 

Here is an example.  Before the advent of Islam, the Jews of Medina used to say to the pagan Arabs, "A prophet will soon come.  We will follow him, fight you with him, and kill you as our ancestors killed the pagans of Iram and Aad." Moreover, when Prophet Muhammad came, they immediately recognized him from their books.  Yet, they disbelieved and fought the Muslims.  God answers:

Those who disbelieved say, "You are not a messenger." Say: "God is a sufficient witness between you and me, and anyone else who has knowledge of the Book." (13:43)

Allah singled out "anyone else who has knowledge of the Book" because such people knew, without a shadow of a doubt, who Muhammad was.  Many priests and rabbis had accurate descriptions of Muhammad and proofs of the authenticity of his message.  They should have been the first to believe.  Sadly, they viewed Muhammad as a threat to their religious authority and status in the community.  Their temporal authority was at risk!

Corrupt preachers often try to build up their temporal authority by one of two tactics.  The first tactic is to ease religious rulings which people find stressful.  They steer religion away from actions into empty rituals.  For example Musaylama, the liar, who claimed prophethood after the death of our beloved Muhammad, lightened the obligation of prayers and lessened the amount of Zakat almsgiving.  He hoped to attract followers by easing difficult matters.  People can now claim to be religious without having to adhere to any obligation.  That is how most religions are gutted from their real value. 

Allah is the All-Wise and All-Knowing.  He is best aware of His creation.  Listen to how He addressed the issue of our weakness when it comes to adhering to our daily prayers.  God says:  

Seek help through patience and through prayers. Indeed prayer is burdensome, but not for those humbled by their reverence of God. (2:45)

And in another chapter:

Instruct your family and community to establish the prayer, and be diligent in its observance. We do not ask you to provide for Us; rather, it is We Who provide for you. And the best outcome is gained through righteousness. (20:132)

The second tactic employed by corrupt preachers to boost their temporal authority is to ease the restrictions on unlawful matters.  You can easily attract followers if you make sin permissible, or at least, lessen its punishment.  Listen to the words of some rabbis as narrated in the Quran:

They say, "The Fire will not touch us at all except for a few days." Say, then: "Have you made a covenant with God and received a promise from Him? If so, God will never break His covenant. Or do you say things against God that you do not know?" (2:80)

To understand the trickery of such clergy, let's break down their statement, “The Fire will not touch us at all except for few days.” We know that every event has a time, a place, and a scale.  The corrupt clergy tried to assault God's prohibitions at every level.  When it came to time, they claimed that their status after the Day of Resurrection, which is eternal, will only affect them for a few days.  Hence, there is no immortality in punishment.  When it came to the place and scale of the punishment, they tried to play down Hellfire for their followers.  By using the word "touch," people were misled into thinking of Hellfire not in terms of immersion, but in terms of a mere touch of fire.  How did they justify this special treatment? The rabbis answered, "We are the children of God and His beloved. Have you ever seen anyone torturing his children and loved ones?" This is how their followers were led to indulge in sin with little consideration for the repercussions. 

Often, corrupt clergy misrepresent the stories of the prophets to support their false claims.  A favourite of theirs is the story of our beloved Prophet أيوب (Job), who suffered terribly from a debilitating physical illness.  In the depth of his misery, Job lost his temper and made an oath to strike his wife a hundred times once he is cured of his ailments.  Job's wife was the only person who stood by him throughout his terrible ailments.  He deeply loved her and regretted his words, but felt bound by the oath.  Job prayed for God's help.  Allah answered: 

He has ordained a way for you to release you from such oaths.  God is your helper: He is the All-Knowing, the Wise. (66:2)

And in another verse:

"Take a small bunch of grass in your hand, and strike with that so as not to break your oath." We found him patient in adversity, an excellent servant! He, too, always turned to God. (38:44)

Allah helped Job fulfill his oath with an expression of love, not anger.  Job's wife was the only person to stand by him during the years of his illness.  God ordered Job to take a bundle of grass that contained one hundred leaves, and then gently strike his wife's arm with it.  Thus, one stroke with green grass absolved Job from his oath.  Some of the Israelites said, "We are the grandchildren of Jacob and Job, and we will only be punished for our sins as Job's wife was struck with the grass.  The fire will not touch us at all except for a few days." God says:

That is because they said, "The Fire shall not touch us, except for a few days," and so the lies they forged in their religion have deluded them. (3:24)