Guillaume--Life of Muhammad.pdf - Radical Truth
Guillaume--Life of Muhammad.pdf - Radical Truth
Guillaume--Life of Muhammad.pdf - Radical Truth
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264 The <strong>Life</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Muhammad</strong><br />
their backs and sold it for a small price. Wretched is the exchange!<br />
Think not that those who rejoice in what they have done and \vant to be<br />
praised for what they have not done-think not that they ,vill esca~~ tl~e<br />
punishment: theirs will be a painful punish~.ent..'1 He means I:1ll0a~<br />
and Ashya' and the rabbis like them who rejOIce m what they enJoy <strong>of</strong><br />
worldly things by making error attractive to men and wish to be pralsed<br />
for what they have not done so that men will say they are learned when they<br />
are nothing <strong>of</strong> the kind, not bringing them to truth and gUIdance and<br />
wanting men to say that they have so done. .<br />
Kardam, Usa-rna, Nafi" Bal:Iri, J:luyayy, and Rlfa'a 2 used to go to some<br />
<strong>of</strong> the helpers advising them not to contribute to the public expense~,<br />
'for we fear that you will COffie to poverty. Don't be in a hurry to con:n~<br />
39° bute, for you do not know the outcome.' So God sent down con~ernmg<br />
them: '\Vho are avaricious and enjoin avarice on others concealIng the<br />
bounty they have received from God', i.e. the Torah whi:h confirms what<br />
<strong>Muhammad</strong> brought.' 'We have prepared for the unbelievers a shameful<br />
punishment and those who spend their money to be seen <strong>of</strong> men and<br />
believe not i'n God and the last day' as far as the words 'God knows about<br />
them'.<br />
Rifa'a was a notable Jew. When he spoke to the apostle he twisted his<br />
tongue and said: 'Give us your attention, <strong>Muhammad</strong>, so that we can<br />
make you understand/ Then he attacked Islam and reviled it. So God<br />
sent down concerning him: 'Hast thou considered those to whom a part<br />
<strong>of</strong> the book has been given how they buy error and wish that. you shoul.d<br />
err as to the way. But God knows best about your enemlCS. God IS<br />
sufficient as a friend and helper. Some <strong>of</strong> the Jews change words from<br />
their contexts and say: We hear and disobey; hear thou as one that heareth<br />
not and listen to us, twisting their tongues and attacking religion. Had they<br />
said, \Ve hear and we obey; hear thou and look at us, it would have bee?<br />
better for them and more upright. But God has cursed them for the"<br />
unbelief and only a few will believe."<br />
The apostle spoke to two <strong>of</strong> the chiefs <strong>of</strong> the Jewish rahbis 'Ahdullah<br />
b. 5uriya al-A'war and Ka'b b. Asad calling on them to accept Islam,<br />
for ·they knew that he had brought them the truth; but they denied that<br />
they knew it and were obstinate in their unbelief. So Go~ ser:t dO\vn<br />
concerning them: '0 you to whom the book was sent, Behevc III what<br />
\'Ile have sent down in confirmation <strong>of</strong> what you have before 'Ve efface<br />
I v. 184.<br />
2 Their names have already been given in full.<br />
J One would naturally suppose that their wealth is referred to here. . " ,<br />
4 Sura 4. 47. This text shows that 1\1uhammad knew (II) that when th(~y saId \\c hear<br />
and 'a;aynti they were playing on the similar-sounding Hebrew word usinu (with sin) meaning<br />
'we carry out', and (b) that ra'ina to them meant '~ur evil one'..It seems, therefore,<br />
probable that ghayra musma'in is not to be understood 10 the sense given ab~ve, but, a~ a<br />
vocative '0 thou that hast not been made to hear', i.e. thou who hast not received a dlVlOe<br />
revelatio'n. The 'tongueMtv:isting' is revealed as the sarcastic use <strong>of</strong> Arahic in a Hebrew<br />
The J4e <strong>of</strong> J11uhammad 26-<br />
)<br />
(your) features and turn them back to front or curse you as 'Ve cursed the<br />
sabbath-breakers \vhen God's. command was carried~out'1 (3 1<br />
9).<br />
And those \1,'ho formed parties <strong>of</strong> Cluraysh and Gha!afan and B. Qurayza<br />
39<br />
w~re }.IuyaYY,and .Sallam and :\b1:i R:ifl.' Jnd al-Rabi' and AhCi 'Amm:i.r ;~nd<br />
1<br />
'\~~\val.l .b. Anllr, and lIa:Idha b. Qays, the latter three being <strong>of</strong> B.<br />
\, a II while the rest were ot B. al-.K1ac,iIr. \\'hen they Came to QuraYsh<br />
they told them that these were Jewish rabbis, the folk who possessed the<br />
first (sacred) book, and t~1ey could ask them whether their religion or that<br />
7 f l\1uhar:n:nad. \vas the better. \Vhen they did ask them they answered:<br />
Your rehglOn IS better than his and you arc on a betteT path than he and<br />
thos~ who follow him.' So God sent down conccrning them: 'Hast thou<br />
con.slder~d tho~e to \vhom a part <strong>of</strong> the book has been sent how they<br />
b~,ltev~ m ~l,-Jlbt and al-T;lghll.t? (320). And they say <strong>of</strong> those \Vh;<br />
dls?elI:ve: I hese are bettcr gUided to the right path than those who<br />
b:heve as far as the \\'ords 'or arc they eIn-ious <strong>of</strong> men because God has<br />
glvcn .them <strong>of</strong> His bounty. \Ve gave thc familY <strong>of</strong> .Abraham the book<br />
and v,rlsdom and \Ve gave them a great kingdom.-'2<br />
39 2<br />
S~kayn .and 'Adi"y b. Zayd said: '0 I\luhammad, \\"L' do not know <strong>of</strong><br />
God shavIng .sent d~\vn to mortals anything after ::Yloses.' So God scnt<br />
dO\vn eoncernmg theIr words: "Ve have revealed unto thee as we reveakd<br />
unto Noah and the prophets after him, and we rcvealed unto Abraham<br />
and Ishmael and Isaac and Jacob and the tribes and Jesus and Job and<br />
Jonah and, Aaron and Solomon and we brought to Da\"id the Psalms; and<br />
apostles \Ve have told thee <strong>of</strong> hefore and apostles \Ve havc not told thee <strong>of</strong>,<br />
and God spo~c directly to 1\10scs; apostle.s bringing good news and warnin~<br />
that mcn mlf?ht ~ave no argument aga1I1st God after the apostles (had<br />
come). God IS Mighty, Wise."J<br />
A number <strong>of</strong> them came in to the apostle and he said to them, 'Surely<br />
y~u know that. I am an apostle from God to you.' They replied that the~'<br />
dId not . know It . and would not bear \vitness" to hl·m 51) God sen t (own I .<br />
con~ernmg theIr r:vords.: 'But God tes~ifjcs concerning what lIe has sent<br />
dO\\n t.o t~ee. \\ Ith lIts. kno\~l~dge did He send it down and the