Qur’an Cover-to-Cover: Day 12 (“Ta-ha”)
Today’s chapter of the Qur’an focuses on the life of Moses…
Surah 20 – “Ta-ha” (Taha)
We start with the origin story of Moses, starting with the Burning Bush. Unlike the Biblical account, Moses has his family with him at the time he encounters the bush. Allah calls to Moses and tells him to worship Him alone, to “establish prayer” and then warns him of Judgement Day. Allah instructs Moses in transforming his staff and hand, then tells him he’s going to go to Pharaoh who “has transgressed [i.e. tyrannized]”. Moses asks Allah to “untie the knot from my tongue” and to grant his brother Aaron as a minister. Allah grants his request.
We then have a flashback, with Allah reminding Moses of the circumstances of his deliverance as a child. Allah says He inspired Moses’ mother to put him in a “chest and cast it into the river…[and] take him [to] an enemy”. We are also told that Moses’ sister reunited him with his mother. Moses’ killing of the Egyptian is mentioned, along with his sanctuary “among the people of Madyan [Midian]”.
A sentence in this section says that “I [Allah] bestowed upon you love from Me”. I was surprised because I didn’t think the Qur’an ever expressed love from Allah like this. it turns out that it’s just odd sentence construction – the footnote explains this verse means that “Allah put love of Moses into the hearts of the people”.
Moses and Aaron visit Pharoah and say “send with us the Children of Israel and do not torment them”. Moses shows him the signs (the staff and his hand) and they make an appointment to reconvene when Pharoah’s magicians are present…
When this happens, as in the Biblical narrative, Moses’ snake eats their snakes. However, in the Qur’an, the Magicians convert, falling down in prostration saying “We have believed in the Lord of Aaron and Moses”. Pharaoh responds by threatening the magicians – he will have their hands and feet cut off and then have them crucified. They respond boldly, saying that Pharaoh can only decree things in this wordly life. Once more we have references to a judgement and afterlife which we don’t find articulated this early in the Hebrew Bible.
We then jump to the flight from Egypt and the crossing of the Red Sea (although it isn’t named). As in the Bible, the Egyptians are destroyed. The people come to an unnamed mountain (Sinai) and Allah feeds the people with manna and quails.
We then have the incident with the Gold Calf. However, there are a few differences (and lots of ommitted details). Aaron is much more resilient in the Qur’an’s version of events, warning the people that the this calf is a test of their fidelity. The man chiefly at fault is “the Samiri”, which literally means “the Samaritan”. This is anachronistic since the Samaritans did not appear until considerably later in Israelite history.
The Chidlren of Israel claim that they didn’t break their promise to Allah and that they simply threw their burdens of ornaments into the fire. Apparently Samiri took some sand from the hoof-print of Gabriel’s horse and threw it into the fire also, extracting “[the statue of] a calf which had a lowing sound”. The grammar is a little confusing here, but it appears that the people, upon seeing the calf, declare that “This is your god and the god of Moses, but he forgot”. Moses banishes Samiri in punishment for his sin.
We are then told about the Fall of Adam and then the Fall of the Angels. The only notable point in the fall of Adam is the Islamic version of the protoevangelium. Rather than promising a Messiah (as in the Hebrew Bible), Allah says that he may send people to mankind as “guidance” and to follow whatever they say.
Q1. Does Islam say that the Burning Bush was not being consumed? Ayah 10 seems to regard it as both natural (“perhaps I can bring you a torch”) and supernatural (“find at the fire some guidance”)
Q2. What does Isalm say about Moses’ speech?
Q3. What is the meaning of Pharoah’s question in ayah 51: “…what is the case of the former generations?”
Q4. We have another reference to crucificion in ayah 71, yes?
Q5. Are righteous deeds worthless if one is not a believer? Ayah 65 says “…whoever comes to Him as a believer having done righteous deeds…”
Q6. Were the Children of Israel complicit in Samiri’s actions? Is it they who declare that “This is your god and the god of Moses, but he forgot”?
Q7. Is Aaron at fault? Ayah 90 suggests that he’s standing fast, but ahay 94 suggests that he was lacking in some way.
Q8. Please explain ayah 96. It says that Samiri takes a handful of sand from a hoof-print of Gabriel’s horse and threw it into the fire. Why does Gabriel have a horse? Is the calf a satanic miracle?
Q9. What does it mean “You remained not but ten [days in the world]”?
Q10. Does ayah 109 mean that Muhammad will be able to intercede on Judgement Day?
Q11. What does it mean when Allah tells Muhammad “do not hasten with [recitation of] the Qur’an before its revelation is completed to you”. This seems like a strange exhortaiton.
Q12. Who exactly is raised blind on the Day of Resurrection? Apostates?
Another interesting chapter, comparing the differences between the Bible and the Qur’an’s accounts of the Old Testament events.