Qur’an Cover-to-Cover: Day 14 (“The Poets”)

Weighing in at 227 verses, today’s chapter is one of the longest I’ve read thus far…

Surah 26 – “The poets” (Ash-Shuara)
This surah opens with an assertion which we’ll see a lot of in future chapters, that “[the Qur’an is a] clear Book”. I have the suspicion that there is some historical context behind the introduction to this affirmation.

• Perhaps some critics of Muhammad thought, like myself, that often the Qur’anic text often isn’t terribly understandable?
• Or maybe this was meant to juxtapose the Qur’an with the sacred texts of other religions?
  

The text then goes on to say that Allah could have sent down some uncontrovertable sign if he had wanted, but that the people have already denied the sign of the earth itself, with its abundance of life.

We are then treated to a retelling of the life of Moses, focussing on his conflict with Pharaoh. Pharoah claims that Moses is mad and that he will imprison him if “you take a god other than me”. This doesn’t really fit with the polytheism of Egypt at the time, nor with the Biblical narrative. Once again we’re told that Moses and the Egyptian magicians performed their signs and Moses won. The magicians convert to Islam. Pharaoh threatens them, but they remain steadfast, affirming a Resurrection and Final Judgement.

There is no mention of the plagues of Egypt. We instead jump to the flight across the Red Sea. We are told that “Pharaoh sent among the cities gatherers”, which my footnotes describes as “Recruiters of an army to prevent the emigration of the Children of Israel”. This seems strange to me. Why would people need to be recruited? They’d already have a standing army. Anyway, Moses is told to “strike with your staff the sea” (in the Biblical account he simply lifts it in the air and raises his hand) and the waters are parted. Israel is saved and the Egyptians drowned.

Now the story of Abraham is told. Once again, we are told that Abraham confronts the idolatry of his father and his people. Abraham then prays that Allah will “grant me authority…and grant me a mention of honour among later generations…and [inherit Paradise]”. He then goes on to describe Judgement, Paradise and Hellfire in the usual manner.

Next we come to Noah, who called his people to “fear Allah”. He gives an exhortation which we will hear on the lips of other prophets in this chapter: “So fear Allah and obey me”. The rebuttal of the peope is slightly odd, rejecting Noah because he is “followed by the lowest [class of people]” The Biblical story has no concept of Noah having a following per se. I’m wondering if this is an anchronistic projection back onto Noah’s story because Muhammad initially lacked a following among the elite. We are told that Allah saved Noah and in a laden ship (there is no mention of animals). The rest of the people perished. We then meet another refrain which we will see throughout this chapter: “Indeed in that is a sign, but most of them were not to be believers”.

Next we come to the people of Add and the Prophet Hud whom they rejected. It is emphasized that Hud asked for no money. Despite their palaces and fortresses, the people could not hide from the wrath of Allah.

Now on to the people of Thamud and the Prophet Salih whom they rejected. Like many other prophets, he is accused of being “affected by magic”. The people hamstring the camel sent to them by Allah and are therefore punished.

Lot rebukes the people for their homosexuality and they are destroyed. Although elsewhere in the Qur’an it is pointed out that Lot’s wife dies, this chapter doesn’t appear to reflect this, saying “We saved him and his family, all. Except an old woman among those who remained behind”.

The people of Midian (“Madyan”) reject Jethro (“Shu’ayb”). Like Hud, it is emphasized that he asked for no money in his preaching. Shu’ayb exhorts the people to honest dealing. He then calls them to “weigh with an even [i.e. honest] balance”. This ayah is often quoted by Dr. James White in his debates with Muslims, asking them to judge Isalm and Christianity by the same set of standards. The people denied Shu’ayb so they were punished on “the day the black cloud seized them”.

As the chapter draws to a close, we are told that the Qur’an is a revelation from Allah “in a clear Arabic language”. We appear to be told that the Qur’an “is [mentioned] in the scriptures of former peoples” and that “it is recognized by the scholars of the Children of Israel”. No more information is given conerning these important points. The text then appears to say that even if the Qur’an had been revealed to foreigners they wouldn’t have believed it…although I’m not quite sure why this is asserted.

Q1. Ayah 53 describes the raising of an Egyptian army by Pharaoh. Why was this necessary?

Q2. What authority does Abraham want in ayah 83? Earthly authority?

Q3. Who are “the soldiers of Iblees” mentioned in ayah 95?

Q4. Are there any animals in the Islamic version of the Noahic story?

Q5. Why does the text describe Lot’s wife as “an old woman” in ayah 171?

Q6. Is aya 196 saying that the Qur’an itself is mentioned in the former scriptures? Which ones? Where? Who were the “scholars of the Children of Israel” who recognized this?

Q7. What is the meaning of ayat 198 and 199? Why would foreigners have not accepted the Qur’an?

Q8. Ayah 211 is just asserting that devils wouldn’t be able to deliver authentic revelation, right? They could, of course, produce a fake revelation?

See you all tomorrow…

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