Reading the Bible in Islamic Context

Qur'anic Conversations

Daniel Crowther, Shirin Shafaie, Ida Glaser, Shabbir Akhtar, Daniel Crowther, Shirin Shafaie, Ida Glaser, Shabbir Akhtar, Daniel J Crowther, Shirin Shafaie, Ida Glaser, Shabbir Akhtar

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2017
• ISBN:
  9781351605045
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Biblical Criticism & Interpretation

In the current political and social climate, there is increasing demand for a deeper understanding of Muslims, the Qur'an and Islam, as well as a keen demand among Muslim scholars to explore ways of engaging with Christians theologically, culturally, and socially.

This book explores the ways in which an awareness of Islam and the Qur'an can change the way in which the Bible is read. The contributors come from both Muslim and Christian backgrounds, bring various levels of commitment to the Qur'an and the Bible as Scripture, and often have significantly different perspectives. The first section of the book contains chapters that compare the report of an event in the Bible with a report of the same event in the Qur'an. The second section addresses Muslim readings of the Bible and biblical tradition and looks at how Muslims might regard the Bible - Can they recognise it as Scripture? If so, what does that mean, and how does it relate to the Qur'an as Scripture? Similarly, how might Christian readers regard the Qur'an? The final section explores different analogies for understanding the Bible in relation to the Qur'an. The book concludes with a reflection upon the particular challenges that await Muslim scholars who seek to respond to Jewish and Christian understandings of the Jewish and Christian scriptures.

A pioneering venture into intertextual reading, this book has important implications for relationships between Christians and Muslims. It will be of significant value to scholars of both Biblical and Qur'anic Studies, as well as any Muslim seeking to deepen their understanding of the Bible, and any Christian looking to transform the way in which they read the Bible.

Part I
Intertextual conversations

2
Abraham in narrative worldviews

Reflections on doing comparative theology through Christian–Muslim conversation in Turkey

George Bristow

The term Abrahamic is commonly used for one circle of interfaith engagement. However, the extent to which Abraham is common ground between Christians and Muslims is debatable. Engaging this issue properly requires a comparative theological examination of the primary Abraham texts in the Bible and the Qur’an along with their respective appropriation by Christians and Muslims. In this chapter, I offer a selective Christian reading of the Genesis Abraham narrative in conversation with a Muslim reading of the qur’anic Abraham narratives.¹ The hermeneutical approach I utilise in examining the biblical text is commonly referred to as “theological interpretation of the Bible.”² It is a Christian canonical approach which focuses on the text as we have it and regards the New Testament writings as continuing and complementing the Hebrew Scriptures to form one Bible.³ The Muslim reading represented here is a cumulative one assembled from my own study of the Qur’an⁴ and from extended interviews with senior Turkish imams regarding their appropriation of Abraham.⁵

After summarising the primary Abraham stories in Genesis and the Qur’an, I offer an approach to comparing such narratives and develop it with five specific comparisons.⁶ This approach can help bring to light specific comparative theological issues which should be engaged by biblical interpreters in Islamic contexts. Study of partially overlapping stories which articulate differing worldviews has obliged me as a Christian to wrestle with Muslim readings which subvert biblical emphases and to consider how my own interpretation may need to change or be clarified. This has also sharpened biblical insights for Christian witness which might lie dormant in other contexts.⁷

The Genesis Abraham narrative

The overall structure of Genesis is created by a ten-fold use of the heading formula ’ēllê tholedhoth – “these are the generations of X.”⁸ The Abraham narrative (11:27–25:11) is thus marked out by the headings “these are the generations of Terah” (11:27) and “these are the generations of Ishmael, Abraham’s son” (25:12). It comprises a continuous story in which the primary characters are God, Abraham, Lot, Abraham’s wives Sarah and Hagar, and his sons Ishmael and Isaac.⁹ The main part of this narrative is framed with genealogical material relating to Terah’s descendants in Haran (11:27–32 and 22:20–24) and structured as a chiasm in which each major segment corresponds quite clearly with another.¹⁰ God’s call of Abraham (12:1–9) corresponds to his command to offer Isaac (22:1–19). Sarah and Abraham’s encounter with Pharaoh in Egypt in chapter 12:10–20 is balanced by their later encounters with Abimelech in chapters 20–21. Abraham’s initial separation from Lot and intervention to rescue him in connection with Sodom in Chapters 13 – 14 correspond to Abraham’s later intercession for the righteous in Sodom and Lot’s rescue in Chapters18–19. God’s promise and covenant with Abraham in Chapter 15 is balanced by a renewal of the promise and the covenant of circumcision in Chapter 17.¹¹ The birth of Ishmael in Chapter 16 is at the centre of the composition. This “fall-like” episode¹² is the “pivot point” following which the story is complicated by rivalry.¹³ This analysis supports the view of Grüneberg that the central theme of the overall narrative is the problematic fulfilment of God’s promise of offspring to Abraham, crucial for the related promises of land and all-nations blessing.¹⁴

The qur’anic Abraham narratives

Four distinct Abraham stories are repeated in various forms in the Qur’an. In Story 1, which is found in eight different Surahs, Abraham declares his allegiance to the one creator God and rejects the idolatry of his father and kinsfolk.¹⁵ He disputes with them and warns them about worshipping worthless statues. In some of the accounts, Abraham is cast into a fire by his antagonists but is miraculously protected by God. This story has no correspondence with Genesis, but does resemble some non-canonical Jewish narratives of Abraham’s early life (particularly Jubilees).¹⁶

In Story 2, found in five Surahs, Abraham welcomes messengers with a meal, which they do not eat.¹⁷ After allaying Abraham’s concern about this odd behaviour, they announce the birth of a special son, causing both the prophet and his wife some consternation. The angels confirm God’s purpose of blessing and announce that their main mission is to bring judgment on the people of Lot. In two versions, the visitation account is followed directly by the destruction of Lot’s people (Q11:77–83; 15:61–77), corresponding roughly to the biblical narrative where Genesis 18 recounts the visitation and Genesis 19 recounts the destruction of Sodom.

In Story 3, found in four Surahs, Abraham and Ishmael build the Kaaba at Mecca.¹⁸ God appoints the House as “a blessed place; a source of guidance,” commanding Abraham and Ishmael to purify it for pilgrimage rites. While raising the foundations they pray for the surrounding land to be fruitful and for their offspring to be preserved from idolatry and enabled to keep the “holy rites.” Abraham also prays for God to send a Messenger to the people of Mecca and asks for forgiveness on the Day of Judgment. This story has no overlap with the canonical biblical narrative.¹⁹

Story 4 is told in only one Surah.²⁰ In answer to Abraham’s prayer, God announces the birth of a “patient son,” usually understood to be Ishmael.²¹ When Abraham recounts a dream in which he is sacrificing his son, the boy states his willingness to obey. Father and son are found “surrendered” to God, ready to go through with the sacrifice. At the last moment God affirms that the prophet has passed the test, “ransoms” the boy with a “mighty sacrifice” and rewards Abraham with posterity who will “bless” him. This story shares common ground with Genesis 22 and has frequently been compared with it.²²

Notice that direct overlap with Genesis is limited to the second and fourth qur’anic stories and that very little of the biblical Abraham narrative is referred to in the Qur’an (only Genesis 18–19 and 22). In order to meaningfully compare these largely non-overlapping narratives, my approach develops the relationship between narrative and worldview, where narrative both shapes and shows world-view. It also builds on the relationship of the Genesis Abraham story to the larger biblical narrative in which it is found and the relationship of the qur’anic Abraham episodes to the prophet stories patterns to which they belong.²³

A common Christian worldview which arises from the overarching biblical narrative has four main elements: Creation, Fall (corruption), Redemption and Consummation.²⁴ The first three elements are directly related to the Genesis narrative: Creation (Genesis 1–2), corruption or Fall (Genesis 3–11), salvation history or Redemption (Genesis 12 and following), while the fourth element looks toward the promised new creation or Consummation of the narrative. Likewise, a representative qur’anic worldview, while less frequently summarised in this way, may fairly be presented in three principles or elements: Tawḥīd (divine unity), Prophethood, and Afterlife.²⁵ These are articulated in various ways in qur’anic prophet stories, where Abraham holds a prime place as one of the five great prophets (Ulul’azm Anbiyā’). I juxtapose these elements in three pairs to facilitate comparison of their narrative worldviews:

• Creation–Fall – Tawḥīd (divine unity)
• Redemption – Prophethood (prophetic guidance)
• Consummation – Afterlife

In each of these narrative worldview element pairings, there is significant dissonance despite common issues. In the Creation–Fall – Tawḥīd pairing, the biblical and qur’anic concepts of God and Creation have a good deal in common, as the Creator God sustains all things and provides for his creatures. Nevertheless dissonance arises as biblical depictions of God’s immanence in creation do not harmonise with the incomparability and transcendence of God in Tawḥīd perspective. The biblical story of humanity’s beginning, which connects Adam genealogically with the particular history of Abraham-Israel, differs from the qur’anic narratives which identify Adam as the first of many prophets. The narratives of evil differ as the Bible presents universal effects of Adam’s sin, while the Qur’an shows Adam’s sin as limited in effect only to himself.

In the Redemption – Prophethood pairing, biblical narration of the acts of God differ significantly from qur’anic stories of the prophets of God. The biblical story focuses on the story of one people among all the others, while the qur’anic stories focus on prophet-rejecting peoples. The biblical narrative shows God coming to redeem fallen mankind, while the qur’anic narrative shows God reminding forgetful humanity through prophets.

In the Consummation – Afterlife pairing, despite common Christian and Muslim appeal to “the Day” for exhortation, the biblical “return of God” theme differs from the qur’anic theme of the soul’s “return to God.” Christian belief in the resurrection is primarily grounded in the resurrection of Jesus, as the culmination of biblical narrative and fulfilment of biblical promises. Muslim belief in the resurrection is argued from God’s sovereign power as Creator.

Analysing Abraham narratives in light of these narrative worldview polarities is useful because in both the Bible and the Qur’an the stories are virtually inseparable from the larger narratives or patterns of which they are a part. The Genesis Abraham narrative is integrally related to the primordial narrative which precedes it (1:1–11:26) and to the patriarchal narratives which follow it (25:12–50:26).²⁶ These in turn are part of the ongoing biblical narrative, which both shapes and articulates the Christian worldview. Similarly, the qur’anic Abraham stories are inseparable from the stories of other prophets which form a consistent pattern of narratives including that of the prophet Muhammad. These fragmentary clips are not arranged consecutively as in the Bible, but together articulate a consistent notion of prophethood and illustrate the qur’anic call to heed the final prophet, like “sermon illustrations.”

Comparing the two sets of Abraham narratives within this paired framework often shows what is not narrated as well as what is narrated. Where a story articulates a perspective that has no real corollary in the other narrative, it often elucidates the other worldview. Below I develop five such comparisons, in which what is absent is as significant as what is present.

Comparison 1: Abraham’s early life and call: is Abraham a “hero”?

The sparsely recounted family background and call of Abraham in Genesis 11–12 contrasts with the heroic actions of Abraham’s early life narrated in Qur’an Story 1. The qur’anic Abraham recognises and surrenders himself to the Creator, destroys idols, and endures persecution as the prelude to being sent to the chosen land. Genesis on the other hand sums up Abraham’s early life in a few notes about Sarah’s barrenness and his family’s move from Ur to Haran (11:27–32). Although Abraham later refers to God as “the Lord, God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth” (14:22) and as “the Judge of all the earth” (18:25), we read nothing of him coming to know the Creator or disputing with idolaters. ...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Contributors
• Foreword
• Synopsis
• Transliteration note
• Introduction
• PART I Intertextual conversations
• PART II Questions about texts
• PART III Analogical explorations
• Concluding reflection
• Bibliography: Works In Arabic
• Bibliography: Non-Arabic Works
• Index of scripture citations
• Index of scriptural characters