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5. THE ISRĀ’ĪLIYYĀT IN THE QUR’ĀN AND ḤĀDĪTH (1) The term isrā’īliyyāt ) (إسْ َرائيِليَّاتis the plural form of isrā’īliyyah ( )إسْ َرائِيليِ َِهmeaning “a story or an incident reported from an Israeli origin”, namely, Ya‘qūb (his other name), son of Isḥāq (Isaac), son of Ibrāhīm (Abraham), the father of the Twelve Tribes. They are called in the Qur’ān Banī Isrā’īl (the Children of Israel), but they are also called “the Jews.”1 The term isrā’īliyyāt ( )إسْ َرائيليَّاتis usually translated as Jewish Legends. But scholars of tafsīr (Qur’ānic exegesis) and Ḥadīth include any ancient legend derived from Jewish, Christian or any other. Some of them even include what the enemies of Islam interpolated in the tafsīr or Ḥadīth which has no basis from ancient source, but rather stories invented by enemies of Islam. Their intention was to spoil the Muslims’ belief, such as the story of Satanic verses and the story of the Prophet’s marriage with Zaynab bint Jaḥsh. Since both stories are very important for us to know, they are as follows: A. Satanic Verses Incident This story was mentioned by many among mufassirīn (commentators of the Qur’ān) as Qiṣṣat al-Gharānīq (the Story of the Cranes) among them are as follows: Ibn Kathīr: Sa‘īd ibn Jubayr said: The Messenger of Allah s.a.w. cited sūrat al-Najm (Q. 53). “By the star when it sets! Your companion has not erred or gone astray, and does not َّ ِ أَ َف َرأَ ْي ُت ُِم speak from mere fancy…” When he reached ِ .ت ِ َو ْالع َُّزى َِ الَّل َّ ِ “ َو َم َناَِةHave you then considered Al-Lāt, ِ)02-91:الثال َث َِة ِ ْاْل ُ ْخ َرى ِ(النجم and Al-‘Uzzā (two idols of the pagan Arabs). And Manāt (another idol of the pagan Arabs), then other third? (Q. 53:1920). He said: Then Satan put into his mouth ِ ِْق ِال ُعلَى ِوإن ُِ ك ِال َِغ َراني َِ ت ْل “ َش َفا َع َتهُنَِّ ِلَ ُترْ َت َجىThese are the high-flying cranes and their intercession is to be hoped for.”2 Ibn Kathir mentions various 1
See, for example, Q. 5:78; 17:4, and 27:76 There are at least nineteen various versions of this Satanic Verses indicating its being fabricated, and they are almost similar in meanings, 2
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isnāds (chains of transmitters) of this story, but almost all of them are mursal (without mention the companions of the Prophet), or considered unacceptable. This story of the cranes was not found in the authentic books, neither in the six collection of Ṣaḥīḥ (sound traditions) of the Sunnī, nor the Shi’it sources, for they are, as al-Marāghī put it in his Tafsīr: “These traditions are undoubtedly a fabrication of the heretics and foreign hands, and have not been found in any of the authentic books.” Moreover, as al-Qāḍī ‘Iyāḍ put it, the incident contradicted the doctrine of ‘iṣmah, the divine protection of Prophet Muhammad ( )ﷺfrom mistakes. This is the view of the majority of Muslim scholars, such as Abū Bakr Ibn al-‘Arabī, al-Qurṭubī, al-Alūsī, al-Albānī, Fakhr alDīn al-Rāzī, and Muhammad ‘Abduh. Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī reported that Ibn Khuzaymah said that the story was an invention of the heretics, and that al-Bayhaqī stated that the narration of the story was unreliable as the integrity of its narrators was questionable. Muhammad Abduh states that the ْ the plural of al-ghurnūq )(ال ُغرْ ُن ْوق ْ and term al-gharānīq )(ال َغ َرانيْق, as follows: (1) ِ َوأنَِِّ َش َفا َع َتهُنَِِّلَ ُترْ َت َجى,ِْقِ ْال ُعلَى ُِ كِ ْا َلغ َراني َِ ت ْل. (2) َِِِّ َوإن,ِْقِ ْال ُعلَى ُِ كِ ْا َلغ َراني َِ ت ْل َش َفا َع َتهُنِ ِلَ ُترْ َجى. (3)ِ َوأنَِّ ِ َش َفا َع َتهُنِ ِ ُترْ َت َجى,ِ ْق ِ ْال ُعلَى ُِ ك ِ ْا َلغ َراني َِ ِت ْل. (4) ِ,ِ ْق ِ ْال ُعلَى ُِ ك ِ ْا َلغ َراني َِ ت ْل َوإنَِِّ َش َفا َع َتهُنِِلَ ُترْ َجى.(5) اع ُتهُنَِِّ ُترْ َت َجى ُِ كِ ْال َغ َران َِ ت ْل. (6) ِ,ِْقِ ْال ُعلَى ُِ كِ ْا َلغ َراني َِ ت ْل َ ِ َو َش َف,ِيقِ ْالعُلى م ْن َهاِال َّش َفا َع ُِةِ ُترْ َت َجى. (7) ِم ْن َهاِال َّش َفا َع ُِةِلَ ُترْ َت َجى,ِْقِ ْال ُعلَى ُِ كِ ْا َلغ َراني َِ ت ْل. (8) ِْقِ ْال ُعلَى ُِ كِ ْال َغ َراني َِ ت ْل اعةِ ِ ُترْ َت َجى ُِ ك ِ ْا َلغ َراني َِ ت ْل. (9)ِ ْق ُِ ك ِ ْا َلغ َراني َِ ِأُولئ َ ِمنهنِ ِ َش َف,. (8) اعةِ ِ ُترْ َت َجى َ ِمِِْن ُِهنِ ِ َش َف,ِ ْق ِ ْال ُعلَى ِ ِ َوأنَِّ ِ َش َفا َع َتهُنِ ِلَ ُترْ َت َجى,ِ ْال ُعلَى. (10) اع ُِة ِ ُترْ َت َجى ُِ ك ِ ْا َلغ َراني َِ إنَِّ ِت ْل. (11) َ ِم ْن َها ِال َّش َف,ِ ْق ِ ْال ُعلَى ِْقِ ْال ُعلَى ُِ نِ ْا َلغ َراني َِ َوإ َّنهُنَِِّلَم.يِالَّتيِ ُترْ َت َجى َِ ِ َوإنَِِّ َش َفا َع َتهُنَِِّلَه. (12) ِ,ِنِ ْال َغ َرانيقِِ ْال ُعلَى َِ َوإ َّن َهاِلَم ي ِ ْالمُرْ َت َجى َِ َفإنَِّ ِ َش َفا َع َت َها ِه. (13) اع ُِة ِ ُترْ َت َجى ُِ ك ِ ْا َلغ َراني َِ ت ْل. (14) ِ ك َِ ت ْل َ ِع ْن َد َها ِال َّش َف,ِ ْق ِ ْال ُعلَى اعةِِ ُترْ َت َجى ُِ ْا َلغ َراني. (15) اع ُِةِ ُترْ َت َجى ُِ كِ ْا َلغ َراني َِ ت ْل. (16) َ ِع ْندَ َهاِ َش َف,ِْقِ ْال ُعلَى َ ِم ْن َهاِال َّش َف,ِْقِ ْال ُعلَى اع َتهُنِ ِ ُترْ َت َجى ُِ ي ِ ْا َلغ َراني َِ َوه.(17) ِ ِك ِإ َذنِْ ِ َش َفا َعة َِ ِت ْل,ِ ْق ِ ْال ُعلَى ُِ ي ِ ْا َلغ َراني َِ ك ِإ َذنِْ ِه َِ ت ْل َ ِ َش َف,ِ ْق ِ ْال ُعلَى ُترْ َت َجى. (18) ِ َوإ َّن َها ِلَِ َِم َِع ِ ْال َغ َرانيقِ ِ ْال ُعلَى, َوإنِ ِ َش َفا َع َت َها ِلَ ُترْ َت َجى. (19) ِ,ْق ِ ْال ُعلَى ُِ َوإ َّنهُنَِّ ِ ْا َلغ َراني ي ِالَّتي ِ ُترْ َت َجى َِ اع َتهُنِ ِلَه َ َوإنَِّ ِ َش َف. There are four more variant readings not included here, as they are all written ِ َش َفا َع ُت ُه ِْمin masculine gender - rather than ِاع ُتهُن َ َش َفin feminine gender - which might have been misprinted. Following the Kufan school and the Qur’anic script it is written ( ْال ُعلَىsuch as Q. 20:4 ) َوالسَّماواتِ ِ ْالعُلىrather than the Baṣran school and modern ْ standard Arabic العَُّل.
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ْ is the name of a black or white water bird, al-gharnīq )(ال َغرْ نيْق and sometimes figuratively means a handsome blond youth. It has never been describe as the gods or the goddess worshiped by the pagan Arabs, neither in their poetry, speeches, nor in their tradition. According to Ibn Ḥajar this story could have a basis, but in different version. It is true that the Prophet did prostrate, but not to the idols. He continued reading till the end of the sūrat al-Najm where he was ordered to do so. Allah said:ِ ج ُدوا ِلِل ُِ ِِْ َفاس ِ )20ِ :“ َواعْ ُب ُدواِ(النجمSo, fall you down in prostration to Allah and worship Him (Alone).” The idolaters prostrated with him, until they found out that his prostration was to Allah, not to the idols to which they did. There is also a story stating that instead of the Prophet, it was Satan who imitated the voice of the Prophet ( )ﷺcited the Satanic verses. The Makkan idolaters, thinking that it was the voice of the Prophet, were very happy and joined him prostrating. Al-Walīd ibn al-Mughīrah (in another report, Umayyah ibn Khalaf), being too old to prostrate, put dust in his palm and prostrated to it.3 Based on the above verses, it is impossible that the Prophet had been tricked by Satan by citing the Satanic verses mentioned above. Inspired by this “story of the Cranes” in 1988 Salman Rushdie published his novel entitled The Satanic Verses. It contains some fictionalized allusions to Islamic history where derogatory terms are used: such as: Mahound, (a conjurer, a magician and a false prophet, yet these remarks are made by a drunken apostate) for Muhammad ( ;)ﷺJahilia for the holy city of Makkah; Saladin (the great Muslim hero of the Crusades) for a devil; Ayesha (the wife of the Prophet) for a fanatical Indian girl who leads her village on a fatal pilgrimage; the prostitutes at the brothel of the city of Jahilia have the same 3
There are many Qur’anic verses indicating that the Story of the Cranes were fabricated, among which are: Q. 16:99-100; 15:42; 26:221-222; 14:22; 53:3-4, and 41:41-42
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name with the Prophet’s wives who are viewed by Muslims as “Mothers of the believers;” Abraham is called a "bastard" for casting Hagar and Ishmael in the desert. The book also criticized Islam for having too many rules and seeking to control every aspect of life. The publishing of the book was protested by Muslims around the world, that Ayatollah Khomeini of Iran issued a fatwa sentencing Rushdie to death, saying that the book is a blasphemy towards Prophet Muhammad ( )ﷺand his wives. B. The Prophet’s Marriage to Zaynab There were fabricated stories about the Prophet’s marriage to Zaynab bint Jaḥsh, his own first cousin, in order to attack his character. According to Shaykh Muhammad Abu Zahrah, the story was invented by John of Damascus in the ‘Umayyad period. Then it spread among the tābi‘i tābi ‘īn and was attributed to Qatādah. Al-Ṭabarī in his Tafsīr mentioned it, as we know that he put anything in it without having any time to select what is true or false, genuine or fabricated. The ṣaḥābah never mentioned it, and no sound ḥadīth reported it. The story said that one day the Prophet went over to see Zayd, but he was not at home. While he was outside, he saw Zaynab’s shape of her body through window or the door, and exclaimed, “Glory be to Allah the Great, Glory be to him Who overrule the hearts”, heard by her. Zayd her husband after being told what had happened went to the Prophet and told him that he would divorce her if he liked her, but the Prophet refused and told him to keep her. In another story, the Prophet visited Zayd’s house and saw Zaynab busy making some food, and exclaimed, “Glory be to Allah, The Creator, Glory be Allah” and went out. When Zaynab told Zayd what had occurred, he suggested divorcing her, so that she could marry the Prophet, but she refused, as the Prophet might have no intention to marry her.
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These and similar stories are baseless, fabricated and fictitious to smear the impeccable character of the Prophet. Here are some commentaries of Muslim scholars: (a) Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi (1903 – 1979): Zaynab was never a stranger to the Prophet ()ﷺ, that he would never fall in love with her at first sight. She was his first cousin, the daughter of his paternal aunt, Umaymah, daughter of Abdul Muṭṭalib, and had known her from her childhood to her youth. A year earlier, he had persuaded her to marry Zayd to demonstrate practically the equality of the Quraysh and liberated slaves as human beings. The marriage ended with divorce, as she never reconciled herself to her marriage with a liberated slave. So, the Prophet married her in 5 AH. (b) Muḥammad Ḥusayn Haykal (1888–1956): Abdullah ibn Jahsh refused the Prophet’s request to let his sister Zaynab, the Hāshimī Quraysh noble girl to marry Zayd, the Prophet’s former slave whom he set free and adopted as his son. It was a great shame for the Arabs in general, and even unthinkable, that the daughters of the aristocracy to marry their slaves, even though they had become free. But the Prophet ( )ﷺwanted to wipe out these racial discrimination and class distinctions and to educate people to the truth that there is no superiority of one person over the other except with virtue. (Qur’ān, 49:13) But when it was revealed that the Prophet( )ﷺhad to be obeyed, they both Abdullah and Zaynab agreed. The revelation was as follows: “No believer, whether man or woman, has freedom to choose otherwise than as Allah and His Prophet have resolved in any given case. To do so is to disobey Allah and His Prophet, to err and fall into manifest misguidance.”(Qur’ān, 33:36) The marriage between Zayd and Zaynab did not go well, as she continued to feel the gap between her belonging to an aristocracy and his being a former slave. He complained to the Prophet()ﷺ, but the Prophet ( )ﷺtold him to keep her.
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But, as Zayd was unable to bear her false pride any longer, he divorced her. The Prophet ( )ﷺwas ordered by Allah to marry Zaynab to break the Arab tradition of prohibiting from marrying the former wife of one’s adopted son, as for them an adopted son is like a real son. In Islam an adopted son remains the son of his real parents. Blood relationship will never be cut through adoption. This marriage between Zayd and Zaynab as well as between the Prophet and Zaynab is the breaking of ancient Arab tradition through practice, and at the same time applying the Islamic teachings: the quality of man before Allah, and the nature of adoption, namely, blood relationship will never be cut off through adoption. These two fabricated stories are included among the isrā’iliyyāt (Jewish legends), although they are not invented by them, but by the enemies of Islam. (CIVIC, 28 April, 2017) ِ :المراجع ِ المكتبةِالشاملة ِ (100/092ِ.تفسيرِالطبريِ(ت ِ (ِم9070ِ-ِ9091ِ/ِِهـ279ِ-ِ299(ِتفسيرِالقرطبى ِ (ِ9070ِ/771ِ.تفسيرِابنِكثيرِ(ت ِِمكتبة:ِالقاهرة.ِاإلسرائيلياتِفيِالتفسيرِوِالحديث.ِالدكتورِمحمدِحسين,الذهبي .ِم9112ِهـِـ9199ِ,وهبة Zayd, Zaynab and Muhammed: Fabrications And Lies, by Kaleef K. Karim (By Discover The Truth • August 98, 2016) (https://discover-the-truth.com/2016/08/18/zayd-zaynab-andmuhammed-fabrications-and-lies/) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Satanic_Verses_controversy https://vb.tafsir.net/tafsir17052/#.WP9OSGekIdU https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satanic_Verses http://www.ahlalhdeeth.com/vb/showthread.php?t=160344 https://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/sep/14/looking-atsalman-rushdies-satanic-verse