Legends and the Qur'an
Encyclopedia
This article considers the relation of the Qur'an
, the central religious text of Islam, and pre-Islamic mythology and legends.
Early in Islamic history, debates over the role of Jewish mythology
, as well as Christian Biblical apocrypha
references in the Qur'an, the sacred text of Islam
, existed. "Myths are narratives that serve to explain and describe the experienced world by laying bare its archetypal patterns; they are often staged in a cosmic or supernatural framework so as to manifest binding truths, to generate meaning and provide guidance. Legends, raising no such universal claim, may be understood as narratives of pious imagination celebrating an exemplary figure."
However, the acknowledgment of Qur'an's incorporation of myths and legends is not widely accepted in the Islamic community and remains a sensitive and controversial topic as it is often use to threaten the Qur'an as the word of God. Instead, Islamic scholars point out that difference between the Qur'anic accounts and that of Jewish mythology
and Christian Biblical apocrypha
service to correct the legends, and thus rendering them factual and reliable.
The Qur'an contains many religious accounts considered legendary by historians, source critics
and Jewish and Christian scholars alike. Most of the legends that are suggested to parallel Qur'anic accounts are part of literature was created hundreds and in some cases (such as the Israelite exodus from Egypt) centuries after the events occur, and are thus not considered to have any historical accuracy. Historians and Critics of Islam
explain the presents of mythology in the Qur'an as being due to Muhammad
misinterpreting legends and traditions as histories, and believing they were accepted by rabbinic Judaism
and Christianity
.
The acknowledgment and the role of legends in the Qur'an remains a debated topic.
, he commands all the angels to bow to him. Satan refuses to bow to Adam and is therefore rebuked by God. The apocrypha
l Jewish work Life of Adam and Eve
also contains this narrative.
Quran
The Life of Adam and Eve
The story of the expulsion of satan is unique to the latin manuscript of the Life of Adam and Eve, written around and after the 9th centuryLife of Adam and Eve#Latin Life of Adam and Eve and it is possible that it was actually drawn from Qur'an. These verses are often used to suggest that Iblis ie. Satan in Qur'an is an angel
. However, Iblis is considered to be a jinn
by Islamic scholars due to other evidence in the Qur'an
and hadith
.
Qu'ran
Quran
The Qur'an does not mention Abel and Cain by name, but refers to them as the two sons of Adam, " Recite to them the truth of the story of the two sons of Adam" --Translated by Yusuf Ali.
Mishnah
The Qur'an does not mention Abel and Cain by name, but refers to them as the two sons of Adam, " Recite to them the truth of the story of the two sons of Adam" --Translated by Yusuf Ali.
Haggadah of Pesach
folklore
smashing idols contained in Midrash
Bereishit
38:13 and Surah 21 in the Qur'an
. Abraham's father was an idolater while Abraham is a devout monotheist. Abraham breaks many idols and the people try to burn him until God rescues Abraham.
The Qur'an does not elaborate on the meaning behind the idolaters losing more than Abraham likes the Midrash. The Midrash account is accepted by Jews as non-historical but as a lesson created by Jews to warn against following the Greek gods
. Elements of the story suggest to have roots in the Apocalypse of Abraham
and the Book of Jubilees
. Abraham's father's name is Azar in the Qur'an and Terah in the Midrash and Bible
Early Muslims differed on whether Azar was an alternate name for Terah
, as Israel was for Jacob
. Many of the commentators of the Qur'an (both Sunni and Shia) have also cited an opinion that Azar was the paternal uncle or maternal grandfather of Abraham.
from suckling from a foster mother.
Qu'ran
Talmud
, a 4th century biblical commentary.
Qu'ran
Ambrosiaster
as exceedingly wealthy in the same way as the Talmud
.
Qur'an
Talmud
tell the story of God raising a mountain over the Israelites
Qur'an
Talmud
, though was understood by the earliest Islamic scholars as a Christian legend.
are depicted in the Qur'an and Gospel of James
. The oldest manuscript of the Gospel of James
is the 4th century Papyrus Bodmer V
at a young age was fed by supernatural means.
Quran
Gospel of James
Gospel of James
describes Mary sitting below a palm tree with Jesus
, Jesus talking to Mary when he is a baby and baby Jesus performing miracles to nourish Mary with dates from a palm tree and a stream of water. The Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew
is believed to date back to the 6th century.
Quran
Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew chapter 20
Quran
This parallels an episode in the apocryphal Infancy Gospel of Thomas
where he does the same:
Infancy Gospel of Thomas
The Injilu 't Tufuliyyah
, also known as the Infancy Gospel of Thomas and the Gospel of the Infancy of Jesus Christ, was written in the middle of the 2nd century.
Quran
Infancy Gospel of Thomas
Qur'an
The Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...
, the central religious text of Islam, and pre-Islamic mythology and legends.
Early in Islamic history, debates over the role of Jewish mythology
Jewish mythology
Jewish mythology is generally the sacred and traditional narratives that help explain and symbolize the Jewish religion, whereas Jewish folklore consists of the folk tales and legends that existed in the general Jewish culture. There is very little early folklore distinct from the aggadah literature...
, as well as Christian Biblical apocrypha
Biblical apocrypha
The word "apocrypha" is today often used to refer to the collection of ancient books printed in some editions of the Bible in a separate section between the Old and New Testaments...
references in the Qur'an, the sacred text of Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
, existed. "Myths are narratives that serve to explain and describe the experienced world by laying bare its archetypal patterns; they are often staged in a cosmic or supernatural framework so as to manifest binding truths, to generate meaning and provide guidance. Legends, raising no such universal claim, may be understood as narratives of pious imagination celebrating an exemplary figure."
However, the acknowledgment of Qur'an's incorporation of myths and legends is not widely accepted in the Islamic community and remains a sensitive and controversial topic as it is often use to threaten the Qur'an as the word of God. Instead, Islamic scholars point out that difference between the Qur'anic accounts and that of Jewish mythology
Jewish mythology
Jewish mythology is generally the sacred and traditional narratives that help explain and symbolize the Jewish religion, whereas Jewish folklore consists of the folk tales and legends that existed in the general Jewish culture. There is very little early folklore distinct from the aggadah literature...
and Christian Biblical apocrypha
Biblical apocrypha
The word "apocrypha" is today often used to refer to the collection of ancient books printed in some editions of the Bible in a separate section between the Old and New Testaments...
service to correct the legends, and thus rendering them factual and reliable.
The Qur'an contains many religious accounts considered legendary by historians, source critics
Source criticism
A source criticism is a published source evaluation . An information source may be a document, a person, a speech, a fingerprint, a photo, an observation or anything used in order to obtain knowledge. In relation to a given purpose, a given information source may be more or less valid, reliable or...
and Jewish and Christian scholars alike. Most of the legends that are suggested to parallel Qur'anic accounts are part of literature was created hundreds and in some cases (such as the Israelite exodus from Egypt) centuries after the events occur, and are thus not considered to have any historical accuracy. Historians and Critics of Islam
Criticism of Islam
Criticism of Islam has existed since Islam's formative stages. Early written criticism came from Christians, prior to the ninth century, many of whom viewed Islam as a radical Christian heresy...
explain the presents of mythology in the Qur'an as being due to Muhammad
Muhammad
Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
misinterpreting legends and traditions as histories, and believing they were accepted by rabbinic Judaism
Rabbinic Judaism
Rabbinic Judaism or Rabbinism has been the mainstream form of Judaism since the 6th century CE, after the codification of the Talmud...
and Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
.
The acknowledgment and the role of legends in the Qur'an remains a debated topic.
The Qur'an's response
During Muhammad's lifetime, non-Muslims accused Muhammad of borrowing from "tales of the ancients" to compose the Qur'an. Because Muslims believe that the Qur'an was not revealed all at once, the Qur'an quotes these critics.Satan and Adam
When God creates AdamIslamic view of Adam
Adam is one of the most important figures in the history of the Islamic faith, as he is believed by most Muslims to have been the first human being and the first prophet. Adam's role as the father of the human race is looked upon by Muslims with reverence, who also venerate his wife, Eve, as the...
, he commands all the angels to bow to him. Satan refuses to bow to Adam and is therefore rebuked by God. The apocrypha
Apocrypha
The term apocrypha is used with various meanings, including "hidden", "esoteric", "spurious", "of questionable authenticity", ancient Chinese "revealed texts and objects" and "Christian texts that are not canonical"....
l Jewish work Life of Adam and Eve
Life of Adam and Eve
The Life of Adam and Eve, also known, in its Greek version, as the Apocalypse of Moses, is a Jewish pseudepigraphical group of writings. It recounts the lives of Adam and Eve from after their expulsion from the Garden of Eden to their deaths. It provides more detail about the Fall of Man, including...
also contains this narrative.
Quran
The Life of Adam and Eve
The story of the expulsion of satan is unique to the latin manuscript of the Life of Adam and Eve, written around and after the 9th centuryLife of Adam and Eve#Latin Life of Adam and Eve and it is possible that it was actually drawn from Qur'an. These verses are often used to suggest that Iblis ie. Satan in Qur'an is an angel
Angel
Angels are mythical beings often depicted as messengers of God in the Hebrew and Christian Bibles along with the Quran. The English word angel is derived from the Greek ἄγγελος, a translation of in the Hebrew Bible ; a similar term, ملائكة , is used in the Qur'an...
. However, Iblis is considered to be a jinn
Genie
Jinn or genies are supernatural creatures in Arab folklore and Islamic teachings that occupy a parallel world to that of mankind. Together, jinn, humans and angels make up the three sentient creations of Allah. Religious sources say barely anything about them; however, the Qur'an mentions that...
by Islamic scholars due to other evidence in the Qur'an
Qur'an
The Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...
and hadith
Hadith
The term Hadīth is used to denote a saying or an act or tacit approval or criticism ascribed either validly or invalidly to the Islamic prophet Muhammad....
.
Adam and the Angels
Adam possess more knowledge than angels.Qu'ran
Killing all Mankind
The Qur'an relates a Talmudic parable about the value of human life in its account of the murder of Abel by Cain.Quran
The Qur'an does not mention Abel and Cain by name, but refers to them as the two sons of Adam, " Recite to them the truth of the story of the two sons of Adam" --Translated by Yusuf Ali.
Mishnah
Mishnah
The Mishnah or Mishna is the first major written redaction of the Jewish oral traditions called the "Oral Torah". It is also the first major work of Rabbinic Judaism. It was redacted c...
The Raven and the Burial of Abel
QuranThe Qur'an does not mention Abel and Cain by name, but refers to them as the two sons of Adam, " Recite to them the truth of the story of the two sons of Adam" --Translated by Yusuf Ali.
Haggadah of Pesach
Haggadah of Pesach
The Haggadah is a Jewish text that sets forth the order of the Passover Seder. Reading the Haggadah at the Seder table is a fulfillment of the Scriptural commandment to each Jew to "tell your son" of the Jewish liberation from slavery in Egypt as described in the Book of Exodus in the Torah...
folklore
Abraham idol wrecker
AbrahamAbraham
Abraham , whose birth name was Abram, is the eponym of the Abrahamic religions, among which are Judaism, Christianity and Islam...
smashing idols contained in Midrash
Midrash
The Hebrew term Midrash is a homiletic method of biblical exegesis. The term also refers to the whole compilation of homiletic teachings on the Bible....
Bereishit
Bereishit
is a Hebrew word, which is the first word of the Torah . It may be translated as the phrase "In the beginning of".When used as a noun, Bereishit might refer to:...
38:13 and Surah 21 in the Qur'an
Qur'an
The Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...
. Abraham's father was an idolater while Abraham is a devout monotheist. Abraham breaks many idols and the people try to burn him until God rescues Abraham.
| Qur'an surah and verse | Qur'an quote | Midrash |
|---|---|---|
| 21.51 | "What are these images, to which ye are (so assiduously) devoted?" | "Then why do you pray to them and worship them?" |
| 21.57 | "after ye go away and turn your backs" | "the woman rushed out into the street" |
| 21.58 | So he broke them to pieces, (all) but the biggest of them | "he broke them all except the largest" |
| 21.62 | They said, "Art thou the one that did this with our gods, O Abraham?" | "'What hast thou done?' they demanded, angrily." |
| 21.63 | He said: "Nay, this was done by - this is their biggest one! ask them, if they can speak intelligently!" | "I? Nothing," answered Abraham. "See, the largest idol . . . It seems to me that he has been angry and has killed all the others. Ask him why he did this." |
| 21.65 | "Thou knowest full well that these (idols) do not speak!" | "'They cannot speak,' said Terah." |
| 21.68 | They said, "Burn him and protect your gods, | Let them be bound and cast into the furnace |
| 21.69 | We said, "O Fire! be thou cool, and (a means of) safety for Abraham! | "Abraham walked unharmed in the flames" |
| 21.70 | We made them the ones that lost most! | "Twelve men in all perished . . . Haran was burned to ashes at once" |
The Qur'an does not elaborate on the meaning behind the idolaters losing more than Abraham likes the Midrash. The Midrash account is accepted by Jews as non-historical but as a lesson created by Jews to warn against following the Greek gods
Greek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...
. Elements of the story suggest to have roots in the Apocalypse of Abraham
Apocalypse of Abraham
The Apocalypse of Abraham is a pseudepigraphic work based on the Old Testament. Probably composed between about 70–150 AD, it is of Jewish origin and is usually considered to be part of the Apocalyptic literature...
and the Book of Jubilees
Jubilees
The Book of Jubilees , sometimes called Lesser Genesis , is an ancient Jewish religious work, considered one of the pseudepigrapha by Protestant, Roman Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox Churches...
. Abraham's father's name is Azar in the Qur'an and Terah in the Midrash and Bible
Early Muslims differed on whether Azar was an alternate name for Terah
Terah
Terah or Térach is a biblical figure in the book of Genesis, son of Nahor, son of Serug and father of the Patriarch Abraham, all descendants of Shem. He is mentioned in the Hebrew bible and the New Testament.-Genesis narrative:...
, as Israel was for Jacob
Jacob
Jacob "heel" or "leg-puller"), also later known as Israel , as described in the Hebrew Bible, the Talmud, the New Testament and the Qur'an was the third patriarch of the Hebrew people with whom God made a covenant, and ancestor of the tribes of Israel, which were named after his descendants.In the...
. Many of the commentators of the Qur'an (both Sunni and Shia) have also cited an opinion that Azar was the paternal uncle or maternal grandfather of Abraham.
Moses' milk
God forbids MosesMoses
Moses was, according to the Hebrew Bible and Qur'an, a religious leader, lawgiver and prophet, to whom the authorship of the Torah is traditionally attributed...
from suckling from a foster mother.
Qu'ran
Talmud
Pharaoh's magicians
Pharaoh's magicians later accept Moses as a prophet and convert. This Qur'anic account also appears in AmbrosiasterAmbrosiaster
Ambrosiaster is the name given to the writer of a commentary on St Paul's epistles, "brief in words but weighty in matter," and valuable for the criticism of the Latin text of the New Testament...
, a 4th century biblical commentary.
Qu'ran
Ambrosiaster
Korah's keys
The Qur'an describes KorahKorah
Korah or Kórach Some older English translations, as well as the Douay Bible), spell the name Core, and many Eastern European translations have Korak...
as exceedingly wealthy in the same way as the Talmud
Talmud
The Talmud is a central text of mainstream Judaism. It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history....
.
Qur'an
Talmud
Flying mountain
Both the Qur'an and the TalmudTalmud
The Talmud is a central text of mainstream Judaism. It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history....
tell the story of God raising a mountain over the Israelites
Qur'an
Talmud
The Cave
The story of men protected by sleeping in a cave is taken from a Jewish legend, according to Muhammad AsadMuhammad Asad
Muhammad Asad , was an Austrian Polish Jew who converted to Islam, and a 20th century journalist, traveler, writer, social critic, linguist, thinker, reformer, diplomat, political theorist, translator and scholar...
, though was understood by the earliest Islamic scholars as a Christian legend.
Mary and Zechariah
Several elements of Mary's childhood under ZechariahZechariah (priest)
In the Bible, Zechariah , is the father of John the Baptist, a priest of the sons of Aaron, a prophet in , and the husband of Elisabeth who is the cousin of Mary the mother of Jesus.In the Qur'an, Zechariah plays a similar role as the father of John the Baptist and ranks him as a prophet alongside...
are depicted in the Qur'an and Gospel of James
Gospel of James
The Gospel of James, also known as the Infancy Gospel of James or the Protoevangelium of James, is an apocryphal Gospel probably written about AD 145, which expands backward in time the infancy stories contained the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, and presents a narrative concerning the birth and...
. The oldest manuscript of the Gospel of James
Gospel of James
The Gospel of James, also known as the Infancy Gospel of James or the Protoevangelium of James, is an apocryphal Gospel probably written about AD 145, which expands backward in time the infancy stories contained the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, and presents a narrative concerning the birth and...
is the 4th century Papyrus Bodmer V
Bodmer Papyri
The Bodmer Papyri are a group of twenty-two papyri discovered in Egypt in 1952. They are named after Martin Bodmer who purchased them. The papyri contain segments from the Old and New Testaments, early Christian literature, Homer and Menander. The oldest, P66 dates to c. 200. The papyri are kept at...
God cares for Mary
Mary the mother of JesusJesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
at a young age was fed by supernatural means.
Quran
Gospel of James
Casting lots to care for Mary
QuranGospel of James
Mary and the miracle of the Palm Tree
The Gospel of Pseudo-MatthewGospel of Pseudo-Matthew
The Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew is a part of the New Testament apocrypha, and sometimes goes by the name of The Infancy Gospel of Matthew, but the actual name of the text in antiquity was The Book About the Origin of the Blessed Mary and the Childhood of the Savior...
describes Mary sitting below a palm tree with Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
, Jesus talking to Mary when he is a baby and baby Jesus performing miracles to nourish Mary with dates from a palm tree and a stream of water. The Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew
Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew
The Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew is a part of the New Testament apocrypha, and sometimes goes by the name of The Infancy Gospel of Matthew, but the actual name of the text in antiquity was The Book About the Origin of the Blessed Mary and the Childhood of the Savior...
is believed to date back to the 6th century.
Quran
Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew chapter 20
Jesus creates birds
Jesus forms birds out of clay.Quran
This parallels an episode in the apocryphal Infancy Gospel of Thomas
Infancy Gospel of Thomas
The Infancy Gospel of Thomas is a pseudepigraphical gospel about the childhood of Jesus that dates to the 2nd and 3rd centuries. It was part of a popular genre of biblical work, written to satisfy a hunger among early Christians for more miraculous and anecdotal stories of the childhood of Jesus...
where he does the same:
Infancy Gospel of Thomas
The Injilu 't Tufuliyyah
Gospel of Thomas
The Gospel According to Thomas, commonly shortened to the Gospel of Thomas, is a well preserved early Christian, non-canonical sayings-gospel discovered near Nag Hammadi, Egypt, in December 1945, in one of a group of books known as the Nag Hammadi library...
, also known as the Infancy Gospel of Thomas and the Gospel of the Infancy of Jesus Christ, was written in the middle of the 2nd century.
Jesus speaks in the cradle
The 2nd century's Injilu 't Tufuliyyah or the Gospel of the Infancy of Jesus Christ, contains an Arabic translation of the Infancy Gospel of Thomas and additional narratives. This contains a narrative of Jesus speaking while an infant, also contained in the Qur'an.Quran
Infancy Gospel of Thomas
See also
- History of the Qur'an
- Biblical narratives and the Qur'an
- Prophets of IslamProphets of IslamMuslims identify the Prophets of Islam as those humans chosen by God and given revelation to deliver to mankind. Muslims believe that every prophet was given a belief to worship God and their respective followers believed it as well...
- Stories of The ProphetsStories of The ProphetsStories of The Prophets or Qasas al-anbiya is a famous work of Islamic literature, written by the Muslim scholar Ibn Kathir. In the book, Kathir has compiled all accounts of information regarding various prophets and messengers through Islamic history...
External links
- Jewish Fairy Tales and Legends The Star Child The story of Abraham smashing the idols