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In one of his articles1
Mr Jochen Katz has pointed out a contradiction in two sets of verses of
the Qur’an. According to Mr Katz, 2:62 and 5:69 contradict with
3:85 and 5:72.
These verses are presented below:
Indeed, those who have believed [in this Prophet]
and those who became Jews and Christians and the Sabians who [truly] believe
in God and the Day of Judgment and do good deeds, they shall have their
reward with their Lord and they shall neither have fear [for the future]
nor any remorse [for the past]. (2:62)
Indeed, those who have believed [in this Prophet]
and those, who became Jews and Sabians and Christians, who [truly] believe
in God and the Day of Judgment and do good deeds, they shall have their
reward with their Lord and they shall neither have fear [for the future]
nor any remorse [for the past]. (5:69)
Whoever prefers a religion other than Islam,
it shall definitely not be accepted from him; and in the Hereafter, he
shall be among the losers. (3:85)
They have rejected who say that God is the Messiah,
Jesus son of Mary. And the Messiah [actually] said: O Children of Israel,
worship God, my Lord and your Lord. Whoever ascribes partners to the One
God, God shall forbid Paradise for him and his abode shall then be the
great Fire. And the unjust shall have no helpers. (5:72)
In his article, Mr Katz has implied
that according to the first two verses, Christians, besides the Jews and
the Sabians and the believers in the new Prophet – Mohammad (sws) – shall
be rewarded with Paradise, while the third verse2
states that only the adherents of Islam shall be rewarded with the eternal
bliss of Paradise and the fourth verse has condemned the Christians for
their saying that Jesus (sws) is God.
In the opinion of this writer, Mr
Katz’s contention that according to the first two verses, all the mentioned
groups are promised paradise is quite questionable. The verse does not
say that all the mentioned groups shall enter Paradise; on the contrary,
it says that Paradise is not the right of any group – as the adherents
of the respective groups would like to believe – but is the right only
of those who truly believe in God and in the Day of Judgment and do good
deeds. Thus, whether a person be from amongst the believers in the new
Prophet, the Jews, the Christians or the Sabians, he would only be admitted
into the eternal bliss of Paradise, if he truly believes in God and the
Day of Judgment and does good deeds.
Seen in the correct perspective, the
verse promises eternal bliss to those who truly believe in God and the
Day of Judgment and do good deeds. If a person qualifies on the stated
criteria,
then whether he be from among the Jews, the Christians, the Sabians or
the believers in the new Prophet, he shall be inducted into the eternal
bliss of paradise3.
However, it should remain clear that
according to the Qur’an, knowingly ascribing partners to God is,
in effect, a rejection of God. Thus, if a person believes in God and also
ascribes partners to Him, his belief would not be accepted on the Day of
Resurrection. The Qur’an (40:42) says:
[O my people,] you call me toward rejecting God
and to ascribe to Him partners about which I do not have any knowledge,
while I call you to [the path of] the Powerful, the Oft-forgiving.
The above verse is a clear evidence of
the fact that according to the Qur’an, ascribing partners to God
is effectively a rejection of God.
The foregoing explanation should clarify
the correct implication of the first two cited verses. As far as the third
verse (3:85) is concerned, it is quite clear from its context that the
word ‘Islam’ in this verse is used in its literal sense (implying submission
to God), rather than as a term to denote the Islamic religion. The cited
verse, with its two preceding verses reads as:
Do they prefer a religion other than the one
ordained by God, while to Him submits all that is in the heavens and the
earth – whether willingly or unwillingly – and to Him shall all be returned.
Say: ‘We believe in God and in that which has been revealed upon us and
in that which was revealed upon Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob and the
groups, and in that which was given to Moses and Jesus and the Prophets
from their Lord. We do not differentiate between these Prophets [believing
in some and rejecting others] and we stand submitted to Him’. And whoever
prefers any religion other than that of submission to God, it shall not
be accepted from him and on the Day of Judgment, he shall be among the
losers. (3:83-5)
As should be clear from the given translation,
the referred verses are a call to submission to the Almighty, which incidentally,
is precisely the call of the Islamic religion as well. Seen in the correct
perspective, these verses shall be seen to imply nothing contrary to the
message found in 2:62 and 5:69.
As far as 5:72 is concerned, its alleged
contradiction with 2:62 and 5:69 should stand completely resolved after
the clarification of the correct implication of the first two cited verses.
Regarding 5:72, Mr Katz writes:
No Christian would ever say that Jesus is ‘another
god’ as this verse mistakenly says, nor that ‘God is Jesus’. It is only
the other way around: ‘Jesus is God, but not "all of God" ’.
In the referred verse, the Qur’an does
hold the Christians guilty of saying that Jesus is ‘another God’. This
is an incorrect translation of the referred verse. On the contrary, the
particular doctrine condemned by the referred verse of the Qur’an is
of believing that God is Jesus (sws). However, Mr Katz has stressed that
no Christian ascribes to the belief that God is Jesus.
It should be kept in mind that the Qur’an has
commented only on the beliefs of the Christians, who lived in the particular
environment in which the Qur’an was revealed. There is some evidence,
which suggests that the Nasara (Christians), who lived in the environment
of the revelation of the Qur’an did ascribe to a few beliefs, which
were generally not ascribed by the Pauline Christians. Explaining this
point, in one of earlier responses to a question, I have written:
It is not correct to assume that all the Christian
sects gave up adherence to the Law of the Old Testament. On the contrary,
in my opinion, it actually seems more realistic to believe that the Christians
living in the Arabian peninsula during the times of the Prophet (sws) and
the revelation of the Qur’an adhered to the Mosaic laws of the Old
Testament in letter and spirit. My opinion is based on the following points:
The Qur’an has criticized the Jews and
the Christians for their malpractices and incorrect beliefs. These criticisms
of the Qur’an focus on the malpractices and incorrect beliefs of
the Jews and the Christians living in the environment in which the Qur’an
was
being revealed. For instance, the Qur’an has criticized the Christians
of holding Jesus (sws) and his mother – Mary (sws) – to be divine (5:116).
However, this was (an incorrect) belief only of the Christians living in
that region. We are well aware of the fact that the general Christian population
does not ascribe to the belief of the divinity of Mary.
The Qur’an has not criticized the Christians
of holding the law to be abrogated. If the Christians of the times and
region of the revelation of the Qur’an had actually held the law
to be abrogated, the Qur’an would definitely have criticized them
for it. We see that the Qur’an has criticized the Christians on
a number of issues, but these issues, generally, pertain to the divinity
of Jesus (sws). Thus, it should seem safe to assume that the Christians
living in the Arabian Peninsula during the times of the revelation of the
Qur’an
lived
their lives according to the Mosaic laws. Just as it would be safe to assume
that those Christians did not ascribe to the belief of ‘atonement’, for
if they had, the Qur’an, most definitely, would have criticized
them for it.
The Qur’an has called the Christians by
the name of ‘Nasara’. While, it is known that the general Christians
had come to be known as ‘Christians’ or ‘Masihi’ from a very early
period (as is mentioned in the ‘Acts of the Prophets’). In view of this
fact, it seems quite plausible that the Christians living in the Arabian
Peninsula at the time of the revelation of the Qur’an were generally
those who ascribed to the Nazarene creed4.
The Nazarenes were a Syrian Judeo-Christian sect that came to be recognized
in the fourth century AD. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica:5
Although they [the Nazarenes] accepted the divinity
of Christ and his supernatural birth, the Nazarenes also maintained strict
observance of Jewish laws and customs, a practice that had been dropped
by the majority of Jewish Christians. They used a version of the Gospel
in Aramaic called the Gospel According to the Hebrews, or the Gospel of
the Nazarenes.
It is extremely unfortunate that the Gospel according
to the Hebrews or the Gospel of the Nazarenes is nowhere to be found anymore.
Had it been available, we would have known more about the beliefs and practices
of this sect.
I hope the above explanation should raise
a few questions in Mr Katz’s mind regarding his objection,.
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