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OATH. Arabic yamīn (يمين), pl. yamināt, aimān. The teaching of the Qurʾān with reference to an oath, is expressed in the following verses:—
[Sūrah ii. 225]: “God will not punish you for an inconsiderate word in your oath, but he will punish you for that which your hearts have assented to.”
[Sūrah v. 91]: “God will not punish you for an inconsiderate word in your oaths, but he will punish you in regard to an oath taken seriously. Its expiation shall be to feed ten poor persons with such moderate food as ye feed your own families with, or to clothe them; or to set free a captive. But he who cannot find means shall fast three days.”
[Sūrah xvi. 96]: “Take not your oaths between you deceitfully.”
The following is the teaching of Muḥammad, as given in the Traditions:—
“Whoever swears to a thing and says, ‘If it please God,’ and acts contrary to his oath, it is no sin.”
“Swear not by idols or by your own fathers.”
“Swear not by God except it be to the truth.”
“Whoever swears by the prayers or by the fast, or by the pilgrimage, is not a Muslim.”
The Prophet used generally to swear in these words: “No, by the Turner of Hearts.”
According to the Hidāyah (Hamilton’s ed., vol. vi., pp. 1, 2), yamīn is constituted by the use of the name of Almighty God, or by any of those appellations by which the Deity is generally known or understood.
False oaths are of three kinds:—
(1) Al-Yamīnu ʾl-G͟hamūs (اليمين الغموس). An oath taken concerning a thing already past, in which is conveyed an intentional falsehood on the part of the swearer: such an oath is highly sinful, the Prophet having declared—“Whosoever sweareth falsely, the same shall be condemned to hell.”
(2) Al-Yamīnu ʾl-munʿaqid (اليمين المنعقد). An oath taken concerning a matter which is to come. Thus, a man swears that he will do such a thing, or he will not do such a thing, and where he fails in this, expiation is incumbent upon him, which expiation is established on the authority of the sacred writings.
(3) Yamīnu ʾl-Lag͟hw (يمين اللغو). An oath taken concerning an incident or transaction already past, where the swearer believes that the matter to which he thus bears testimony accords with what he swears, though it should happen to be actually otherwise; in which case it may be hoped from the divine mercy that the swearer will not be condemned for such an oath.
The expiation, or kaffārah, is of no avail for the Yamīnu ʾl-G͟hamūs, but it is necessary for the Yamīnu ʾl-munʿaqid. It consists of either feeding or clothing ten poor persons, or releasing a Muslim captive.
The Muslim law with regard to oaths is a modification of the Talmudic law, for from the Divine law the Jewish doctors deduced many special cases of perjury, which are thus classified:—
(1) Jus jurandum promissorium, a rash or inconsiderate oath for the future, or a false assertion respecting the past ([Lev. v. 4]).
(2) Vanum, an absurd contradictory assertion.
(3) Depositi, breach of contract denied ([Lev. xix. 11]).
(4) Testimonii, judicial perjury ([Lev. v. 1]). (H. W. P. in Smith’s Dict. of the Bible.)
The Mosaic law admitted expiation in the case of rash or forgotten oaths, vide [Lev. v. 4], but the Yamīnu ʾl-munʿaqid of Muḥammadan law allows a much greater latitude, for it applies to all vows or oaths excepting those intentionally false made with regard to future events.
The teaching of Muḥammadan jurists on the subject of oaths and vows, exhibits that reservatio mentalis of Muḥammadan morality which is so similar to that of the Jewish Rabbis, and which was condemned by Jesus Christ in [St. Matt. xxiii. 16].
Sunnī writers on jurisprudence say that an oath should be expressed by such attributes of the Deity as are commonly used in swearing, such as the power, or the glory, or the might of God, because an oath is usually expressed under one or other of those qualities; and the sense of yamīn, viz. “strength,” is by this means obtained, since as the swearer believes in the power, glory, and might, and other attributes of the Deity, it follows that the mention of these attributes only is sufficient to strengthen the resolution in the performance of the act vowed, or the avoidance thereof.
If a man swear “by the knowledge of God,” it does not constitute an oath, because an oath expressed by the knowledge of God is not in use; moreover, by “knowledge” is frequently implied merely that which is known; and in this sense the word knowledge is not expressive either of the name of God, of any of His attributes. In the same manner, should a person swear “by the wrath of God,” or “by the mercy of God,” it does not constitute an oath, because an oath is not commonly expressed by any of these attributes; moreover, by the word raḥmah is sometimes understood “rain,” and “heaven” is also occasionally expressed by that term; and by the word G͟haiz̤ is understood “punishment”; and none of these are either appellations or attributes of the Deity.
If a person swear by another name than that of God,—such as “the Prophet,” or “the Holy Temple,” this does not constitute an oath, as the Prophet has said, “if any man among you take an oath, he must swear by the name of God, or else his oath is void.” If a person swear by the Qurʾān, it does not constitute an oath, although the Qurʾān be the word of God, because men do not swear by the Qurʾān. The compiler of the Hidāyah observes that this is where the swearer only says, “by the Prophet,” or “by the Temple,” or “by the Qurʾān,” but if the swearer say, “If I act contrary to what I now say, may I be deprived ‘of the Prophet,’ ” or “of the temple,” or “of the Qurʾān,” this constitutes an oath, because such privation would reduce the swearer to the state of an infidel, and the suspension of infidelity upon a condition amounts to yamīn.
Abū Ḥanīfah alleges that if a man should swear “by the truth of God,” this does not constitute an oath, and in this Imām Muḥammad coincides. There are two opinions of Abū Yūsuf recorded on this point. According to one, it is not an oath; but according to the other it is an oath, because truth is one of the attributes of the Deity, signifying the certainty of the divine existence, and hence it is the same as if the swearer were to say, “by God, the truth!” and as oaths are common under this mode of expression, so an oath is hereby constituted. The argument of Imām Muḥammad and Abū Ḥanīfah is that the term “the truth,” as here expressed, relates merely to the identity of the godhead as the object of obedience, and hence an oath thus expressed appears to be taken by that which is neither an appellation nor an attribute of God. The learned jurists, however, say that if a person express himself thus, “by the truth I will do so and so,” this constitutes an oath, because the truth is one of the appellatives or proper names of God. But if a person were to say, “I will do this truly,” it does not amount to an oath, because the word truly can only be taken, in this case, as a corroboration or confirmation of the promise contained in the speech, being the same as if he were to say, “I shall do this indeed.” If a man say, “I swear,” or “I vow,” or “I testify,” whether the words “by God” be superadded or not, it constitutes an oath, because such words are commonly used in swearing; the use of them in the present tense is undisputed; and they are also sometimes used in the future tense, where the context admits of a construction in the present; and attestation amounts to an oath, as in that sense it occurs in the sacred writings. Now swearing “by the name of God” is both customary and conformable to the divine ordinances, but without the name of God it is forbidden. When it so occurs, therefore, it must be construed into a lawful oath; hence some say that intention is not requisite in it; others, however, allege that the intention is essential, because the words here recited bear the construction of a promise, that is, they admit of being received as applying to the future, and also of being taken as a vow without the name of God.
If a person, speaking in the Persian language, were to say, “I swear by God,” it amounts to an oath, because here the idiom confines the expression solely to the present; but if he were to say simply, “I swear,” some allege that this does not constitute an oath. If he were to say, “I swear by the divorce of my wife,” this is not an oath, as an oath is not so expressed in practice.
If a man in swearing say “by the age” or “the existence of God,” it constitutes an oath, because the age or existence of God signifies his eternity, which is one of his attributes.
If a person should say, “If I do this may I be a Jew, or a Christian, or an infidel,” it constitutes an oath; because, as the swearer has made the condition a sign of infidelity, it follows that he is conscious of his obligation to avoid the condition; and this obligation is possible, by making it an oath, in such a way as to render unlawful to himself that which is lawful. And if the oath relate to anything which he has done in the time past, as if he were to say, “If I have done so may I be a Jew or an infidel,” and so forth, this is yamīnu ʾl-G͟hamūs, or “perjury.” The swearer is not, however, in this case made a Jew or an infidel, because the words “may I be an infidel,” and so forth, relate to some future indefinite period. Some, on the contrary, have alleged that he becomes actually as an infidel, because the penalty which the swearer imprecates upon himself relates to the present instant of his testimony, being the same as if he were to say, “I am a Jew,” &c. But the majority of doctors say, the swearer does not become a Jew or infidel in either of the cases, either in that of a vow with respect to the future, or an oath regarding the past, provided he consider this merely as a form of swearing. But if he believe that by thus swearing he fully subjects himself to the penalty expressed, he suffers accordingly, in either instance, because he appears consenting to infidelity, on account of having ventured upon a thing by the commission of which he conceives that he may be rendered an infidel.
If a person say, “If I do this, may the anger of God fall upon me,” this does not constitute a vow, as not being a customary mode of expression for that purpose. And so also, if a person were to say, “May I be an adulterer or a drunkard or an usurer,” because these are not generally understood or received as forms of swearing.
The following are considered the most solemn and binding methods of taking an oath:—
1. Saying three times “by the Great God.”
2. Taking the Qurʾān and saying, “by what this contains of the word of God.”
3. By placing a sword on the Qurʾān.
4. By saying, “I impose upon myself divorcement.”
Muḥammad himself was rather given to swearing, and the Qurʾān is full of wild oaths, one of the most terrible of which, according to the Prophet’s own words, is to “swear by the setting stars.” ([Sūrah lvi. 74].)
Burckhardt, in his notes on the Bedouin Arabs, says that these children of the desert often take hold of the middle of a tent pole and swear by the life of the tent and its owners.
As might be expected, from the example set them by their Prophet, Muḥammadans are commonly guilty of taking God’s name in vain by swearing upon every petty occasion. Like the μα Δία of the Greeks, the word is hardly ever out of their mouths.
[For further information on the subject of Oaths, see Hamilton’s Hidāyah, book vi.; the Durru ʾl-Muk͟htār, the Raddu ʾl-Muḥtār, and the Fatāwā-i-ʿĀlamgīrī, in loco, in which there are chapters devoted to the consideration of oaths and vows made under all circumstances of life, e.g. with respect to entering places of residence; with regard to actions; with respect to eating and drinking, speaking and conversing; of vows in manumission and divorce; with respect to buying and selling, marriage, clothing, wearing ornaments, striking, killing, the payment of money, &c. &c.]
OATH, The administration of an. An oath in a court of justice is not worthy of credit unless it be taken in the name of God, because Muḥammad said, “Whosoever takes an oath otherwise than in the name of God, is most certainly a polytheist.” It is incumbent upon the Qāẓī, or judge, to request the swearer to corroborate his oath by reciting some of the attributes of God. For example, “I swear by God, the Righteous, the Knower of Secrets,” &c. A defendant must not be required to swear by divorce or emancipation, as if he should say: “If it be true my wife is divorced, or my slave is free.”
If an oath be administered to a Jew, he should say, “I swear by God who revealed the Taurāt to Moses.”
If to a Christian, he should say, “I swear by God who revealed the Injīl to Jesus.”
If to a Majūsī or fire-worshipper, he should say, “I swear by God who created fire.”
An oath cannot be administered to an idolater otherwise than in the name of God, in accordance with this verse in the Qurʾān, “If ye ask of them who hath created you, verily they will say God Almighty.” ([Sūrah xxxix. 39].)
An oath cannot be administered to infidels in their places of worship, because the Qāẓī is not allowed to enter such a place. This applies to the places of worship of the Jews and Christians as well as of idolaters. (Hidāyah, vol. ii. p. 77.)
Women are not in Muslim law (as in Jewish, Mishna Sheb. iv. 1), forbidden to bear witness on oath.
OBSEQUIES OF THE DEAD. [[JANAZAH].]
OFFENCE AGAINST THE PERSON. [[JINAYAH].]
OFFERINGS. The Arabic word naẕr (نذر) is often used for an offering, but in its strict theological meaning it expresses a vow. K͟hairāt (خيرات), pl. of K͟hair, is used for ordinary acts of charity. Ṣadaqah (صدقة) also expresses the same meaning. Niyāz (نياز) is an offering to a saint. Zakāt (زكوة), the legal alms.
[For an account of these offerings refer to the words.]
OHUD. [[UHUD].]
OLD TESTAMENT. Al-ʿAhdu ʾl-ʿAtīq (العهد العتيق). Muḥammad, in his Qurʾān, professes to receive all the inspired books of the Old Testament. (See [Sūrah ii. 130]): “We believe in God, and what has been revealed to us, and what has been revealed to Abraham, and Ishmael, and Isaac, and Jacob, and the Tribes, and what was brought unto the Prophets from their Lord: and we will not distinguish between any of them, and unto Him are we resigned” (i.e. Muslims). But there is no evidence that Muḥammad had ever seen the Jewish Scriptures, as now received by both Jews and Christians. In the Qurʾān, he mentions the Taurāt of Moses, the Zabūr (Psalms) of David, and makes several references to the historical portions of the Old Testament; but Jonah is the only name amongst the writers of the prophetical books (either greater or minor), of the Old Testament scriptures, mentioned in the Qurʾān.
Muḥammadan writers say there have been 124,000 prophets, but only eight of these have been apostles to whom the Almighty has revealed books, and that only one hundred portions, or ṣuhuf, and four books, or kutub, have been given to mankind. Ten portions to Adam, the first of the prophets, fifty to Seth (not once mentioned in the Qurʾān), thirty to Idrīs or Enoch, and ten to Abraham. One book to Moses, another to David, another to Jesus, and the fourth to Muḥammad.
Six of the prophets are said to have brought in new laws which successively abrogated the preceding, namely Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Muḥammad.
It is impossible to read the Qurʾān carefully without arriving at the conclusion that Muḥammad derived his knowledge of the events of Old Testament scriptures rather from the Rabbins and their Talmudic teaching, than from the inspired text itself. Mr. Emanuel Deutsch truly says: “Judaism forms the kernel of Muḥammadanism, both general and special. It seems as if he (Muḥammad) had breathed from his childhood almost the air of contemporary Judaism, such Judaism as is found by us crystallised in the Talmud, the Targum, and the Midras.” (Literary Remains, p. 89.)
The following Old Testament characters are mentioned by name in the Qurʾān:—
Aaron, Hārūn; Abel, Hābīl; Cain, Qābīl; Abraham, Ibrāhīm; Adam, Ādam; Terah, Āzar; David, Dāʾūd; Goliath, Jālūt; Enoch, Idrīs; Elias, Ilyās; Elijah, Alyasaʿ (al-Yasaʿ); Ezra, ʿUzair; Gabriel, Jibrīl; Gog, Yājūj; Magog, Mājūj; Isaac, Isḥāq; Ishmael, Ismāʿīl; Jacob, Yaʿqūb; Joseph, Yūsuf; Job, Aiyūb; Jonah, Yūnus; Joshua, Yūshaʿ; Korah, Qārūn; Lot, Lūt̤; Michael, Mikāʾīl; Moses, Mūsā; Noah, Nūḥ; Pharaoh, Firaun; Solomon, Sulaimān; Saul, T̤ālūt.
The following incidents of Old Testament history are related in the Qurʾān, with a strange want of accuracy and a large admixture of Talmudic fable:—
Aaron makes a calf. [Sūrah xx. 90].
Cain and Abel. [Sūrah v. 30].
Abraham visited by Angels. [Sūrah xi. 72], [xv. 51].
Abraham ready to sacrifice his son. [Sūrah xxxvii. 101].
Adam, his fall. [Sūrah vii. 18], [ii. 34].
Korah and his company. [Sūrah xxviii. 76], [xxix. 38], [xl. 25].
Creation of the world. [Sūrah xvi. 3], [xiii. 3], [xxxv. 1, 12].
David’s praise of God. [Sūrah xxxiv. 10].
Deluge. [Sūrah liv. 9], [lxix. 11], [xi. 42].
Jacob goes to Egypt. [Sūrah xii. 100].
Jonah and the fish. [Sūrah vi. 86], [x. 98], [xxxvii. 139], [lxviii. 48].
Joseph’s history. [Sūrah vi. 84], [xii. 1], [xl. 36].
Manna and quails given. [Sūrah vii. 160], [xx. 82].
Moses strikes the rock. [Sūrah vii. 160].
Noah’s ark. [Sūrah xi. 40].
Pharaoh. [Sūrah ii. 46], [x. 76], [xliii. 45], [xl. 38].
Solomon’s judgment. [Sūrah xxi. 78].
Queen of Sheba. [Sūrah xxvii. 22].
The compiler of the Kashfu ʾz̤-Z̤unūn (ed. Flügel, vol. ii. p. 458, article, Taurāt) attempts an account of the Old Testament scriptures.
He divides the whole into four sections, and gives the names of the books as follows:—
| (1) | The Taurāt, or the Five Books of Moses. |
| (2) | Yūshaʿ (Joshua). |
| Sifru ʾl-Ḥukkām (Judges). | |
| Shamūʾīl (Samuel). | |
| Sifru ʾl-Mulūk (Kings). | |
| (3) | Shaʿyāʾ (Isaiah). |
| Irmiyā (Jeremiah). | |
| Ḥizqīl (Ezekiel). | |
| Yūnus (Jonah). | |
| (4) | Taʾrīk͟h. A history from Adam to the building of the Temple. |
| Mazāmīr (Psalms). | |
| Aiyūb (Job). | |
| Ams̤āl (Proverbs). | |
| Aḥbāru ʾl-Ḥukkām qabla ʾl-Mulūk (Ecclesiastes). | |
| Nashāʾid li-Sulaimān (Song of Solomon). | |
| Ḥikmah (Wisdom). | |
| An-Nawāḥ (Lamentations). | |
| Urdshair (Esther). | |
| Dānyāl (Daniel). | |
| ʿUzair (Esdras). |
[[PROPHETS], [TAURAT], [ZABUR].]
OLD AND NEW TESTAMENTS, The testimony of the Qurʾān to the. The references in the Qurʾān to the sacred scriptures of the Jews and Christians are very many, and in all cases Muḥammad refers to these sacred writings with the highest respect and veneration. He acknowledges their inspiration, admits the existence of such documents in his own day, and appeals to them in support of his own mission.
The following verses of the Qurʾān, in which there are references to the Old and New Testament, have been placed in chronological order, and the translations given are for the most part from Sir William Muir’s Manual on “The Coran,” published by the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge:—
[Sūrah lxxxvii. 18]: “Verily this is in the books of yore; the books of Abraham and Moses.”
[Sūrah liii. 37–40]: “Hath he not been told of that which is in the pages of Moses, and of Abraham who acted faithfully? That a burdened soul shall not bear another’s burden, and that there shall be nothing (imputed) to a man, but that which he himself hath wrought,” &c.
[Sūrah xxxii. 23–25]: “And verily We gave Moses the book: wherefore be not in doubt as to the reception thereof, and We made it a direction to the Israelites. And We made from among them leaders who should direct according to Our command, when they were steadfast, and believed in Our signs. Verily thy Lord, he will judge between them on the Day of Resurrection as to that concerning which they disagree.”
[Sūrah liv. 43]: “Are your unbelievers (Ye Makkans) better than those (i.e. of the days of Noah, Lot, Moses, &c., just referred to;) or is there an immunity for you in the Scriptures?”
[Sūrah xxxiv. 30]: “And the unbelievers say:—We will not believe in this Qurʾān, nor in that (which was revealed) before it.”
[Sūrah xli. 45]: “And verily We gave Moses the book, and they fell to variance concerning it.”
[Sūrah xlv. 15, 16]: “And verily We gave the children of Israel the book, and wisdom, and prophecy, and We nourished them with pleasant food, and We exalted them above the rest of the world; and We gave them plain directions in the matter (of religion;) and they fell not to variance until after divine knowledge (or the Revelation,) had come unto them, out of jealousy among themselves. Verily, thy Lord will decide between them on the Day of Judgment, concerning that about which they disagree.”
[Sūrah xxxvii. 34]: “Verily when it is said unto them:—There is no God but the Lord; they arrogantly reply,—What! shall we give up our gods for a phrenzied poet? Nay, he cometh with the truth, and attesteth (the Revelations,) of the (former) apostles.”
[Sūrah xxxvii. 114]: “And verily we were gracious to Moses and Aaron, and saved them and their people from great tribulation; and We brought them assistance, and they were the conquerors; and We gave them the perspicuous book, and directed them into the right way.”
[Sūrah xxvi. 194]: “Verily it (the Qurʾān) is a revelation from the Lord of creation; the faithful Spirit hath caused it to descend on thy heart, that thou mightest be one of the warners, in the plain Arabic tongue. And verily it is in the former Scriptures. What! is it not a sign unto them that the wise men of the Children of Israel recognize it?”
[Sūrah xlvi. 12]: “And when they refuse to be guided thereby, they say:—this is an antiquated lie. Yet preceding it there is the Book of Moses, a guide and a mercy; and this Qurʾān is a book attesting (previous Revelation), in the Arabic tongue, to warn the transgressors, and glad tidings to the righteous.”
[Sūrah xlvi. 30]: “And (call to mind) when We caused a company of the Genii to turn aside unto thee that they might hear the Qurʾān; And, when they were present thereat, they said,—Give ear. And when it was ended, they returned to their people as warners; they said,—Oh our people! verily we have heard a book revealed after Moses, attesting the revelation that precedeth it; it leadeth to the truth, and unto the straight path.”
[Sūrah xxxv. 25]: “And if they reject thee, verily they who preceded them rejected (their prophets), who brought them clear signs, and writings, and the enlightening book.”
[Sūrah xxxv. 31]: “And that which We have revealed unto thee is the truth, attesting that which precedeth it.”
[Sūrah xix. 11]: “Oh John! take the book (the Taurāt) with power;—and We gave him wisdom while a child.”
[Sūrah xix. 28, 29]: “And she (Mary) pointed to him (the infant Jesus:) they said,—How shall we speak with a child in the cradle? (The infant Jesus) said,—verily I am the servant of God; he hath given me the book (i.e. the Gospel), and made me a prophet.”
[Sūrah xlii. 1]: “Thus doth God, the glorious and the wise, communicate inspiration unto thee, as he did unto those that preceded thee.”
[Sūrah xlii. 12]: “He hath ordained unto you the religion which he commanded unto Noah, and which We have revealed unto thee, and which We commanded unto Abraham, Moses, and Jesus;—saying, Maintain the (true) religion, and be not at variance therein.”
[Sūrah xlii. 14, 15]: “And they did not differ until after the knowledge (of Divine Revelation) came unto them, rebelliously among themselves: and unless the word had gone forth from thy Lord (respiting them) until a fixed time, verily the matter had been decided between them. And verily they that have inherited the book after them are in a perplexing doubt respecting the same. Wherefore invite (men unto the true faith), and stand fast as thou hast been commanded, and follow not their desires. And say, I believe in whatever books God hath revealed, and I am commanded to decide between you: God is our Lord, and your Lord. To us will (be reckoned) our works—to you, yours. There is no ground of dispute between us and you. God will gather us together, and to Him shall be the return.”
[Sūrah xl. 55, 56]: “And verily We gave unto Moses guidance, and We caused the Children of Israel to inherit the book,—a guide and an admonition unto people of understanding hearts. Wherefore be patient, for the promise of God is true, and ask pardon for thy sin,” &c.
[Sūrah xl. 72]: “They who reject the book and that which We have sent our messengers with (the Old and New Testament),—they shall know; when the collars shall be on their necks, and the chains by which they shall be dragged into hell;—then shall they be burned in the fire.”
[Sūrah xxv. 36]: “And verily We gave Moses the book, and We appointed his brother Aaron his helper.”
[Sūrah xx. 132]: “And they (the Quraish) say,—‘If he doth not bring us a sign from his Lord (we will not believe).’ What! hath not an evident demonstration come unto them in the former pages?”
[Sūrah xliii. 43]: “And ask those of Our Apostles whom We have sent before thee, whether We have appointed any besides the Merciful, as a God whom they should worship.”
[Sūrah xii. 111]: “It is not a story fabricated, but an attestation of (the revelation) which is before it, and an explanation of every matter, a guide and a mercy to the people that believe.”
[Sūrah xi. 17, 18]: “These are they for whom there is no portion in the next life but fire: and that which they have done shall perish therein; vain will that be which they have wrought. What! (shall such a one be equal unto him) who proceedeth upon a plain direction from his Lord; and a witness from him (i.e. from the Lord) attendeth him, and before him (or it) is the Book of Moses a guide and a mercy.”
[Sūrah xi. 3]: “And verily We gave Moses the book, and they fell to variance regarding it. And had not the word gone forth from thy Lord, surely the matter had been decided between them; and verily they are in perplexing doubt concerning the same.”
[Sūrah x. 37]: “And this Qurʾān is not such that it could have been fabricated by other than God; but it is an attestation of that (i.e. of those Scriptures) which precede it, and an explanation of the book,—there is no doubt therein,—from the Lord of creation. What! will they say, he (Muḥammad) hath forged it? Say,—then bring a Sūrah like unto it.”
[Sūrah x. 93]: “If thou art in doubt regarding that which We have sent down unto thee, then ask those who read the book (revealed) before thee. Verily the truth hath come unto thee from thy Lord; be not therefore amongst those that doubt.”
[Sūrah vi. 20]: “Those to whom We have given the book recognize him as they recognise their own sons. They that have destroyed their own souls, these believe not.”
[Sūrah vi. 90]: “These are they to whom We have given the book, and wisdom, and prophecy, and if these (the Quraish) disbelieve the same, verily We have given it in trust unto a people who are not disbelievers therein. These are they whom God hath guided; wherefore persevere in the guidance of them.”
[Sūrah vi. 92]: “And they do not estimate God with a just estimation, when they say,—God hath not sent down—(i.e. revealed), anything to Man. Say, who sent down the book, which Moses brought, a light and a direction to mankind? Ye (var. read. they) make (or transcribe) it upon sheets of paper which ye (or they) show, and ye (or they) conceal much: and ye are taught that which ye knew not, neither did your fathers. Say,—God: then leave them to sport in their follies.”
[Sūrah vi. 93]: “And this book We have revealed,—blessed,—certifying the truth of that (revelation) which precedeth it, and that thou mightest admonish the people of the city (Makkah) and those around it.”
[Sūrah vi. 114]: “He it is that hath sent down to you the book, explaining (all things;) and those to whom We have given the book know that it (the Qurʾān) hath been sent down from thy Lord in truth. Wherefore, be not thou (O Muḥammad) among those that doubt.”
[Sūrah vi. 124]: “And when a verse cometh unto them, they say,—We will not believe until there is brought unto us (a revelation) like unto that which the apostles of God brought.”
[Sūrah vi. 154]: “Then We gave Moses the book complete as to whatever is excellent, and an explanation of every matter, and a direction and a mercy, if haply they might believe in the meeting of their Lord.”
[Sūrah vi. 155]: “And this book (the Qurʾān) We have sent down,—blessed; wherefore follow it, and fear God, if haply ye may find mercy; lest ye should say,—Verily the Scripture hath been revealed to two people (the Jews and Christians) before us, and we are ignorant of their reading;—or lest ye should say,—If the Scripture had been revealed to us, we surely would have followed its direction better than they; and now verily a clear exposition hath come unto you from your Lord, a direction and mercy,” &c.
[Sūrah xxviii. 44]: “And verily We gave Moses the book, after that We had destroyed the former generations,—an enlightenment unto mankind, and a direction, and a mercy, if haply they might be admonished.”
[Sūrah xxviii. 47]: “And thou wert not on the side of Mount Sinai, when We called out (to Moses;) but (thou art) a mercy from thy Lord, that thou mayest admonish a people unto whom no warner hath come before thee, if perchance they may receive admonition;—and lest, if there befall them a calamity for the evil works they have committed, they should say,—Oh Lord! if thou hadst sent unto us a prophet, we had followed thy revelations, and been of the number of the believers. And now that the truth hath come unto them from us, they say,—if there were to come (a revelation) like unto that which came unto Moses (we should believe). What! do they not disbelieve in that which was given unto Moses heretofore; they say,—two impostures that mutually assist one another; and they say,—verily we reject them both. Say,—bring a book from God that guideth more aright than these two, if ye be true; and if they answer not,” &c.
[Sūrah xxviii. 53]: “Those to whom We have given the Scripture before it (i.e. before the Qurʾān,) believe therein; and when it (the Qurʾān) is read unto them, they say,—We believe in it; verily it is the truth from our Lord, surely we were Muslims from before.”
[Sūrah xxiii. 25]: “And verily We gave Moses the book, if haply they might be directed; and We made the son of Mary and his mother a sign,” &c.
[Sūrah xxi. 7]: “And We sent not before thee (as Apostles) other than men whom We inspired: ask, therefore, the people of the Scripture, if ye know it not.”
[Sūrah xxi. 49]: “And verily We gave Moses and Aaron the distinction (al-Furqān), and a light, and an admonition to the pious,—those who fear their Lord in secret, and who tremble for the hour (of Judgment). This blessed admonition also We have sent down; will ye therefore deny it?”
[Sūrah xxi. 105]: “And verily We have written in the Psalms, after the Law, that ‘my servants, the righteous, shall inherit the earth.’”
[Sūrah xvii. 2]: “And We gave Moses the book, and made it a direction to the Children of Israel, (saying)—Take ye not other than Me for a patron.”
[Sūrah xvii. 4, 5, and 7]: “And We declared in the book, in respect of the Children of Israel,—saying, Ye shall surely work corruptly on the earth twice, and ye shall be elated with great arrogance. And when the threat of the first of these two (visitations) came to pass, We sent against you our servants of terrible strength, &c., and when the threat of the second (visitation) came to pass,” &c.
[Sūrah xvii. 55]: “And verily We have bestowed favour upon some of the prophets more than upon others, and We gave David the Psalms,” &c.
[Sūrah xvii. 108]: “Say,—Believe in it (the Qurʾān), or believe not;—verily they unto whom the knowledge (of Divine Revelation) hath been given anterior to it, when they hear it recited unto them, fall down upon their faces worshipping: and they say,—Praised be our Lord; verily the promise of our Lord is fulfilled. And they fall down on their faces weeping, and it increaseth their humility.”
[Sūrah xvi. 43]: “And We have not sent before thee other than men whom We have inspired;—wherefore ask the people of the Scripture if ye know not. (We sent them) with evident signs and books, and We have sent down unto thee the revelation, that thou mightest make known to mankind that which hath been revealed to them, that haply they might reflect.”
[Sūrah xiii. 45]: “And those who disbelieve say,—Thou art not sent;—say,—God sufficeth for a witness between me and between you, and also he with whom is the knowledge of the book.”
[Sūrah xxix. 27]: “And We gave to him (i.e. to Abraham) Isaac and Jacob, and We placed among his descendants prophecy and the book.”
[Sūrah xxix. 46]: “And contend not with the people of the book (Jews and Christians) but in a generous manner, excepting those of them who act wickedly; and say,—We believe in that which hath been revealed to us, and in that which hath been revealed to you: and your God and our God is one, and we are to Him resigned.”
[Sūrah xxix. 47]: “And thus have We sent down to thee the book (the Qurʾān,) and those to whom We have given the Scripture believe in it.”
[Sūrah vii. 158]: “And I will shortly write down it (i.e. my mercy,) for those who fear the Lord and give alms, and those who believe in our signs: those who shall follow the apostle,—the illiterate prophet,—whom they shall find written (i.e. described) in the Pentateuch and in the Gospel among them; he shall command them to do that which is excellent,” &c.
[Sūrah vii. 168]: “And (call to mind) when thy Lord commanded that there should certainly be sent against them (i.e. the Jews) until the day of resurrection those that would afflict them with grievous distress;—verily thy Lord is swift in vengeance, and he is surely forgiving and merciful. And We dispersed them in the earth amongst the nations; there are of them that are virtuous, and there are of them that are not so. And We proved them with blessings, and with adversities, if perchance they might return. And there succeeded after them a generation that inherited the book, who receive the temporal advantage of this world, and say,—It will be forgiven unto us. And if there come unto them an advantage the like thereof, they accept it. What! hath there not been taken from them the covenant of the book, that they should not say of God other than the truth, and they diligently study that which is therein.”
[Sūrah lxxiv. 30]: “Over it (Hell) are nineteen angels; and We have not made the guardians of the fire other than angels; and We have not expressed their number, except as a trial to those who disbelieve, and in order that those to whom We have given the book may firmly believe, and that they who believe may increase in faith; and that those to whom We have given the book may not doubt, nor the believers.”
[Sūrah ii. 1–5]: “This is the book in which there is no doubt,—a guide to the pious;—they who believe in the Unseen, and observe prayer, and spend out of that which we have provided them with;—and they who believe in that which hath been revealed unto thee, and that which hath been revealed before thee, and have faith in the life to come. These walk according to the direction of their Lord, and these are the blessed.”
[Sūrah ii. 36]: “Oh Children of Israel! remember My favour wherewith I have favoured you, and fulfil My covenant,—I likewise will fulfil your covenant; and fear Me, and believe in that which I have revealed, attesting the truth of the (Scripture) which is with you: and be not the first to reject the same; and sell not my revelation for a small price; and clothe not the truth with error, and do not conceal the truth while ye know it.”
[Sūrah ii. 50]: “And when We gave Moses the book and the distinction (between good and evil,—Furqān,)—if haply ye might be directed.”
[Sūrah ii. 71]: “And when they (the Jews of al-Madīnah,) meet the believers, they say,—We believe; but when they retire privately one with the other, they say,—Why do ye acquaint them with what God hath revealed to you, that they may therewith dispute with you before your Lord? What do ye not understand? Do they not know that God knoweth what they conceal as well as that which they make public.”
[Sūrah ii. 79]: “What do ye (the Jews) believe in part of the book, and reject part thereof? But whosoever amongst you doeth this, his reward shall be none other than disgrace in the present life, and in the Day of Judgment they shall be cast into a more awful torment.”
[Sūrah ii. 81]: “And verily We gave Moses the Book, and caused prophets to arise after him, and We gave to Jesus, the Son of Mary, evident signs, and strengthened him with the Holy Spirit.”
[Sūrah ii. 89]: “And when a Book (i.e. the Qurʾān) came unto them from God, attesting the truth of that (Scripture) which is with them, (although they had from before been praying for victory over those who disbelieve); yet when that came unto them which they recognised, they rejected the same.”
[Sūrah ii. 83]: “And when it is said unto them;—Believe in that which God hath revealed; they say;—We believe in that which hath been revealed unto us; and they reject that which (hath been revealed) after it, although it be the truth attesting that which is with them.”
[Sūrah ii. 85]: “And verily Moses came unto you with evident signs (or revelations); then ye took the calf,” &c.
[Sūrah ii. 86]: “For he (Gabriel) hath caused it (the Qurʾān) to descend upon thy heart, by the command of God, attesting that (Scripture) which is before it, and a direction and good tidings to the believers.”
[Sūrah ii. 95]: “And when a prophet came unto them from God, attesting that (Scripture) which is with them, a party of those who have received the Scripture cast the Book of God behind their backs, as if they knew it not.”
[Sūrah ii. 107]: “The Jews say, the Christians are not (founded) upon anything; and the Christians say the Jews are not (founded) upon anything; and yet they read the Scripture.”
[Sūrah ii. 130] (see also [Sūrah iii. 79]): “Say,—We believe in God and in what hath been revealed unto us, and in what hath been revealed unto Abraham, and Ishmael, and Isaac, and Jacob, and the Tribes; and in what hath been given unto Moses and unto Jesus, and in what hath been given unto the prophets from their Lord: we make no distinction between any of them; and unto Him we are resigned.”
[Sūrah ii. 139]: “Verily We saw thee turn about thy face into the Heavens; wherefore We will cause thee to turn towards a qiblah that will please thee—turn therefore thy face towards the holy temple: wheresoever thou art, turn thy face towards it. And verily those to whom the Scripture hath been given, they know that this is the truth from their Lord, and God is not unmindful of that which they do. And if thou broughtest unto those to whom the Scripture hath been given, every kind of sign, they would not follow thy qiblah, nor wilt thou follow their qiblah,” &c.
[Sūrah ii. 142]: “Those to whom We have given the Scripture recognise him as they recognise their own sons; but verily a section of them hide the truth, although they know it.”
[Sūrah ii. 169]: “Verily they that conceal the Scripture which God hath revealed, and sell it for a small price;—these shall eat nought but the fire in their bellies, and God shall not speak unto them on the Day of Judgment, neither shall He purify them; they shall have bitter torment. These are they that have bought error at the price of direction, and punishment at the price of pardon:—how shall they endure the fire!—this because God hath sent down the Book in truth; and they that dispute regarding the Book are in a grievous error.”
[Sūrah ii. 209]: “Mankind was one people, and God sent prophets as preachers of good tidings, and warners: and He sent down the Scripture with them in truth, that it might decide between men in that in which they differed:—and they differed not therein, excepting those to whom it was given, after there came to them clear demonstrations, wickedly amongst themselves; and God guided those that believed to the truth concerning which they disputed, by His will,” &c.
[Sūrah ii. 254]: “Of these prophets We have preferred some above others. Some of them hath God spoken unto, and He hath raised some of them to high dignity. And We gave unto Jesus, the Son of Mary, evident signs, and We strengthened Him by the Holy Spirit. And if God had pleased, those that came after them would not have contended with one another, after the evident signs (or plain revelations) had come unto them. Yet they fell to variance. And amongst them were those that believed: and amongst them were those that disbelieved. And if God had wished, they had not contended with one another; but God doeth that which pleaseth Him.”
[Sūrah ii. 286]: “The apostle believeth in that which hath been revealed unto him from his Lord: and the faithful, everyone of them, believeth in God, and in His angels, and in His books, and in His apostles; we make no distinction between any one of his apostles.”
[Sūrah lvii. 18]: “And those that believe in God, and in His apostles, these are the righteous, and the witnesses with their Lord; they have their reward and their light; but they that disbelieve, and accuse Our revelations of falsehood, these are the companions of hell-fire.”
[Sūrah lvii. 25]: “We have verily sent Our apostles with evident demonstrations; and We revealed unto them the Scripture, and the Balance, that men might observe justice; and We revealed (the use of) Iron wherein is great strength, and advantages to mankind, and in order that God might know who assisteth him and his apostles in secret,—for God is mighty and glorious. And verily We sent Noah and Abraham; and We placed amongst their posterity, prophecy and the Scripture: and amongst them were those that were rightly directed, but many of them were evil-doers. Afterwards We caused Our apostles to follow in their footsteps; and We caused Jesus, the Son of Mary, to succeed them, and We gave him the Gospel: and We put into the hearts of his followers compassion and mercy; and as to Monasticism they invented the same,—[We did not prescribe it unto them,]—simply out of a desire to please God, but they have not observed it with a right observance. And We have given those of them that believe, their reward, but many of them are evil-doers. Oh ye that believe! fear God, and believe in His prophet. He will give you a double portion of His mercy, and will create for you a Light wherein ye shall walk, and forgive you, for the Lord is forgiving and merciful.”
[Sūrah xcviii. 1]: “The unbelievers from amongst the people of the Book, and the idolaters, did not waver until there came unto them a clear—a prophet from God reading pure pages, containing right Scriptures. And those to whom the Scriptures have been given did not fall to variance, until after a clear (Revelation) had come unto them: and they are not commanded (in their own Scriptures) otherwise than that they should worship God, rendering unto Him the orthodox worship, and that they should observe prayer, and give alms; and this is the right faith.”
[Sūrah lxii. 5]: “The likeness of those who are charged with the Law (the Tourât), and do not discharge (the obligations of) it, is as the likeness of the Ass laden with books. Evil is the likeness of the people which rejecteth the signs of God: and God doth not guide the unjust people.”
[Sūrah xlviii. 29]: “Muḥammad is the prophet of God; and those who follow him are fierce against the unbelievers, but compassionate among themselves. Thou mayest see them bowing down, prostrating themselves, seeking the favour of God and his pleasure. Their signs are in their faces from the marks of their prostration. This is the likeness of them in the Pentateuch and the likeness of them in the Gospel,—as a seed which putteth forth its stalk and strengtheneth it, and swelleth and riseth on its stem, and delighteth the sower thereof,—that the unbelievers may be indignant thereat.”
[Sūrah lxi. 6]: “And when Jesus, the Son of Mary, said:—O children of Israel, verily I am an Apostle of God unto you, attesting that which is before me of the Tourât, and giving glad tidings of an apostle that shall come after me, whose name is Aḥmad (the Praised).”
[Sūrah iv. 43]: “Hast thou not seen those to whom We have given a portion of the Scripture?—they buy error, and desire that ye may err from the way: and God best knoweth your enemies. God sufficeth for a patron, and God sufficeth for a helper. Of those who profess Judaism there are that dislocate words from their places, and say—‘we have heard,—and, have disobeyed’; and, ‘do thou hearken without hearing;’ and, ‘look upon us’; twisting with their tongues, and reviling the faith. And if they had said, ‘we have heard and obeyed’; and, ‘hearken’; and, ‘look upon us’; it had been better for them and more upright: but God hath cursed them for their unbelief, and they shall not believe, excepting a few. O ye unto whom the Scriptures have been given! believe in what We have revealed attesting that (Scripture) which is with you, before We deface your countenances, and turn them front backwards, or curse them as We cursed those who (broke) the Sabbath; and the command of the Lord was fulfilled.”
[Sūrah iv. 49]: “Hast thou not seen those to whom a portion of the Scripture hath been given? they believe in false gods and idols, and they say to the unbelievers, These are better directed in the way than those who believe.”
[Sūrah iv. 52]: “Do they envy mankind that which God hath given them of His bounty? And verily We gave to the children of Abraham the book and wisdom, and We gave them a mighty kingdom. Amongst them are those that believe in Him and those also that turn away from Him.”
[Sūrah iv. 58]: “Hast thou not seen those who fancy that they believe in that which hath been revealed unto thee, and in that which hath been revealed before thee? They desire to go for a mutual decision unto the idol Jaghût: yet verily they have been commanded to disbelieve therein, and Satan desireth to deceive them into a wide deception.”
[Sūrah iv. 130]: “To God belongs whatever is in the heavens and in the earth, and verily We commanded those to whom the Scripture was given before you, and you likewise,—Fear God, and, if ye disbelieve, verily to God belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and in the earth.”
[Sūrah iv. 135]: “O ye that believe! believe in God and in His prophet, and in the book which He hath revealed to His prophet, and in the book which He revealed from before; and whoever disbelieves in God, and in His angels, and in His books, and in His prophets, and in the last day, verily he hath wandered into a wide error.”
[Sūrah iv. 149]: “Verily they that reject God and His apostles, and seek to make a distinction between God and His apostles; and say,—We believe in a part, and we reject a part; and seek to take a path between the same; these are infidels in reality, and We have prepared for the infidels an ignominious punishment. But they that believe in God and in His apostles, and make no distinction between any of them, to these We shall surely give their reward, and God is forgiving and merciful. The people of the book will ask thee that thou cause a book to descend upon them from the heavens, and verily they asked Moses for a greater thing than that,” &c.
[Sūrah iv. 161]: “But those of them that are grounded in knowledge, and the faithful, believe in that which hath been revealed unto thee, and in that which hath been revealed before thee. And those that observe prayer, and give alms, and the believers in God and in the last day, unto these shall We give a great reward. Verily We have revealed our will unto thee, as We revealed our will unto Abraham, and Ishmael, and Isaac, and Jacob, and the Tribes, and Jesus, and Job, and Jonas, and Aaron, and Solomon, and We gave unto David the Psalms; and Apostles, whom We have already made mention of unto thee; and Apostles, of whom We have not made mention unto thee; and God spake with Moses in open discourse,” &c.
[Sūrah iv. 169]: “Ye people of the book! commit not extravagance in your religion; and say not of God other than the truth. For verily the Messiah, Jesus, the Son of Mary, is an apostle of God, and His word which he placed in Mary, and a spirit from Him. Wherefore believe in God, and in His apostle; and say not,—“the Trinity”;—refrain; it will be better for you. For verily God is one God;—far exalted is He above the possibility that there should be unto Him progeny! to Him belongeth whatever is in the heavens and in the earth, and He sufficeth as a guardian.”
[Sūrah iii. 2]: “God! there is no God but He, the living, the eternal. He hath caused to descend upon thee the Scripture in truth, attesting that which is before it: and He sent down the Tourât and the Gospel from before for the guidance of mankind; and He sent down the Furqān. Verily they that reject the signs of God, to them shall be a fearful punishment. And God is mighty, a God of vengeance.”
[Sūrah iii. 19]: “And those to whom the book was given, did not fall to variance until after that the knowledge came unto them, wickedly among themselves.”
[Sūrah iii. 23]: “Seest thou not those to whom a portion of the Scripture hath been given? They were called unto the book of God, that it might decide between them. Then a party of them turned away, and went aside. That was because they say,—the fire shall not touch us, but for a limited number of days. And that which they have devised hath deceived them in their religion.”
[Sūrah iii. 48]: “And (God) shall teach Him (Jesus) the Scripture, and wisdom, and the Tourât, and the Gospel;—and (shall send Him as) an Apostle unto the Children of Israel. (Jesus shall say) Verily I have come unto you— … attesting the truth of that which (Scripture revealed) before me in the Tourât, and that I may make lawful unto you a part of that which is forbidden unto you.”
[Sūrah iii. 64]: “O ye people of the Book! why do ye dispute concerning Abraham?—seeing that neither the Tourât nor the Gospel was revealed until after him; do ye not understand? Ah! ye are they which dispute concerning that of which ye have knowledge: why, therefore, do ye dispute concerning that of which ye have no knowledge? and God knoweth, but ye know not.”
[Sūrah iii. 68]: “A party of the People of the Book desire to cause thee to go astray: but they shall not cause (any) to go astray, excepting their own souls, and they perceive it not. Oh People of the Book! why do ye reject the signs of God, while ye bear testimony (thereto)? O people of the Book! why do ye clothe the truth with that which is false, and hide the truth, while ye know (it)? and a party of the people of the book say,—Believe in that which is sent down unto those that believe, in the early part of the day; and reject (it, in) the latter part thereof; if haply they may turn back: and, believe not (any) excepting him that followeth your religion. Say,—Verily the direction is the direction of God, that there should be given unto one (i.e. to Muḥammad, a revelation) like unto that which hath been given unto you. Or, will they dispute with you before your Lord? say,—Verily favour is in the hand of God: He giveth it unto whomsoever He pleaseth; and God is widely comprehensive (in His mercy) and wise.”
[Sūrah iii. 77]: “And verily amongst them is a party that twist their tongues in (reading) the book, that ye may think it is out of the book, though it is not out of the book; and they say,—‘it is from God,’ and it is not from God; and they speak a falsehood concerning God, knowingly.”
[Sūrah iii. 78]: “It becometh not a man that God should give him a book, and wisdom, and prophecy, and that he should then say to mankind, Be worshippers of me besides God; but rather, Be ye perfect, inasmuch as ye know the book, and inasmuch as ye study it.”
[Sūrah iii. 80]: “And (call to mind) when God made a covenant with the prophets, (saying) This verily is the book and the wisdom which I have given unto you; thereafter shall come an Apostle attesting the truth of that (Scripture) which is with you; ye shall surely believe in him, and assist him.”
[Sūrah iii. 93]: “All food was lawful to the Children of Israel, excepting that which Israel made unlawful to himself, before the Tourât was revealed. Say,—Bring hither the Tourât, and read it, if ye be true. And whoever contriveth a lie concerning God after that, surely they are the transgressors.”
[Sūrah iii. 99]: “Say, O ye People of the Book! why do ye disbelieve in the signs of God, and God is witness of that which ye do? Say, O ye People of the Book! why do ye hinder from the way of God him that believeth, desiring to make it (the way of God) crooked, while ye are witnesses?”
[Sūrah iii. 113]: “They are not all alike. Amongst the People of the Book there is an upright race that read the signs (or revelations) of God in the night season, and they bow down worshipping. They believe in God and the last day, and command that which is just and dissuade from that which is wicked, and they make haste in doing good works. These are the virtuous ones.”
[Sūrah iii. 119]: “Behold, ye are they that love them (the Jews) and they do not love you, and ye believe in the entire Scripture.”
[Sūrah iii. 184]: “They who say that God hath made a covenant with us, to the effect that we should not believe on an apostle until he cometh unto us with a sacrifice to be consumed by fire;—say,—Verily apostles have come unto you before me, with evident demonstrations, and with that of which ye speak. Why, therefore, have ye slain them, if ye be true? and if they accuse thee of imposture, verily the apostles before thee have been accused of imposture, who came with evident demonstrations, and the Scriptures, and the enlightening book.”
[Sūrah iii. 188]: “And when God took a covenant from those to whom the book was given,—that they should unfold the same to mankind, and that they should not conceal it, and they threw it (the covenant) behind their backs, and sold it for a small price, and woeful is that which they have sold it for; think not that they who rejoice in that which they have done, and desire to be praised for that which they have not done, shall escape from punishment. To them shall be a grievous punishment.”
[Sūrah iii. 199]: “And verily of the People of the Book there are those who believe in God, and in that which hath been revealed to you, and in that which hath been revealed to them, submissive unto God; they sell not the signs of God for a small price. These are they who have their reward with their Lord; for God is swift in taking account.”
[Sūrah v. 14–16]: “And for that they have broken their covenant, We have cursed them, and We have made their hearts hard; they dislocate the word from its place, and they have forgotten a part of that whereby they were admonished. Thou wilt not cease to discover deceit in them, excepting a few of them. But pardon them, and forgive, for God loveth the beneficent. And of those that say, We are Christians, we have taken a covenant from them, and they have forgotten a part of that whereby they were admonished. Wherefore We have placed enmity and hatred between them, until the Day of Judgment; and God will surely then declare unto them that which they have wrought. O people of the Book! verily your apostle hath come unto you; he shall make manifest unto you much of that which ye have hidden of the book, and he shall pass over much.”
[Sūrah v. 47]: “O thou apostle! let not those grieve thee who make haste after infidelity from amongst them that say, ‘We believe,’ with their mouths, but their hearts believe not. And from amongst the Jews there are that spy out in order to tell a falsehood; they spy out for another people that come not unto thee. They dislocate the word from out of its place. They say, ‘If this be given you, then receive it—but if it be not given you, then beware.’ ”
[Sūrah v. 50]: “And how will they make thee their judge, since they have beside them the Tourât, in which is the command of God? Then they will turn their back after that, and these are not believers. Verily We have revealed the Tourât; therein is guidance and light. The prophets that submitted themselves to God judged thereby those that were Jews; and the doctors and priests (did the same), in accordance with that which was confided to their charge of the book of God, and they were witnesses thereof. Wherefore fear not man, but fear Me, and sell not thou the signs of God for a small price. And he that doth not judge by that which God hath revealed, verily they are the unbelievers. And We have written for them,—verily life for life, and eye for eye, and nose for nose, and ear for ear, and tooth for tooth; and for wounding retaliation; and he that remitteth the same as alms it shall be an atonement unto him. And he that judgeth not by that which God hath sent down, they are the transgressors. And We caused Jesus, the Son of Mary, to follow in their footsteps, attesting the Scripture of the Tourât which preceded it; and We gave Him the Gospel, wherein is guidance and light, which attests the Tourât that preceded it, and a direction and an admonition to the pious;—that the people of the Gospel might judge according to that which God hath revealed therein, and he that doth not judge according to that which God hath revealed, verily they are the flagitious ones. And We have revealed unto thee the book in truth, attesting that (Scripture) which precedeth it, and a custodian (or a witness) thereof. Wherefore judge between them in accordance with that which God hath revealed, and follow not their vain desires (by swerving) away from that which hath come unto thee. To every one of you have We given a law and a way; and if God had pleased, He had made you all of one faith;—but (He hath not done so, in order) that He might try you in that which He hath given you.”
[Sūrah v. 68]: “Say,—O people of the Book! is there any other cause of your enmity against us, but that we believe in God, and in that which hath been revealed unto us, and in that which hath been revealed from before?—but the most of you are evil doers.”
[Sūrah v. 77]: “Say,—O ye people of the Book! ye are not grounded upon anything, until ye set up (or observe) the Tourât and the Gospel, and that which hath been revealed unto you from your Lord.”
[Sūrah v. 91]: “Thou wilt surely find the most bitter amongst mankind in their hatred towards those that believe to be the Jews and the idolaters. And thou wilt surely find the most friendly inclined amongst them towards the believers, to be those who say, We are Christians. That is because there are amongst them clergy and monks, and they are not arrogant. When they hear that which hath been revealed to the prophet, thou wilt see their eyes flowing with tears because of that which they recognise of the truth. They say, O our Lord! we believe; write us down with the witnesses; and what should hinder us that we should not believe in God, and in that which hath come unto us of the truth? and we desire that our Lord should introduce us amongst the righteous. God hath rewarded them for that which they have said, with gardens through which flow rivulets. They shall be for ever therein and that is the reward of the virtuous.”
[Sūrah v. 119]: “And (call to mind) when God said,—O Jesus, Son of Mary! remember My favour towards thee, and towards thy Mother, when I strengthened thee with the Holy Spirit, that thou shouldest speak unto man, in the cradle, and also in mature age; and I taught thee the Scriptures, and wisdom, and the Tourât, and the Gospel; and when thou madest of clay in the form of a bird by My command, and thou blewest thereupon, and it became a bird by My command; and thou healedst the blind and the leper by My command; and when thou didst raise the dead by My command.… And when I spake by inspiration unto the apostles, saying,—Believe in Me, and in My apostle (i.e. Jesus;) they said,—We believe; bear witness that we are true believers.”
[Sūrah lxvi. 13]: “And Mary the daughter of Imrān, who preserved her virginity; and We breathed into her of Our spirit, and she attested the words of her Lord and His Scriptures, and was amongst the pious.”
[Sūrah ix. 113]: “Verily, God hath bought from the believers their selves and their wealth, on the condition of paradise for them if they fight in the ways of God:—and whether they slay or be slain, the promise of God thereupon is true in the Tourât, and in the Gospel, and in the Qurʾān.” [[CHRISTIANITY], [JEWS], [JUDAISM].]
OMER. [[ʿUMAR].]
OMMIADES. Arabic Banū Umaiyah (بنو امية), or ad-Daulatu ʾl-Umawīyah (الدولة الاموية). The dynasty of K͟halīfahs who reigned from A.H. 41 (A.D. 661) to A.H. 132 (A.D. 750), descended from Muʿāwiyah, who was the great grandson of Umaiyah of the Quraish tribe. Muʿāwiyah, the son of Abū Sufyān, took possession of the K͟halīfate on the death of al-Ḥasan, and established his capital at Damascus. The dynasty includes the names of fourteen K͟halīfahs.
| 1. | Muʿāwiyah, A.H. 41. |
| 2. | Yazīd (son of Muʿāwiyah), A.H. 60. |
| 3. | Muʿāwiyah II. (son of Yazīd), A.H. 64. |
| 4. | Marwān I. (son of al-Ḥakam), A.H. 64. |
| 5. | ʿAbdu ʾl Malik (son of Marwān), A.H. 65. |
| 6. | Al-Walīd (son of ʿAbdu ʾl-Malik), A.H. 86. |
| 7. | Sulaimān (son of ʿAbdu ʾl-Malik), A.H. 96. |
| 8. | ʿUmar II. (son of ʿAbdu ʾl-ʿAzīz, son of Marwān), A.H. 99. |
| 9. | Yazīd II. (son of ʿAbdu ʾl-Malik), A.H. 101. |
| 10. | Hishām (son of ʿAbdu ʾl-Malik), A.H. 105. |
| 11. | Al-Walīd II. (son of Yazīd), A.H. 125. |
| 12. | Yazīd III. (son of al-Walīd), A.H. 126. |
| 13. | Ibrāhīm (son of al-Walīd), A.H. 126. |
| 14. | Marwān II. (son of Muḥammad, son of Marwān), A.H. 127–132. |
The Abbasides conquered K͟horasan under the brothers Ibrāhīm and Abū ʾl-ʿAbbās, and refused to acknowledge Marwān. Marwān was afterwards defeated on the banks of the Zab, and fled to Egypt, where he was again defeated and slain, A.H. 132 (A.D. 750), and Abū ʾl-ʿAbbās was proclaimed K͟halīfah. [[KHALIFAH].]
OPTION. [[KHIYAR].]
ORDINATION. There is no ceremony in Islām corresponding to the Christian ordination. Sometimes the Imām of a mosque is appointed by the chief man of position binding a turban round his head. In Central Asia, Maulawīs of reputation certify as to the learning and ability of their disciples by binding a turban on their heads and authorizing them to teach. But it is not a custom of the Muslim religion.
ORNAMENTS. Men are prohibited from the use of ornaments of gold, such as rings and the like, because they are expressly forbidden by the Prophet. Ornaments of silver are likewise unlawful, but exceptions are made with respect to signet rings, girdles, or swords, which may be ornamented with silver. (Hidāyah, vol. iv. p. 92). Ibn Zubair says the Prophet condemned the use of little bells as ornaments for children, for he said there was a devil in every bell. Ibn Mālik says the Prophet forbade the wearing of gold rings, and he considered it just as bad to use gold ornaments. (Mishkāt, book xx. ch. ii.)
The Wahhābīs condemn the use of ornaments and silk dresses.
ORPHANS. Arabic yatīm (يتيم), pl. yatāmā. In Muḥammadan law, the term is used for a child whose father is dead.
Muḥammad gave very special instructions in the Qurʾān as to the treatment of orphans. See [Sūrah iv. 2–7]:—
“And give to the orphans their property and substitute not worthless things of your own for their valuable ones, and enjoy not their property in addition to your own; verily this is a great crime: and if ye are apprehensive that ye shall not deal fairly with orphans, then, of other women who seem good in your eyes, marry but two, or three, or four; and if ye still fear that ye shall not act equitably, then one only, or the slaves whom ye have acquired; this will make justice on your part easier. And give women their dowry as a free gift; but if of their own free will they kindly give up aught thereof to you, then enjoy it as convenient and profitable. And entrust not to the incapable the substance which God hath placed with you as a means of support, but maintain them therewith; and clothe them, and speak to them with kindly speech. And make trial of orphans until they reach the age of marriage; and if ye perceive in them a sound judgment, then hand over their substance to them; but consume ye it not profusely and hastily. Only because they have attained their majority. And let the rich guardian not even touch it; and let him who is poor, then use it for his support with discretion. And when ye make over their substance to them, then take witnesses in their presence. God also taketh a sufficient account.”
According to al-Baiẓāwī and the Jalālān, the Muslim commentators understand these verses differently. Mr. Sale says the true meaning seems to be: Muḥammad, advising his followers that if they found they should wrong the female orphans under their care, either by marrying them against their inclinations, for the sake of their riches or beauty, or by not using or maintaining them so well as they ought by reason of their having already several wives, they should rather choose to marry other women, to avoid all occasion of sin. Others say that when this passage was revealed, many of the Arabians, fearing trouble and temptation, refused to take upon them the charge of orphans, and yet multiplied wives to a great excess and used them ill or, as others write, gave themselves up to fornication, which occasioned the passage. And according to these, its meaning must be either that if they feared they could not act justly towards orphans, they had as great reason to apprehend they could not deal equitably with so many wives, and therefore are commanded to marry but a certain number; or else, that since fornication was a crime as well as a wronging of orphans, they ought to avoid that also by marrying according to their abilities.
OTHMAN. [[ʿUSMAN].]
OUTLAWS. (1) An Apostate, if he escapes to another country, is an outlaw. (2) A fornicator should be expelled from his country and be an outlaw for a whole year.