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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.
Commentators relate various incidents as to the
occasion on which this verse was revealed. It does not concern us to enter into
these; since, whatever the occasion, this much is agreed on all hands, that, as
there existed a difference of opinion between Mahomet and the Jews, the Prophet
proposed to the latter to determine the question by actual reference to their
Scriptures; which, it is said, some of the Jews refused to do, and went away.
The Book, which Mahomet proposed to make the arbiter of the dispute, was the
Jewish Scripture in use amongst the Jews, and acknowledged equally by them and
by Mahomet to be inspired and binding; this was to be brought forth and appealed
to by both parties. It is called "The Book of God;"—
كتاب الله
What stronger testimony could be desired than this, to the divine origin and
genuineness of the Jewish Scriptures at that time in the hands of the Jews, and
proposed by Mahomet himself to be the final and absolute authority in this
dispute?
CVIII.—SURA III., v. 48[49-50].
سورة آل عمران
وَيُعَلِّمُهُ الْكِتَابَ وَالْحِكْمَةَ وَالتَّوْرَاةَ وَالإِنجِيل
وَرَسُولاً إِلَى بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ أَنِّي *** وَمُصَدِّقًا لِّمَا بَيْنَ
يَدَيَّ مِنَ التَّوْرَاةِ وَلِأُحِلَّ لَكُم بَعْضَ الَّذِي حُرِّمَ
عَلَيْكُمْ
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TESTIMONY TO THE HOLY SCRIPTURES |
183 | |
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.
To save space we have omitted the recital by Jesus
Himself of the miracles which He wrought. The words of Jesus, as here quoted,
show that, according to the Corân, the Old Testament existed, in the time of
Jesus, in its original and uncorrupted state. It was hardly needful, indeed, to
refer to this passage, since the same words of attestation are used by Mahomet
himself in the Corân, both in reference to the Old and the New Testaments.
CVI.—SURA III., v. 64[65-66].
سورة آل عمران
يَا
أَهْلَ
الْكِتَابِ
لِمَ
تُحَآجُّونَ
فِي
إِبْرَاهِيمَ
وَمَا
أُنزِلَتِ
التَّورَاةُ
وَالإنجِيلُ
إِلاَّ مِن
بَعْدِهِ
أَفَلاَ
تَعْقِلُونَ
هَاأَنتُمْ
هَؤُلاء
حَاجَجْتُمْ
فِيمَا
لَكُم بِهِ
عِلمٌ
فَلِمَ
تُحَآجُّونَ
فِيمَا
لَيْسَ
لَكُم بِهِ
عِلْمٌ
وَاللّهُ
يَعْلَمُ
وَأَنتُمْ
لاَ
تَعْلَمُونَ
Oh 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.
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