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210 THE CORÂN
فبرءت من أحداثكم قالوا فاما نأخذ بما في ايدينا فانا على الحق والهدى ولا نومن بك ولا نتبعك فانزل الله عز وجل فيهم قل يا أهل الكتاب لستم على شي حتى تقيموا التوراة والأنجيل الأية
"The enmity of the Jews." Ibn Ishâc relates as follows: —"Râfi son of Hâritha and others, came to Mahomet and said to him:—'O Mahomet! dost thou not claim to be a follower of the religion of Abraham and of his faith, and a believer in the Scripture which we have with us, viz., the Tourât, and dost not thou bear testimony that it is the truth from God? Mahomet replied—: 'Yea, verily; but ye have invented new doctrines, and ye deny that which is therein (i.e. in your Scripture) regarding which a covenant hath been taken from you; and ye conceal (or withhold) thereof what ye have been commanded to publish to mankind. Wherefore I am clear from the new matters (or doctrines) ye have devised.' They answered:— 'As for us, we hold by that (Scripture) which is in our hands;—we follow the truth and the true direction, and we believe not in thee, and we will not follow thee.' Then the great and glorious God revealed in respect of them the text,—Oh ye people of the Book! ye are grounded upon nothing until ye observe the Tourât and the Gospel, &c." [1]

Mahometan traditions are seldom very certain; but if the above be trustworthy, it shows that Mahomet in the Corân clearly acknowledges the genuineness and authority of the whole Scriptures then in current

[1] [Page 268. Ibn Ishaq, The Life of Muhammad: A Translation of Ishaq's Sirat Rasul Allah, Translated by A. Guillaume, Oxford University Press, Oxford, England, (Re-issued in Karachi, Pakistan, 1967, 13th impression, 1998) 1955, pp.815.]
TESTIMONY TO THE HOLY SCRIPTURES 211

use among the Jews, and that his only contention was with their new and false doctrines and traditions, and with their refusal to acknowledge him, and to indicate the supposed passages favourable to his claims in their Scriptures. From the language which he invariably used in this respect, it cannot be doubted that he fully and clearly upheld the inspiration and purity of the Scriptures which they had in their possession, (ما عندهم).

 CXXVIII.—SURA V., v. 91[82-85].

سورة المائدة

لَتَجِدَنَّ أَشَدَّ النَّاسِ عَدَاوَةً لِّلَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ الْيَهُودَ وَالَّذِينَ أَشْرَكُواْ وَلَتَجِدَنَّ أَقْرَبَهُمْ مَّوَدَّةً لِّلَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ الَّذِينَ قَالُوَاْ إِنَّا نَصَارَى ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّ مِنْهُمْ قِسِّيسِينَ وَرُهْبَانًا وَأَنَّهُمْ لاَ يَسْتَكْبِرُونَ
وَإِذَا سَمِعُواْ مَا أُنزِلَ إِلَى الرَّسُولِ تَرَى أَعْيُنَهُمْ تَفِيضُ مِنَ الدَّمْعِ مِمَّا عَرَفُواْ مِنَ الْحَقِّ يَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَا آمَنَّا فَاكْتُبْنَا مَعَ الشَّاهِدِينَ
وَمَا لَنَا لاَ نُؤْمِنُ بِاللّهِ وَمَا جَاءنَا مِنَ الْحَقِّ وَنَطْمَعُ أَن يُدْخِلَنَا رَبَّنَا مَعَ الْقَوْمِ الصَّالِحِينَ
فَأَثَابَهُمُ اللّهُ بِمَا قَالُواْ جَنَّاتٍ تَجْرِي مِن تَحْتِهَا الأَنْهَارُ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا وَذَلِكَ جَزَاء الْمُحْسِنِينَ

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 believer, to be those

           

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