1. The Jews have altered, concealed, or denied scripture that professed
the coming of the "Final Prophet", and they have rejected Muhammad's revelations.
Surah 2:75 - Now [Muslims], do you then hope that they
[Jews]
will believe in you, when some of them have already heard the word of Allah
and knowingly perverted it…
Surah 2:89 - And now that a Scripture from Allah confirming their
own (the Torah) has come they deny it, although they know it to be the
truth.
Surah 2:91 - And when it is said to them: "Believe in what Allah
has revealed, they say: "We believe in what was revealed to us (the Torah).
But they deny what has since been revealed…
Surah 4:46 - "We [Jews] hear and disobey; hear you as
one who hears not; and "listen to us! distorting with their tongues and
slandering religion.
Surah 6:91 - "Who revealed the book which Moses brought, a light
and guidance for mankind, which you have put on parchments which you show,
but you hide much (thereof)…
Surah 7:162 - But those of them who did wrong changed the word
which had been told them for another…
Surah 26:197 - Is it not a sign for them that the doctors of
the Children of Israel know it?
Surah 41:45 - Before this We had given Moses the Book, but there
arose disputes concerning it.
[A note following 26:197 says "the Jews knew, from their scripture,
that a Prophet had been promised to Arabia".]
[A note following 5:52 advises Muslims not to look to Christians and
Jews for help and comfort for they will ally against you rather than help
you. It also speaks of the problem of Muslim seduction, a misplaced admiration
for Jews and Christians due to their ingenuity and "the technical cleverness
of the age".] Might that be God-given wisdom?
One biblical incident surah 7:146 could be referring to is Jeremiah
16:5 where God withdrew His love and blessings from the people of Judah.
Yet verses 16:14-15 follow to reiterate that God will always keep His covenant
and restore His people.
[A note following 9:30 states that the Torah is "recognized in Islam
as having been an inspired Book", but today it is not the one revealed
to Moses. When the Jews decided to reconstruct it, Esdras (or Uzair) headed
the priests and scribes who rewrote it. The Jews were so indebted for his
service that some regarded him as the son of God.]
[A note following this Surah states that rabbis and priests made their office a stepping-stone to worldly power and possessions, and "became so rich with corporate property that their wealth became a scandal, even among their own people. Such are the dangers of creating official religious heirarchies."]
All men are subject to such corruption. But unlike the Bible, Islam
(even in its contemporary notes) conspicuously avoids implicating its own
in such matters. It is clear that in their eyes, Jews and Christians are
the ones uniquely prone to sin and scandal.
[Notes following these surahs explain that in 586 BC the Jewish "Temple
was destroyed, the Torah burnt, 70,000 rabbis slain, and the rest were
carried off into captivity." In 520 BC they returned from captivity,
rebuilt the temple, and created "a new Judaism based on Uzair's attempted
recreation of the Torah.". In 70 AD, the Temple was finally and permanently
destroyed by Titus and the Jews scattered to the nations.]
[A note after 44:33 states that these include "their own Revelation under Moses, their prosperous land of Canaan, their splendid kingdom under David and Solomon, and the advent of Jesus to reclaim the lost ones among them." (Isaiah 59:20)]
The last two points contradict the assertions of Muslims such as Yassar
Arafat that Jews had no heritage in nor claim to the region of present-day
Palestine, nor did they have a temple within that kingdom.
[A note following 19:37 claims 23,000 Christian denominations and spectacular disunity, "opening the gates to secularity and spiritual death among a confused and disillusioned Western intelligensia". A note after 27:76 raises similar disunity among Jews and claims that all the disputed doctrines are settled by the Qur'an "which supplemented and perfected the Law of Moses".]
What about Shiite, Sunni, Kurd, Wahabi, etc.? The profusion of Muslim
sects and disunity is not mentioned in these contemporary notes. How do
sects arise from their perfected law? Which Book settles their disputes?
[A note following 22:78 states that Christianity was a hermit religion because Mark 10:21 said, "Go sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven" and Matthew 6:34 said, "Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself." In contrast, "Islam gives freedom and full play to man's faculties of every kind."]
The Qur'an constantly stresses that giving generously to the poor is
a redeeming work, though apparently not so generously as to worry about
the next meal or alter class status and insult God's grace of provision.
(See points #12 and #13 in the chapter Life & Love.) Though it also
stresses that things of the heart are the most important, it somehow misses
the point that if we can release the material things of this world, God
will provide for our needs according to his promises. As an extreme example,
Abraham was prepared to obediently sacrifice his son Isaac not because
he accepted the loss, but because he knew God had promised Isaac would
live to father nations. Jesus' statements in the verses above demonstrate
intent of the heart and not that God commands we suffer in dire need, much
less crawl into a hole and avoid others which is totally counter to his
Great Commission: "Go into all the world and preach the good news to
all creation." (Mark 16:15)
[A note following 24:55 states that "the righteous will live in peace
and security, instead of having to suffer persecution…or practice the rites
of their faith in secret."]