Quran on "Jews as Apes" - News Analyses

Quran on "Jews as Apes"

August 24, 2008 11:44 pm

In the article “Not Only Is Freedom of Speech Threatened by Muslims, So Is Religion” published in The Post Chronicle on August 22, the author Vincent Gioia alleges:

“In their hatred of Jews, they were not alone; Muslims aided and abetted the Nazis since they shared a belief system that relegated Jews to the category of “dogs and apes”, as the Koran teaches Islamic adherents.”

This is not what Quran teaches. Mr. Gioia has not only misunderstood Quran's verses but also misrepresented it without providing any evidence. Quran has mentioned a people from amongst the Israelites of old that disobeyed God concerning Sabbath and thus were turned into apes. The verses state:

And certainly you know of those who exceeded the limits of the Sabbath, so we said to them, “Be you apes, despised.” (Quran 2:65)

Quran is not alone in this address, Bible has also mentioned the desecration of Sabbath by Israelites, for instance in Ezekiel 20. Nehemiah is also said to have reminded Israelites about God’s calamity when their forefathers transgressed limits of the Sabbath:

I rebuked the nobles of Judah and said to them, “What is this wicked thing you are doing—desecrating the Sabbath day? Didn’t your forefathers do the same things, so that our God brought all this calamity upon us and upon this city? Now you are stirring up more wrath against Israel by desecrating the Sabbath.” (Nehemiah 13:17-18)

In short, wrath of God having fallen on Israelites is a historical fact that is alluded to in both Bible and Quran.

In another place in Quran, God clarifies that from amongst Jews and Christians, “God turned some to apes and swine.” (Quran 5:60) Whether this turning into apes and swine was physical or it is an application of a linguistic style to indicate that those people lost their intellect is open to interpretation, and scholars have argued for both.

However, to generalize these historical incidents regarding specific people towards all Jews and Christians is an implausible stretch that neither these verses allow nor Quran preaches. If such were the case, then essentially all sins of the people of old could be brought forward to hold their descendants accountable for them, which is against the teachings of the Quran. Quran is very clear that those who committed the sins are the only ones to be held accountable for them.

Not only that, God also commended those Jews and Christians in Quran who were upright, remembered God and performed good deeds – the statement is more general than the one regarding apes and swine:

They are not all alike; of the followers of the Book there is an upright party; they recite God's revelations in the nighttime and they adore (Him). They believe in God and the last day, and they enjoin what is right and forbid the wrong and they strive with one another in hastening to good deeds, and those are among the good. And whatever good they do, they shall not be denied it, and God knows those who guard (against evil). (Quran 3:113-115)

It should be clear from these verses that God in fact appreciates those Jews and Christians who are dedicated to good in this world. His judgment of people is not based solely on whether they are Jews, Christians or Muslims, but more so on their belief in God and the last day and their actions and deeds. Another verse indicates the following:

Surely those who believe, and those who are Jews, and the Christians, and the Sabians, whoever believes in God and the Last day and does good, they shall have their reward from their Lord, and there is no fear for them, nor shall they grieve. (Quran 2:62)

At the same time, God’s message in Quran is intense in inviting one to continuously search for truth and accept it irrespective of where it comes from. It is He who sent previous scriptures and it is He who sent a new one. Consequently, His classification is not based on association with existing religious dominations since when the Quran’s revelation started, no one was technically the same as a ‘Muslim’ as we know today. God’s invitation was to Jews, Christians and Polytheists alike, and when He differentiated between various factions and groups, the differentiation was based on their belief in Him, the last day, their actions and, most importantly, their acceptance of truth and resolve to live by it.

Comments

Allah making people swine and apes? Sir you must understand that such language even mentioned metaphorically does not help Muslims at all, as it created a wall of hate between Jews and Muslims forever.

What was Allah thinking when saying such things? If a Jew today object on such teachings and say, I will never accept Islam as it teaches other religions with such absurdities, he will have full rights to have this opinion!

Muslims argue to take words of Allah in Quran literally, so can you please explain me how is this possible? Humans turned to apes and swines? I hope you have some good scientific knowledge to back up such claims of Allah.

— Anderson T, Oslo

(Posted on Aug 25, 2008 9:45 am)

Allah Almighty's Divine Claims about Him creating us from a single person, and Him transforming some of the evil-doers into monkeys and pigs, are indeed in perfect harmony and agreement with science. The Miracle of the DNA in the Noble Quran, and how when Allah Almighty Said that He created us from "nafsin wahida" (one soul and physical body), His Divine Statement matched perfectly with science, because scientists have proven that all of mankind's DNAs are approximately 99% the same, and that only 1% makes the difference between our characteristics and looks. These days we are using pigs & monkeys/chippanzies body parts. This is the strong scientific Miracle of the Noble Quran.

DNA of the mitochondria, the tiny structures within each cell which generate its energy & they are only transmitted by the mother, indicate that all humans have a common ancestor one women who lived in Africa about 200,000 years ago named Eve. Big bang theory is different. Here we are talking Human race.

— Asmat Ullah Chaudry, London U.K

(Posted on Sep 2, 2008 6:49 am)