Chapter 9: O Children of Israel! (and Apes and Pigs)

Ibn Ishaq dedicates pages 363 to 400 of his book to our surah, and thinks, but is not entirely convinced, that the first 100 verses of “The Cow” are addressed to “… these Jewish rabbis and the hypocrites of Aws and Khazraj, according to what I am told, but Allah knows best.” (Sira:363).
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Be Very Afraid

In verses 2:40-66 Muhammad is relating Allah’s address to the Jews, which is mostly to reproach them for their ungrateful disobedience. It lists all the favours bestowed on them from the time of their bondage in Egypt, how they transgressed and how he forgave them.
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The Quran does a very effective job of demonising the Jews as a collective. These Quranic passages have been used to incite violence against Jews.
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2:40 “O children of Israel! Remember My favour which I bestowed on you and be faithful to covenant with Me. I will fulfil covenant with you. And of Me, Me alone, you should be afraid.”
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Remember when I reviewed 2:2, I discussed the concept of being god-fearing, and the Arabic word used was “muttaqeen”? In our verse, the Arabic word used for “fear” is “irhab”, which means terror. Not pious, not god-fearing, but really afraid. Irhab is also the present day Arabic term for terrorism. So our verse is really saying: “of me, Allah, you should be in terror”.
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The Quran alleges that the god of the Children of Israel demand great fear of them. This is at odds with the Bible, where the emphasis is on love.
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It seems to me that Muhammad believed fear to be more effective than love as a way to establish a relationship between the mankind and deity.
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There are only few places in the Quran where the Children of Israel, or the Believers for that matter, are asked to show love to their creator. Fear and terror seems to be Allah’s preferred strategy. It is everywhere in the Quran. This is also what inspires Islamic terrorism, as you know.
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Ungrateful Jews

2:41-64 contain a list of the favours and how the Jews received them with ingratitude. It more or less follows the events during and after the Exodus from Egypt:
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We rescued you from the torments of the people of Pharaoh, divided the sea for you and drowned them. But when We had Our appointment with Moses for 40 nights, you turned to the Calf, and transgressed. We forgave you, so that you might give thanks.
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Again you transgressed and again We forgave you and fed you and gave you water from the stone in the desert, and again you transgressed and again we forgave you, and so on, in a fragmented fashion, most of the events are listed.
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To one who is familiar with the original biblical text, this summary adds nothing. These verses seem like they are related by someone who is vaguely familiar with the Bible, but pretend to be an expert. Let’s have a look:
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2:41-42 “And believe in what I reveal, confirming the revelation which is with you, and be not the first to reject faith therein, nor sell My Signs for a small price; and fear Me, and Me alone. And cover not Truth with falsehood, nor conceal the Truth wittingly.”
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Muhammad pleads with the Jewish rabbis, with whom he has had discourses, according to Ibn Ishaq, to accept him as a prophet of their god.
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I am not sure what “sell my signs” mean. Did they sell Muhammad biblical passages? It seems that they did so, if I understand Sira:389 correctly: “… they cast it behind their backs and sold it for a small price.”
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2:43 repeats the obligations to pray regularly and pay the poor-tax (“Zakat”).
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2:44 “Do you bid men to be righteous, but neglect your own souls while you read the Book? Do you not understand?”
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Muhammad accuses the rabbis of “talking the talk but not walking the walk”, that is, not practicing what they preach, as is laid out in the Book. Surely they understand what is written. Present day Muslim clerics are too eager attribute this verse to all Jews.
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In 2:45-46 Muhammad suggests a way to remedy the shortcoming of 2:44: pray for Allah’s help, but be humble:
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“Seek help in patience and prayer, for it is hard, save to the humble, who truly think that they will meet their Lord and that to Him will they return”.
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You Are the Chosen People, But…

In 2:47 Muhammad acknowledges that the Children of Israel are the Chosen People: “O Children of Israel, remember My blessing wherewith I blessed you, and that I have preferred you above the beings.”
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Islamic commentators and apologists often use this verse to support their false claim that Islam is a tolerant religion, and the Jews are respected. In fact, the Children of Israel are later stripped of the privilege of being the Chosen People, for not submitting to Muhammad’s will.
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Some present day reformers of Islam cherish this verse as a means to reconcile Islam with Judaism. If only it were possible! We can only hope.
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“Beings” is the most common translation for the Arabic word “al’Alameen”, literally “The Worlds”, meaning all creatures, natural and supernatural, specifically referring to men and Jinn (demons).
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2:48 brings us back down to earth, warning us from the Last Day: “And fear a day when no soul shall redeem another, neither shall intercession on its behalf be accepted, nor shall any compensation be taken from it, nor shall they be helped.”
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2:49-52 Muhammad reminds the Children of Israel of Allah’s favours and forgiveness as they were freed from slavery in Egypt, given the Law, making the Golden Calf:
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“And when We divided for you the sea and delivered you, and drowned Pharaoh’s people while you were watching. And when We conferred with Musa forty nights then you worshipped the Calf after him and you were evildoers. Then We pardoned you after that, so that you may be thankful.”
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The Arabic word for “calf” in this verse is “’Ijl”, meaning a young male cow. As stated before, if this surah was about the Golden Calf, then its name would have had this word in it, and not the word “Baqara”.
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The Furqan

2:53 “And when We gave unto Musa the Scripture and the Furqan, that you may be led aright.”
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Arberry translates: “And when We gave to Moses the Book and the Salvation, that haply you should be guided.”
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Most translators who grapple with the meaning of “Furqan” translate it as “the criterion (of right and wrong)”, based of its stated purpose. Arberry, however, sticks to his method of literal translation, and translates this word as “salvation”, for which “Purqan” in Hebrew and “Purqana” in Aramaic is sometimes used.
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Rivlin of course does not translate this word, as it is in Hebrew. He claims that this is another name for Allah’s Book. But because the conjunction “and” is used, the Furqan cannot be the same book.
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Margoliouth suggests that Furqan could come from “Pirke” (Aramaic for “Chapters”, Hebrew for “Chapters of”), possibly referring to the Mishnah (Jewish oral law).
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One Mishnah tractate (section) is called “Avot”, or “Pirke Avot”, literally Chapters of the Fathers (elders, leaders, scholars), also translated as “Ethics of the Fathers”.
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It deals with ethics and morality and related topics, and is one of the more familiar Mishnaic texts among Jews, so it is likely that Muhammad was informed of its name and picked up some of its contents from the Jews of Medina.
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So, what is it? The word Furqan appears in the Quran seven times, and there is a surah named Furqan (surah 25). All occurrences are in connection with instruction that is brought down from Allah, so we are most probably looking at some kind of a book here, and not just “Salvation”. Arberry sticks to his system of literal translation of Furqan = Salvation in all occurrences.
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In my opinion, Furqan is the Quranic term used for the Mishnaic texts. It contains religious instruction, and it is kind of used as a criterion for resolving matters of jurisprudence.
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2:54 mentions the Golden Calf episode again.
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In 2:55 the Jews are reminded of an ultimatum they gave Moses: Show us Allah or we will not believe. Ibn Ishaq (Sira:368) claims that they demanded of Moses “Show us Allah plainly”. They do get a look, and are struck by a thunderbolt and die, but (2:56) “Then We raised you up after your death that you may give thanks.”
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I could not find a biblical parallel to this episode. The inspiration for this verse may be found in the Book of Exodus 19:21 “And the LORD said unto Moses: ‘Go down, charge the people, lest they break through unto the LORD to gaze, and many of them perish.”
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2:57 mentions the Manna and Quail (Exodus 16).
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Say “Hittat”

2:58 “And when We said: Enter this city, then eat from it a plenteous wherever you wish, and enter the gate making obeisance, and say, Hittat. We will forgive you your wrongs and give more to those who do good.”
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This is an obscure verse. The Jews are in the desert, no city in sight, with or without plentiful food. Some commentators identify this city with Jericho, some with Jerusalem, both unfounded assumptions. It could be somehow related to a biblical description of what is awaiting Children of Israel in the Promised Land, but there is no reference there to a specific city.
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“Say forgiveness” in the source is Say “Hittat”, which could mean atonement, or as Arberry translates, “Unburdening”. Islamic commentators make the preposterous claim that Hittat means “There is no god but Allah”.
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“Hitta” is also the Hebrew word for “wheat”, which would explain Ibn Ishaq’s attempt to untangle this mess with a no less obscure statement in Sira:368 “They entered the gate they were ordered to enter with prostration in the crowd saying ‘Wheat is in the barley’’’
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In Hebrew, “Hattat” is a term used to describe a “sin-offering”, a sacrifice made as atonement of specific or general transgression. On that basis translating this word as “Forgiveness” makes sense.
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In addition, and to confuse matters further, those who could not afford an animal or a bird for the Hattat sacrifice, could bring a measure of fine flour, which bring us back to “wheat”. However, this is just a coincidence, a kind of homophone.
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Any way you look at it, this verse does not make sense, and it is another example of how the authors of the Quran take a term that they heard from the Jews and construct a messy concoction around it.
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This “Hittat” verse is repeated in 7:161-162, with no further light shed on the problem.
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2:59 “But those who were unjust changed it for a saying other than that which had been spoken to them, so We sent upon those who were unjust a pestilence from heaven, because they transgressed.”
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“changed it” in this verse refers to the word “Hitta” from the previous verse, which still does not clarify this obscure passage. Changed it to what? This perhaps hints at the allegation that the Jews engaged in the practice of corrupting the word of their god, which is made repeatedly in the Quran. I will elaborate on this topic when we arrive at verse 75.
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The reference to “Pestilence from Heaven” is obscure. There are a few references in the Bible of pestilence brought about by God.
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Some commentators identify this scene with the biblical Sodom and Gomorrah passage which is related in the Quran in surah 29. It still does not help in solving “Hittat” riddle. At any rate, I don’t believe I need to dwell upon this topic any longer.
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Water From the Rock, Good Food, and Anti-Semitic Slur

2:60 “And when Musa prayed for drink for his people, We said: Strike the rock with your staff. So there gushed from it twelve springs; each tribe knew its drinking place. Eat and drink of the provisions of Allah and do not act corruptly in the land, making mischief.”
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The origin of this verse comes from the “water from the rock” episode, related in the Book of Numbers 20:2-13, with some discrepancies: God commands Moses to speak to the rock, not to strike it. Moses ends up striking the rock and that gets him in big trouble with God.
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The gushing into twelve springs is not in the biblical narrative. Mark this one as another example of folk tales receiving divine authority.
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2:61, in addition to being a jumbled mess, contains Anti-Semitic slur. Let’s see what we have here. The first part:
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“And when you said, ‘Musa, we will not endure one sort of food; pray to thy Lord for us, that He may bring forth for us of that the earth produces – green herbs, cucumbers, corn, lentils, onions.’ He said, ‘Would you have in exchange what is meaner for what is better? Get you down to Egypt; you shall have there that you demanded.’”
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is based on the biblical passage where the Children of Israel are fed up with the lack of variety in their diet, what with the same portions of Manna day in day out, and complain to Moses (the Book of Numbers 11:5-6):
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“We remember the fish, which we were wont to eat in Egypt for nought; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlic; but now our soul is dried away; there is nothing at all; we have nought save this manna to look to.’”, So God sent them the quail.
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They ate too much of it and many of them die (most probably of food poisoning), as punishment from God for their greediness. The rest of 2:61 is Quranic exegesis on the biblical affair.
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The next bit is about the Children of Israel being punished:
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“And abasement and poverty were pitched upon them, and they were laden with the burden of Allah’s anger.”
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It is unclear where or when the abasement and poverty was pitched upon them: in the desert or in Egypt. In any case, this is one of many Quranic statements that have been used by Islamic anti-Semites to justify the persecution of Jews.
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The last part appears to inform us that poverty and abasement did not come because they complained about food, but:
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“That, because they had disbelieved the signs of Allah and slain the Prophets unrightfully. That, because they disobeyed, and were transgressors.”
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While this verse is flawed logically and grammatically, the libel contained therein is more important.
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Here, I will only say that there is nothing in the biblical passage about the Children of Israel slaying the prophets. This allegation is made repeatedly in the Quran, and I have dedicated a separate chapter to it.
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There is, later in that biblical chapter (Numbers 11), the matter of Eldad and Medad who were prophesising (that is, debating matters of jurisprudence, as not all prophesising in the Bible was warning or telling the future or performing magic tricks) in the camp, which met with Joshua’s disapproval.
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No one killed them. On the contrary: Moses praised them and wished that (The Book of Numbers 11:29) “would that all the Lord’s people were prophets, that the Lord would put His spirit upon them!” Once again, the authors of the Quran got the story wrong.
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2:62 is another one of those “feel good” verses, where Muhammad is prepared to accept the other spiritual religions as equals to Islam:
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“Surely those who believe, and those who are Jews, and the Christians, and the Sabians, whoever believes in Allah 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.”
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But as we learn from future events in the history of Islamic rule, the provisions of this verse are watered down substantially, and there is indeed much fear for the followers of other religions, and they do indeed grieve quite a lot.
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Islamic doctrine maintains that this verse was abrogated, cancelled, by verse 3:85, which deals with anyone electing to observe religions other than Islam.
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2:63 “And when We took a promise from you and lifted the mountain over you: Take hold of the Law We have given you with firmness and bear in mind what is in it, so that you may be god-fearing.”
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The raising of the mountain episode is taken from a Jewish legend, where God is said to have raised a mountain above the heads of the Children of Israel when the tablets of the covenant (with the Ten Commandments) were delivered, saying, ‘accept my Law, or this will be your burial place’. Some English translations miss the point, and refer to the towering heights of Mount Sinai.
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At any rate, this episode has no biblical origins. This is one of many instances in the Quran where Jewish homiletic material becomes the word of Allah, and is hopelessly misinterpreted.
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By elevating these traditions to “word of Allah”, Islam infers that they were originally included in the Scriptures, but were later removed by evil Jewish rabbis.
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In 2:64 the Jews turn their back after that, but Allah forgives them (this is another allusion to the Golden Calf episode).
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The Turning of Jews into Apes and Pigs

And now we come to this disturbing passage:
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2:65-66 “And certainly you have known those among you who transgressed in the matter of the Sabbath: We said to them: ‘Become apes, despised and rejected.’ So We made it an example to their own time and to their posterity, and a lesson to those who fear Allah.”
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It appears that Allah claims to have transformed some of the ungrateful Jews, who profaned the Sabbath (by fishing on that day) and otherwise transgressed, into either apes or swine, or both.
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This is a warning for the Jews of Muhammad’s time, as well as to the Jews of our time: If you do not fear me, I will turn you into apes and pigs.
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Is this episode related elsewhere in the Quran? Let’s find out.
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The story is related in more detail in 7:163-166, about Jewish town by the sea. When they observed the Sabbath, the fish were jumping out of the water for them, as a reward from Allah. But when they didn’t, no fish would appear, and Allah transformed them into Apes:
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7:166 “Therefore when they revoltingly persisted in what they had been forbidden, We said to them: Become apes despised and loathed!”
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Here is another reference:
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5:59-60 “Say: O followers of the Book! Do you find fault with us as we believe in Allah … and that most of you are transgressors? Say: Shall I inform you of a worse retribution that this from Allah? Those whom Allah has cursed and brought His wrath upon, and of whom He made apes and swine, and who served the Shaitan; these are worse in place and more erring from the straight path.”
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So when Muslim clerics and Imams, in their Friday sermons, refer to the Jews who do not obey Allah as monkeys and pigs or the descendants thereof, they are not making it up. They are quoting the Quran.
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Muslims are required to believe that Allah turned these Jews into pigs and monkeys, because it is written in the Quran, and not as a parable.
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Where could this story come from? There is no such Jewish legend, but maybe it was inspired by the biblical story of when some of the Children of Israel went out on the Sabbath to collect the Manna in the dessert, disobeying the instruction not to. The story is related in the Book of Exodus (16:27):
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“And it came to pass on the seventh day, that there went out some of the people to gather, and they found none”
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Although God was not very happy with their disobedience, the alleged metamorphosis never occurred. There is nothing else in the Bible or in the commentary that even comes close.
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To be fair, many present day Islamic theologians concede that the Jews of today did not descend from apes and pigs, as it is a biological impossibility, these being three different species. However, they still maintain that the transformation into apes and pigs did take place in the past, and is an undeniable fact, as it is written in the Quran.