Christian
Churches of God
No. Q019
Commentary on the Koran: Surah
19 “Maryam”
(Edition 3.0 20170826-20171014-20200507)
Surah 19 was one of the earliest texts revealed and
was issued in order to protect the Church of God in Arabia in its first major
persecution.
Christian
Churches of God
E-mail: secretary@ccg.org
(Copyright
© 2017, 2020 Wade Cox and Alan
Brach)
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Commentary on the Koran: Surah 19 “Maryam”
Pickthall Translation with biblical quotes from the English Standard Version
unless otherwise noted.
Introduction
Surah 19 “Maryam” is named by some (e.g. Pickthall) as Mary, being the
putative name of the mother of the Messiah.
However, the mother of the Messiah was named Mariam and her sister, the
wife of Clophas, was named Mariah in the Greek text and She is also named
Maryam in the Koran.
Mary is the Anglo Saxon or British corruption of the Latin application
of “Maria.” The Surah “Maryam” takes its name from verses 16ff.
The Surah was of Beccan origin (cf. also Q001D). Most date it
to the Fifth year of the Prophet’s mission in what was known as the 1st
Hijrah when the persecuted poor of the church at Becca were forced to flee to
Abyssinia and take refuge with their Biblical Unitarian counterparts in the Church of God in Abyssinia (cf. the
paper General Distribution of the
Sabbath-keeping Churches (No. 122); cf. also Pickthall intr). There
they would not be persecuted for the worship of the One True God Eloah.
This year was 613CE, the Ninth year before the Flight to Al-Madinah from
Becca/Petra in 622 CE, which is the 2nd Hijrah,
but the one most understood by the term. The Prophet’s mission, from this
dating, began in 608 CE when he was called by the Spirit and educated in the
Scriptures.
Pickthall draws attention to the fact that they were not Trinitarians. The
Beccans cleverly used their position as Biblical Unitarians to claim they were
not true Christians as Trinitarians. The idolatrous Beccans, in order to
persecute them, sent ambassadors to the Negus for their extradition.
The Negus, against the wishes of the Beccan envoys, sent for the
spokesmen of the refugees and questioned them in the court in front of the
bishops of the churches in Abyssinia. The cousin of the Prophet, Ja’far ibn Abi
Talib, was the spokesman for the church seeking refuge. What he said is known
and recounted by Pickthall from the writings of Ibn Ishaq. He is recorded as
saying:
“We were folk immersed in
ignorance, worshipping idols, eating carrion, given to lewdness, severing the
ties of kinship, bad neighbours, the strong among us preying on the weak; thus
were we till Allah sent to us a messenger of our own, whose lineage, honesty,
trustworthiness and chastity we knew, and he called us to Allah (Eloah) that we
should acknowledge His unity and worship Him and eschew all of the stones and
idols that we and our fathers used to worship beside Him and ordered us to be
truthful and restore the pledge and observe the ties of kinship, and be good
neighbours and to abstain from things forbidden and blood, and forbade us false
speech, and prey upon the wealth of orphans, and accuse good women, and
commanded us to worship Allah only, ascribing nothing unto Him as partner, and
enjoined upon us legal alms, and fasting. The scribe continues: (And he
enumerated for him the teachings of Islam). He continues:
“So we trusted him and we
believed in him and followed that which he has brought from Allah and we
worshipped Allah only, and ascribed no things as partner upon him. And we
refrained from that which was forbidden to us and indulged in that which was
made lawful for us. And our people became hostile to us and tormented us, and
sought to turn us from our religion that they might bring us back to the
worship of idols from the worship of Allah Most High, and that we might indulge
in those iniquities which before we had deemed lawful.”
“And when they had persecuted and oppressed us and hemmed us in, and
kept us from the practice of our religion, we came forth to thy land, and chose
thee above all others, and sought thy protection, and hoped that we should not
be troubled in thy land, O King!
“Then the Negus asked him: Hath with thee aught of that which he brought
from Allah? Ja’far answered: Yes. Then the Negus said: Relate it to me, and
Ja’far recited to him the beginning of Kaf, Ha, Ya, A’in, Sad,”
Pickthall says of this: “The Arabic letter with which this Surah begins,
such letters being generally used instead of titles by the early Muslims.
Therefore this Surah must have been revealed and well known before the
departure of the emigrants for Abyssinia.”
This text is held to be an Early Beccan Surah, with the exception of verses
59 and 60 which are held to have been revealed at Al-Madinah
The Koran had not been compiled at this time and the text was obviously
written so that these persecuted churchmen could use the revelations among
their brethren in Abyssinia. See that they understood the absolute sovereignty
of the One True God Eloah and that the Trinitarian and Binitarian and Ditheist
systems were wrong. The text preserved by Ibn Ishaq (cf. Pickthall) refers to
the Laws of God (L1) and to the
Food Laws (No. 015) and
also to the Tithes (No. 161) as the
lawful alms required by God. This episode in the church occurred well before
the Surahs concerning the distribution of alms from warfare and is among the
earliest Surahs. This account is exactly what we would expect one of our
spokesmen to say before the authorities as a declaration of our faith over the
1900 years until the Ditheism (No. 076) of the
Twentieth century was allowed to corrupt some of our people.
*****
This is the beginning of this early Surah recited by Ja’far the cousin
of the Prophet to the Negus of Abyssinia when the Beccan idolaters sought to have
the emigrants who had fled Becca/Petra to the sister Church of God in Abyssinia
for which this Surah appears to have been written in the main. The reference to
Maryam is no accident. Read the address to the Negus above. These are Biblical
Unitarian Christians appealing for assistance to Biblical Unitarian Christians.
19.1.Kaf.
Ha. Ya. A'in. Sad.
John 5:26 For as
the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in
himself.
2Corinthians 3:5 Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God,
Isaiah 40:28 Have you not known? Have you not
heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.
Psalm 25:5 Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation;
for you I wait all the day long.
Psalm
119:160 The sum of thy word is truth; and every one of thy righteous ordinances
endures for ever. (RSV)
The reference is to the High Priest of the division of Abijah, Zechariah
father of John the Baptist. It begins the Christian Revelation and this text
was to serve that purpose. This text from verses 19:2-15 was to establish the
credentials of the church in Arabia before the leaders of the Abbyssinians. The
entire structure of the bishops was assembled to hear it.
19.2. A mention of
the mercy of thy Lord unto His servant Zachariah.
19.3. When he cried unto his Lord a cry in secret,
19.4. Saying: My
Lord! Lo! the bones of me wax feeble and my head is shining with grey hair, and
I have never been unblest in prayer to Thee, my Lord.
19.5. Lo! I fear my
kinsfolk after me, since my wife is barren. Oh, give me from Thy presence a
successor
19.6. Who shall inherit of me and inherit (also) of the house of
Jacob. And make him, my Lord, acceptable (unto Thee).
19.7. (It was said
unto him): O Zachariah! Lo! We bring thee tidings of a son whose name is John;
we have given the same name to none before (him).
19.8. He said: My Lord! How can I have a son when my wife is barren
and I have reached infirm old age?
19.9. He said: So (it will be). Thy
Lord saith: It is easy for Me, even as I created thee before, when thou wast
naught.
19.10. He said: My
Lord! Appoint for me some token. He said: Thy token is that thou, with no
bodily defect, shalt not speak unto mankind three nights.
19.11. Then he came forth unto his people from the sanctuary, and
signified to them: Glorify your Lord at break of day and fall of night.
19.12. (And it was
said unto his son): O John! Hold
fast the Scripture. And we gave him wisdom when a child,
19.13. And compassion
from Our presence, and purity; and he was devout,
19.14. And dutiful
toward his parents. And he was not arrogant, rebellious.
19.15. Peace on him
the day he was born, and the day he dieth and the day he shall be raised alive!
The summary above refers to the following texts of the Injil or Gospels.
The Scriptures are paramount in the recitations of the Prophet and of the faith
of the Church of God in Arabia.
Luke 1:5-25
In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah,
of the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and
her name was Elizabeth. 6And they were both righteous before God,
walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord. 7But
they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in
years. 8Now while he was serving as priest before God when his
division was on duty, 9according to the custom of the priesthood, he
was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10And
the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense. 11And
there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the
altar of incense. 12And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and
fear fell upon him. 13But the angel said to him, "Do not be
afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will
bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. 14And you will
have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, 15for he
will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and
he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb. 16And
he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, 17and
he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of
the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to
make ready for the Lord a people prepared." 18And Zechariah
said to the angel, "How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my
wife is advanced in years." 19And the angel answered him,
"I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to
you and to bring you this good news. 20And behold, you will be
silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because
you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time." 21And
the people were waiting for Zechariah, and they were wondering at his delay in
the temple. 22And when he came out, he was unable to speak to them,
and they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple. And he kept making
signs to them and remained mute. 23And when his time of service was
ended, he went to his home. 24After these days his wife Elizabeth
conceived, and for five months she kept herself hidden, saying, 25"Thus
the Lord has done for me in the days when he looked on me, to take away my
reproach among people."
Luke 1:57-66 Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son. 58And
her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown great mercy to her,
and they rejoiced with her. 59And on the eighth day they came to
circumcise the child. And they would have called him Zechariah after his
father, 60but his mother answered, "No; he shall be called
John." 61And they said to her, "None of your relatives is
called by this name." 62And they made signs to his father,
inquiring what he wanted him to be called. 63And he asked for a
writing tablet and wrote, "His name is John." And they all wondered. 64And
immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, blessing
God. 65And fear came on all their neighbors. And all these things
were talked about through all the hill country of Judea, 66and all
who heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, "What then will this
child be?" For the hand of the Lord was with him.
Luke 1:76-80 And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you
will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, 77to give knowledge of
salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins, 78because
of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high
79to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of
death, to guide our feet into the way of peace." 80And the
child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the
day of his public appearance to Israel.
The reference to the three days for the period of
Zechariah’s restriction of speech refers to the remainder of the period of
which he was on duty as High Priest of the Eighth division of Abijah before
returning to his home when the division had completed its shift. He remained
dumb until the birth of John nine months later.
Maryam is with child
19.16. And make
mention of Mary [Maryam] in the Scripture, when she had withdrawn from her
people to a chamber looking East,
19.17. And had chosen
seclusion from them. Then We sent unto her Our Spirit and it assumed for her
the likeness of a perfect man.
19.18. She said: Lo!
I seek refuge in the Beneficent One from thee, if thou art God-fearing.
19.19. He said: I am
only a messenger of thy Lord, that I may bestow on thee a faultless son.
19.20. She said: How
can I have a son when no mortal hath touched me, neither have I been
unchaste?
19.21. He said: So
(it will be). Thy Lord saith: It is easy for Me. And (it will be) that We may
make of him a revelation for mankind and a mercy from Us, and it is a thing
ordained.
19.22. And she conceived him, and she withdrew with him to a far place.
19.23. And the pangs
of childbirth drove her unto the trunk of the palm-tree. She said: Oh, would
that I had died ere this and had become a thing of naught, forgotten!
19.24. Then (one)
cried unto her from below her, saying: Grieve not! Thy Lord hath placed a
rivulet beneath thee,
19.25. And shake the
trunk of the palm-tree toward thee, thou wilt cause ripe dates to fall upon
thee.
19.26. So eat and
drink and be consoled. And if thou meetest any mortal, say: Lo! I have vowed a
fast unto the Beneficent, and may not speak this day to any mortal.
19.27. Then she
brought him to her own folk, carrying him. They said: O Mary! Thou hast come
with an amazing thing.
19.28. O sister of
Aaron! Thy father was not a wicked man nor was thy mother a harlot.
19.29. Then she
pointed to him. They said: How can we talk to one who is in the cradle, a young
boy?
19.30. He spake: Lo!
I am the slave of Allah. He hath given me the Scripture and hath appointed me a
Prophet,
19.31. And hath made
me blessed wheresoever I may be, and hath enjoined upon me prayer and
almsgiving so long as I remain alive,
19.32. And (hath made
me) dutiful toward her who bore me, and hath not made me arrogant,
unblest.
19.33. Peace on me
the day I was born, and the day I die, and the day I shall be raised
alive!
19.34. Such was Jesus,
son of Mary: (this is) a statement of the truth concerning which they doubt.
Luke 1:26-38
In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of
Galilee named Nazareth, 27to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name
was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. 28And
he came to her and said, "Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with
you!" 29But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried
to discern what sort of greeting this might be. 30And the angel said
to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31And
behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his
name Jesus. 32He will be great and will be called the Son of the
Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33and
he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be
no end." 34And Mary said to the angel, "How will this be,
since I am a virgin?" 35And the angel answered her, "The
Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow
you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. 36And
behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and
this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. 37For
nothing will be impossible with God." 38And Mary said,
"Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your
word." And the angel departed from her.
Matthew
1:18-25 Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah happened in this way. When his mother
Mary was engaged to Joseph, before they lived together she was discovered to be
pregnant by the Holy Spirit. 19Her husband Joseph, being a righteous
man and unwilling to disgrace her, decided to divorce her secretly. 20After
he had thought about it, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream.
"Joseph, son of David," he said, "don't be afraid to take Mary
as your wife, because what has been conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21She
will give birth to a son, and you are to name him Jesus, because he is the one
who will save his people from their sins." 22Now all this
happened to fulfill what was declared by the Lord through the prophet when he
said, 23"See, a virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a
son, and they will name him Immanuel," which means, "God with
us." 24When Joseph got up from his sleep, he did as the angel
of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary as his wife. 25He did
not have marital relations with her until she had given birth to a son; and he
named him Jesus. (ISV)
Luke 24:5-8
While the women remained terrified, bowing their faces to the ground,
the men asked them, "Why are you looking among the dead for someone who is
living? 6He is not here, but has been raised. Remember what he told
you while he was still in Galilee: 7'The Son of Man must be handed
over to sinful men, be crucified, and rise on the third day.'" 8Then
the women remembered Jesus' words. (ISV)
19.35. It befitteth
not (the Majesty of) Allah that He should take unto Himself a son. Glory be to
Him! When He decreeth a thing, He saith unto it only: Be! and it is.
Christ was not conceived as a result of natural union between a husband
and wife. God just said the word and Christ was conceived in the womb of Mariam
his mother. Thus he and all the sons of God were created by divine fiat both in
the heavens and with the Christ on earth.
Psalm 33:9 For he spoke, and it came to be; he
commanded, and it stood firm.
Lamentations 3:37 Who has spoken and it came
to pass, unless the Lord has commanded it?
19.36. And lo! Allah
is my Lord and your Lord. So serve Him. That is the right path.
John 20:17
Jesus told her, "Don't hold on to me, because I have not yet
ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and tell them, 'I am ascending to
my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'" (ISV)
Proverbs 14:2 Whoever walks in uprightness fears the LORD, but he who is devious in his ways despises him.
Job 28:28 And he said to man, ‘Behold, the
fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is
understanding.’”
19.37. The sects
among them differ: but woe unto the disbelievers from the meeting of an awful
Day.
19.38. See and hear them on the Day
they come unto Us! yet the evil-doers are to-day in error manifest.
19.39. And warn them of the Day of
anguish when the case hath been decided. Now they are in a state of
carelessness, and they believe not.
2Peter 3:3-4
First of all you must understand
this: In the last days mockers will come and, following their own desires, will
ridicule us 4by saying, "What happened to the Messiah's promise
to return? Ever since our ancestors died, everything continues as it did from
the beginning of creation." (ISV)
2Peter 2:1-2 But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. 2And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed.
Ecclesiastes
12:14 For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing,
whether good or evil.
See Revelation 20:12 below.
19.40. Lo! We, only
We, inherit the earth and all who are thereon, and unto Us they are returned.
The text thus refutes the doctrine of the Eternal Soul.
Psalm 24:1 A Psalm of David. The earth is the
LORD's and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein,
Ecclesiastes
12:7 and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to
God who gave it.
Job 34:14-15 If he should take back his spirit to himself, and gather to himself his
breath, 15all flesh would perish together, and man would return to
dust. (RSV)
Psalm 146:4 When his breath
departs he returns to his earth; on that very day his plans perish. (RSV)
19.41. And make
mention (O Muhammad) in the Scripture of Abraham. Lo! he was a saint, a
prophet.
It is important that the faith understands from where it was to arise. This
will be emphasised over the Koran in the sequence of the prophets and
patriarchs to the Messiah and then on to the Church of the One True God which
is the purpose of the revelation of this Surah to the church in Arabia and in
their flight to Abyssinia. However,
because of the Beccans and Arabs falling away, the way of truth has been
blasphemed.
Genesis
20:7 Now then, return the man's wife, for he is a prophet, so that he will
pray for you, and you shall live. But if you do not return her, know that you
shall surely die, you and all who are yours."
Genesis 23:6 "Hear us, my lord; you are a prince of God among us. Bury your dead
in the choicest of our tombs. None of us will withhold from you his tomb to
hinder you from burying your dead."
19.42. When he said
unto his father: O my father! Why worshippest thou that which heareth not nor
seeth, nor can in aught avail thee?
19.43. O my father!
Lo! there hath come unto me of knowledge that which came not unto thee. So
follow me, and I will lead thee on a right path.
19.44. O my father!
Serve not the devil. Lo! the devil is a rebel unto the Beneficent.
19.45. O my father!
Lo! I fear lest a punishment from the Beneficent overtake thee so that thou
become a comrade of the devil.
See Genesis 20:7 above.
Psalm 115:4-6
Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands. 5They
have mouths, but do not speak; eyes, but do not see. 6They have
ears, but do not hear; noses, but do not smell.
Revelation
12:12 Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you,
O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he
knows that his time is short!
John 8:44 You are
of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was
a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there
is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is
a liar and the father of lies.
1Peter 5:8 Be
sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a
roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
Abraham was called the Friend of God.
Genesis
26:5 because Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my charge, my commandments, my
statutes, and my laws.
James 2:23 and the Scripture was fulfilled
that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as
righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God.
19.46. He said:
Rejectest thou my gods, O Abraham? If thou cease not, I shall surely stone
thee. Depart from me a long while!
19.47. He said: Peace
be unto thee! I shall ask forgiveness of my Lord for thee. Lo! He was ever
gracious unto me.
19.48. I shall
withdraw from you and that unto which ye pray beside Allah, and I shall pray
unto my Lord. It may be that, in prayer unto my Lord, I shall not be
unblest.
19.49. So, when he
had withdrawn from them and that which they were worshipping beside Allah, We
gave him Isaac and Jacob. Each of them We made a prophet.
19.50. And we gave them of Our
mercy, and assigned to them a high and true renown.
See James 2:23 above.
Hebrews
11:8-9 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he
was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was
going. 9By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a
foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same
promise.
Luke 13:28 In that
place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and
Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God but you yourselves
cast out.
The sequence of the prophethood then steps to Moses wherein the law was
established in written form and the priesthood through Aaron, who was also a
prophet, again to the descendants of Abraham.
19.51. And make
mention in the Scripture of Moses. Lo! he was chosen, and he was a messenger
(of Allah), a prophet.
19.52. We called him from the right slope of the Mount, and brought him nigh
in communion.
19.53. And We bestowed upon him of
Our mercy his brother Aaron, a prophet (likewise).
Deuteronomy
18:15 The LORD your God will raise up a prophet like me for you from among
your relatives. You must listen to him. (ISV)
Acts 7:37 This is
the Moses who said to the Israelites, 'God will raise up for you a prophet like
me from your brothers.'
Exodus 3:1-2
Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest
of Midian, and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to
Horeb, the mountain of God. 2And the angel of the LORD appeared to
him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the
bush was burning, yet it was not consumed.
Exodus 7:1 And the LORD said to Moses, "See, I have made you like God to
Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron shall be your prophet.
Then Ishmael was made a prophet also.
19.54. And make
mention in the Scripture of Ishmael. Lo! he was a keeper of his promise, and he
was a messenger (of Allah), a prophet.
19.55. He enjoined
upon his people worship and almsgiving, and was acceptable in the sight of his
Lord.
Genesis
17:18 And Abraham said to God, "Oh that Ishmael might live before
you!"
Genesis
17:20 As for Ishmael, I have heard you; behold, I have blessed him and will
make him fruitful and multiply him greatly. He shall father twelve princes, and
I will make him into a great nation.
Genesis
17:25 And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in
the flesh of his foreskin.
Genesis
21:13, 20 13And I will make a nation of the son of the slave woman
also, because he is your offspring.
20 And God was with the
boy, and he grew up. He
lived in the wilderness and became an expert with
the bow.
19.56. And make
mention in the Scripture of Idris. Lo! he was a saint, a prophet;
19.57. And We raised
him to high station.
The reference here is understood to refer to Enoch who was elevated and
taken away by God. Many Muslims identify this as the Biblical Enoch who was
taken by God at 365 years of age. It is given unto all men once to die but
Enoch and Elijah did not die and were taken forward in time to be witnesses to
the world in the final 1264 days before the Messiah. We are told that Elijah
will be sent to us by the prophet Malachi 4:5. It has always been the
understanding of the Churches of God that Enoch and Elijah were to be sent
forward in time as the Two Witnesses until the Sardis and Laodicean systems
completely lost understanding and became heretical. This line is actually proof
that the Prophet was a prophet of the Churches of God and the church in Arabia
was issuing further indication of their bona fides to the Churches of God in
Abyssinia (cf. The Witnesses (including the Two
Witnesses) (No. 135)).
Some Muslims claim that he cannot be identified out of a complete desire
to conceal the identities of the prophets of the last days.
Genesis 5:24
Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him.
Hebrews
11:5 By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was
not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended
as having pleased God.
These are the Two Witnesses of the Last Days. They
preach for 1260 days from Jerusalem and they are killed and left to lie in the
streets for 3.5 days. On the morning of the Fourth day the Messiah returns and
raises them from the dead with the entire First Resurrection.
19.58. These are they
unto whom Allah showed favour from among the prophets, of the seed of Adam and
of those whom We carried (in the ship) with Noah, and of the seed of Abraham
and Israel, and from among those whom We guided and chose. When the revelations
of the Beneficent were recited unto them, they fell down, adoring and weeping.
The prophets noted in the preceding ayats were some of the prophets to
whom God showed favor and guided them. The prophet Enoch stood against the
demons before the flood and was chosen because of it.
19.59. Now there hath
succeeded them a later generation whom have ruined worship and have followed
lusts. But they will meet deception.
The later generations went astray and did what seemed right in their own
eyes and ended up deceived. In the Seventh century the Church had been
infiltrated and was deceived by the Baal system of Baal and Ashtoreth or Easter
and they had become Binitarians and then Trinitarians and corrupted the faith
and persecuted the Churches of God everywhere.
Judges 21:25 In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
2Chronicles 24:19 Yet he sent prophets among
them to bring them back to the LORD. These testified against them, but they
would not pay attention.
Isaiah 53:6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. (NIV)
Romans 3:12 All have turned aside; together
they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.”
Messiah will deal with all tribes and nations at his return.
19.60. Save him who
shall repent and believe and do right. Such will enter the Garden, and they
will not be wronged in aught –
Thus they must repent to achieve the First Resurrection and judgment in
the Second Resurrection.
Proverbs
13:13 Whoever despises the word brings destruction on himself, but he who
reveres the commandment will be rewarded.
One cannot assert that God
has lost His Scriptures and not be punished.
Mark 16:16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
Romans 2:13 For it is not the hearers of the
law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be
justified.
They attain eternal life in the first garden of paradise as stated in Revelation
20:6 below.
19.61. Gardens of
Eden, which the Beneficent hath promised to His slaves in the unseen. Lo! His
promise is ever sure of fulfilment –
19.62. They hear
therein no idle talk, but only Peace; and therein they have food for morn and
evening.
19.63. Such is the Garden which We
cause the devout among Our bondmen to inherit.
Galatians
6:9 And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap,
if we do not give up. (ISV)
Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life
in Christ Jesus our Lord.
2Peter 1:4 Through these he has given us his precious and wonderful promises, so
that through them you may participate in the divine nature, seeing that you
have escaped the corruption that is in the world caused by evil desires. (ISV)
Revelation
22:12 See! I am coming soon! My reward is with me to repay everyone according
to his action.
Revelation 20:6 Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.
God’s command of the Angelic Host is declared from this text and
confirms Scripture.
19.64. We (angels) come not down save by commandment of thy Lord. Unto Him
belongeth all that is before us and all that is behind us and all that is
between those two, and thy Lord was never forgetful
19.65. Lord of the
heavens and the earth and all that is between them! Therefor, worship thou Him
and be thou steadfast in His service. Knowest thou one that can be named along
with Him?
Hebrews
1:14 Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of
those who are to inherit salvation?
1Chronicles 29:11-12 Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and
the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and
in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and you are exalted as
head above all. 12Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule
over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make
great and to give strength to all.
Isaiah 46:9-10 Remember the former things from long ago, Because I
am God, and there is no one else; I am God, and there is none like me. 10I
declare from the beginning things to follow, and from ancient times things that
have not yet been done; saying, 'My purpose will stand, and he will accomplish
everything that I please.' (ISV)
Luke 4:8 But Jesus answered him, "It is written, 'You must worship the Lord
your God and serve only him."
Psalm 86:8 There is none like you among the
gods, O Lord, nor are there any works like yours.
The texts below speak also of the Second Resurrection and the judgment
of the demons after they are brought forth from the pit (cf. the paper Judgment of the Demons (No. 080)).
19.66. And man saith:
When I am dead, shall I forsooth be brought forth alive?
19.67. Doth not man
remember that We created him before, when he was naught?
19.68. And, by thy
Lord, verily We shall assemble them and the devils, then We shall bring them,
crouching, around hell.
19.69. Then We shall
pluck out from every sect whichever of them was most stubborn in rebellion to
the Beneficent.
19.70. And surely We
are Best Aware of those most worthy to be burned therein.
19.71. There is not
one of you but shall approach it. That is a fixed ordinance of thy Lord.
Daniel 12:2
Many of those who are sleeping in the dust of the earth will awaken—some
to life everlasting, and some to disgrace and everlasting contempt.
Isaiah
26:19 But your dead will live; their bodies will rise. Those who live in the
dust will wake up and shout for joy! For your dew is like the dew of dawn, and
the earth will give birth to the dead. (ISV)
Ezekiel 37:3-6 The LORD asked me, "Son of Man, will these
bones ever live?" "Lord GOD," I replied, "you know the
answer to that!" 4Then the LORD told me, "Prophesy to
these bones. Tell them: 'You dry bones, listen to the message from the LORD:
" 5This is what the Lord GOD says to you dry bones! 'Pay
attention! I'm bringing my Spirit into you right now, and you're going to live!
6I'm going to grow tendons on you, regenerate your flesh, cover you
with skin, and make you breathe again so that you can come back to life and
learn that I am the LORD.'" (ISV)
Psalm 37:38
But transgressors shall be altogether destroyed; the future of the
wicked shall be cut off.
Read also Revelation 20:11-15 as quoted in previous
Surahs.
Ezekiel 28:9 Will you still say, 'I am a god,' in the presence of those who kill you,
though you are but a man, and no god, in the hands of those who slay you?
Psalm 82:6-7 I said, "You are gods, sons of the Most High, all of you; 7nevertheless,
like men you shall die, and fall like any prince."
19.72. Then We shall
rescue those who kept from evil, and leave the evil-doers crouching
there.
19.73. And when Our
clear revelations are recited unto them, those who disbelieve say unto those
who believe: Which of the two parties (yours or ours) is better in position,
and more imposing as an army?
19.74. How many a
generation have We destroyed before them, who were more imposing in respect of
gear and outward seeming!
19.75. Say: As for
him who is in error, the Beneficent will verily prolong his span of life until,
when they behold that which they were promised, whether it be punishment (in
the world), or the Hour (of doom), they will know who is worse in position and
who is weaker as an army.
19.76. Allah
increaseth in right guidance those who walk aright, and the good deeds which
endure are better in thy Lord's sight for reward, and better for resort.
19.77. Hast thou seen
him who disbelieveth in Our revelations and saith: Assuredly I shall be given
wealth and children?
19.78. Hath he
perused the Unseen, or hath he made a pact with the Beneficent?
19.79. Nay, but We
shall record that which he saith and prolong for him a span of torment.
19.80. And We shall
inherit from him that whereof he spake, and he will come unto Us, alone
(without his wealth and children).
These revelations referred to here are those
of the Scriptures. It is impossible that they refer to the Koran as it was not
even spoken let alone compiled.
Read also Revelation 20:4-6 as quoted in previous
Surahs.
Romans 2:4 Or are you
unaware of his rich kindness, forbearance, and patience, that it is God's
kindness that is leading you to repent? (ISV)
2Peter 3:9 The Lord
is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient
toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach
repentance.
Psalm 25:9 He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way.
Psalm 23:3 He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his
name's sake.
Ecclesiastes 2:26 For to the one who pleases him God has given wisdom
and knowledge and joy, but to the sinner he has given the business of gathering
and collecting, only to give to one who pleases God. This also is vanity and a
striving after wind.
Proverbs. 13:22 A good man leaves an inheritance to his children's
children, but the sinner's wealth is laid up for the righteous.
Job 1:21 And he said, "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I
return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the
LORD."
1Timothy
6:7 for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out
of the world.
Ecclesiastes
5:15 As he came from his mother's womb he shall go again, naked as he came,
and shall take nothing for his toil that he may carry away in his hand.
Psalm 37:28 For the LORD loves justice; he will not forsake his saints. The
righteous shall be preserved for ever, but the children of the wicked shall be
cut off. (RSV)
19.81. And they have
chosen (other) gods beside Allah that they may be a power for them.
Trinitarianism was littered with idols and images of those they called
saints and the Binitarians and Ditheists had others beside Eloah who was Ha
Elohim. The demons occupied these
places.
Deuteronomy
4:35 To you it was shown, that you might know that the LORD is God; there is
no other besides him.
Isaiah
43:10 "You are my witnesses," declares the LORD, "and my
servant whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe me and understand
that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me.
Psalm 146:3 Do not look to nobles, nor to mere human beings who cannot save. (ISV)
19.82. Nay, but they will deny their worship of them, and become opponents
unto them.
See 1Peter 5:8 above.
19.83. Seest thou not
that We have set the devils on the disbelievers to confound them with
confusion?
1Corinthians14:33
For God is not of confusion, but of peace, as in all the assemblies of
the saints. (LITV)
Isaiah
45:16 All of them are put to shame and confounded; the makers of idols go in
confusion together.
19.84. So make no
haste against them (O Muhammad). We do but number unto them a sum (of
days).
Psalm 90:12
So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.
Psalm 39:4 O LORD,
make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how
fleeting I am!
Proverbs 2:22 but the wicked will be cut off
from the land, and the treacherous will be rooted out of it.
19.85. On the day
when We shall gather the righteous unto the Beneficent, a goodly company.
Here the First Resurrection is indicated as
the goodly company (cf. Revelation chapter 7).
Amos 3:3 Do two
walk together, unless they have agreed to meet?
1John 1:3 That which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you
too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father
and with his Son Jesus Christ.
John 15:15 No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his
master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from
my Father I have made known to you.
Revelation 7:15 Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence.
Then the grave is the place of the sinners until the Second
Resurrection.
19.86. And drive the
guilty unto hell, a weary herd,
19.87. They will have
no power of intercession, save him who hath made a covenant with his
Lord.
Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life
in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Psalm 9:17 The
wicked shall return to Sheol, all the nations that forget God.
The wrongdoers are consigned to the Second Resurrection to face
correction and judgment to lead them to repentance and if they do not repent
during the 100 years they will face the second death
19.88. And they say:
The Beneficent hath taken unto Himself a son.
19.89. Assuredly ye
utter a disastrous thing
19.90. Whereby almost
the heavens are torn, and the earth is split asunder and the mountains fall in
ruins,
19.91. That ye
ascribe unto the Beneficent a son,
19.92. When it is not
meet for (the Majesty of) the Beneficent that He should choose a son.
The attribution of a single sonship to God is improper when it is a
status of the Created Host according to Scripture.
Job 1:6 Now there
was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and
Satan also came among them.
Job 2:1 Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves
before the LORD, and Satan also came among them to present himself before the
LORD.
Job 38:7 when the
morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?
John 20:17 Jesus
said to her, "Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the
Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, 'I am ascending to my Father and
your Father, to my God and your God.'"
God has many sons that were generated by Him. He just gave the command
and they came to be as stated in Psalm
33:9 above.
19.93. There is none
in the heavens and the earth but cometh unto the Beneficent as a slave.
19.94. Verily He
knoweth them and numbereth them with (right) numbering.
19.95. And each one
of them will come unto Him on the Day of Resurrection, alone.
19.96. Lo! those who
believe and do good works, the Beneficent will appoint for them love.
Romans 6:22
But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of
God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life.
1Peter 2:16 Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for
evil, but living as servants of God.
2Timothy
2:19 But God's firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: "The Lord
knows those who are his," and, "Let everyone who names the name of
the Lord depart from iniquity."
See Job 1:21 above. We return alone and give an account to God for all
of our deeds.
19.97. And We make
(this Scripture) easy in thy tongue, (O Muhammad) only that thou mayst bear
good tidings therewith unto those who ward off (evil), and warn therewith the
froward folk.
19.98. And how many a
generation before them have We destroyed! Canst thou (Muhammad) see a single
man of them, or hear from them the slightest sound?
Luke 4:43 but he
said to them, "I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the
other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose."
Ezekiel 33:9 But if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and
he does not turn from his way, that person shall die in his iniquity, but you
will have delivered your soul.
Revelation
21:8 But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for
murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their
portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the
second death."
Psalm 21:8-11 Your hand will find out all your enemies; Your right hand will find
out those who hate you. 9You
will make them as a fiery oven in the time of your anger; The LORD will swallow
them up in His wrath, And fire will devour them. 10Their offspring You will
destroy from the earth, And their descendants from among the sons of men. 11Though they intended evil against You
And devised a plot, They will not succeed. (NASB)
And so the Church of God in Arabia bore witness of its bona fides to the
Churches of God in Abyssinia by the testimony of this Surah and established its
credentials as a Sabbatarian Church of God in good standing and was saved in
its first persecution of 613 CE as its First Hijrah.
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