Eid Mubarak, everyone. Today is Eid-ul-Azha, which the celebration of Abraham’s offer to sacrifice Ishmael (Isaac according to the Bible, but Ishmael in the Quran). To commemorate that event, those Muslims who can afford it sacrifice cows, goats or lambs. Haj, the pilgrimage to Mecca, is also going on at this time. For some links about this month, Haj, Eid-ul-Azha and Qurbani (sacrifice of animals), take a look at this page by Al-Muhajabah.
For those of you who think Muslims are a monolith and a threat, well we can’t even celebrate Eid on one day. My wife in New Jersey will have her Eid tomorrow while I am celebrating it today. (Islamic religious events are based on the lunar calendar and people can’t seem to agree on how to decide on a new moon.)
Eid mubarak, Zack!!!
the koran is more ambiguous about the son (ishmael or isaac) that you would think.
see here. of course, i wans’t told this at mosque when i was a little kid….
Ah, but there are also the hadiths. Islam is based on both.
yes-but perhaps your mosque was more sophisticated, but at mine they simply acted as if it was the islamic version of genesis and it was all in the koran…i felt really stupid getting in an argument with a christian fundamentalist on this point because they are often told about the ambiguity when taught to argue with muslims (he didn’t know i was a not a believer in any case).
Good point. Much of my knowledge of Islam has come from constant research in books and websites to learn more and find out what the texts of Islam actually say.
There are also questions that have been raised about the Bible’s own account. The following article is one of the most creative analyses of the Biblical text that I’ve seen:
http://www.renaissance.com.pk/novrefl95.html
well, you don’t have to tell me that the Bible has contradictions. i find it amusing that both muslims and christians will do the work of secularists when it comes to the other religion but do not understand that their own tools will be turned against them at some point….
(my fellow apostate Ib Warraq has spoken of this. it also reminds me a dental hygenist of mine who was telling me that pagans believe in multiple gods, but it seemed simpler to believe in just one. well, i almost said, ‘believe in just one, and remove the trinity and that is even simpler,’ but then i thought, ‘well, remove the one god, and it is simpler ever more….’)
Razib: The name of the son is not mentioned I think but it seems somewhat clear to my untrained eye (obviously I am reading an English translation and not the Arabic text). Here is the Abdullah Yusuf Ali translation (Surah 37 Ayat 101-113):
So We gave him [Abraham] the good news of a boy ready to suffer and forbear. Then, when (the son) reached (the age of) (serious) work with him, he said: “O my son! I see in vision that I offer thee in sacrifice: Now see what is thy view!” (The son) said: “O my father! Do as thou art commanded: thou will find me, if Allah so wills one practising Patience and Constancy!” So when they had both submitted their wills (to Allah), and he had laid him prostrate on his forehead (for sacrifice), We called out to him “O Abraham! “Thou hast already fulfilled the vision!” – thus indeed do We reward those who do right. For this was obviously a trial- And We ransomed him with a momentous sacrifice: And We left (this blessing) for him among generations (to come) in later times: “Peace and salutation to Abraham!” Thus indeed do We reward those who do right. For he was one of our believing Servants. And We gave him the good news of Isaac – a prophet,- one of the Righteous. We blessed him and Isaac: but of their progeny are (some) that do right, and (some) that obviously do wrong, to their own souls.
It seems like the son referred earlier is not the same as Isaac whose birth it seems is being referred to at the end. However, I can see how someone can reach a different conclusion since it is not completely clear.
Since you mention Ibn Warraq, I need some book recommendations about the history & historiography of Islam, Judaism & Christianity from a neutral & impartial perspective. There are major problems of bias (both for & against) in work done in this area as I talked about here.
So if you know of any good books, let me know.
i think it is hard to be “neutral” on this sort of thing. i know of no one who is neutral on the islam topic, either they are fawning like karen armstrong, or have a personal axe to grind like warraq. muslims tend not to appreciate dispassionate scholars breaking down the Koran like the Germans did the Bible in the 19th century for obvious reasons-and many scholars find that the costs outweight the benefits so abandon that line of inquiry (again, leaving it to people with axes to grind like warraq to do the digging).
on judaism and christianity, there is a lot of stuff out there. i like richard elliott friedman’s work myself. google him or look him up on amazon-he has some short books that can whet your apetite, but real real long commentaries….
Razib: That’s what I thought. The crazy fatwas of death haven’t helped either. It’s a shame though, it would be good to have some scholarly analysis.
Thanks for the other recommendations.
Eid Muabarak
i would suggest you pick up one of warraq’s books like THE QUEST FOR THE HISTORICAL MUHAMMED, but keep in mind he is presenting marginalized scholarship. there are few moderates in the field because it takes a lot courage to challenge the fatwa culture. i have read of learned scholars who have been declared apostates in egypt & pakistan for indicating that parts of the koran might be metaphorical-so don’t expect anything of value to come out of the islamic world. but if muslims wants to create a vital liberal tradition in their religion similar to the christian or jewish faiths, they’re going to have to do it themselves, non-muslims obviously don’t have the interest or the guts to risk their lives & reputations….
Eid Mubarak!