Bismika Alllahuma

Asif Iqbal

Dans leur liste tendentious de « Qur' les contradictions », les padres « à l'Islam de réponse » ont eu précisé quelques contradictions dans le Qur' ? récit de NIC du culte d'un veau d'or par les israélites, qu'ils trouvent « très embrouillants ». Une tentative sera donc faite dans le suivant adresser ces deux « des contradictions » et d'aider les padres pour surmonter leurs « confusions ».

(i)

… dans 7:149, le peuple s'est repenti au sujet d'adorer le veau d'or AVANT QUE Moïse soit retourné, mais selon 20:91 ils ont refusé de se repentir mais ont plutôt continué à adorer le veau il jusqu'à ce que Moïse soit revenu. (Emphase déjà dans la citation)

Voici un rendu précis du Qur' ? les vers de NIC ont fait référence à dans la citation ci-dessus :

Mais quand ils sont tombés sur leurs mains, et eux a vu qu'ils s'étaient égarés, ils a dit : « Assurément, si notre seigneur ne nous montre pas la pitié et ne nous pardonne pas, nous serons des perdants. » (7 : 149)

Quand Moïse est revenu à ses personnes fâchées et s'est affligé, il a dit : « J'aurai le ye ai agi en tant que mes successeurs après que je vous aie laissé… » (7 : 150)

Ils ont dit : « Nous ne cesserons pas de nous fendre à lui avant le retour de Moïse nous. » (20 : 91)

Même un bref regard à eux est suffisant pour un diligent rendent pour l'identification de l'erreur dans le raisonnement de l'auteur de la citation citée ci-dessus : son malentendu du facteur, l'occurrence dont causé les israélites à se repentir.

Ce facteur, après lequel personnes de Moïse d'occurrence les' (p) repenties, est indiqué dans le vers 7:149 en tant que leur réalisation du leur s'étant égaré :

« Mais quand ils sont tombés sur leurs mains, et ils ont vu qu'ils s'étaient égarés, ils ont dit : … »

ce vers, ou le vers 7:150, ou un autre vers dans ce contexte, dire que les israélites les ont réalisés à un point à temps avant que Moïse' (p) s'était-il égaré retourne-t-il ? Ou, en d'autres termes, le vers 7:149 ou 7:150 nous indique-t-il que les israélites ont réalisé leur erreur avant que retour de Moïse' (p) ?

Non. Ce que le vers 7:149 décrit comme facteur, qui a fait repentir les israélites, était leur réalisation de leur erreur (c.-à-d., « quand ils ont trébuché repenti »).

Aucune information n'est fournie dans ces vers de savoir si ils ont trébuché repenti avant ou après retour de Moïse le' (p). Just because the verse 7:150 begins with the words:

“When Moses returned to his people, angry and grieved…”

does not imply that the stumbling/repenting of the Israelites was sequentially earlier than Moses’ (P) return to them. In short, the only factor, which the verse 7:149 actually mentions as having caused the Israelites to repent, was their realization of their having gone astray, which is independent of Moses’ (P) return.

On the other hand, since the (above-cited) other Qur’?nic verse 20:91 clearly makes the Israelites say that they would not abandon the golden calf until Moses’(P) return, therefore, this additional information leads us to conclude that the realization by the Israelites of their having gone astray, when Moses(P) told them that they had grievously sinned, is what caused them to repent, and which occurred only after Moses’(P) return.

Therefore, the verses 7:149-50 and 20:91 are complementary, and not contradictory.

(II)

> In Sura 20:85, Allah told Moses “We have tested
> thy people in thy absence; the Samiri has led them
> astray”. Allah did not place any blame on Aaron.
> Aaron admitted that he did no wrong: “O my people!
> Ye are being tested in this … so follow me and
> obey my command” (20:90).
>
> Since Moses knew this (because Allah told him already),
> why did he place the blame on Aaron? “O Aaron! What
> kept thee back, when thou sawest them going wrong,
> from following me? Didst thou then disobey my order?”
> (20:92). And why did he drag him by the hair (7:150)?
> These two accounts contradict.
>
> According to (7:151), Aaron was partly responsible
> for the sins of his people because Moses prayed for
> Aaron’s forgiveness. And this time (contrary to his
> other confession), Aaron admits to idol making/idol
> worshipping in verse 150 “because of the people who
> nearly killed him when he tried to resist it. But
> seemingly he gave in and did as they said.

All?h told Moses(P) that his people were being tested in his absence. That test was in the form of Samiri’s fraud. By definition, those submitted to a test can either pass or fail it depending upon their training and capability. So, the reason why Moses(P) upon return reprimanded Aaron (P) was not that he was holding the latter responsible for leading his people astray. On the contrary, the reason why Moses (P) rebuked Aaron (P) was that he had been made the man in-charge in his absence by Moses (P) (see 7:142) and was therefore expected by Moses (P) to have rescued his people by dint of his leadership, which he had been unable to do.

In contrast to Exodus 32, at no place in the Qur’?n is Aaron(P) blamed for the sin of the Israelites. In 7:151, Moses(P) prays for forgiveness, not just for Aaron(P), but for himself as well - not because they were responsible for making the Israelites sin, but because they were unable to stop them from sinning.

We have thus used the traditional method of Qur’?nic exegesis, i.e., al-Qur’?n yufassiru ba’duhu ba’dan (different parts of the Qur’?n explain each other). What is given in a general way in one place is discussed in detail in some other place in the Qur’?n. What is dealt with briefly at one place is expanded in some other place.

It is further interesting to note that the New Testament contradicts the Old Testament on the matter of blaming Aaron(P). Exodus 32 squarely puts the responsibility of making the calf on Aaron:

“HE (Aaron) took this from their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool and made it into a molten calf.” (Exodus 32:4)

Compare this with Stephen’s speech in the Acts of the Apostles, which clearly shifts the blame on the Israelite people themselves by employing the plural number:

“At that time THEY made a calf and brought a sacrifice to the idol, and were rejoicing in the works of their hands.” (Acts 7:41)

And only God knows best.