DISTORTIONS ABOUT THE YISHMAELITE AND MUHAMMAD S.A.W Bismillahir Rohmani Rohim / Bshem YHWH Ha Rachman weRachum, assalamualaikum / shalom aleykhem brothers and sisters that blessed by ALLAH Haqodosh Baruch Hu. in the vision of Rabbi Simon ben Yohay, the making of Ishmaelite kingdom is then textually referred to the coming of Ishmaelite prophet as the Mosaic Messiah. the text describes clearly that the Mamlekheth Yishma’el yoshi’akhem me-hathoteykhem the kingdom of Ishmael will save you all, the Israelites, from this wickedness. it means that the coming of Ishmaelite Mosaic Messiah will save [Yoshi’a a.s] them from the sins / hathotey. the holy Quran also affirmed the heavenly mission of this Ishmaelite Messiah. the Ishmaelite prophet said through the Quran, Bismillahir Rohmani Rohim, fat tabi’ūnī yuhbibkumu Llāha wa yaghfir lakum dzunūbakum / follow me, God will love you and forgive you your sins-Ali Imran 3:31. the Quranic word, dzunūb /sins is indifferent semantic with khathōyā /sins, and this Arabic word, khathōyā is cognate to hathotey in the Hebrew. interestingly, the words of Rabbi Simon which preserves a messianic interpretation of the Arab conquest by the Ishmaelite Messiah, as the writer quoted, is also similar with the words of Gabriel a.s to Joseph about the birth of Jesus a.s the Israelite Messiah, ‘hi yoledeth ben ve attah thiqra shemo Yeshu’a ki hu yoshi’a et ‘ammo me-hathoteykhem--Matthew 1:21. and she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins,-Matthew 1:21. thus, both Ishmaelite and Israelite Messiahs will save the Israelites themselves from their wickedness/sins. here, we can identify then that they became the salvation of Israel / Yeshū’at Yisrael). later, the making of Mamlekheth Yishma’el in the light of rabbinical vision, is textually followed by the coming of a prophet / navī from among the Ishmaelites, and not from among others, Israelites or Edomites. the messianic text describes, yaqīm Elohim lahem mi-qerev akheihem ha-navī khemitzbeyeh ‘aved the God raises up over them from among their brethren the prophet according to His will He does the context of these words, lahem mi-qerev akheihem / for them from among their brethren are dealing with the words before, Mamlekheth Yishma’el / Ishmaelite kingdom. and, the Ishmaelite prophet, of course, will come from the seed of Hagar a.s the goy gadol / a great nation, see Genesis 21:18, and not from the seed of Sarah a.s the goyīm / non-Yishrael, see Genesis 17:16. the Hebrew word, gadol / great as an ‘adjective’ creates a heavenly purpose to welcome navī ha-Mashiah from among the Ishmaelites. the writer thinks, the text is also similar with, even, a ‘repetation’ of Mosaic prophecy. ALLAH Haqodosh Baruch Hu said, navī aqīm lahem mi-qerev akheihem kamo-kha ve-natatī devaraī befīr ve-diber aleihem et kol asher atzavenū-Deuteronomy 18:18 ‘I will raise them up a prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him-Deuteronomy 18:18. in the apocalyptic vision of Rabbi Simon ben Yohay, the Ishmaelite prophet is signified as ha-navī [lit. ‘the prophet’], with ‘definite article. linguistically, it indicates that the Ishmaelite messianic prophecy was known by the Jewish sages, the Rabbis, without misidentification. but, the other, the Mosaic prophet in the Masoretic Torah is signified as navī [lit. ‘a prophet’], with ‘indefinite article.’ Linguistically, it indicates that the messianic prophecy was unknown. but, Rabbi Ashi, known as Rashi, one of redactors of the Babylonian Talmud said that the phrase, mi-qerev akheihem kamo-kha-Deuteronomy 18:18 from among their brethren, like unto thee-Deuteronomy 18:18 dealing with other phrase navī mi-qirbekha me-akheikha kamo-nī / a prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me in the Deuteronomy 18:15. The text means that Moses a.s told to the nation, just as he was one of them, and ALLAH Haqodosh Baruch Hu indirectly would designate and raise up a messianic prophet, naviha-Mashiah from among the Israelite people. other, Rabbi Mosheh ben Maimon, was widely known as Ramban, said that the phrase navī mi-qirbekha me-akheikha implies that ALLAH Haqodosh Baruch Hu would let his spirit rest only upon member of Israel. the writer thinks the interpretations of both Jewish Rabbis are debatable and misidentification because ALLAH Haqodosh Baruch Hu himself said that there is not a messianic prophet, navī ha-Mashiah among the member of Israel like unto Moses a.s. ALLAH Haqodosh Baruch Hu said, ve lo qām navī ‘od be-Yisrael ke-Mosheh (and there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses / Thus, in the Sefer Devarīm (the book of Deuteronomy, there are three signifiers to understand the Mosaic messianic prophet beyond the Israelites-Deuteronomy 18:15,18; 43:10 such as kamo-nī / like unto me, kamo-kha like unto thee, and ke-Moseh / like unto Moses. linguistically, the phrase, mi-qirbekha me-akheikha in the Deuteronomy 18:18, is an ambiguous text, and has three interpretations, among Israelites, namely the descendants of Jacob a.s, among Edomites, namely the descendents of Esau a.s, among Ishmaelites, namely the Arabs. the ambiguity of the messianic phrase in the Masoretic Torah, known as Torah she-bikhtab (‘the Written Torah’), was a central issue in Arabia in pre-Islamic times, so also both Talmudic and apocalyptic visions, known as Torah she be-‘alphe (‘the Oral Torah’). if the Jewish Rabbis interpret that the Mosaic prophet will come from among the Israelites, according to the Masoretic Torah, ALLAH Haqodosh Baruch Hu himself rejected it, lo qām navī ‘od be-Yisrael ke-Mosheh / there arose not a prophet among the member of Israel like unto Moses. if the Jews interpret that the Mosaic prophet will come from among Edomites, none of them have been proclaiming himself as navī ke-Mosheh / ‘a prophet like unto Moses, indeed, only a claim of navī /‘a prophet’. if the Jews interpret that the Mosaic prophet will come from among Ishmaelites, they knew him precisely, Muhammad s.a.w, one of Ishmaelites who proclaimed himself as ‘the prophet’ like Moses a.s. in the hadiths of Kutub al-Sittah, Muhammad s.a.w identified himself as the Mosaic prophet, and his brother in-law, Ali ibn Abi Thalib as Aaron a.s. in the Shahih Bukhari, the prophet said, “I make your position beside me like the position of Aaron beside Moses, but surely there is no prophet after me.”-Shahīh al-Bukhārī no. 3430, 4064; Shahīh Muslim no. 4418; Sunan at-Tirmidzi no. 3663, 3664; Sunan Ibnu Majah no. 118; Musnad Ahmad no. 1465, 10842, 25834, 26195. we can also rethink that both rabbinical messianic visions obviously prophesied two Messiahs, the Davidic Messiah as the fulfillment of the Israelite Messiah; and the Mosaic Messiah as the fulfillment of the Ishmaelite Messiah. interestingly, both messianic visions affirmed that the rule of Arabs cannot be marginalized to announce the coming of both Hebraic Messiahs. and, it also indicates that the Jews regarded that the heavenly guidance have never been stopping at all, and the messianic cycle goes on until the Ishmaelite Messiah who is like Moses a.s coming to save them from the wickedness. the coming of Ishmaelite prophet as the Mosaic Messiah among the Ishmaelites [according to the rabbinic vision], is indeed signed by ha-mora ha-gadol / a great terror. the text describes, ve amar Elohim, hifqadthi mi-qerev akheihem ha-mora ha-gadol thamah u-benīm Esau / and God said, I shall appoint a great terror there from among their brothers, namely Ishmaelites, and also among Edomites. the Hebrew term, ha-mora ha-gadol / a great terror in the rabbinic vision has indifferent semantic with the Masoretic Hebrew term in the Sefer Devarīm. the term represents the miraculous signs which Moses a.s showed in the eyes of all Israel, u-le-khol ha-yad ha-hazaqah u-le-khol ha-mora ha-gadol asher ‘asah Moseh le-‘einei kol Yisrael-Deuteronomy 34:12. and in all that Almight hand, and in all the great terror which Moses shewed in the sight of all Israel-Deuteronomy 34:12. this vision is also a form of ‘repetation’ of Mosaic text to find the same orientation, and at the same time, to proclaim that the Ishmaelite messianic prophet is the Mosaic messianic prophet himself. the holyb Quran, in surah al-Baqarah 2:129 reports about the prayer of Abraham a.s and Ishmael a.s who await about the coming of the final messianic man as an apostle among the Ishmaelites. both Abraham a.s and Ishmael a.s said, Our Lord, send amongst them a messenger of their own who shall rehearse Thy signs to them and instruct them in the Scripture and Wisdom, and purify them. For Thou art the Exalted in the Might the Wise. indirectly, based on this verse, both proclaim that the seal of messianic men will not be raised up from among the offspring of Isaac, a brother of Ishmael. interestingly, their messianic expectation, was also supported by the history of the Jews in Arabia in pre-Islamic times. in al-Madīnah, the Israelite emigrants of banī Quraydhah, and of banī al-Nadhīr, so also the Jews of Khaybar, were looking forward an Ishmaelite Messiah, because in the Torah has been written that a Mosaic prophet as the final Messiah will raise up from among the brethren of Israel, and not again has a prophet arisen from among Israelites like unto Moses a.s. according to the Jewish Scripture, ALLAH Haqodosh Baruch Hu said, ‘navī aqīm lahem mi-qerev akheihem kamo-kha ….. lo qām navī ‘od be-Yisrael ke-Mosheh .....’/ I will raise them up a prophet from among the brethren of Israel, like unto thee – Moses ….. there arose not a prophet among the member of Israel like unto Moses, Deuteronomy 18:18; 34:10). thus, it is so impossible if the seal of messianic men will raise up from among banī Esau / Edomites, Israelites, banī Zimran, banī Jokshan, banī Medan, banī Midian, banī Ishbak, and banī Shuah [I Chronicle 1: 28-34]. the verse of Quran also indicates that Abraham a.s the eleventh caliph of Noah a.s, and Ishmael a.s the twelfth caliph of Noah a.s have been expecting the Ishmaelite messianic prophet among their own people. we then know that this messianic expectation is historically referring to Muhammad s.a.w may peace be upon him and his family, one of the offspring of Ishmael a.s, and not to other Ishmaelite men. amazingly, according to the Old Testament, especially in the Ketubīm, the name of Islamic prophet in the Hebrew has literally been mentioned in the Old Testament, the book of Song of Solomon (Sefer Shīr ha-Shirim) 5:16, the text states, hiko memtaqīm ve kullo Mahamadim zeh dodi ve zeh re’ī benot Yerushalaim, חִכוֹ מֵמְתַקִים וְכֻלּוֹ מַחֲמַדִּים זֶה דוֹדִי וֵזֶה רֵעִי בְנוֹת יְרוּשָֹלָםִ (his speech is most sweet, and he is Mahamad the Great, this is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem). in the Hamesh Megillot ve Sepher Yonah, The Five Megillot and Jonah, A New Translation, an English translation of a part of the Masoretic-Hebrew Old Testament which was published by the Jewish Publication Society of America in Philadelphia (1974), translated the Hebrew text in different style. the translation of the text is as follows” “his mouth is delicious and all of him delightful, such is my beloved, such is my darling, O maidens of Jerusalem.” the agent who is literally mentioned in the text of Jewish translation, however, referring to a single personal pronoun, and it is also indicating a gender of masculine subject. obviously, it is not of course referring to a feminine subject in plural construction. meanwhile, the word Mahamadim [מַחֲמֵדּים] is linguistically formed and constructed from two words, מַחֲמֵדּ [Mahamad, lit. ‘the Praised One’] + ים (im, lit. “the great” with hireq-yod, followed by mem]. in the Hebrew Grammar, on one hand, most masculine nouns have plurals that end in im (ים) which is the ending normally used for masculine plural. In other words, -im is used as a signifier for masculine plural ending. But, on other hand, the ending -im is also specifically used in the paradigm of the masculine plural for the greatness. in the Hebrew, the ending –im which is used in the context of masculine plural for the greatness, the linguists categorized this majestic plural form in the Latin version as pluralis maestaticus or jama’ li-ta’dhim in the Arabic version. interestingly, based on the text of Song of Solomon 5:16 although the word Mahamadim (מַחֲמֵדּים) has a masculine plural ending in form, but the noun is textually used with a singular verb when it refers to the personal name in the paradigm of the greatness. this is indicated by the termination –im as in such words as cherub-im or seraph-im (Angel the Great, not angels) and eloh-im (God the Great, not gods). therefore, the translation of the Hebrew word Mahamadim (מַחֲמֵדּים) in its context is surely referring to the personal name “Mahamad the Great” (lit.“Praised One the Great”), and that is not referring to a generic semantic such as all of him delightful or he is most lovely. in the discourse of Biblical Hebrew, the general Hebrew name for God is elohim. sometimes it is used with a definite article, sometimes without. altogether it occurs 2555 times in the Hebrew Old Testament. for example, although the word elohim in the text of Genesis 1:1 has a masculine plural ending in its form, the name is generally used with a singular verb when it refers to the true God as ‘God the Great’, and it is not addressed as ‘gods.’ it is clear that the fact that the word elohim is plural in form does not at all sanction polytheism. linguistically, the word maHaMaDim (מַחֲמֵדּים) as a Hebrew noun, is originally formed from consonantal trilateral root, H-M-D (חמד), namely ‘H’ (heth), ‘M’ (mem), and ‘D’ (dalet); and from the same root, other similar Hebrew words - as Haim Shachter, a Hebrew lexicographer of Israel says - are literally derived and constructed, such as HaMaD (to desire, to covet, to praise), neHeMaD (to be desirable), HaMuD (pleasant, desirable), HeMDah (desire, or object of desire), HeMDat (desire, or object of desire), HaMDanut (covetousness), HeMDanī (lustful/covetous), maHaMeD (the Desired One), maHaMaD (the Praised One), maHaMMeD (the Desired One/ the Praised One), or muHaMMaD (the Praised One), and the plural forms or the superlative forms of these words are maHaMaDim, maHaMMaDim, maHaMeDim, maHaMMeDim or muHaMMaDim which having the same semantics, namely ‘the Most Praised One’). but, the writer thinks that Hebrew plural word maHaMaDim מַחֲמֵדּים [the Most Praised One] in the Sefer Shīr ha-Shirim can be read in four versions, maHaMaDim (מַחֲמַדִים), maHaMMaDim (מַחֲמַּדִים), muHaMeDim (מֻחֲמֵדִים), and muHaMMaDim (מֻחֲמַּדִים). When we are writing in Hebrew, these Hebrew plural words are constructed from the same consonants, M-H-M-D-Y-M (מחמדים), namely ‘M’ (mem), ‘H’ (heth), ‘M’ (mem), ‘D’ (dalet), ‘Y’ (yod), and ‘M’ (mem). The only differences of these plural words are the use of vowels when pronouncing the words themselves. In the ancient Masoretic Hebrew manuscripts, there were no vowels. the readers then decided on their own which vowels to add in ‘a’ (phatah), ‘e’ (tzireq), ‘u’ (qubutz), and ‘ּ’ (dagesh) to make the double consonant. Thus, in the Hebrew context, maHaMaDim or maHaMMaDim or muHaMMaDim (lit. ‘Praised One the Great’) is a person who will bring the HeMDah or HeMDat (desire/praise) of all nations and SHaLoM (peace), as well as meNaHeM (the Counselor) is the one who will bring the NeHaMat or NeHaMah [consolation] of Israel. the Biblical verses, however, confirm that Muhammad a.s is the promised prophet in the light of rabbinic sources, and to understand the Sefer Beresyit [Genesis 17:20; 21:18], in the Midrash Bereshit Rabbah, there is an ancient rabbinic text, spoken by Rabbi Bachya, citing from Rabbi Chananel. He said: ‘we see from the prophecy in this verse, sheneim ‘asar Nesīim (twelve Leaders), that 2337 years elapsed before the Arabs, Ishmael’s descendants, became goy gadol (a great nation) with the rise of Islam in 624 C.E., through this period, Ishmael hoped anxiously, until finally the promise was fulfilled and they dominated the world. We, descendants of Isaac a.s, for whom the fulfillment of the promises made to us is delayed due to our sins should surely anticipate the fulfillment of God’s promises and not despair.’ Jazakumullahu khayran katsiron, Yevarekha HaShem etkhem BY : KCD RECOURSES : Rabbi Nosson Scherman (ed.), Hamishah Humeshi Torah ‘im Targum Onqelos Peresh Haftorah ve Hamesh Megīlot (Brooklyn: Mesorah Publications, Ltd, 1996), pp.76. Norman Henry Snaith, Sefer , op.cit, p. 1147 H.L. Ginsberg (ed.), Hamesh Megillot ve Sepher Yonah: The Five Megillot and Jonah, A New Translation. Second Revised Edition (Philadelphia: the Jewish Publication Society of America, 1974), p. 13 Hayim Shachter, The New Compact Dictionary , op.cit. p. 102 the Bible Society in Israel, The Hebrew New Testament: Sefer ha-Berit ha-Hadashah,Targum Hadash (Jerusalem: United Bibel Society, 1976), p. 3 Norman Henry Snaith, Sefer , op.cit., p. 307 Rabbi Nosson Scherman & Rabbi Meir Zlotowitz, Hamisha Humshe Torah:the Torah, Haftoras and Five Megilos with a Commentary Anthologized from the Rabbinic Writings (Brooklyn: the Mesorah Publications, Ltd, 1996), p.1033 Norman Henry Snaith, Sefer , op.cit, pp. 307, 335
Posted on: Tue, 15 Jul 2014 05:44:33 +0000
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