14. The End of the Matter

In 1947, the Minority of the UN Special Committee on Palestine said, “The undersigned representatives of India, Iran and Yugoslavia, not being in agreement with the recommendation for partition formulated by the other members of the Committee, and for the reasons, among others, stated above, present to the General Assembly the following recommendations which, in their view, constitute the most suitable solution to the problem of Palestine.

“1. The peoples of Palestine are entitled to recognition of their right to independence, and an independent federal State of Palestine…

“Taking into account the limited area available and the vital importance of maintaining Palestine as an economic and social unity, the federal-State solution seems to provide the only practical and workable approach.”¹

“The peoples of Palestine” meant the Arab people and the Jewish people who lived there. This first recommendation of the Minority was that there should be recognition of an independent Arab state and recognition of an independent Jewish state, joined together in a federation. That recognition should come from the nations of the region and the world, and from the two sides themselves. What each side wants for itself, it must be willing to grant to the other side.

Many people on both sides of the conflict cry out for “Justice!” They are right to do so, but they may not realize that Justice depends upon the practice of treating like cases alike. Equity, which is inseparable from Justice, is the principle of fairness and equal treatment for all. Justice is not only about one side, but about both.

Speaking of the ultimate rewards for those who do righteous deeds, the Quran tells Muslims, “It will not be in accordance with your desires nor the desires of the People of the Book. Whosoever does evil shall be required for it, and he will find no protector or helper for himself apart from God.”²

If you want God to act, keep in mind that His Justice may differ from your desires. His Justice may not be identical with what you want for yourself. “The Prophet said, ‘None of you will have faith till he likes for his brother what he likes for himself.’”³ Do you want something for yourself? Then to be a believer, you must also want it for your brother. That is in the text of the Holy Scriptures, whether or not it is in your heart.

God commanded through Moses, “you are to love your neighbor as yourself; I am the Lord.”⁴ No matter what you say about yourself, you are not Torah observant if you do not do that. For either Justice or Faith, one must see and care about the other person. If one is not willing to do that; if one is not willing to embrace the impartiality of equity; then it might be better not to clothe one’s action in religious rhetoric, because God is not indifferent to how people use or abuse His Name.

For thousands of years, there have been zealots of different religious and political persuasions, people who presume that the depth of their commitment is shown by killing their opponents. It is one thing to die for what one believes; it is something entirely different to kill for it. These zealots sometimes believe they are God’s executioners, but they should not simply presume that without hearing directly from God. They should not simply presume that their understanding of a scriptural text justifies their actions.

In Quran we are told, “The first of people against whom judgment will be pronounced on the Day of Resurrection will be a man who died a martyr. He will be brought and Allah will make known to him His favours and he will recognize them. [The Almighty] will say: And what did you do about them? He will say: I fought for you until I died a martyr. He will say: You have lied — you did but fight that it might be said [of you]: He is courageous. And so it was said. Then he will be ordered to be dragged along on his face until he is cast into Hell-fire. …”⁵

On the Day of Judgment/Resurrection, there will be some people who say to Allah, “I fought for you until I died a martyr.” Perhaps they think they are telling the truth. To some of them, Allah will respond, “You have lied…” and they will be dragged into Hell-fire. They fought in the name of Allah, but not because of what Allah wanted. They fought because they wanted to fight, and they invoked God as a covering for their own desires.

It is easier to kill than to make alive. Anyone can kill; it shows no special ability, merit, or holiness. It does show a special kind of character, but one which might not be honored by God. Ferocity does not demonstrate either courage or fidelity. In no Holy Scriptures is the sword the equivalent or replacement of all that God has commanded.

In the Garden of Eden, a world that was much holier than the one in which we now live, our first parents believed a lie, and it brought death into the world. In this world that they left to us, we are tested in many ways, by death and by life. These tests reveal what is in our hearts.

In the Holy Scriptures, God is both merciful and judgmental. What is in our hearts is revealed by what we are attracted to and how we interpret what attracts us. Among other things, this will determine how we actually treat those who are not part of “us”.

I might rejoice in the death of the wicked, but God does not. I might be attracted to anything that could increase my power or wealth, but God is more concerned with my learning to serve others. I might be zealous for God’s judgment to be poured out on others, but God desires that I be zealous to change my own ways.

God’s priorities become clear when we realize the changes He will bring in this world to make it what He intends it to be. As for the God of the Children of Israel, “He will destroy death for ever; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces; and He will take away the insult of His people from off all the earth; for the Lord has spoken it.”⁶ God does not delight in death.

Life is the first gift we have from Him, the one in which all the others find their place. That is why God prescribed that “whosoever slays a soul… it is as though he slew mankind altogether, and whosoever saves the life of one, it is as though he saved the life of mankind altogether.”⁷

We work for what we value. If we truly believe in God, we work for what He values. We are authorized to make choices for ourselves, but not for others. The God of the Children of Israel commanded, “you are to choose life, so that you may live, you and your descendants.”⁸ Life is what makes all the other choices possible.

In English we have the strange expression “man’s inhumanity to man” to indicate the cruel ways in which one person or group relates to another. The expression is strange because such treatment is not rare or uncommon; it is an everpresent part of human history. We see it clearly in the life of Cain, who murdered his own brother.

In that sense, this kind of behavior is not “inhuman” at all, but something that characterizes humans living in defiance of the primary values that God has implanted within them. It seems clear that this cruelty was not a part of God’s original intention, but nevertheless is part of the humanity with which we must contend and relate. We could blame Adam and Havah, or we could blame Cain, but we make our own choices. We are accountable for the way in which we govern ourselves.

In the days of Noah/Nuh, “The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.”⁹ Without religions, nationalities, tribes, social classes, or “races,” people found reasons and excuses for killing one another. It would not be difficult to present evidence to show that our world today is much like the world in which Noah lived. Certainly it is filled with violence, and corruption is an inescapable part of modern life.

This “inhumanity” seems to flow from individuals or groups focusing only on what they want, with no concern for other people. The personal or group desire eclipses any “humanitarian” values. The desire eclipses a greater sense of responsibility and accountability.

What would make the world better? There are a lot of specific changes that can improve specific situations, and there is also the underlying cause to be found in all of them. Humanity has a deep problem. We make rational choices in accordance with how we prioritize our values, and sometimes our priorities are not what they should be. Emotions are an essential God-given component of being human, but solely emotional choices bypass the ability to reason that sets us apart from the rest of Creation.

Perhaps the simple view of Mr. Singh and his son would help. They used their home and motorbikes to rescue those whom their neighbors wanted to kill. Their “justification” for departing from the surrounding norm was simple: “I believe the entire human race is one. We didn’t see people as … [“Muslims,” “Christians,” “Jews,” “Hindus,” Sikhs” … (insert the name of a people group)]’. We just saw them as human beings.” Their commitment to God manifested itself as a commitment to life, even in opposition to the desires and actions of their physical and religious brothers.

These religious distinctions did not exist at the time of Abraham,¹⁰ but even then there were rulers who organized people to enslave, exploit, and brutalize those who were identified as “the others”. A hanif like Ibraham did not look for ways to group people as his enemies. He understood the way the world was, but he chose not to be that way; he desired to be at peace with others.

We are tested by the differences between us — some of them from error, some of them from God’s design. “And had thy Lord willed, all those who are on the earth would have believed altogether. Wouldst thou compel men till they become believers? It is not for a soul to believe, save by God’s Leave…”¹¹ “There is no coercion in religion. Sound judgment has become clear from error.”¹²

It is not easy for people to admit that they have erred. Cain is our first example. Humans have long shown an ability to convince themselves that Wrong is Right and Right is Wrong. But as God said through Isaiah the prophet, “Woe to those who say of evil that it is good, and of good that it is evil; who present darkness as light, and light as darkness; who present bitter as sweet, and sweet as bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and understanding before themselves!”¹³

We often prefer being right in our own eyes to being kind to those we should see with those eyes. “Among mankind are those who say, ‘We believe in God and in the Last Day,’ though they do not believe. They would deceive God and the believers; yet they deceive none but themselves, though they are unaware.”¹⁴

Holding to a standard of Good and Evil that is different than that of God is a form of shirk/Idolatry. That is the case regardless of whether the alternate standard comes from the “political” or the “religious” realm. People can convince themselves and others of many things that are not true. On the Last Day, God’s light will reveal what the motives of the heart really are.

From a very early age, human beings become aware of basic needs and desires. As we grow, we become aware of different options for satisfying those needs and desires. As we mature, we become aware of deeper needs, meaning, and purpose. What we choose in life depends upon how we prioritize what we value.

Purpose is an inescapable aspect of conscious existence. Individuals, nations, and their rulers make choices. Human beings, small or great, can choose to be many different things. And though God’s revelation is about much more than the Day of Judgment, it can be wisdom to remember that there will be such a day. How we justify our actions now may not be worth repeating in our own defense then.

In the wisdom that God gave him, Solomon saw that, “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heavens…. A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up… A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.”¹⁵

There are different actions and purposes that are appropriate at different times. When he was receiving his revelation, Muhammad was told: “So if thou art in doubt concerning that which We have sent down unto thee, ask those who recite the Book before thee. The truth has certainly come unto thee from thy Lord. So be thou not among the doubters.”¹⁶ If he didn’t understand something he was being told, he was advised to ask the Jews and Christians, so as to profit from their understanding. Otherwise he might find himself among the doubters.

“Narrated/Authority of Abu Hurairah that the Messenger of Allah (saw) said: ‘You will most certainly follow the ways of those who came before you, arm’s length by arm’s length, forearm’s length by forearm’s length, hand span by hand span, until even if they entered a hole of a mastigure (lizard) you will enter it too.’ They said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, (do you mean) the Jews and the Christians?’ He said: ‘Who else?’”¹⁷

Accordingly, in Muhammad’s Night Journey, he accepted the counsel of Moses, the Redeemer of Israel, to ask God to reduce the number of daily times of prayer. Muhammad was not too proud to listen. “It is narrated on the authority of ‘Abdullah b. Mas’ud that the Messenger of Allah observed… ‘none shall enter Paradise who has in his heart the weight of a mustard seed of pride.’”¹⁸

For 18 months, Muhammad and his followers prayed facing Jerusalem, as did the Jews. Then they changed, and began to pray facing Mekka. That was part of establishing a distinct Islamic identity. As Solomon said, there are times and seasons. What is constant is the need to listen to God, however He speaks.

There is the past, which we cannot change, and there is the future, where only God is the judge. We are alive today, and we have options, opportunities to go one way or another. What is it that we want most of all?

The “Cairo Declaration on Human Rights in Islam” states that “It is not permitted to excite nationalistic or doctrinal hatred or to do anything that may be an incitement to any form of racial discrimination….”¹⁹

To do these forbidden things, or to support and justify those who do what is forbidden or forbid what is commanded is a demonstration of unbelief. According to the Declaration, it is the responsibility of every person and of the believing Islamic community to safeguard these fundamental human rights. Cain dismissed that responsibility. In effect, he rebuked God by saying, “Am I the guardian of my brother?” He said that after he had killed his own brother.

From Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, God created the people of Israel to bring the nations back to Himself, because all the other nations had gone far astray. The Quran and the Bible agree that God made a covenant with the Children of Israel, giving them His Word and the Holy Land, for the greater purpose of benefitting all humanity. The Quran and the Bible agree that this divine purpose was only partially embraced and fulfilled. As recorded in the Quran at a time when the Children of Israel had been exiled from their land for five centuries, God said, “O Children of Israel! Remember My Blessing which I bestowed upon you, and fulfill My covenant, and I shall fulfill your covenant, and be in awe of Me.”²⁰ The fulfillment of that promise is still to come.

The Quran records Moses prophetically saying, “O my people! Remember God’s Blessing upon you, when He appointed prophets among you, and appointed you kings, and gave you that which He gave unto no other in all the worlds. O My people! enter the Holy Land which God has prescribed for you and do not turn back, or you shall become losers.’”²¹ Saul, David, and Solomon are mentioned in the Quran as some of the kings which God raised up for the Children of Israel. There is only one land in which they ruled.

We live in a time when information of all kinds is readily available, some of it true and some of it false. Yet it is a time when people, high and low, make assertions without facts. Assertions without supporting evidence are worse than meaningless; they show a disdain for reality.

Sometimes those who know least are most vehement in their assertions. No matter how great the intensity or hostility of an assertion, it does not annihilate the factual reality; it only obscures it so that others can be deceived. The Quran cautions believers, “And pursue not that whereof you have no knowledge. Truly hearing, and sight, and the heart — all of these will be called to account.”²²

The Hebrew Scriptures say, “He who answers a matter before he hears it, it is his folly and shame.”²³ Jesus said, “I tell you⁺ that every worthless word that men speak — they will give an account of it in the day of judgment. For from your words you will be acquitted, and from your words you will be condemned.”²⁴ It is better to keep silent than to proclaim something one does not know.

Though there are different ways to interpret any scriptural text, in Islam, “When there is a difference of opinion among eminent scholars, the more merciful, i.e. the best, opinion should be chosen. Severity should be avoided, as should the idea that severity is the measure of piety.“²⁵

“Piety (taqwa) and righteousness (birr) can be seen, from a certain perspective, as the expression of mercy in all aspects of our life. Indeed, when we show mercy we must not limit it to certain people, or to certain situations, but must let our kindness, love, and respect shine through in everything we do. This must originate from our mindfulness of God’s mercy, and from reverential fear of His wrath should we choose the way of anger over the way of mercy.”²⁶

As we are told in Quran, “May he who believes in God and the Last Day do no harm to his neighbor, and may he who believes in God and the Last Day honor his guest, and may he who believes in God and the Last Day say what is good or keep silent.”²⁷ The Hebrew Scriptures say, “He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.”²⁸ Many things we do cannot be undone. The consequences of some things, like the destruction of human life, is one of those irreversible things.

When we believe God, we recognize that there are many things He knows which we do not. We also recognize that there is a difference between faith and ignorance. Since we are all accountable for what we say and do, we are all obligated to know what we are talking about and why we should do what we do. We do not discharge this obligation by following our emotions or those of others.

The Quran warns: “On the day when their faces are turned about in the Fire, they will say, ‘Oh, would that we had obeyed God and obeyed the Messenger!’ They will say, ‘Our Lord, Truly we obeyed our leaders and elders, and they caused us to stray from the way. Our Lord! Give them a twofold punishment, and curse them with a great curse.”²⁹ Their leaders and elders told them things which were not true.

The passage continues by indicating the nature of the false teaching they received: “O You who believe! Be not as those who affronted Moses, whereat God declared him innocent of what they alleged, and he was honored with God.”³⁰ This would seem to be referring to the aftermath of the rebellion of Korah, who accused Moses and Aaron of exalting themselves.³¹

Korah and 250 others tried to get all the people to follow them rather than the rightful teachers and leaders of Israel. When Korah and his men had the superficial appearance of being priests, God supernaturally destroyed them to demonstrate that their claims were false — they, not Moses and Aaron, were the ones seeking to exalt themselves. They were the “leaders and elders,” false teachers, who were cursed for leading the people astray.

Some people try to cover their lies and pretence by claiming that they are God’s leaders. “God does not withdraw knowledge from the people, but takes the learned and with them knowledge disappears. What remains among the people are ignorant leaders who make religious decisions for them without knowledge. They misguide and are misguided.”³²

“And who does greater wrong than one who fabricates a lie against God? It is they who will be brought before their Lord, and the witnesses will say, ‘These are the ones who lied against their Lord.’ Behold! The curse of God is upon the wrongdoers.”³³ “The Prophet said, ‘If anyone swears a false oath on this pulpit of mine, he will have prepared his place in Hell.’”³⁴ Presumably, these will include those who claimed to be fighting for Allah, but He perceived that they had different motives.

The people who were deceived will plead with God against their leaders and elders, asking Him to punish them twofold. But the Quran advises, “And plead not on behalf of those who betray their own selves. Surely God loves not the one given to treachery and sin. They seek to hide themselves from men, but they cannot hide from God. He is with them when they conspire by night with words displeasing to Him, and God encompasses whatsoever they do.”³⁵

It is not only leaders and elders who can lead one astray. There are the many who live according to the dictates of their desires. “Hast thou considered the one who takes his caprice as his god? Wouldst thou be a guardian over him? Or do you suppose that most of them hear or understand? Truly they are but as cattle. Nay, they are further astray from the way.”³⁶

It is not unusual for some people to twist the Holy Scriptures to deceive the ignorant. Simon Peter/Kefa said about the writings of Paul, “In his letters there are some things which are diffcult to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they also do to the other Scriptures.”³⁷ Isa/Yeshua told his followers, “Be careful that no one leads you⁺ astray…”³⁸

In Quran we are told, “Say, ‘Shall I inform you who are the greatest losers in respect to their deeds? Those whose efforts go astray in the life of this world, while they reckon that they are virtuous in their works.’”³⁹ Some people speak lies about what is pleasing to God; and there are other people who believe them.

There are those in the “political” realm who do the same. They will stand before God, as will everyone. But all who hear them are accountable for how they respond. Each individual has the responsibility to reject what is false. That may require an effort, for the Quran indicates that there is an evil force at work. “He makes them promises and stirs in them desires, but Satan promises naught but delusion. Such will have their refuge in Hell, and will find no refuge therefrom.”⁴⁰

There are some things which are unequivocally commanded in the Quran, which should not be confused with other things which have conditions of time and place attached to them. Muslims are to seek reconciliation between hostile peoples. And they are to seek to be reconciled themselves to others, especially to the People of the Book.

There are those who treat what God has sent before as though it no longer had any value, but they themselves are deceived and they deceive others. The Quran advises instead, “Say, ‘We believe in God and what has been sent down upon us, and in what was sent down upon Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, and the Tribes, and in what Moses, Jesus, and the prophets were given from their Lord. We make no distinction among any of them, and unto Him we submit.’”⁴¹

Every covenant which God has made has great value, as do the pacts between peoples which are made before God. “Truly those who sell God’s Pact and their oaths for a paltry price, they shall have no share in the Hereafter and God will not speak to them, nor will He look at them on the Day of Resurrection, nor will He purify them. And theirs shall be a painful punishment. And there is indeed a group among them who twist their tongues with the Book, that you may suppose it to be from the Book. But it is not from the Book. And they say, ‘It is from God,’ though it is not from God. And they knowingly speak a lie against God.”⁴²

As in the Constitution of Medina, Islamic countries can make a treaty with the Jewish people so that “Between them is sincere friendship (nas’h wa-nasiha) and honorable dealing, not treachery.”⁴³ The treaty could be sealed before God, the God of the Children of Israel, with the payment of annual sadaqah which, for example, could be used for the freedom, well-being, and resettlement of those currently in UNRWA refugee camps in Lebanon. Or, in accordance with Islamic tradition, the treaty could be sealed before God with a defense pact. As Al-Tabari said, “If they perform military service, they are exempt from this.”⁴⁴

Muslims are reminded that “Among the People of the Book is an upright community who recite God’s signs in the watches of the night, while they prostrate. They believe in God and the Last Day, enjoin right and forbid wrong, and hasten unto good deeds.”⁴⁵ Those who believe the Quran are to believe that there are some people who follow Torah or the Gospel instead and yet are upright in the sight of God.

“The believers are but brothers; so make peace between your brethren, and reverence God, that haply you may receive mercy.”⁴⁶ It is possible to make a righteous pact for a holy peace. This can happen where there is a willingness to embrace those portions of the Holy Scriptures which emphasize reconciliation, mercy, and peace. “And Remember Our servants Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, possessed of strength and sight. Truly We purified them with that which is pure — remembrance of the Abode. And truly in Our sight they are among the chosen, the elect.”⁴⁷

As I said at the beginning, I am presenting an option, not a proof; a framework for negotiations, not a plan to be imposed. There are many motives for war, but the Hebrew, Greek, and Arabic Holy Scriptures point to the possibility of peace and justice in relations between Israelis and Palestinians. Some people accept the obligations which their Holy Scriptures say God has imposed upon them.

David said in the Psalms, “Ask for the peace of Jerusalem…”⁴⁸ A realist knows there will be neither agreement nor peace if one begins with the political issues. There is no common political ground because the basic political positions are mutually exclusive. There are geopolitical solutions to solely geopolitical conflicts, but not to ideological conflicts. This is not solely a geopolitical conflict. To treat it as if it were is to demean the values that are most important to some of those involved.

If no common ground is found, there cannot be any common goals. And if there are no common goals, there are only two possibilities. Option 1: A continuance of the current hostility, which will mean the continuation of suffering, deprivation, and mourning for many. Option 2: The annihilation of one side or the other through military power or through a divinely instigated apocalypse. In light of the value God places on saving a single life and the judgment to be expected for destroying a single life, we can say that this is not what He desires.

The God of the Children of Israel declares, “‘As I live, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked should turn from his way and live.’”⁴⁹ It is not likely that Nuh/Noah was eager to see the flood come, nor glad to see all his brethren destroyed. No one will deny that the wicked have earned the judgment they receive, but all should remember what `Aisha narrated: “The Prophet said, ‘Do good deeds properly, sincerely and moderately, and receive good news because one’s good deeds will not make him enter Paradise.’ They asked, ‘Even you, O Allah’s Messenger?’ He said, “Even I, unless and until Allah bestows His pardon and Mercy on me.’”⁵⁰

Assuredly, some people use the differing Holy Scriptures to enflame the conflict. It is possible to use them that way. Leaders who want to be followed will do what they need to do to get people to folllow them. “In the main, people were whipped up by demonisation of the other, encouraged by the rhetoric of politicians and a feverish media.”⁵¹ The Partition of India and Pakistan is not singular in this respect.

Just as assuredly, however, the differing Holy Scriptures provide common ground upon which an agreement based on common spiritual values and goals can be built. And if one believes in God, it is necessary to acknowledge that He is not limited the way that human rulers are. The Quran suggests that people not limit God: “It may be that God will forge affection between you and those of them with whom you are in enmity. God is Powerful, and God is Forgiving, Merciful.”⁵²

It is not necessary to agree on everything, not even on everything concerning what God says or does. “Everyone has a direction towards which he turns. So vie with one another in good deeds. Wheresoever you are, God will bring you all together. Truly God is powerful over all things.”⁵³ And the Quran also contains this promise and challenge: “But for those who believe and perform righteous deeds, We shall cause them to enter Gardens with rivers running below, abiding therein forever. God’s Promise is true, and who is truer in speech than God?”⁵⁴

“O you who believe! Be steadfast for God, bearing witness to justice, and let not hatred for a people lead you to be unjust. Be just; that is near to reverence. And reverence God. Surely God is Aware of whatsoever you do.”⁵⁵

Mutual recognition is possible. Mutual cooperation is possible. Not because of the economic and political advantage that would result, but because we are all accountable to God for how we treat one another. We have an inalienable obligation, and we will all give account for how we neglect or fulfill that responsibility.

As Muhammad said, ”By the Name of Him in Whose Hands my soul is, if they ask me anything which will respect the ordinances of Allah, I will grant it to them.”⁵⁶ That attitude will bring peace where it is possible, where there are Muslim leaders courageous and faithful enough to follow the example of Muhammad.

An intransigent attitude, on the other hand, will bring division and war. Muhammad also said, “Verily, the Jews differed until they became seventy-one sects. And verily, the Christians differed until they became seventy-two sects. And this community [Ummah] will divide into seventy-three sects, and all of them will be in the Fire except one.”⁵⁷

According to Muhammad, seventy-two of seventy-three sects of Islam are deceiving themselves, and will end up in the Fire. Jesus/Yeshua said, “Enter in by the narrow gate, because the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter in by it. How narrow is the gate, and harassed is the way that leads to life! Few are those who find it.”⁵⁸

Isaiah the prophet said, “A remnant returns, a remnant of Jacob, to the Mighty God. For though Your people Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant in them returns. The destruction decreed will overflow with righteousness.”⁵⁹

Many people say they are believers, but there is a great difference between an assertion and a demonstrated reality. There is also a great distance between what some teach and what is actually in their Holy Scriptures. People are attracted to, and tend to emphasize, what is already in their hearts. We must recognize that we can be wrong, because then we can also change.

Rulers get swept away by their own importance. Followers forget that God has given them eyes to see and ears to hear. Rulers and teachers are necessary, but they should never be made into substitutes for God. “It is better to take refuge in the Everpresent Lord than to put confidence in Man. It is better to take refuge in the Everpresent Lord than to put confidence in princes.”⁶⁰

Of all the people described in the Bible, one of the most outstanding is Josiah, King of Judah. He became king when he was eight years old, “And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, and … while he was yet young, he began to seek after the God of David his father; and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem,” destroying all the idols and the places built for worshipping them.⁶¹

He called the people of Judah to repent of their lawless deeds and return to the Everpresent God. He repaired the Temple in Jerusalem, and celebrated the Passover — the commemoration of the redemption from Egypt — “And there was no Passover like that kept in Israel from the days of Samuel the prophet; nor did any of the kings of Israel keep such a Passover as Josiah kept, and the priests, and the Levites, and all Judah and Israel who were present, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.”⁶²

“And before him there was no king like him that turned to the Everpresent Lord with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the Torah of Moses; neither after him arose there any like him.”⁶³ Of all those who ever ruled over Israel, Josiah was the closest to what God wanted from a king, closer than David, closer than Solomon. But he made a mistake that cost him his life.

“After all this, when Josiah had prepared the Temple, Necho king of Egypt came up to fight against Carchemish by the Euphrates; and Josiah went out against him. But he sent ambassadors to him, saying, ‘What have I to do with you, king of Judah? I do not come against you this day, but against the house with which I am at war; for God commanded me to make haste; forbear from meddling with God, who is with me, so that He should not destroy you.’ Nevertheless Josiah would not turn his face from him, but sought an opportunity to fight with him, and he did not listen to the words of Necho from the mouth of God, and came to fight in the valley of Megiddo.”⁶⁴

Josiah was killed in that battle, because “he did not listen to the words of Necho from the mouth of God”. As king, he was obligated to prevent a foreign army from passing through his land. But sometimes what we know is irrelevant to God. God wants more from rulers, and people in general, than that they be righteous and zealous for His purposes. We need to listen to God, even if he speaks through an “unbeliever”.

In the Gospels, Mark records that when Isa/Jesus was asked, “Which commandment is the greatest of all?” He responded, “The greatest is, ‘Hear/Sh’ma, O Israel, the Everpresent Lord, our God, the Everpresent Lord is one. ‘ …”⁶⁵ Though this is the watchword of Jewish faith, most do not notice that it is a commandment. It begins, “Listen!” because “a human being/haAdam is not to live by bread alone, but a human being/haAdam is to live by all that goes forth from the mouth of the Everpresent Lord.”⁶⁶

If I think that I already know, then no matter how observant or zealous I am, I will tend to rely on my own understanding rather than on the living God in making decisions. But we are all commanded to listen to what God is saying, even if He is saying it through the mouth of a foreign ruler leading an army across our land.

For Yusuf/Joseph, son of Jacob/Israel, Egypt was first a place of slavery and false accusations. Then it became a place of opportunity, service, and preservation. For four centuries, that’s what Egypt was for the Children of Israel. The situation changed dramatically when a new Pharaoh arose who forgot what Egypt owed to Yosef and his people.

This new ruler was powerful and envious of the prosperity of the Children of Israel. He hated them, not knowing and not wanting to know, that it was God who had blessed them. He wanted to destroy them because he was ruled by envy and hatred. These are powerful motivators. He killed many of their children, and sought to destroy them all.

Anyone can freely choose to be ruled by envy and hatred. It is as much an option today as it was 3500 years ago. But it may be that God’s response today to those ruled by these attitudes will be much the same as it was then. His identity has not changed.

“Often bigotry and takfir (meaning to declare another person to be an unbeliever or kafir) are disguises for the more fundamental sins of greed, jealousy, revenge, and the desire for power. Takfir is a means by which a soul justifies its taking of innocent life, when in reality such a person is merely covering his bloodlust and brutality with a pious veneer. He may fool himself into thinking that the human being he devalues has no right to life, property, or honor, but his judgment does not bind God, though God’s judgment will bind him. Declaring another person to be an unbeliever, or to dehumanize him through any other form of bigotry and ideology, opens the door to the great sins of pride, avarice, and lust, which lead to theft, rape, and murder. Takfir and bigotry are thus the very antithesis of mercy.”⁶⁷

God is very much a realist. He knows what humans are, and He knows what they can be. By His design, we find ourselves in this world with the possibility of good and the prevalence of evil. There are choices before us which we cannot escape.

Max Weber said, “who lets himself in… for power and force as means, contracts with diabolical powers.” ⁶⁸ The disposition to war and Death that arises from religious motives must be addressed. One can enter into a contract with God instead. Primary Scriptural values can once again be the covenanted common ground on which life, rather than death, can flourish. Human needs can be prioritized over political agendas.

What if the Quran has truly reported Pharaoh’s last words? God said, “We carried the Children of Israel across the sea, and Pharaoh and his hosts pursued them out of envy and enmity till, when drowning over took them, he said, ‘I believe that there is no God but the one in whom the Children of Israel believe, and I am among those who submit.’”⁶⁹ Now Pharaoh knows. If he had believed before, instead of yielding to envy and hatred, much tragedy would have been avoided.

At the end of the Book of Revelation, an angel says to John/Yohanan: “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near. The one who acts unjustly, let him continue to act unjustly. The one who is filthy, let him continue to be filthy. The one who is righteous, let him continue to do what is right. The one who is consecrated, let him continue to be consecrated.”⁷⁰

God gave wisdom to Solomon, the son of David, making him the wisest man on the face of the earth. Solomon didn’t always act in accordance with that wisdom, but sometimes he did. This is the way he closed his message to the people of God’s community:

“The end of the matter, all has been heard. Fear God, and keep His commandments; for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it is good, or whether it is evil.”⁷¹

FOOTNOTES

1. CHAPTER VII RECOMMENDATIONS (III) “Recommendations,” “Plan for a Federal State,” 17. General Assembly A/364, 3 September 1947, Official Records of the Second Session of the General Assembly, Supplement No. 11, United Nations Special Committee on Palestine, Report to the General Assembly, Vol. 1, Lake Success, New York, 1947

2. Quran, Women, Al-Nisa 4:122-123

3. Bulugh al-Maram 6.13 “Narrated Anas …” Compiled by Al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar Al-Asqalani (Riyadh: Dar-us-Salam Publications, 1996)

4. Leviticus 19:18

5. Hadiths Qudsi 6. [sunnah.com] “On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said… It was related by Muslim (also by at-Tirmidhi and an-Nasa’i).”

6. Isaiah 25:8, cf. 1Corinthians 15:54

7. Quran, The Table Spread/al-Ma’idah 5:32.

8. Deuteronomy 30:19

9.Genesis 6:11

10. The Vedas, the oldest Scriptures of what we today call “Hinduism “are usually considered to have been written around 1500 B.C.E., 500 years after Abraham.

11. Quran, Jonah/ Yunus 10:99-100

12. Quran, The Cow/al-Barqarah 2:256

13. Isaiah 5:20-21

14. Quran, The Cow/al-Barqarah 2:8-9

15. Kohelet/Ecclesiastes 3:1,3,8

16. Quran, Jonah/Yunus 10:94

17. Hadith No: 3994 From: Sunan Ibn Majah. Chapter 39, The Chapters on Tribulationshttps://ahadith.co.uk/permalink-hadith-11363

18. Sahih Muslim 91 b Book 1, Hadith 172, USC-MSA web reference: Book 1, Hadith 165. https://ahadith.co.uk/permalink-hadith-892

19. “Cairo Declaration on Human Rights in Islam,” Article 22 (d)

20. Quran, The Cow/al-Barqarah 2:40

21. Quran, The Table Spread/al-Maidah 5:20-21

22. Quran, The Night Journey/al-Isra 17:36

23. Proverbs 18:13

24. Mattathias 12:36-37

25. “Letter to Baghdadi,” pp.4-5

26. “Forty Hadith on Divine Mercy,” The Royal Aal A l-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought, Jordan, 2009, p.12. https://rissc.jo/docs/40_hadith.pdf

27. Sahih al-Bukhari No. 6087, Kitab al-Adab. Cited in “Forty Hadith on Divine Mercy,” p.21. https://rissc.jo/docs/40_hadith.pdf

28. Proverbs 16:32

29. Quran, The Parties/al-Ahzab 33:66-68

30. Quran, The Parties/al-Ahzab 33:69

31.The entire incident is described throughout Numbers 16 and 17.

32. Sahih Muslim No. 6974, Kitab al-‘Ilm. Cited in “Forty Hadith on Divine Mercy,” p.31.

33. Quran, Hud 11:18

34. Al-Bukhari, No. 1215. Narrated by Jabir: Reported by Ahmad, Abu Da’ud and An-Nasa’i; Ibn Hibban graded it Sahih (sound)

35. Quran, Women/al-Nisa 4:107-108

36. Quran, The Criterion/al-Furqan 25:43-44

37. 2Peter 3:16

38. Matityahu/Matthew 24:4

39. Quran, The Cave/al-Kahf 18:103-104

40. Quran, Women/al-Nisa 4:120-121

41. Quran, The House of Imran/Al-Imran 3:84

42. Quran, Victory/al-Fath 49:10

43. The Myth of a Militant Islam,” Dakake, Islam, Fundamentalism, and the Betrayal of Tradition:, p.21,22. Citing The Constitution of Medina, Watt, Humannad, p.22.

44. Al-Tabari, History, v. XIVm, p.36, cited in Dakake, “Myth,” p.37, fn 79

45. Quran, The House of Imran/Al-Imran 3:113-14

46. Quran, al-Hujurat/The Private Apartments 49:10

47. Quran, Sad 38:45-47

48. Psalm 122:6

49. Ezekiel 33:11

50. Sahih al-Bukhari No. 6467: Book 81, Hadith 56. USC-MSA web: Vol. 8, Book 76, Hadith 474

51. Yasmin Khan, “Why Pakistan and India remain in denial 70 years on from partition,” The Guardian, Aug. 5, 2017

52. Quran, She Who Is Examined/al-Mumtahanah 60:7

53. Quran, The Cow/al-Barqarah 2:148

54. Quran, Women/al-Nisa 4:122

55. Quran, The Table Spread/al-Maidah 5:8

56. Al-Bukhari, No. 1192, The Book of Conditions, Chapter 4. The conditions of Jihad and peace treaties with (non-Muslim) warriors, and the writing of conditions. p.565

57. The Study Quran Note on 98:4 The Clear Proof/ al-Bayyinah , Kindle location 90677 Reported by Abu Huraira in Sunan al-Tirmidhī 2640; also by ‘Awf bin Malik in Sunan Ibn Majah [English translation], Vol. 5, Book 36, Hadith 3992

58. Matthias 7:13-14

59. Isaiah 10:21-22

60. Psalm 118:8-9

61. 2Chronicles 35:2-4ff

62. 2Chronicles 36:18

63. 2Kings 23:25

64. 2Chronicles 36:20-22

65. Mark 12:28-9, quoting Deuteronomy 6:4

66. Deuteronomy 8:3

67. “Forty Hadith on Divine Mercy,” The Royal Aal Al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought, Jordan, 2009, p.22

68. Wolin, “Max Weber: Legitimation, Method and Politics,” in Legitimacy and the State, P. 69 citing “Politics as a Vocation,” FMW, pp. 121, 123

69. Quran, Jonah/Yunus 10:90

70. Revelation 22:11-12

71. Kohelet/Ecclesiastes 12:13-14. Kohelet is one who speaks to the kahal, the assembly. The Greek title of the book, “Ecclesiastes,” is meant to indicate the same; i.e. one who speaks to the ecclesia.