# Should archaeology worry believers about the Quran's stories?

*Fazlur Rahman on archaeology, and Jesus' miracles 'by God's permission'*

- URL: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/zasz48lx_wi/s/25/
- Date: 2020-12-11 · Kind: discussion · Transcript tier: machine · Recording: Dr Javad T. Hashmi | Axis of Morality & Archetypal Myths in the Quran | MindTrap 46 |Mufti Abu Layth (1:42:25–1:45:37)
- Status: a view quoted in order to be discussed, not a position held
- Watch from the start of the segment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAsz48lX_WI&t=6145s
- Recording page: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/zasz48lx_wi/

**Topics:** Jesus in the Quran; How to read the Quran; The ancient Near East and scripture

**Summary (not a quotation; machine-made, unchecked):** The guest, as a self-described Islamic modernist following Fazlur Rahman, says believers need not fear archaeology, since the Quran re-attributes Jesus' miracles to God for theological rather than historical ends.

## Longer summary

The guest says he answers as Fazlur Rahman did, the University of Chicago professor and quintessential Islamic modernist, with whom he identifies, who wrote that believers should stop worrying that historical and archaeological work, for example on the Exodus, will disprove the events of scripture. He says what is certain is that Muhammad and Jesus existed, and that the Quran deals with Jesus' story in a literary way, re-attributing the miracles of the Christian stories to God by saying they were done with God's permission, for theological ends rather than to narrate history. He calls the stories legends, usually based on historical figures with dramatised elements, and says he does not think Jesus actually spoke in the cradle, comparing this to accepting that the Badr angels and the descriptions of paradise and hell are symbolic. Asked about the Israelites, he proposes to go a step further to the human creation story.

## Sources and names cited

- Dr Javad T. Hashmi (guest)
- Fazlur Rahman
- the Exodus
- Isa (Jesus)

## Transcript (machine tier, 1:42:25–1:45:37)

[1:42:17] So the same about the angel story that I said the knights from the house of uh Karin. So how how am I doing as far as audience? Are they are they uh hating it or are they they it's all good. I mean people are finding it uh intriguing and some people finding it interesting and some people finding it as you'll get the normal questions. [laughter] Okay. So, so now to come to the meat of the issue.

[1:42:43] Okay. I would I would answer as professor Fuzler Rahman did. Now he's the University of Chicago professor not Molana Diesel as some people might can be confused with. So, professor Fazer Rahman who was the quintessential Islamic modernist and by the way I identify openly as an Islamic modernist and I take pride in that and we can talk about that later but um he said that it's a very brief passage but I highlighted it and I starred it and one of his books he wrote believers need to stop worrying about the historical uh and archaeological uh enterprises that are going on right

[1:43:21] now because they're so fearful that it will disprove the historical truths the historical reality of some of the events that are mentioned for example the exodus so uh we are so worried that if [laughter] the exodus gets proven historically not true then our belief goes down the drain what I am arguing is we don't know what we know for certain is that prophet Muhammad existed that Jesus existed and that with Jesus he had uh the the the way the Quran deals with the story is in a literary way

[1:44:00] and it actually is we should focus on what the Quran is doing as opposed to just what it is saying. So for example, when it talks about miracles, what the Quran is doing is actually saying it's rearticulating the story for a theological ends, not to narrate history. It's saying that yes, Jesus may have done all of these things in your uh sacred uh stories, but really it's reattributing them to God that they did it with the God's permission.

[1:44:33] So if you take a literary um lens, you no longer have to say that this is historically uh what the prophet is doing and the Quran is doing. It's rearticulating these stories in different ways. Are they just stories? So yes, it's it's a legend and legends are usually not always but usually based on actual historical figures but certain things are dramatized.

[1:44:59] So I don't think that he actually uh uh spoke in the cradle or uh per you know rose these things are literary just like we say we're okay with saying that with angels coming down on the battle of bad we're okay with that just as we're okay with saying that the descriptions of paradise and hell are symbols and metaphor what about the Israelites I mean they're still the Jewish people today are still let's say alleged descendants of the Israelites and the 12 tribes so so so one thing that I think we can say for certain is that let's go one step above that to um the human creation story in the Quran.

[1:45:36] [clears throat] So that the Adamic creation story I definitely do not take literally and nor do I move toward a scientistic understanding of it. Now I think from what I see is that 70% of the time you are doing what I'm doing and then 30% of the time this is where I I want to move in that direction. I think 30% of the time you're doing the scientistic explanation which is that this actually means this and this is no no I'm taking the story literally but as literature as a story as a story.

## Cite

Mufti Abu Layth Archive, segment ZAsz48lX_WI/s/25. https://muftiabulayth.org/r/zasz48lx_wi/s/25/

Not a fatwa: these answers were given to specific people at specific times. Ask a qualified scholar about your own situation.