A Tawhid Prophet Without Miracles is itself a Miracle

Allah has the power to send down miracles, signs, and wonders, but He did not choose to do so for Prophet Muhammad, and thus almost all the Arabs in Makka wondered: “Why has no sign been sent down upon him from his Lord?” (Q 6:37). The answer was “What stopped us [Allah] from sending the miracles is that the previous generations have rejected them” (Q 17:59) I.e. miracles only influence one or two generations.

Indeed, the four Gospels are filled with the many miracles of Prophet Jesus; and he did not have much success during his short time on earth. However, the absence of miracles has only made Prophet Muhammad’s Tawhid success more amazing.

People expected Prophet Muhammad to be like Prophet Moses and questioned: “Why has he not been given the like of what Moses was given?” (Q 28:48).

So Allah supported Prophet Muhammad, and identified him as “a warner” without a sign (Q 29:50) in response to the unbelieving Arabs who rejected Muhammad’s teaching because: “If only a miracle could come down to him from his Lord (then we will believe)” (Q 13:7; see also 11:12).

In truth, the Quran uses Muhammad’s lack of supernatural miracle working as a condemnation of unbelievers, affirming that the Quran itself is the miracle: “Is it not enough of a miracle that we sent down to you this book [the Quran]?” (Q 29:51).

This verse appears in response to Muhammad’s opponents questioning in doubt: “If only miracles could come down to him from his Lord?” (Q 29:50), and seems to establish that one of the reasons why Allah refrained from supporting Prophet Muhammad with miracles was: “What stopped us [Allah] from sending the miracles is that the previous generations rejected them” (Q 17:59).

As a non-Orthodox Reform Rabbi who first became interested in Islam when I studied Islam at a university (UCLA) over 65 years ago. I have continued my study of Islam off and on since that time. In many ways Ahadith (traditions) relating Prophet Muhammad’s comments about Orthodox Judaism, and religion in general, prefigure the thinking of most Reform Rabbis some 12-13 centuries later.

This is why I think of myself as an Islamic Hebrew (Genesis 14:13), i.e. a Jew who firmly believes in the one and only God, and who remains faithful to the covenant the One God made with the Jewish People at Mount Sinai. If the Orthodox Jews in the generation of Prophet Muhammad had followed his teaching that “religion is easy”, Reform Judaism would have developed 14 centuries ago.

Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet said, “Religion is very easy and whoever overburdens himself in his religion will not be able to continue in that way. So you should not be extremists, but try to [just] be near to perfection and receive the good tidings that you will be rewarded.” (Bukhari Volume 1, Book 2, Number 38)

Unlike Christianity, both Islam and Judaism teach the importance of sacred slaughter of meat, and the avoidance of certain animals for food. In Islam the rules are simpler and fewer than in Orthodox Judaism.

Reform Rabbis regard the increasingly restrictive developments in the laws of kosher diet, especially for Passover, as a counterproductive, overburdening of the Jewish people. The expansion of restrictions on Shabbat activities is also seen by Reform Rabbis as a counter-productive, overburdening for many Jews the joy of Shabbat.

The Qur’an wisely differentiates between extremism and striving to be near perfect (no one is perfect) which involves a rejection of extremism. Just trying to do your best, will be rewarded. Religion should not be hard. Making religion easier does not mean making religion soft or impious. This is a very important Hadith because all religions have believers that think more is better, and harder is still better.

Another important teaching of the Qur’an for people all over the world today is that God chose not to create human beings as one nation and bestowed upon them free will to believe or not to believe. As it is written in the Qur’an (5.48):

“For every one of you did We appoint a law and a way. If God had pleased He would have made you one people, but (He didn’t) that He might test you in what He gave you. Therefore compete with one another to hasten to virtuous deeds; for all return to God, so He will let you know (after Judgment Day) that in which you differed.”

This is a wonderful further development of the teaching of the Biblical prophet (Micah 4:5) that in the end of days—the Messianic Age—“All people will walk, each in the name of their own God, and we shall walk in the name of the Lord our God forever.”

A Muslim is one who submits to the will of God and believes that God has sent thousands of different prophets to the many peoples of the world. As a Reform Rabbi I believe that not only was Muhammad a Prophet; but I also believe that the Qur’an is as true for Muslims as the Torah is true for Jews.

I love the Hadith also narrated by Abu Huraira that says, “The people of the Book used to read the Torah in Hebrew and then explain it in Arabic to the Muslims. God’s Apostle said (to the Muslims). “Do not believe the people of the Book, nor disbelieve them, but say, ‘We believe in God, and whatever is revealed to us, and whatever was revealed to you.” (Bukhari Volume 9, Book 92, Number 460 and again in Volume 9, Book 93, Number 632)

Following Muhammad’s teaching I also neither believe nor disbelieve in the Qur’an. I do respect the Qur’an very much as a kindred revelation, first given to a kindred people, in a kindred language. In fact, the Arab people, the Arabic language and Muslim theology are closer to my own people, language and theology than that of any other on earth. Of course, more than 80% of Muslims in the world today are not Arabs. But Arabic is Islam’s sacred language and the tradition that Arabs and Jews are cousins is widely accepted in the Muslim Ummah.

This makes the present conflict between the Palestinians and the Israelis especially tragic. It is very important to realize that the conflict is a political one and not a religious one, although fanatics on both sides often use religion for political purposes. There can be no religious conflict between religions like Judaism and Islam because neither of them declare that their own scriptures are the only scriptures that come from God.

This era will come about when Israelis and Palestinians make a long lasting two state partnership peace; thus fulfilling the 2700 year old vision of Prophet Isaiah: “In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria. The Assyrians will go to Egypt, and the Egyptians to Assyria. The Egyptians and Assyrians will worship together. In that day Israel  will join a three-party alliance with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing upon the heart. The LORD of Hosts will bless them saying, “Blessed be Egypt My people, Assyria My handiwork, and Israel My inheritance.”(Isaiah 19:23-5)

The strong support that the Qur’an gives to religious pluralism is a lesson that is sorely needed by the religious fundamentalists of all religions in the world today.