The Racist Reason Why Translators Hide the Quran’s Warnings to Arabs
What the Muslim holy book describes as “Islam,” is quite simply, a verbal activity. Along with the higher grade of “faith” (iman), this verb is described as a general action engaged in by existing religious communities to which the Qur’an was orated, rather than being set forth as a new religion.
A major problem in unpacking what the Qur’an means by “Islam,” in the relatively few times that it is mentioned, is that this general term for “obedience” or “submission” to God, was not used in relation to any one specific community in the passages where it appears.
One way to decipher its meaning then, is to take a critical and contextual look at those historical groups named in the Qur’anic audience, in order to establish the context of the Qur’an, and thereby more appropriately elucidate its intended meaning to its original audience.
It was precisely for this purpose that the religious milieu of the Qur’anic audience became the central focus of my first masters thesis, entitled . In this work, I spent considerable — yet limited — time, discussing the Polemic Translations of “Those Who Turn” as “Jews”.
To the third-party reader — perhaps neither Jew nor Muslim — this may seem like an academic or moot point. In reality, however, this is deeply intertwined with the politics ripping the Middle East apart to this very day. In works such as the article at hand, I continue to endeavor to unravel the deliberate translatory obfuscations found within renderings of the Qur’an today and throughout history.
Why would translators make such polemic and obvious loaded exegetical interpolations as those rendering passages against the Jewish people when the `Arabic text does not say as much? Once we strip away all of these artificial tasaafir augmentations of “Jews” throughout the Qur’anic admonitions, what are we left with?
In reality, most of the admonitions against the Jewish people in the Qur’an are merely Biblical quotes or paraphrases, telling of the destruction of the first Jewish Temple and exile of today’s “Lost Tribes.” These are in fact passages calling on the Jewish people to return to the Torah and its Commandments, and — as explained in an earlier article The Zionist Qur’an Condemns All Who Oppose Jewish Return to the Land of Israel — to return to the Holy Land of Israel itself even (17:4-8). Identical historical admonitions are found throughout the Jewish Bible itself.
Far from focusing on admonitions against the behavior of the Jewish people, the Qur’an seems much more interested in critiquing the follies it perceives, relative to `Arabs.
Indeed, just as we are told falsely that the Qur’an says “Jews” many times when it does not, so too are we told the Qur’an says “Beduins” rather than “Arabs” when in fact the latter is the case. In other words, the translators of the `Arabic Qur’an are and have historically mistranslating the text, in order to reverse and project admonitions directed towards `Arabs, onto Jews.
When non-Arabic-speakers read these translations, they are give a very different impression of the Qur’an’s message, than what it actually says. Indeed, for those coming from Christian traditions with a legacy of ingrained antisemitism, the purposeful mistranslations of the Qur’an make them feel theologically right at home.
“Worse in Disbelief, Concealment of the Truth and Hypocrisy…”
Astonishing to most, the Qur’an says plainly that `Arabs are worse in disbelief (kufr) and hypocrisy (nifaq) (9:97) and that they should refrain from calling themselves “Believers” or Mu’minin. This was, of course, the common historical self-designation, at the time, of and by the Jewish People for fellow-practicing Jews (Ma’minim, in Hebrew). The Qur’an explains that instead of using this term, the `Arabs should only call themselves muslimin – essentially the Jewish concept of Noachide gerei toshav. Why? Because, according to the Qur’an, Iman (Emunah, in Hebrew), had not yet entered into their hearts (49:14).
This is a harsh denunciation of `Arabs, and there is no equivalent dressing-down of the Jewish people within the same Qur’anic oration. This is curious, to say the least.
Conversely, the Qur’an declares that the Children of Israel were chosen “above all other nations” (2:47; 2:122; 3:33; 44:32; 45:16; et al.). But this was never a matter of someone being chosen for a genetic difference. In Judaism, this “chosenness” was simply a historical, regional matter of adherence to ethical social standards, tribal unification and moral uprightness in Bronze Age Mesopotamian barbarism.
Unlike other tribes at the time, the Children of Israel had come together to form a single community, as a tribal federation. Perceived differences were put aside and the Oneness of both community and Creator became the cultural, socio-religious – even ethno-religious – focus. Far from being a call to racial discrimination and superiority, this was a call away from it – noting that seeing beyond such tribal divisions was what made us “chosen” for the work of unification and spreading “Light unto the Nations.”
It is with this understanding as backdrop that we must look at the Qur’anic ayat both referencing the preference of Allah for the Children of Israel, as well as its rebuking of Al-`Araab – the Arabian Peoples – referenced therein.
Again, the Qur’an admonishes that “the `Araab are far worse in Kufr, Disbelief and Concealment, as well as Nifaq, Hypocrisy — and they are unlikely to know the laws revealed by Allah to His Messenger. And Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise” (9:97).
The term Kufr refers not simply to “disbelief,” but to actively concealing the truth, when you are well aware of it. Examples of this are replete throughout Qur’an translations. For instance, every time the verb is said that they “turn away,” the lying pens of the mufassirun exegetes handle it falsely, saying “the Jews” in translation and tafsir exegesis. Every time one “turns towards” Allah, they never render this verb as “Jews” even when the passage is specifically speaking of the Children of Israel (7:156)!
Why is that? Is it that they do not know their own `Arabic language? No! It is, as the Qur’an itself says, that within their hearts is a disease of kufr — not “disbelief” but knowing the truth and yet concealing it, covering it over, so that none could discover the treasure which they buried.
Indeed, amongst their treasure chest they have also locked away the secrets which document their lies and iniquities. And thus, whenever anyone approaches the Muslim Ummah with a treasure map, they issue instead a fatwah declaring their blood halaal or even waajib to shed, as the Terrorist Shaykh `Abdullah Faisal did with me in 2014.
This, incident was documented within my doctoral dissertation Persistence of Jewish-Muslim Reconciliatory Activism in the Face of Threats and “Terrorism” (Real and Perceived) From All Sides of Threats and “Terrorism” (Real and Perceived) From All Sides. This, ironically, led to Faisal outing Faisal’s IP address and location being revealed to the CIA, resulting in his relocation to prison in the United States. As they say, “the Lord works in mysterious ways.”
Though the Mufassirun and so-called scholarly `Ulema of the Divided Muslim Ummah today claims otherwise, it is clear within the Mubin `Arabic of the Qur’an, that it distinguishes the Bedouins or Baduna fi al-`Arabi from the general population of Al-`Araab — the Arabs (33:20). But they hide this to conceal the edifice of lies built upon lies, over the centuries.
How could Al-`Araab mean “Baduna” when the Qur’an tells the Baduna are from the `Araab? The English word bedouin comes from the `Arabic badawi, which means “desert-dweller”, and is traditionally contrasted with haadhir, the term for city-dwelling `Araab. These words have been there in the clear, Mubin Arabic (12:1; 15:1; 27:1; 28:1-2; 43:1-2; 44:1-2) of the Qur’an, all along. This clearly demonstrates that, being from the `Araab, the `Araab is the primary, and broader group and designation.
That is to say, just as the authoritative Lisan al-Arab lexicon has maintained: `Araab is the plural of `Arab. And yet, the lying pens of the scribes, translators and mufassirun continue to handle the Qur’an falsely to conceal what they hope will never be brought to light.
If you did not know of this, it is because they have concealed it from you. And this is the meaning of Kafir — not “disbeliever” — but “Concealer of the Truth of the Torah” as it was used by the Sages of the Talmud centuries before the oration of the Qur’an — wherein it is written “Koferim Ba’Torah” — those who conceal the Torah (Sanhedrin 39a-b; 90-103; Rosh Ha’Shanah 17a; et al.).
So why would the mufassirun exegetes hide the clear and obvious meaning of the plural `Araab?
Because to accept that `Araab unequivocally means “`Arabs” – as it indeed does – would also mean that the Qur’an is replete with admonitions not against the Jewish people but against the `Arab peoples.
To be sure, the Qur’an addresses various factions within the `Arabian sectarian milieu of Yahadut. Denunciations, however, are against those who “turn away” – never against the entire array of these Jewish sects. In fact, this play on words is intentional, as the Qur’an refuses to call such people Jews, but instead those who “turn away” from Yahadut, Judaism.
With the `Araab, on the other hand, the Qur’an is much more severe. In order to hide these admonitions, however, and relegate them to passing chastisements of the typically hospitable and kind badawi desert-dwelling `Araab, the mufassirun exegetes would have you believe that all reference to `Araab are to these peoples, and not to the city-dwelling `Araab tribes who were burying their daughters alive (81:8) and violently opposing the message of Muhammad (while the badawi were not).
It is easy to see why the religious leaders of the `Araab world have rendered translations to mean “Bedouin” when it does not say that, and while the Qur’an is well aware of the word for Bedouin if it wished to use it. As the Qur’an says:
“And they think the Federation (Al-Ahazab) has run away… and if the Federation were to come, they would wish that they were in the Desert amongst the `Arabs” (Baaduna fi al-`Araab) (33:20).
We know further that `Araab cannot refer to Bedouins or the Baaduna fi al-`Araab because in Surat Al-Fath we read that the `Araab have “wealth” — which the Bedouins were not known for back then, nor since. As the Qur’an further says:
“The `Arabs (`Araab), who stayed behind, will say to you ‘We were preoccupied with our wealth and families, so ask for forgiveness for us.’ They say with their tongues what is not in their hearts. Say, ‘Who then can stand between you and Allah in any way, if Allah intends harm or benefit for you? In fact, Allah is All-Aware of what you do’ (48:11)
We see other chastisements against the `Araab peoples for failing to support Muhammad (9:120), and mentioning them as repeatedly turning away from the call to support Muhammad’s mission against “a people of great might” (48:16).
Most notably, the Qur’an admonishes that “the `Arabs say, ‘We believe.’ Say: ‘You have not believed.’ But say [only], ‘We have submitted,’ for Belief (Iman) has not yet entered your hearts. But if you obey Allah and Allah’s Messenger, nothing will be forgotten of your deeds. Allah is truly All-Forgiving, Most Merciful” (49:14).
Thus, rather than saying they are Mu’minin or Believers, as the Jewish People self-designated, the `Araab are told to only say they are muslimin. Did the Qur’an ever tell Jews to stop saying “we are Mu’minin?”
In contrast to this, the Qur’an offers chastisements to `Arabs, after addressing various groups among the Mu’minin, the “Believers” — which was the standard Jewish self-designation until the Modern Era:
“The `Araab came with excuses, expecting double-standards [to be applied] and seeking exemptions [to be made for them], and they lied to Allah. The Kafirin — Concealers of Truth — among them will, [thus] be afflicted with a painful punishment (9:90).
And among `Arabs, the Qur’an adds, are those who are waiting for Muhammad to fail (yatarabas bikum ad-dawayir), and who resent paying taxes for the poor, seeing it as “their loss” (man yattakhizhu ma yunfiq maghramana) rather than as gain for the betterment of society (9:98), and yet, shortly thereafter, the Qur’an bears witness to the fact that there are exceptions to this amongst the `Arabs, who act correctly, seeing charity as a spiritual act, and who will thus be forgiven of their wrongs by Allah (9:99).
“And the hypocrite `Arabs (`Araab munafiqun) from amongst those around you, and from the Ahl al-Medinah — the People of the [Confederated] City — they insist upon Nifaq (Hypocrisy). You don’t know them [however, but] We know them. Twice (maratayn) then will they be returned (yuraduna) to an agonizing torment and curse (`azhaabin).
This ayah is directly parallel to the wording addressed in Surat al-Isra’ (17:4-8), to the Jewish People. In it, we see that it was said the Children of Israel would be disobedient in the Land of Israel twice, but if we returned after the destruction of the Second Temple, then Allah would be with us:
But if you return [to the Land] (`Udttum) then We – [the Divine] – too will return (`Ud’na). But for the Kaffirin, the Concealers of Truth, who know the Truth and Cover It Up [as Koferim Ba’Torah] We have made the Pit of Hell, Jahannam (Gehinnom) a Prison wherein they will be restrained, wrapped up (2:273) and held back (2:196) [from harming you this time — when We will be with you] (Hasiran).”
No such promise was made in the above Surat at-Tawbah, to the `Arab people (9:101).
No True Belief in Allah and the World to Come
Over the years, as my knowledge of the Qur’an and the Classical `Arabic language deepened, I became astonished at how freely the Mutaslim Ummah speaks for Allah without any daleel proof-texts to back up their claims. It is almost as though these scholars who preach fire and brimstone have no actual fear of Allah.
How could this be? The only answer is that this is because they do not actually believe in Allah with any “understanding due to Allah,” as the Qur’an so often says. That is to say, they have no idea what this Being, which the Qur’an calls “Allah” is and that is because they have no essential belief in it.
They do not and cannot believe in Allah as a Being that hears all and judges all, or they simply would guard their mouths from attributing words to Allah which are simply not supported either by scripture nor by historical events.
They declare curse after curse upon Israel, but when has the promise of Allah failed for a century, over and over when Allah was on the side of such a people? The Qur’an, in fact, assures the listener that this will never be the case.
We Jews know Allah did not side with us living in Zion, until we took it upon ourselves to decolonize and return there — just as the Qur’an foretold. We don’t lie to ourselves and say that the exile meant we were doing nothing wrong, in the Second, or First Temple Eras. We have entire books of the Bible dedicated to explaining this!
Indeed, one could argue that in the Second Temple Era, our divisiveness served to empower the Roman’s over us. Similarly, they were empowered by the failures of the Jewish masses to rise to the calls to arms issued by the likes of Shim`on ben Yosef, Yehudah Ha’Galili, his sons Ya`qov, Shim`on, Menachem, his relatives Yair, Eleazar, and so many more — to say nothing of the Bar Kokhba revolt not long thereafter.
Thus, in these candid scriptural admissions, we find the place where we differ most from the Mutaslim world… We do not hide our faults, nor from our faults. We write entire scriptures denouncing these short-comings.
Conversely, the Mutaslim Ummah refuses to even admit where the Qur’an speaks out against the `Arabs literally. Instead, the translation and tafsir are altered to interpolate “Bedouin” when the Qur’an simply does not say as much. Again, as we have seen above, the Qur’an is well aware of the word for “Bedouin” if it wanted to use it… and it does not.
To be sure, there is no exemption for the `Arab peoples according to the Qur’an (9:20), nor any excuse-making by them which is accepted by Allah. Changing the meaning of the Qur’an’s clear words in translation does not change the reality of the admonitions therein. Perhaps then, this is why Muhammad’s family, the Ahl al-Bayt, foretold that there would be almost no `Arabs amongst the followers of a future “Mahdi” and the “Masih” Messiah figure (Shaykh at-Tusi, Kitab al-Ghaybah, p. 284; Ithbat al-Hudah, vol. 3, p. 517; Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 52, p. 333, et al.)
In this age, as we approach the Yamot Ha’Mashiach, the Messianic Era, those who seek to impede the realization and manifestation of this Holy Kingdom will do their best to conceal history and gaslight us about our own origins and ethnogenesis in the Land of Israel. In the same way, they promote lies about their own ethnic and religious origin — propagating myths that simply do not match up with the Qur’anic oration they claim to follow.
One by one, these lies will be unveiled and the broken foundation of the monument to their own imagined greatness will cause the entire edifice to tumble like the proverbial house of cards that it is.
Make no mistake, Allah is the Best of Planners.