The Foreigner woman in Bible versus Quran (5)
This is the fifth article of the series:
"The Foreigner woman in Bible versus Quran"
Few quotes from the previous articles of this series are given here.
In language, the foreign or the strange woman is the alien or the exotic or the outsider woman. However, as determined by the Bible, the foreign or the strange woman is the non-Israelite woman.
Subsequently, all non-Israelite women are foreign or strange women.
This indicates that the women in the Bible are but one of two categories; they are either Legitimate (genuine) or Foreign (strange).
According to the inspired word of God (Ezra 10), the Bible says that while Ezra was praying and confessing, weeping and throwing himself down before the house of God, a large crowd of Israelites, men, women and children, gathered around him. They too wept bitterly. Then the son of Jehiel said to Ezra, "We have been unfaithful to our God by marrying foreign women from the peoples around us. Now let us make a covenant before our God to send away all these women and their children, in accordance with the counsel of my lord and of those who fear the commands of our God. Let it be done according to the Law.
Then Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, "You have beenunfaithful; you have married foreign women.Now make confession to the LORD, the God of your fathers, and do his will.Separate yourselves from the peoples around you and from your foreign wives.
Then, the entire congregation responded with a loud voice: you are right! We must do as you say. And by the first day of the first month they finished dealing with all the men who had married foreign women. Among the descendants ofthe priests, the following hadmarried foreign women: From the descendants of Jeshua son of Jozadak, and his brothers: Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib and Gedaliah. They all gave their hands in pledge toput away their wives, and for their guilt they each offered a ram from the flock as a guilt offering.
Upon citing the tribes even the Levi, 15 families and group of people even the singers and of the porters and 111 men, the Bible says that all these hadmarried foreign women, and some of them had children by these wives.
In Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Bible, it is certain that such marriages (with non-Israelite women) are sinful, and ought not to be made.
On the other hand, Verses 16:96-97 of the Quran talk about the fact that all women are equal in Islam. The verses say:
All which is with you of the things, all what you have of wealth, in the life of this world will come to an end; it will perish. But that which is Allah has of reward remains; it will never come to an end; it will never perish. Allah shall surely pay those who were patient, in fulfilling their covenants, in refraining from making a false pledge and acknowledge the Truth, their reward according to the best of what they used to do, and the best here means the good. Whoever acts righteously,whether male or female, and is a believer, him verily Allah shall revive with a goodly life. This is said to be life in Paradise; or it is in the life of this world byproviding him or herwell balanced provision for both the body and the spirit.
[It is interesting that the suicidal tendency in the very poor Islamic counties is extremely low in comparison to its high rate in the very rich western counties. This is simply because the non- balanced provision for both the body and the spirit. Remember that man is composed two parts, body (material) and Spirit; both need well-balanced nutrition!]
Back to the subject offoreign women, it is clear that the Quran is not interested at all in race, color, nationality ofthe male or the female.All men and all women have the same rights, duty, and responsibility; the best among them is the closer to his or her Lord, the Almighty Creator.
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The Bible: Ezra 10:1-3, 10-14, 17-19 and 44 (King James Version)
1Now when Ezra had prayed, and when he had confessed, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, there assembled unto him out of Israel a very great congregation of men and women and children: for the people wept very sore.
2And Shechaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, answered and said unto Ezra, We have trespassed against our God, and have taken strange wives of the people of the land: yet now there is hope in Israel concerning this thing.
3Now therefore let us make a covenant with our God to put away all the wives, and such as are born of them, according to the counsel of my lord, and of those that tremble at the commandment of our God; and let it be done according to the law.
10And Ezra the priest stood up, and said unto them, Ye have transgressed, and have taken strange wives, to increase the trespass of Israel.
11Now therefore make confession unto the LORD God of your fathers, and do his pleasure: and separate yourselves from the people of the land, and from the strange wives.
12Then all the congregation answered and said with a loud voice, As thou hast said, so must we do.
13But the people are many, and it is a time of much rain, and we are not able to stand without, neither is this a work of one day or two: for we are many that have transgressed in this thing.
14Let now our rulers of all the congregation stand, and let all them which have taken strange wives in our cities come at appointed times, and with them the elders of every city, and the judges thereof, until the fierce wrath of our God for this matter be turned from us.
17And they made an end with all the men that had taken strange wives by the first day of the first month.
18And among the sons of the priests there were found that had taken strange wives: namely, of the sons of Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and his brethren; Maaseiah, and Eliezer, and Jarib, and Gedaliah.
19And they gave their hands that they would put away their wives; and being guilty, they offered a ram of the flock for their trespass.
44All these had taken strange wives: and some of them had wives by whom they had children.
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The Quran (Yusuf Ali Translation):
Verses 16:96-97
96) What is with you must vanish: what is with Allah will endure. And we will certainly bestow, on those who patiently persevere, their reward according to the best of their actions.
?97 whoever works righteousness, man or woman, and has faith, verily, to him will we give a new life, a life that is good and pure and we will bestow on such their reward according to the best of their actions.
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Back to my question to the smart and interested reader:
Are the Scholars honest when they claim that the Quran quoted from the Bible?
