Page:Judaism and Islam, a prize essay - Geiger - 1898.pdf/104

 86 JUDAISM AND ISLAM.

also accord with Rabbinical tradition, e.g., "The people laughed at the ark," 1 accords with " They mocked and laughed at him in their words." ""The waters of the Flood were hot," 2 with " The generation of the deluge was punished with hot water." Still many inaccuracies and perversions are to be found ; for instance, Muhammad makes Noah to have lived 950 years before the Flood, 3 whereas this is really the whole term of his life j and he represents one of Noah's sons as disobedient to him, and states that this same son did not follow him into the Ark, but believed himself safe on a mountain peak. 4 This idea probably arose from a misunderstanding of Ham's evil conduct after the Deluge. 5 Muhammad also makes out Noah's wife to have been unbelieving, 6 although he is silent as to wherein her unbelief consisted ; and I can find no reason for this statement, which is not men- tioned either in the Bible or in the Rabbinical writings.

Sura XI, 40 Of. Midr. Tanchuma, Section Noah.

9 Sura XI. 42. and XXIII. 27. jjwft ;&J Cf. Rosh Eashanah 16, 2, and Sanhedrin 108.

The Arabic Commentators seem to me to have quite misunderstood these passages, since they assume fabulous references. Our explanation, which is justified by a figurative interpretation of the words ' And the oven glows,' appears to me sufficiently confirmed by a comparison with the Talmudic utterance. Also D'Herbelot (Bib. Orient. Noah, page 671,) understands^!*^ JtiJ in this way.

8 Sura XXIX. 18. Cf. Genesis, ix, 29.

4 Sura XI. 44, 45, 48.

5 Genesis, ix. 22 ff.

The commentators actually call this son Canaan, /.jljuS' (compare Genesis, ix. 25 ff ) although they, like the Bible, do not reckon any son of this name in their enumeration of the sons, but count these three only, viz. e^\?,_j ,U> ^ fL,

6 Sura LX VI, 10,