Page:Judaism and Islam, a prize essay - Geiger - 1898.pdf/151

 KOEAH. 133

strong men were required to carry the keys of his treasure- chamber,! and the Rabbis tell us, 2 " Joseph buried three treasures in Egypt, one of which became known to Korah. Riches kept by the owner to his hurt 3 may be applied to the riches of Korah. The keys of Koran's treasure- chamber were a burden for three hundred white mules." It is implied in the same Talmudic passage that he became overbearing and quarrelsome from the possession of such riches, and Muhammad embellishes this idea in a fine manner. One passage in the Qur&n may refer to this dispute, for it says there that some persons had accused Moses, but that Grod cleared him from the charge which they had brought against him. 4 Some of the commen- tators also refer the passage to this event, while they bring forward the following story, which we give in Elpherar's words : 5 " Abu'l- f Allah says that it refers to the fact that Korah had hired a bad woman, who accused Moses before all the people of bad conduct with herself. Grod made her dumb, cleared Moses of the accusation, and destroyed Korah." This is actually supposed to have happened after Moses had made known the law about adultery, and after the enquiry as to whether it applied to him also had been answered by him in the affirmative. 6 The Eabbis also allude to this in the following words : 7 " And when Moses

1 Sura XXVIII. 76,

9 mpb nbno

vfB ni bw titj nt i

ml? b$ vp? rvg rfinflsa spn n-fon) nttis

3 Bcolesiastes, v. 12. 4 Sura XXXIII. 69.

5

6 Of. Abulfeda Hist. Anteislamica, page 32.

7 "T^S i?ttsf ny^-ne 1^5 bi? VBI n^'i

See Numbers, xvi. 4.