Page:Judaism and Islam, a prize essay - Geiger - 1898.pdf/65

 THE SEVEN HEAVENS. 47

that the creation took place in six days, and that he has not any knowledge of .each day's separate work. We have already remarked that he calls the seventh day salt, but does not recognise its sanctity. It remains here to be added that Muhammad appears to allude to and reject the Jewish belief that Grod rested on the seventh day. * He evidently thought that a necessity for rest after hard labour was implied, for after mentioning the creation as having taken place in six days, he adds " and no weariness affected Us." On this Jalalu'd-din comments as follows : 2 " This was revealed as an answer to the Jews who said that G-od had rested thoroughly on the sabbath and there- fore weariness left Him." The same thing is to be found in Elpherar's commentary but not so clearly expressed.

The idea of several heavens, which is indicated by the Biblical expression " heaven of heavens, " 3 came to Muham- mad probably from the Jews, also the notion that they were seven in number, a notion due to the different names applied to heaven. In Chagiga 4 we find the assertion that there are seven heavens, and then the names are given. All these names occur in the Scripture except the first, viz. vilon,from the Latin velum. 5 This name in which heaven is compared to a curtain, which veils the glory of 6 God, is a very important one in the Talmud. Muhammad speaks often of the seven heavens, 7 and in one passage he

1 Stira L. 37.

2 Maracci.

4 Chagiga 9. 2. V^t. fc^ntj? ^JT} VlVl )H ^fT)

5 f

6 Of. Midrash on the Psalms at the end of Psalm xi, 7

'

Or

Sjfiras II. 27, XVII. 46, XXIII.88, XLI.ll, LXV. 12, LXVII. 3, LXXI. 14.