Why Idol-Worshippers Resisted Monotheism – OpEd

The first cave art images known to have been made by humans are simple lines and patterns made with red ochre found in South Africa dating back about 100,000 years. Then there is a "huge gap" in human art until the Indonesian cave paintings 40-50,000 years later. Indonesian cave art was likely made by the first group of humans who moved through Southeast Asia before arriving in Australia around 65,000 years ago.

Ahumble cave painting discovered in Indonesia is now the oldest known narrative artwork ever made byhuman hands, dating back more than 51,000 years. Previously, the first narrative art was thought to have emerged in Europe. A "lion man" statue found in Germany has been dated to around 40,000 years ago.

The date given for the Indonesian cave art is "quite provocative" because it is so much older than what has been found elsewhere, including in Europe, said Chris Stringer, an anthropologist at London's Natural History Museum: "This find reinforces the idea that representational art was first produced in Africa, long before 50,000 years ago, and the concept spread as our species spread (out of Africa) and filled up the world."

This explains why polytheists world-wide used all kinds of images in their religious rituals and worship for thousands of generations prior to Prophet Adam; who was the first Prophet sent by Allah to spread monotheism. It also explains the strong resistance from idol-worshippers to God's Prophets' anti-iconic teachings.

None of the Prophets sent by Allah to spread monotheism were able to establish an ongoing monotheistic community prior to the descendants of Prophet Abraham. The Prophet that tried the hardest and the longest was Prophet Noah. God had warned Prophet Noah that almost all of his efforts would not be long-lasting: "And it was revealed to Noah that, "No one will believe from your people except those who have already believed, so do not be distressed by what they have been doing." (Qur'an 11:36)

Prophet Noah was fortunate that unlike many others of Allah's Prophets; he was not killed by the polytheist idol worshippers. "As he was building the ark, whenever some of his people passed by him, they ridiculed him. He replied, "If you ridicule us, we will ridicule you, just as you ridicule." (Qur'an 11:38)

In the Hebrew Bible, Noah has three sons, and all make it on board the ark. After the floodwaters recede, God makes a covenant with Prophet Noah promising to never again destroy all the Earth's creatures; making the rainbow as a sign of that covenant promise. I do not know why the Qur'an does not mention the Rainbow covenant promise; but I do believe that the optimistic Rainbow covenant promise was seen by Abraham and his defendants.

There are hundreds of millions of people today who have two, three or more self-identities. This was also true 3,600 years ago; although to a lesser extent than today. For example, Prophet Abraham is called a Muslim in the Arabic Qur'an; and in the Hebrew Bible he is called a Hebrew [speaker] and a Babylonian immigrant who crossed the Jordan River.

The termivri(the Hebrew) first appears in the Torah, when Prophet Abraham is called "the Hebrew:"And it was told to Abram the Hebrew" (Genesis 14:13) And Prophet Joseph uses the name as both a geographical and an socio-ethnic term: "I was kidnapped from the land of theivrim"(Genesis 40:15), and "The Egyptians could not eat with theivrim, since that would be an abomination" (Gen. 43:32)

The word Muslim is a religious identity term that refers to faithful monotheistic believers. The word Hebrew is a linguistic, geographical and ethnic identity term like German [a language], Germany{a country] and Germans [a people]. The word descendent is a biological inherited birth identity term like nobility or tribe.

Islam was a religion designed by God to overcome all other self-identities: "O mankind, We created you from male and female, and made you (into) peoples and tribes, that you may know (respect) one another. Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you. Indeed, Allah is Knowing and Acquainted." (Quran 49:13)

"Once all humans were but a single community; then they disagreed (formulating different beliefs and rites). Had it not been that your Lord had already so ordained, a decisive judgement would have been made regarding (the truth of) their disagreements." (10:19) In those generations all human communities created different religions of their own with different creeds and ways.

Now, if you desire that Allah Himself should uncover the truth and present it to you to enable you to decide which religion is the true one, you should know that this will not be done in this lifetime, because God now requires you to decide this yourself by using your own intelligence and kindness. This worldly life is a trial to see whether or not you yourselves recognize truth by competing in doing acts of kindness, toleration and welcoming others who are different into your lands.

This is why the Qur'an declares: "Let there be no compulsion in Religion: truth stands out clear from error: whoever rejects evil and believes in Allah (one God) has grasped the most trustworthy unbreakable hand hold: Allah hears, and knows all things." (2:256)

And: "Who is better in religion than one who submits himself to Allah while being a doer of good and follows the religion of Abraham, inclining toward truth? And Allah took Abraham as an intimate friend." (4:125)

However, Jews have many names to self-identify because they have been immigrants for a little more than half of their 36 centuries of Jewish history. Even more important, by God's design Prophet Abraham's biological descendants through Isaac and Jacob became the first ongoing monotheistic community to last to this very day. "And remember Our servants, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob - those of strength and [religious] vision. Indeed, We chose them for an exclusive quality: remembrance of the home [the "safe haven" Land of Israel]. And indeed they are to Us among the chosen and outstanding." (Qur'an 38:45-7)

It is narrated from Abu Dharr that one day he asked the Messenger of Allah: How many prophets are there in all? He replied: One hundred and twenty four thousand. He then asked: How many of them were messenger prophets? He replied: Three hundred thirteen from the above group. He asked: Who was the first of them? He replied: Adam...The first prophet among Bani Israel was Musa and the last of them was Isa and they were in all six hundred prophets." (Biharul Anwar, Vol. 11, Pg. 32.)

"And We certainly settled the Children of Israel in an agreeable settlement [the Land of Israel] and provided them with good things. And they did not differ until [after Torah] knowledge had come to them. Indeed, your Lord will judge between them on the Day of Resurrection concerning that over which they used to differ. So if you [O Muhammad] are in doubt, about that which We have revealed to you, then ask those who have been reading the Scripture before you. The truth has certainly come to you from your Lord, so never be among the doubters. (10:93-4)

As Surah 5:20-21 states: "Moses said to his people: O, my people, remember the favor of Allah upon you when he appointed among you [600] prophets and made you possessors [of the Land of Israel] and gave you what he had not given anyone among the worlds. O my people, enter the holy land which Allah has assigned to you."

Of course, the Hebrews were not the only people God had redeemed from slavery. The principle that God can make a covenant with a whole people, and not just with those who are faithful believers, helps me understand a powerful verse in the Qur'an which states that at Sinai, before Allah gives the Torah to the Children of Israel, He makes a covenant with them. Allah raises the mountain above the whole people saying: "Hold firmly to what We have given you (the Torah) and remember what is in it" (2:63).

So the Jewish People's fate stood under the shadow of mount Sinai, and this explains the miracle of all Israel agreeing to the covenant. This may be the reason why Moses/Musa is the only messenger whose book comes not from an angel but directly from Allah (Quran 4:164).

Individuals who hear a prophet may choose to believe or disbelieve, but in this case God Almighty makes "an offer that you can't refuse," thus, as far as Judaism is concerned, everyone of the Children of Israel has to struggle for all generations to come, with living up to the covenant their ancestors chose to enter into at Mount Sinai.

This concept, of a chosen (by being pressed into being a) choosing people, can and among many ultra-orthodox Jews has led to exaggerated and self-righteous feelings of pride. Thus, when the Qur'an (7:171) mentions another time the same event, when the Mount was moved above the Children of Israel, this verse is followed by a reminder in 7:172 that "children of Adam" were all made to bear witness against their own souls: "'Am I not your Lord?' They said 'Yes, we do bear witness." God Almighty made a covenant with all individuals "lest [they] should say on the Day of Resurrection, 'We were indeed unaware of this'."

Thus, while loyalty to the commitment one's ancestors made at Mount Sinai may inspire greater effort for Jews in following God's will, when Jews, like Muslims, Christians and everyone else on earth face judgement on the Day of Resurrection, we are all judged as individuals. As Prophet Abraham says: "Do not forsake me on the Day of Resurrection, a day where neither money nor children will benefit except whoever meets Allah with a sound heart" (Qur'an 26:87-89).

The Qur'an thus makes clear that, every person Jew or non-Jew, also has a opportunity as an individual to choose and be chosen, by choosing wisdom over gold and understanding over silver as the Biblical Book of Proverbs (16:16) states: "Acquiring wisdom is better than gold; and acquiring understanding is being chosen over silver."

This reminder by the Qur'an that no religious community should be self-righteous is similar to that of Prophet Amos, one of the six hundred Jewish prophet speaking for God, proclaimed to the Children of Israel: "Are you not like the Children of Ethiopia to me, O Children of Israel? says God. Did I not redeem Israel from Egypt, and the Philistines from Caphtor, and the Syrians from Kir?" (Hebrew Bible Prophet Amos 9:7)

The importance of an inherited religious identity is clear from Allah's design to make Prophet Muhammad, the last of the Abrahamic descendent prophets through Abraham's other son Prophet Ishmael: "And mention in the Book, Ishmael: Surely he was true to the promise, and he was a messenger, a prophet. He commanded his people with the prayer and the alms, and he was pleasing before his Lord." (Qur'an 19:54-55)

In later generations Prophet Ishmael's descendants returned to idol-worshipping polytheism; but his tribe did not forget the memory of Prophet Ishmael until, after years of opposition, they realized that only Prophet Muhammad, the 'unlettered prophet,' was an intentional non-Jewish descendant of Prophets Abraham and Ishmael, sent to the non-Jewish world:

As the Qur'an states: "Indeed, the believers, Jews, Christians, and Sabians—whoever truly believes in God and the Last Day and does good (deeds) will have their reward with their Lord. And there will be no fear for them, nor will they grieve." (Qur'an 2:62]

The Qur'an uses the metaphor of a rope that links us to God and also links us to one another: "And hold fast, all together, to the bond with God, and do not draw apart from one another" (Qur'an 3:103) This is good advice for the individual members of each of the three Abrahamic religions; as well as for the three Abrahamic religions themselves.