Israʼiliyyat

Israʼiliyyat (in Arabic: اسرائیلیات "Israelisms") are narratives assumed to be of foreign import in many parts of modern Islamic scholarship. Although indicating such stories develop from Jewish sources, narratives designated as Isra'iliyyat might also derive from other religions such as Christianity or Zoroastrianism. Many stories and narratives are designated by many Arab scholars as unislamic., yet enthusiastically used by pre-modern scholars. while many Arab scholars in modern times have called them unislamic.

These narratives appear frequently in Qur'anic commentaries, Sufi narratives and history compilations. They are used to offer more detailed information regarding earlier prophets mentioned in the Bible and the Qur'an, stories about the ancient Israelites, and fables allegedly or actually taken from Jewish sources.

History

In the first 6th to 7th centuries of Islam, the term Isrā'īlīyāt did not play a major role and was rarely used until the 14th century, and not at all by all scholars. Until then, the term appeared to refer to a book or a corpus of stories related to the creation story and accounts of past prophets that were thought to be unreliable but did not find wide distribution. It was only until Ibn Taimiyya (d. 1328) that the Isrā'īlīyāt presented a collection of alleged unreliable traditions of supposed Jewish origin, related to earlier narrators, such as Wahb ibn Munabbih and Ka'b al-Ahbar, whose authority was still retained by earlier Sunni scholars, such as Tabari.

Nevertheless, it was his student Ibn Kathīr who first systematically used the term for traditions that he vehemently rejected. He treats not only the traditions themselves, but also the narrators, such as ʿAbdallāh ibn ʿAbbās, disparagingly. But it was not until the 20th century that the systematic use of Isrā'īlīyāt became established. They are often criticized, especially today in the Arab world, and viewed as “un-Islamic”. Only in the Turkish regions are Isrā'īlīyāt occasionally used and tolerated. However, Arabic contemporary exegesis generally sees them as foreign to Islam and believes that elements such as the perspectives on prophetic figures, contradict or appear to contradict certain theological beliefs. The strong criticism of this literature is a modern phenomenon and stands in contrast to the intensive use of these texts in pre-modern times. For that reason, political rather than traditional motivations have been proposed as a motivator for the contemporary usage of the label Isrā'īlīyāt.

Turkish Islam scholar Ahmet Hamdi Akseki rejected the interpretation of the Creation Story as a historical event as of Biblical origin (Isrā'īlīyāt), emphasizing its allusion character in the Quran. He states that the Quran teaches wisdom, not scientific truths and argues that the reconciliation of science and religion is a Bible's challenge. Süleyman Ateş largely follows Akseki's assessment of the Creation narrative, but adds records from Islamic tradition to demonstrate that Islamic sources employ that creation is a process and in contrast to Biblical reports.

Sources

The Quran itself is characterized by an allusive style and a succinct narrative, which often creates questions for the listener or reader about the text, answered, for example, by Isrā'īlīyāt. The term “Isrā'īlīyāt” is a foreign term that only appeared when the literary form was already established. The term indicates the assumed origin of this material, with Jewish sources or Jewish converts such as Kaʿb al-Ahbār often being assumed as narrators.

The exact origin of the material is highly controversial in research. For example, some researchers give greater weight to Judaism and some to Christianity. However, due to the emergence of Islam in a late antique environment, these texts are not necessarily based only on Judaism and Christianity (or one of the two religions), but also on the general late antique narrative context, which was characterized by a great religious plurality. These are important intertexts that represent a decisive insights into the exegetical process of early Islam and whose use in later literature also shows the interpreter's own emphasis.

There is no clear evidence regarding the exact manner by which Biblical, Talmudic, or other religious themes might have entered Islamic literature. Muslim sources indicate a number of individuals who converted to Islam from Judaism among the first generations of Muslims and were transmitters of Isrā'īlīyāt. These include such names as Ka’b al-Ahbar and Abd Allah b. Salam. Some sources also suggest that “Muslims studied with practicing Jews,” though the nature and extent of such coeducation is not clear. Biblical events and exegetical commentaries of Jewish origin may also have entered Islamic tradition via educated Christians of Eastern churches such as those of Abyssinia and/or through various local populations of Jews in the Yemen and the Arabian Peninsula.

Transmitters of Isra’iliyyat

Among the best known transmitters of Isra’iliyyat traditions is Wahb b. Munabbih (655-732 CE), who lived in the generation after the Sahaba (companions of Muhammad), and who is cited as a trustworthy source for many oral accounts linked to Jewish and Christian traditions. Another well-known transmitter of Isra’iliyyat is Kaʽb al-Akhbār (d. 652 CE), a Yemenite Jew who converted to Islam shortly after the death of Muhammad. He is credited with many oral and written traditions from the Bible and Jewish sources. Yet another is Abdullah ibn Salam, who is described as a rabbi before his conversion to Islam.

Ibn ‘Abbas (619-687 CE), was a cousin and young companion of Muhammad. He is regarded as one of the greatest authorities on the Qur’an in general and especially the place of Isra’iliyyat traditions in its interpretation. Ibn Abbas was only thirteen years old at the time of Muhammad’s death. "Ibn ‘Abbas is reported to have been responsible for the transmission of large amounts of exegetical traditions to later Qur’an commentaries. A broad amount of Isra’iliyyat traditions were attributed to him.