Psalms of the Muslim Prophet David Rewritten Bible in a Qur’anic Idiom DAVID R. VISHANOFF UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA VISHANOFF@OU.EDU These slides are available at vishanoff.com T h i s r e s e a r c h w a s a s s i s t e d b y a n N E H F e l l o w s h i p f r o m t h e N a t i o n a l E n d o w m e n t f o r t h e H u m a n i t i e s a n d a n A C L S F e l l o w s h i p f r o m t h e A m e r i c a n C o u n c i l o f L e a r n e d S o c i e t i e s . A n y v i e w s , f i n d i n g s , c o n c l u s i o n s , o r r e c o m m e n d a t i o n s e x p r e s s e d i n t h i s p r e s e n t a t i o n d o n o t n e c e s s a r i l y r e p r e s e n t t h o s e o f t h e N a t i o n a l E n d o w m e n t f o r t h e H u m a n i t i e s o r t h e A m e r i c a n C o u n c i l o f L e a r n e d S o c i e t i e s .
An Islamic psalm Bles essed a ed are e the a e anxious us, t tho hose e stricken en wi with th f fear, who comfort orphans with food and nourishment. Blessed a are those wh who wi with thdraw in silence from society and its vices, whose souls are afforded the most sublime insight. Blessed are those who rise to spend t the night i in vig igil il. But w t woe t to t those wh who go go l looking g for r adultery! y! The least that I will do to adulterers is to blot out the glow of health from their faces and wipe away both their lifespan and their livelihood. Blessed are those who think too highly of me to gaze on the private parts of those forbidden to them, fearing my punishment. (Koranic 5 = Core 4)
An Islamic psalm Bles essed a ed are e the a e anxious us, t tho hose e stricken en Why Islamic psalms? wi with th f fear, who comfort orphans with food Ascetic origins and nourishment. ◦ Fear Blessed a are those wh who wi with thdraw in silence ◦ Repentance from society and its vices, whose souls are ◦ Otherworldliness afforded the most sublime insight. ◦ The Vienna papyrus Blessed are those who rise to spend t the Later recensions night i in vig igil il. Sources But w t woe t to t those wh who go go l looking g for r ◦ Zuhd and ḥikma adultery! y! The least that I will do to ◦ Biblical parallels adulterers is to blot out the glow of health ◦ The Qur’an from their faces and wipe away both their Reception lifespan and their livelihood. Implications Blessed are those who think too highly of ◦ Interreligious polemic me to gaze on the private parts of those ◦ Internal exhortation forbidden to them, fearing my ◦ Shared piety and symbols punishment. (Koranic 5 = Core 4)
An Islamic psalm Remember Our servant David, a man of Why Islamic psalms? strength who always turned to Us: We made the mountains join him in glorifying Us at sunset and sunrise; and the birds, too, in flocks, all echoed his praise. We strengthened his kingdom; We gave him wisdom and a decisive way of speaking. (Q 38:17-20, trans. Abdel Haleem) We wrote in the Psalms, as We did in [earlier] Scripture: ‘My righteous servants will inherit the earth.’ (Q 21:105, trans. Abdel Haleem; cf. Psalms 37:29)
An Islamic psalm Bles essed a ed are e the a e anxious us, t tho hose e stricken en Why Islamic psalms? wi with th f fear, who comfort orphans with food Ascetic origins and nourishment. ◦ Fear Blessed a are those wh who wi with thdraw in silence from society and its vices, whose souls are afforded the most sublime insight. Blessed are those who rise to spend t the night i in vig igil il. But w t woe t to t those wh who go go l looking g for r adultery! y! The least that I will do to adulterers is to blot out the glow of health from their faces and wipe away both their lifespan and their livelihood. Blessed are those who think too highly of me to gaze on the private parts of those forbidden to them, fearing my punishment. (Koranic 5 = Core 4)
An Islamic psalm David id s said aid: My God, my sins have worn Why Islamic psalms? out my face, weakened my frame, and Ascetic origins wounded my heart. My God, does t the e ◦ Fear Devil have n e no o other er n net et than w women? My ◦ Repentance God I have humbled my face before you; I pray to you night and day, if only you would receive me. (Core 29)
An Islamic psalm O ye people, do n not f t forget t the n next w t world, Why Islamic psalms? nor l let t the s splendor a and r radiance o of t this Ascetic origins world d delude y you. O Children of Israel, if ◦ Fear ◦ Repentance you reflected on your end and ◦ Otherworldliness destination, and if you called to mind the Resurrection and what I have prepared on that Day for the disobedient, you w would laugh l little and weep m much! […] If only you would think how hard the ground and how cold and dark the grave; then you would speak little, but would frequently invoke my name and attend single– mindedly to me. For beauty is found only in the next life; the beauty ty o of t this world i is fickle fi le an and fl fleeting. (Koranic 12 = Core 10)
An Islamic psalm Why Islamic psalms? Ascetic origins ◦ Fear ◦ Repentance ◦ Otherworldliness ◦ The Vienna papyrus
An Islamic psalm Why Islamic psalms? Ascetic origins Core (C) ◦ Fear Vienna 1854 (Vien) ◦ Repentance Moses (M) ◦ Otherworldliness Koranic (K) Leiden 14.027 (LeiM) Pious (P) ◦ The Vienna papyrus Fatih 28 (Fat) Huntington 515 (Hunt) Madrid 5146 (Mad) Later recensions Broken Core Plus (C+) Pious (BP) Proto-Sufi (PS) Ayasofya 30 (Aya) Carullah 5 (Car) Damat İbrahim Paşa 5 (Dam) Sprenger 466 (Spr) BP with C++ Moses (BPM) Fatih 29 (F29) Princeton 108B (Prin) Halet Efendi ve Eki 11 (Hal) Sufi (S) Orthodox (O) Florence 267 (Flo) 2d half of Hüsrev Paşa 4 (Hüs) Khoy 77 (Khoy) BPM (BPM2) Leiden 6129 (Leid)
An Islamic psalm Reason without adab is like a barren tree; reason Why Islamic psalms? with adab is like a fruitful tree. (Saying attributed to Ascetic origins Hermes and Luqmān in al - Mubashshir ibn Fātik, Mukhtār al - ḥikam, ◦ Fear pp. 19, 277) ◦ Repentance ◦ Otherworldliness ◦ The Vienna papyrus Knowledge without works is like a tree without Later recensions fruit. Knowledge without works is like a bow without a Sources ◦ Zuhd and ḥikma string. […] Knowledge without the alms tax is like planting wheat on the rocks. Knowledge is to a fool as pearls and sapphires are to animals. A hard heart exposed to knowledge is like a stone soaked in water. Preaching to one who doesn’t care is like a playing the flute in a graveyard. (BPM 168 = Moses 29)
An Islamic psalm David said: O Lord, do not lead me to ruin; Why Islamic psalms? do n not l t let m t my e enemies g gloat o over m me; do Ascetic origins not c t cast m t me f from y your d door; d do not t make ◦ Fear me me d despair o of your me mercy. . My God, give ve ◦ Repentance me a a truthful t l tongue t that c calls alls o on you, an and ◦ Otherworldliness a hea heart tha hat l listens and o nd obe beys. Do not busy ◦ The Vienna papyrus me with the affairs of the people, but busy Later recensions me with remembering you, and occupy my heart with obeying you. […] My God, Sources grant me the coolness of your forgiveness, ◦ Zuhd and ḥikma and the sweetness of dialogue with you. If ◦ Biblical parallels one of my many enemies wills me evil, stand him on his head! O Lord, how could my heart not be stronger than iron, when you are my support and my glory? O God, O ruler of land and sea, grant me me t to b be held i in a awe b by kings, for you are the mighty king. (Core 96; cf. Psalms 25:2, 51:10-11)
An Islamic psalm O ye who believe, fear God with the fear Why Islamic psalms? that is due him, and do not die except as Ascetic origins Muslims. (BPM 168 = Moses 29, quoting Q 3:102) ◦ Fear ◦ Repentance ◦ Otherworldliness I am One, Singular, Eternal; I neither ◦ The Vienna papyrus begot not was begotten; I have taken Later recensions neither companion nor child; no one is Sources comparable to me. (Orthodox 119, paraphrasing Q 112) ◦ Zuhd and ḥikma ◦ Biblical parallels ◦ The Qur’an
An Islamic psalm Why Islamic psalms? Ascetic origins ◦ Fear ◦ Repentance ◦ Otherworldliness ◦ The Vienna papyrus Later recensions Sources ◦ Zuhd and ḥikma ◦ Biblical parallels ◦ The Qur’an Reception
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