Matzah, Moses, and Muslims
by Hesham A. Hassaballa
Another year
brings another season of Passover, during which Jews commemorate
the bitterness of Egyptian bondage, the grace of having death pass
over them on its way to claim each Egyptian first born, and the
elation of freedom from that bondage at the hands of God’s mighty
Messenger. I send my warmest wishes for a happy and fruitful
Passover to all my Jewish readers, friends, and colleagues.
Many may not know
this, but Muslims also commemorate the Exodus of the Hebrews out
of Egypt by fasting the ninth and tenth day of the first month of
the Islamic lunar calendar. The event is called Ashura,
stemming from the Arabic word for “ten.”
While this may be
surprising to many, it is important to understand that Moses
figures very prominently in Muslim belief. The Exodus story is a
happy one for Muslims; it is a tale of bitter bondage and hardship
and the glory of God’s deliverance from that hardship. The Qur’an
speaks a great deal about Moses and his dealing with Pharaoh. In
fact, around 73 passages—many encompassing several verses at a
time—deal with Moses. More verses mention Moses by name than
Muhammad (peace be upon them both).
The Qur’an tells
of two miracles—Moses’ staff turning into a serpent and his hand
glowing brightly after placing it under his arm—that God gave
Moses as proof of his prophet-hood. It details the plagues that
were unleashed on the Egyptians for their refusal to believe in
God and set the Hebrews free: “We (God) then sent upon them the
flood, and locusts, and lice, and frogs, and blood as manifest
signs; [as a result] they became arrogant and were a people
steeped in crime” (7:133).
The Qur’an then
speaks about a great affliction that befell the Egyptians
which led them to finally let the Hebrews go. The text,
however, does not go into what sort of affliction it was (the
death of every Egyptian first born?). My favorite part of the
story, the splitting of the Red Sea, is mentioned at least twice
in the Qur’an as well. I am happy to fast on Ashura to
commemorate this event, although, unfortunately, I was only able
to fast one of the days this year. I pray I am able to fast both
days next year.
Muslims and
Jews have much in common: both espouse a staunch monotheism; a
great number of Hebrew prophets, whom Muslims love dearly, are
mentioned in the Qur'an and highly honored; both trace their faith
origin to Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him). These commonalities
far outweigh and outnumber any differences there may be, and they
should serve to bring both communities closer together.
I pray that peace
finally comes to the Middle East and both Israelis and
Palestinians live together side by side. Although it has not
always been smooth-sailing in the past, Muslims and Jews have
lived together in peace before; the greatest example of this was
in Muslim Spain, where Moses bin Ma'mun (Maimonides), the great
Jewish physician and philosopher, was high advisor to the Muslim
Sultan. In large part, I think we are re-living that golden age
here in America, where Muslims and Jews live and work together in
peace. I pray that the commonalities between Muslims and Jews
serve as all-important bridges of understanding between the two
faith communities. Together, all people of faith can work to make
America and the world a much better place in which to live.
Failure can not be an option.
Hesham A. Hassaballa is a Chicago physician and columnist for Beliefnet.com
and Media Monitors Network (MMN). He
is author of "Why I Love the Ten Commandments," published in the book
"Taking Back Islam: American
Muslims Reclaim Their Faith"
(Rodale Press).
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