A new study challenges the common view that the Quran depicts the companions of Jesus as faithful followers of his message. The study, published in the Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, argues that the Quran actually criticizes the companions, known as al-hawariyyun, for deviating from Jesus’ teachings and becoming corrupted by Jewish and Christian influences.
Reynolds also explores the etymology of the term hawariyyun and its connection to the Ethiopic term hawarya, which means “apostle” in the Christian tradition. He argues that this connection does not imply that the Quran borrowed from Ethiopian Christianity, but rather that it engaged with a common Semitic vocabulary that was used to refer to religious leaders and communities.
The study offers a new perspective on the Quran’s relationship with Christianity and its understanding of Jesus and his companions. It also contributes to the ongoing debate on the origins and development of Islam in its historical context.
According to Islamic tradition, the companions of Jesus in the Quran, the ḥawāriyyūn, were faithful disciples. The Quran means to present the ḥawāriyyūn as such and generally translates ḥawāriyyūn as “apostles” or “disciples”. In three different passages, the Quran refers to the companions of Jesus as al-ḥawāriyyūn. The ḥawāriyyūn declare their belief in Jesus and in his God. The Quran praises the ḥawāriyyūn for their belief in Jesus but reprimands them for abandoning his message. Christians are not condemned but rather exhorted to return to their prophet’s teaching. Gabriel Said Reynolds argues that while the Quran indeed means to signal the apostles of Christian tradition with the term ḥawāriyyūn, it does not consider the ḥawāriyyūn to have been faithful.
The author of the study, Gabriel Said Reynolds, a professor at the University of Notre Dame, analyzes the three Quranic passages that mention the hawariyyun and compares them with biblical and historical sources. He suggests that the Quran uses the term hawariyyun to signal the apostles of Christian tradition, but does not endorse their role as witnesses of Jesus’ resurrection or recipients of the Holy Spirit. Instead, the Quran exhorts them to return to the pure monotheism of Jesus and to acknowledge Muhammad as the final prophet.
Reynolds also explores the etymology of the term hawariyyun and its connection to the Ethiopic term hawarya, which means “apostle” in the Christian tradition. He argues that this connection does not imply that the Quran borrowed from Ethiopian Christianity, but rather that it engaged with a common Semitic vocabulary that was used to refer to religious leaders and communities.
The study offers a new perspective on the Quran’s relationship with Christianity and its understanding of Jesus and his companions. It also contributes to the ongoing debate on the origins and development of Islam in its historical context.
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