Ṣibghat Allāh in Q 2.138: A New Reading of the Qur’an in Light of pre-Islamic Christian Literature
Scholars of Qur’anic Studies have commonly highlighted the relationship between ṣibghat allāh in Q 2.138, millat Ibrāhīm (‘the religion of Abraham’) in Q 2.135 and Christian baptism. Contrary to previous scholarship, this article proposes that ṣibghat allāh relates to āmannā bi-llāhi wa-mā unzila il...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Interlibrary Loan: | Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany) |
| Published: |
2025
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| In: |
Islam and Christian-Muslim relations
Year: 2025, Volume: 36, Issue: 3, Pages: 221-243 |
| Further subjects: | B
Belief
B dye B Holy Spirit B Baptism B Purification B Eucharist |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (kostenfrei) |
| Summary: | Scholars of Qur’anic Studies have commonly highlighted the relationship between ṣibghat allāh in Q 2.138, millat Ibrāhīm (‘the religion of Abraham’) in Q 2.135 and Christian baptism. Contrary to previous scholarship, this article proposes that ṣibghat allāh relates to āmannā bi-llāhi wa-mā unzila ilaynā (‘we believe in God and what was sent down to us’) in Q 2.136, the baptismal rite inclusive of chrismation, and the Eucharist. In the baptismal rite and the Eucharist, humans acquire the dye of God and Christ by means of purification by and the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. Through the baptismal rite, the Holy Spirit purifies and begins to dwell in the baptized person. During the Eucharist, the Holy Spirit transforms the bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ and remains present in them upon consumption, while the recipient receives the body and blood, is purified and becomes one with God, united with Christ. By contrast, in the Qur’an, if humans have faith in God and all His revelations including the Qur’an, they acquire the dye of God. Acquiring the dye of God nonetheless remains linked to purification and the Holy Spirit, given that, in Q 2.129, 151; 3.164; 62.2 and 5.41, humans are purified via faith and God’s revelation, the Qur’an, and, in Q 58.22, those who have faith written upon their hearts are strengthened with God’s spirit. |
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| ISSN: | 1469-9311 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Islam and Christian-Muslim relations
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1080/09596410.2025.2592171 |
