❀ Introduction
Some orientalists claim that Islam is a composite religion, borrowing its key terms and rituals from Judaism, Christianity, Zoroastrianism, and Arab paganism. They argue that if the vocabulary of the Qur’an includes foreign terms, then its concepts and practices must also be imported from other traditions.
Writers like Ibn Warraq and Tisdall have long championed this theory, echoed by works such as the Shorter Encyclopedia of Islam, which suggests that many Qur’anic terms have non-Arabic origins.
❖ Orientalist View of Qur’anic Vocabulary
According to critics:
- Terms like Allāh, Qur’ān, Ṣalāh, Sajdah, Malā’ikah, Masjid, Āyah, Qurbān etc. are said to be borrowed from Hebrew, Syriac, or other Semitic languages.
- Based on this, C. Snouck Hurgronje, Montgomery Watt, Buhl, and Wensinck claim that Islamic practices were copied from pre-existing religions.
Example: Buhl likened the Battle of Badr to Moses’ Exodus, arguing that just as Moses fasted after deliverance, Ramadan fasting was legislated after Badr.
❖ Arthur Jeffery and “Foreign Vocabulary of the Qur’an”
In his book The Foreign Vocabulary of the Qur’an, Arthur Jeffery compiled a list of supposedly non-Arabic words in the Qur’an. He linked them to surrounding Semitic cultures, suggesting influence from:
- Palestine, Syria, Iraq, Phoenicia, and Egypt
- With linguistic overlaps among Semitic languages, including Arabic, Hebrew, and Aramaic
However, this shared linguistic heritage is natural, not evidence of borrowing.
❖ Shared Semitic Linguistic Roots
Historical linguistics shows:
- Arabic is a central Semitic language, and the origin point of Semitic civilization was Arabia.
- As Semitic tribes migrated, their languages evolved under foreign influence.
- Those who remained in Arabia retained a pure form of Arabic.
Hence, the presence of similar words in Arabic and Hebrew (e.g., ab, umm, bayt, jabal) is not proof of borrowing, but a reflection of common Semitic roots.
❖ Pre-Qur’anic Use of “Foreign” Terms
Even Western scholars admit that so-called foreign words were already in use in Makkah:
- C.C. Torrey, in The Jewish Foundation of Islam, states that these terms had become native to the region even before Islam.
❖ Similarities in Worship: Islamic Perspective
Islam teaches that:
- All prophets from Ādam (عليه السلام) to Muḥammad ﷺ brought the same core message of monotheism and worship.
- Thus, ritual similarities between Islam and earlier faiths are not imitation, but continuity of divine guidance.
Both Judaism and Christianity trace their roots to Ibrāhīm (عليه السلام), making overlaps inevitable.
Despite superficial similarities, Islamic worship retains unique elements, such as:
- Adhān (call to prayer)
- Congregational prayer with Imāmah
- Prescribed postures: rukū‘, sujūd, qirā’ah
- Five daily prayers maintained without interruption
These make Islamic worship distinct and divinely structured.
❖ Conclusion
The claim that Islam is a borrowed religion falls apart under historical, linguistic, and theological scrutiny. Common Semitic vocabulary, ritual overlap, and historical proximity do not imply imitation. Rather, they reaffirm Islam’s role as a culmination and correction of earlier revelations.
و الله أعلم
(And Allah knows best)
