qayyim), and ever again renewed, and freed
from the corruptions which from time to time crept into
it. This is what Muhammad meant by hanif. The difficulty
of the derivation of this word has already been referred
to. The signification which Muhammad attached to it
is clear from the passage xxx. v. 29: "Set
thy face as a hanif towards the religion, the creation
of God according to which he created man ; there is
no change in God's creation; that is the eternal religion
(din qayyim); but the bulk of men do not know".
The term hanif is associated with Abraham not,
I think, because Abraham is regarded as specially a
hanif more than others, but rather because
the recognition of the place of Abraham, and the idea
of this eternally existing religion again and again
renewed by the prophets, came to Muhammad about the
same time. Other prophets and other true believers were
hanifs.
Thus his final list of preceding prophets comes to
be, Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus; the first
two being sometimes omitted. In one passage (iii. v.
30), tracing the descent of those whom God has chosen
to be "over the worlds" he gives the list
as Adam, Noah, the family of Abraham, and the family
of 'Imran. Probably the family of 'Imran is here meant
to include both Moses and Jesus. For Muhammad confused
Mary (Arabic, Maryam), the mother of Jesus
with Miryam the sister of Moses, so that 'Imran would
be the father of Moses and the grandfather of Jesus.
If that be not so, the verse would have a curious political
colour, indicating that |
