Page 65 - New English Book L

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The policy of usurpation of the birthright runs through
the records of the Book of Genesis, and Jacob (pbuh) is
represented as a hero of this violation of the rights of other
persons. He is reported to give the birthright of his grandson
Manashi to his younger brother Ephraim, in spite of the
remonstrances of their father Joseph (pbuh) (chap. xlviii.). He
deprives his firstborn son of his birthright and accords the
blessing to Judah, his fourth son, because the former had
lain with Bilha, Jacobs’s “concubine,” who is the mother
of his two sons Dan and Nephthali; and deprives the latter
because he was no better than the other, inasmuch as he
committed adultery with his own daughter-in-law Thamar,
who bore a son who became an ancestor of David (pbuh) and
of Jesus Christ (pbuh) (chap. xxv. 22, chap. xxxviii.)!

It is indeed incredible that the author, or at least
the final editor, of this book was “inspired by the
Holy Spirit,” as the Jews and Christians allege.
Jacob (pbuh) is reported to have married two sisters
simultaneously, an action condemned by God’s
law (Lev. xviii. 18). In fact, with the exception
of Joseph (pbuh) and Benjamin, his other sons are
described as rough shepherds, liars (to their father
and to Joseph (pbuh) ) , murderers, adulterers, which
means it was a family not becoming a Prophet
at all. Of course, the Muslims cannot accept any
calumny against a Prophet or a righteous man
unless it be expressly recorded or mentioned in
the Quran. We do not believe the sin attributed to
Judah to be true (cf. chap. xxxviii.), otherwise the
blessing accorded to him by Jacob (pbuh) would be
a contradiction; and it is this very blessing that
we propose to study and discuss in this article.

Jacob (pbuh) could not have blessed his son Judah if the
latter was really the father of his own daughter-in-law’s
son, Peres, for both adulterers would be condemned to