Page 68 - Demo

64The policy of usurpation of the birthright runsthrough the records of the Book of Genesis, and Jacob (pbuh) is represented as a hero of this violation of the rights of other persons.Heisreportedtogive thebirthrightofhisgrandson Manashi to his younger brother Ephraim, in spite of the remonstrances oftheirfatherJoseph (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 adulterywith his own daughter-in-lawThamar, 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