In Sahih al-Bukhari, 2.11.876, Muhammad boasts about the Islamic prescription of communal prayer on Friday, the so-called Salat-ul Jumu'ah (صلاة الجمعة) or Jumu'ah prayer. Muhammad adopts a sort of "the last shall be first and the first shall be last" argument in ascribing to his followers preeminence over their religious monotheistic rivals, the Jews and the Christians. The Jews and Christians received their Scriptures first, and the Muslims last, Muhammad argues; therefore, the Muslims receive the Resurrection first, and the Jew and the Christian, if they enjoy the Resurrection at all, will be last, which Muhammad elsewhere clarifies means they will not enjoy paradise at all, but an eternity in Hell. Based upon Muhammad's vision of Islam, Muslims are kind of like that person that at the last moment cuts in line in front of you, gets mad at you for complaining he cut in front of you, and then justifies his misbehavior by some stupid and irrational excuse.
Nevertheless, Allah's solicitude of the Muslims over the Jews and Christians is, Muhammad insists, proved. This state of affairs is proved, asserts Muhammad, because Allah chose Friday as the day for worship, thus placing the Muslims before the Jews, who worship on the Sabbath (Saturday), and the Christians, who worship on the Lord's Day (Sunday). "So, Allah gave us the guidance for it (Friday) and all the other people are behind us in this respect," Muhammad articulates in this hadith, "the Jews' (holy day is) the following day (i.e., Saturday) and the Christians' (is) the day after the following day (i.e., Sunday)."
Of course, the reasoning is flawed. What Muhammad apparently did not realize was that in the Biblical way of thinking the last day of the week is the Sabbath, and the first day of the week was Sunday. The reader will recall that Jews rested on the Sabbath in imitation of God, who in the book of Genesis is said to have rested on the last day of the seven-day week. "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shall you labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of the Lord your God." Exodus 20:8-9.
For a variety of reasons, most significantly because Jesus rose the day after the Sabbath, the Christians celebrated their Eucharist on the first day of the week, that is, on Sunday. See Acts 20:7 ("And on the first day of the week, when we were gathered to gather to break bread . . . ."); see also 1 Cor. 6:2 ("on the first day of every week . . . ."). Sunday was called the "Lord's Day," because that was the day of his Resurrection. See Rev. 1:10.
So, had Muhammad had any competent knowledge of the Jewish and Christian scriptures, he would have known that Friday was not a day before the Lord's Day; rather, it was a day after the Lord's Day. One would have thought a prophet who recognized the Old Testament and New Testament traditions, and claimed prophethood in part through their authority, would have known this elementary fact. And if Muhammad did not know it, one would think at least Allah--if he were the God of the Old and New Testaments--would know of that.
Muhammad's ignorance of the fact that, from a Biblical point of view, Friday comes after Sunday, and not before Sunday, speaks poorly of his knowledge of the Scriptures, and is evidence against his claimed office as prophet of the God who revealed himself in the Old and New Testaments. Even if he was ignorant, supposing Allah had told him that Friday preceded Sunday, then this Allah himself is mistaken. Since God of the Old and New Testaments is one who is not deceived and cannot deceive, it seems to follow that Allah is not this God, since the God of the Old and New Testaments would have known that Sunday preceded Friday. But then again, maybe this Allah was more direct about his lack of congruence with the God revealed in the Old and New Testaments, for Allah admits he is the "best deceiver," الله خير الماكرين , Allahu khayru al-makrina, Qur'an 3:54, something which the God of the Old and New Testaments is not. The God of the Old and New Testaments is the worst of deceivers, for he is Truth itself, and there is no shadow of lie in him.
Nevertheless, Allah's solicitude of the Muslims over the Jews and Christians is, Muhammad insists, proved. This state of affairs is proved, asserts Muhammad, because Allah chose Friday as the day for worship, thus placing the Muslims before the Jews, who worship on the Sabbath (Saturday), and the Christians, who worship on the Lord's Day (Sunday). "So, Allah gave us the guidance for it (Friday) and all the other people are behind us in this respect," Muhammad articulates in this hadith, "the Jews' (holy day is) the following day (i.e., Saturday) and the Christians' (is) the day after the following day (i.e., Sunday)."
Of course, the reasoning is flawed. What Muhammad apparently did not realize was that in the Biblical way of thinking the last day of the week is the Sabbath, and the first day of the week was Sunday. The reader will recall that Jews rested on the Sabbath in imitation of God, who in the book of Genesis is said to have rested on the last day of the seven-day week. "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shall you labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of the Lord your God." Exodus 20:8-9.
For a variety of reasons, most significantly because Jesus rose the day after the Sabbath, the Christians celebrated their Eucharist on the first day of the week, that is, on Sunday. See Acts 20:7 ("And on the first day of the week, when we were gathered to gather to break bread . . . ."); see also 1 Cor. 6:2 ("on the first day of every week . . . ."). Sunday was called the "Lord's Day," because that was the day of his Resurrection. See Rev. 1:10.
So, had Muhammad had any competent knowledge of the Jewish and Christian scriptures, he would have known that Friday was not a day before the Lord's Day; rather, it was a day after the Lord's Day. One would have thought a prophet who recognized the Old Testament and New Testament traditions, and claimed prophethood in part through their authority, would have known this elementary fact. And if Muhammad did not know it, one would think at least Allah--if he were the God of the Old and New Testaments--would know of that.
Muhammad's ignorance of the fact that, from a Biblical point of view, Friday comes after Sunday, and not before Sunday, speaks poorly of his knowledge of the Scriptures, and is evidence against his claimed office as prophet of the God who revealed himself in the Old and New Testaments. Even if he was ignorant, supposing Allah had told him that Friday preceded Sunday, then this Allah himself is mistaken. Since God of the Old and New Testaments is one who is not deceived and cannot deceive, it seems to follow that Allah is not this God, since the God of the Old and New Testaments would have known that Sunday preceded Friday. But then again, maybe this Allah was more direct about his lack of congruence with the God revealed in the Old and New Testaments, for Allah admits he is the "best deceiver," الله خير الماكرين , Allahu khayru al-makrina, Qur'an 3:54, something which the God of the Old and New Testaments is not. The God of the Old and New Testaments is the worst of deceivers, for he is Truth itself, and there is no shadow of lie in him.
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