The "Smoking Gun" To End The "Mary, Sister of Aaron" Debate Decisively

It turns out that a critic of Islam, Sam Shamoun, has produced a lengthy article concerning the “Mary: Sister of Aaron issue” Shamoun's article is entitled "Mary, the Mother of Jesus and the Sister of Aaron". Strangely enough, Shamoun includes this article in his "Quran contradiction" section


Predictably he tries to keep the argument alive via his article. As my counterpart, David Wood, produced a video presentation vocalising Shamoun’s written work I have unwittingly already responded to much of Shamoun’s material in my response to David Wood.

Rather than reiterating the points of refutation made at David Wood’s work I will leave the reader to view the links below:

Written form:
http://thefactsaboutislam.blogspot.com/2010/05/re.html

Summarised audio form:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tdoQvz5-ZY

The Critic's Final Stand Has Ended

However, Shamoun did seem to be addressing Muslim responses to his claims and he cited the references Muslims brought up in order to prove the usage of idioms (such as the “sister of Aaron”) by the past generations.

Muslims, admittedly, have supplied references from the Bible which do not exactly match the pattern of the expression used in Surah 19:28 (sister of Aaron) though the references supplied do prove the usage of non-literal phraseology and titles.

Shamoun dismisses a Muslim author’s reference by stating:

“In every single example that the author provided, the word used in connection with one’s lineage, to descendants, isn’t "brother of" or "sister of" but rather "son of" or "daughter of"! Not a single example provided by the author which refers to a person’s lineage ever use the expression "brother of" or "sister of."”

Though the Muslim has a point in bringing up these references the more obstinate critic (such as Shamoun) is not going to accept them as they want to see a “smoking gun” (phraseology of the same nature, using the word “sister”)

The "Smoking Gun"

Recently, the “smoking gun” has been found. Ironically, it has been found in the words of JESUS within the Gospel of Mark (3:35)!

Jesus produces a non-time-dependant saying by stating:

“Whoever does God's will is my brother and sister and mother”. (Mark 3:35)

As this quote from Jesus is not reliant on time or place we can safely say this is the “smoking gun” Shamoun and other critics have been looking for from the Muslims.

As the quote from Jesus is not time-dependant , Esther, Asiya and Sarah are considered the sisters of Jesus as they did the will of God

A lady in 2010, doing the will of God, is also the sister of Jesus according to Mark 3:35.

Thus, we have our clear evidence that phraseology of the nature used by the Jews in the Quran (19:28) was used by and understood by other Jews too (as highlighted by the Jew named Jesus).


A Quick Recap

"O sister of Aaron! thy father was not a man of evil, nor thy mother a woman unchaste!" (Yusuf Ali’s translation of Quran19:28)

Surah 19:28 points to a group of Jews calling Mary by the term “sister of Aaron”. Of course Aaron lived and passed away well before Mary. Muhammed explained this passage as to be an idiom (not to be taken literally), thus it was simply a custom of the people of the past to name people in this fashion based on past pious personalities. [1]

Most critics accept Muhammad’s explanation, but the more obstinate wanted evidence of such idiomatic usage by past Jewish/Christian communities. The Muslims did supply evidence of non-literal expressions/titles being used within the Bible.

Some of these critics accepted this evidence but others were not satisfied (such as Shamoun) and they wanted a “smoking gun”

Well, Sam Shamoun and other critics who have been clinging onto the remnants of this tired and refuted argument have their “smoking gun”, ironically it was right under their noses, in the New Testament (Mark 3:35).

An Appeal to Reason

I sincerely hope Sam Shamoun and the other remaining stubborn critics behave in an intellectually honest fashion now and relinquish any hold on this refuted argument they still have. I would urge them to stop propagating (spreading) this argument as it would be total intellectual injustice to continue to do so.


References

[1] In Sahih Muslim, no. 5326

If you have any queries concerning this article please contact the author (Yahya Snow)


Allah knows best