NPR News: 12-19-2023 5PM EST
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Day: December 19, 2023
By Deepak Kumar Nayak
On December 11, 2023, two Security Force (SF) personnel were injured when an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) planted by Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadres exploded where a joint team of Security Force (SF) personnel was patrolling to provide security to road construction work, at Saltong village under the Kistaram Police Station area of Sukma District.
On November 22, 2023, one District Reserve Guard (DRG) trooper, Roshan Nag, inadvertently stepped on an IED connection planted by Maoists, triggering the explosion that injured him, during an anti-Naxal [Left Wing Extremism, LWE] operation near Bainpalli village under Jagargunda Police Station limits in Sukma District.
On November 7, 2023, a commando of the Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA), an elite unit of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), was injured in an IED blast triggered by CPI-Maoist cadres in Sukma District, as polling for the first phase of State Assembly elections got underway in the region. The incident occurred when the team was out on an area domination operation from the Tondamarka Camp towards Elmagunda village, to ensure security during polls.
According to partial data collated by the South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP), at least five SF personnel have been injured in four separate incidents of explosion triggered by the Maoists in Sukma District since the beginning of 2023 (data till December 17). During the corresponding period in 2022, three SF personnel were injured in the district in two such incidents, and there were no more such incidents in the remaining period of the year.
Since the creation of the district on January 16, 2012, a total of 44 fatalities and 111 persons injured, have been registered in the SF category in 65 incidents of explosion in Sukma (data till December 17, 2023). A maximum of 18 fatalities and 25 persons injured in three such incidents, was reported in 2020.
Other parameters of violence also demonstrate the Maoists’ increased efforts to recover lost ground in the district.
A total of 699 Maoist-linked incidents have been recorded in the district since its formation, with a maximum number in 2016 (100) and the minimum in 2013 (23). This includes 64 incidents in the current year, as compared to 46 in 2022 (till December 17). The Maoists have executed 27 incidents of arson since the formation of the district, the maximum number in 2018 (eight) and the minimum in 2013 (one), while two incidents have been recorded in the current year. The Maoists also carried out 13 incidents of abduction, the maximum number in 2016 (five) and the minimum in 2014 and 2022 (one), while four incidents have already been recorded in the current year.
Maoist violence against civilians in Sukma also persists. According to SATP data, seven civilians have already been killed in the current year [data till December 17]. There were three civilian fatalities in the district during the corresponding period of 2022, and no more fatalities in this category thereafter, in the year. The district recorded a maximum of 33 civilian fatalities in 2013.
At least six Maoists have been killed in Sukma District since the beginning of 2023 (data till December 17). During the corresponding period in 2022, six Maoists had been killed in the district, and there were no more fatalities in this category in 2022.
On the other hand, SFs have lost three of their personnel in the current year so far (data till December 17), as against two in the corresponding period of 2022, and there were no more fatalities in this category thereafter in the remaining period of the year. SFs lost 42 personnel, the highest recorded in this category in the district for any year, in 2014 as well as in 2017.
In the fight between SFs and Maoists, the overall kill ratio (1:1.15) has been marginally in favour of SFs (193 SF personnel, 223 Maoists killed) since January 16, 2012. However, the kill ratio was in favour of the Maoists in 2012 (3:1), 2014 (3.23:1), 2015 (1.18:1), 2017 (3.5:1) and 2021 (1.73:1). Significantly, after reaching a peak of 42 SF fatalities in 2017 (as well as in 2014 at the same number), the fatalities came down to two in 2022. For the first time no fatality was recorded in the SF category in 2019. In the current year SFs lost three personnel, thus far (data till December 17, 2023).
According to a December 13, 2023, report, the CPI-Maoists organised a large-scale celebration on the Bijapur-Sukma border in Chhattisgarh, marking ‘People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) Week’. A video was released by the Maoists to the media regarding the celebration, which showed a large number of armed Maoists participating in the celebration, along with the villagers. Men and women, including a large group of Naxalites, were seen gathering in the border area of Bijapur and Sukma districts in Dandakaranya, taking out a rally, singing songs, and shouting slogans.
Sukma, spread over a geographical area of 5635.79 square kilometres, of which around 3,500 square kilometres (more than 75 per cent of its total area) is under forest cover, offers the Maoists distinct tactical advantages, allowing them to establish disruptive dominance over this difficult terrain. In addition, the district shares its borders with other Maoist-affected districts of the infamous ‘Bastar Division’ within the State – Bastar, Bijapur and Dantewada – to the north and west. Moreover, the Malkangiri District of Odisha to the east; and the Khammam District of Telangana to the South, are both Maoist affected, making Sukma a daunting challenge for SFs.
According to a March 6, 2023, report, under their social responsibility programmes, intended to prevent the youth from joining Maoist ranks, Police have established a school ‘Police Ki Pathshala’ in Sukma, where they teach students in their free time, to ensure basic education facilities for children in the conflict-hit area. Speaking on the effort, the then Sukma Superintendent of Police (SP), Sunil Sharma, disclosed,
A new camp was established near the State Highway-5 at Dabbamarka, which is a core Naxal area in the district, on February 12. With the inspiration of the camp’s TI Bhavesh Shinde and other TI Shailendra Nag, the ‘Police Ki Pathshala’ has been set up in the camp for children in the area… It is our endeavour to educate as many children as possible so that this area can be made free from Naxalism.
Further, according to an October 23, 2023, report, 342 families from seven remote villages – Dabbakonta, Pidmel, Ekalguda, Duramangu, Tumbangu, Singanpad, and Dokpad – were electrified through the conventional source of power supply in Sukma District, nearly 25 years after their homes plunged into darkness because of damage to infrastructure by the Naxalites. On the development, Sukma SP Kiran Gangaram Chavan stated,
Two decades ago, Naxals destroyed the existing electricity supply network, cut wires, and broke poles, forcing villagers to live in darkness away from development. The villagers are happy now and expressed that their children will now study and will be connected to the entire world with television and mobile
Though SFs consolidation in Sukma in particular, the state at large, as well as in the rest of the erstwhile Maoist-infested areas of the country is astounding, the increase in Maoist activities in the district in the current year, is cause for some concern. Indeed, Sukma is one of the last surviving Maoist bastions in the country, with substantial CPI-Maoist operational strength concentrated here. Continued operational pressure by the SFs, augmented by an intensive focus on development and administrative outreach, is still needed for further consolidation of the state control, and to neutralize the remaining threat to Sukma and Chhattisgarh.
- Deepak Kumar Nayak
Research Associate, Institute for Conflict Management
By Tushar Ranjan Mohanty
On December 15, 2023, eight persons – three Policemen, including a sub-inspector, and five terrorists, including a suicide bomber – were killed during a clash, when terrorists tried to enter the District Police headquarter in Police Lines area of Tank Town (Tank District) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). Two attackers were killed by Police while the third was cornered and blew himself up. A newly formed terrorist group, Ansarul Jihad, claimed responsibility for the attack.
On December 12, 2023, at least 23 Army soldiers were killed when a group of six suicide bombers attacked a Security Forces (SFs) complex in the Daraban area of Dera Ismail Khan District in KP. According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), “the attempt to enter the post was effectively thwarted which forced the terrorists to ram an explosive-laden vehicle into the post, followed by a suicide bombing attack”. The resulting blasts led to the collapse of the building, causing multiple casualties. All six terrorists were killed. The Tehreek-i-Jihad Pakistan (TJP), an affiliate with Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), claimed responsibility for the attack.
In addition to these two targeted attacks on Security Establishments in December 2023, there have been several such attacks in the recent past, prominently including:
- November 4, 2023: Nine terrorists were killed as the SFs in the early hours neutralised a terrorist attack on the Mianwali Training Air Base of the Pakistan Air Force at Mianwali (Mianwali District) of Punjab. The ISPR said that the terrorists were “neutralised while entering the base… However, during the attack, some damage to three already grounded aircraft and a fuel bowser also occurred.” The TJP claimed responsibility for the attack.
- July 12, 2023: nine Army soldiers, five terrorists and one civilian were killed when terrorists attacked the Zhob Garrison in Zhob town (Zhob District) of Balochistan. “Initial attempt of terrorists to sneak into the facility was checked by soldiers on duty,” the ISPR disclosed, adding that the terrorists were soon cornered in a small area near the boundary, following a heavy exchange of fire.
- February 17, 2023: Five terrorists and four others, including two rangers and one Policeman, were killed, and 18 people were injured in an operation in the night, when terrorists stormed into the Karachi Police Chief’s building in the Shahrah-e-Faisal area. At least three terrorists blew themselves up, while two were gunned down in the shootout. TTP claimed responsibility for the attack.
- January 30, 2023: At least 84 persons, including 83 Policemen, were killed and another 220 were injured, in a suicide blast inside a mosque in the Police Lines area of Peshawar, the provincial capital of KP. Two TTP leaders, Sarbakaf Mohmand and Omar Mukaram Khurasani, claimed that the attack was “revenge” for the death of Khalid Khorasani, the chief of TTP’s splinter group, Jamaat-ul-Ahrar (JuA), in the Barmal District of Paktika Province of Afghanistan on August 7, 2022. However, TTP central ‘spokesman’ Muhammad Khorasani denied any involvement in the attack.
- December 18, 2022: A detained terrorist overpowered a constable at the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) Complex in Bannu Cantonment (Bannu District) and, after snatching the constable’s weapon, freed 34 other detained terrorists. “Immediately after the seizure of the complex, two terrorists were killed, three were arrested, and two security forces personnel were injured in the exchange of fire,” the ISPR DG Major General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry disclosed. “Efforts to induce the terrorists to surrender unconditionally continued for the next two days,” he disclosed, adding that the terrorists demanded a safe passage to Afghanistan. On December 20, the SFs took action against the terrorists after they refused to surrender. During the operation – fierce exchange of fire between terrorists and security forces – 25 terrorists were killed. Three terrorists were arrested while seven surrendered. Three soldiers were killed while 10 other soldiers, including two officers, were injured in the operation. TTP claimed responsibility for the incident.
In addition to these major attacks specifically targeting Security establishments, terrorists have intensified their attacks against SFs deployed on the ground throughout country. According to partial data compiled by the South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP), Pakistan has already recorded the highest number of SF fatalities, 517, in a year since 2013, when there were 665 such fatalities. After touching a recent low of 137 in 2019, SF fatalities have been on a continuous rise.
According to the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) report of October 1, 2013, the first nine months of 2023 reveal some alarming trends with regard to SF losses in the war against terrorism. 386 personnel — including 137 army personnel and 208 policemen — have lost their lives in the first nine months of 2023 in the fight against terrorism, largely in KP and Balochistan, an eight-year high.
The surge in SF fatalities in Pakistan can be traced back to the increase in power and influence of the Afghan Taliban in Afghanistan after the signing of the Doha Agreement of February 2020, and the subsequent return of the Taliban to power in Kabul in August 2021. Indeed, on November 8, 2023, caretaker Prime Minister (PM) Anwaarul Haq Kakar observed that there has been an increase in terrorist incidents in Pakistan since the interim Afghan Government came to power in 2021. Addressing the media in Islamabad, he asserted,
After the establishment of the interim Afghan government in August 2021, we had a strong hope that there would be long-term peace in Afghanistan… Strict action would be taken against Pakistan-opposing groups, especially the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan, and they would absolutely not be allowed to use Afghan soil against Pakistan. But unfortunately, after the establishment of the interim Afghan govt, there has been a 60 per cent increase in terror incidents and 500 per cent rise in suicide attacks in Pakistan.
However, on the same day, Zabihullah Mujahid, the chief Taliban spokesman in Afghanistan, rejected Prime Minister Kakar’s allegations, and argued that his Government was not responsible for maintaining peace in Pakistan, nor was it behind the insecurity in the neighbouring country. “They should address their domestic problems instead of blaming Afghanistan for their failure,” Mujahid declared, “the Islamic Emirate does not allow anyone to use the territory of Afghanistan against Pakistan”.
The attack on Pakistan’s SFs gained further momentum when the Afghan Taliban-initiated and guided talks between the TTP and the Pakistan Government collapsed on November 28, 2022m when TTP announced an end to the then seven month-long cease fire. In a statement released on Umar Media (TTP’s official website), TTP’s ‘Minister of Defence’ “ordered” TTP forces throughout Pakistan “to launch attacks anywhere in the country” in response to Pakistani military operations. The outfit claimed that it chose to end the ceasefire after “the Army and intelligence agencies continue to raid and attack” its forces, “And now our revenge attacks will continue in the whole country.”
Earlier, on November 8, 2023, during the Senate’s debate on acts of terrorism and the expulsion of illegal immigrants from Pakistan, the Leader of the House and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Ishaq Dar blamed an understanding reached with Kabul in 2018, and the subsequent release of hardcore TTP terrorists, for the surge in acts of terrorism in the country. Speaking in the Senate, Dar argued that the PML-N government, soon after coming into power, had taken concrete steps against the menace of terrorism, which bore fruit, but regretted that terrorism reared its ugly head again after “a policy of U-turn” was adopted in 2018.
The haphazard approach to counter terrorism by successive Pakistan Administrations have given the terrorist outfits, especially the TTP, ample opportunities to target the country where it hurts most. With the Pakistan in economic and political turmoil, the Afghan Taliban backed TTP, as well as other terrorist and insurgent formations in the country, will find rising opportunities to inflict grievous harm on the increasingly fragile state and its institutions.
- Tushar Ranjan Mohanty
Research Associate, Institute for Conflict Management
The once-promising era of Western and Russian cooperation has nearly vanished. The fragile remaining remnants leave lingering questions about the future of global stability.
In November 2023, Russia’s withdrawal from the 1990 Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) treaty marked another milestone in the unraveling of agreements between Moscow and the West. The CFE, designed to limit weapons in Europe, symbolizes the steady decline of Western-Russian cooperation. Citing NATO expansion, Russia previously suspended CFE operations in 2007, and in 2011 the U.S. and other NATO allies halted information sharing with Russia on certain treaty provisions. After Russia’s November decision, the U.S. and NATO allies suspended participation in the CFE.
Optimism for global cooperation initially soared during and immediately after the 1991 Soviet collapse. In the 1990s, the U.S. and Russia established the START Missile Treaty to reduce their nuclear arsenals, created the NATO Partnership for Peace (PfP) and the NATO–Russia Permanent Joint Council (NRPJC) to facilitate joint peacekeeping and stability in Europe, and Russia joined the G-8 to enhance economic coordination.
Collaboration also grew in counter-narcotics and counterterrorism initiatives, civil emergency response, space exploration, biomedical science, and maritime search and rescue operations. The Shared Beringian Heritage Program was created to protect regional ecosystems and indigenous communities between Russia’s Far East and Alaska, and the Arctic Council and Arctic Environmental Protection Strategy came to promote similar ideals between Russia and NATO-member Arctic countries.
But by the end of the 1990s, conflicting geopolitical interests in the former Yugoslavia, coupled with NATO enlargement into Central and Eastern Europe, caused significant strain on Russia-Western relations. Washington’s decision to leave the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty in 2002 in the aftermath of 9/11 also set a precedent, and though the SORT Treaty was signed that year to reduce strategic nuclear weapons deployed abroad, it lacked important specifics, undermining enforcement mechanisms.
Additional NATO enlargement in 2004, a 2007 U.S. proposal for a missile defense shield in Europe (that Russia argued violated parts of the START I Treaty), and Russia’s 2008 invasion of Georgia further discouraged cooperation. The U.S. and Russia managed to “reset” relations in 2009, resulting in suggestions for a scaled back version of the missile shield and creation of the U.S.-Russia Presidential Bilateral Commission. And, in 2010, the New START Treaty helped prolong nuclear weapons limits, while the Joint Plan of Action reached in 2013 showcased Russian and Western coordination over Iran’s nuclear program.
Nonetheless, Western relations with Russia entered a downward spiral soon after. Following the 2014 Maidan Revolution in Ukraine and the beginning of Russia’s intervention in the country, Russia was immediately sanctioned and removed from the G-8. NATO and the EU also suspended or stopped cooperation and consultation with Moscow.
The 2018 U.S. withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal highlighted the ongoing breakdown in relations. Citing Russian violations, the U.S. then withdrew from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) in 2019 and Treaty on Open Skies in 2020 (with Russia leaving in 2021). Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, cooperation between Moscow and the West deteriorated further. Sanctions against Russia were expanded significantly, it suspended participation in the New START in February 2023, with the CFE becoming the most recent link to be severed.
Amid this collapse, a few crucial areas of cooperation persist. The International Space Station (ISS) consists of one part manufactured and operated by Russia and another by the US and other Western countries. Launched in 1998 and designed to be interdependent, the ISS has faced uncertainty since the beginning of the war in Ukraine. In July 2022, Dmitry Rogozin, then-head of Roscosmos, Russia’s space agency, declared an end to ISS cooperation in 2024, comments reiterated by his replacement, Yuri Borisov, just days later.
But NASA quickly declared that Russia would continue the partnership, and Russian officials stated in April 2023 that the country’s adherence to the ISS would last until 2028 (the U.S. has confirmed it will continue until the ISS is decommissioned in 2030). Roscosmos and NASA also remained committed to seat-swapping missions to the ISS, with a U.S. astronaut flying aboard a Russian Soyuz rocket in September 2022 and a Russian cosmonaut flying aboard a Crew Dragon mission to the ISS weeks later.
Energy is also a domain where there is ongoing Western and Russian cooperation. European countries are continuing to buy Russian oil and natural gas, even if some of it is delivered through intermediaries like India. Rosatom, Russia’s state-run nuclear energy agency, also enjoys significant relationships with several EU and NATO members. At ITER, an international nuclear energy research project headquartered in France, Russia has made several deliveries since the start of the war in Ukraine, most recently in February 2023.
And though the U.S. has successfully weaned off Russian fossil fuels, it continues to pay billions of dollars annually to Russia for nuclear fuel and other nuclear energy assistance—in 2022, Russia was the top supplier of enriched uranium to the U.S. Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, the Senate has attempted to introduce bills to ban Russian uranium, while a recent House bill to do so passed in December 2023. It remains to be seen if it will be passed in the Senate, and it will take years to implement.
Significant non-energy-related trade between Western countries and Russia also endures in the face of sanctions. And while many Western companies left Russia after the launch of the war in Ukraine, many did not. Others, like Volkswagen and Renault, sold their assets in Russia for a nominal fee, but with buyback clauses that could allow them to return.
Despite tensions relating largely to the conflict in Ukraine, Russia has continued to play an active role in the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). Recent events suggest the hardline diplomatic approach to Russia is faltering. Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov was forbidden from visiting any EU country after sanctions were imposed on him in 2022 and was denied access to Balkan states’ airspace to travel to Serbia that year. But in September 2023, Lavrov’s plane was permitted to cross Greek airspace and land in North Macedonia for an OSCE meeting. The recent elections of the new Dutch and Slovak governments further suggest a diminishing political appetite among some Western countries for taking an inflexible stance against Russia.
The U.S. and Russia have also attempted to maintain open lines of communication to avoid potentially catastrophic military accidents. The Moscow-Washington hotline, established in 1963 after the Cuban Missile Crisis, was in 2015 complemented by a rudimentary channel of communication opened to avoid military conflict in Syria once Russian forces entered the country that year. And in March 2022, a deconfliction hotline regarding Ukraine was created that has so far been used once in November 2022.
Informal talks between Russia and the U.S. have also come to light. In July 2023, it was revealed that former senior U.S. national security officials had held secret talks in New York with Russian officials, including Sergei Lavrov, to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine. These informal diplomatic discussions have allegedly been taking place at least twice a month, often online. U.S. officials denied they had ever taken place.
And despite the heightened military activity in the Arctic spurred by the conflict in Ukraine, there is optimism that nations recognize the vital significance of environmental cooperation in the region. This sentiment was underscored when Russia hosted the 13th Arctic Council meeting in the town of Salekhard in May 2023.
Current levels of cooperation are a far cry from the 1990s, where in addition to greater collaboration and dialogue in various areas, 80 percent of the world’s strategic nuclear weapons were dismantled in a decade. While many avenues of collaboration have since crumbled, the ISS continues to orbit, the nuclear energy industry maintains pockets of cooperation, and strained communication lines remain open.
Yet Russia’s actions, most notably its invasion of Ukraine, coupled with Moscow’s distrust toward the West, cast a shadow over a more optimistic outlook. Existing nuclear agreements are languishing or ignored, and if the New START treaty expires in 2026, it could lead to a new nuclear arms race and threaten other weapons treaties. Russia’s growing relationships with “rogue states” like Iran and North Korea also amplify its ability to destabilize the Western-led global order, while Russia’s burgeoning relationship with China has offset Western isolation.
Since the Soviet collapse, Washington and the wider Western world have struggled to balance acknowledging Russia’s influence, holding it accountable, and safeguarding global security interests. Earnest and then sporadic cooperation between Moscow and the U.S.-led West has returned to increasingly adversarial policies that rival the worst days of the Cold War. However, Russia’s ability to both undermine and contribute to global stability means it cannot be simply cast aside. Despite the disparity in capabilities, managing the specter of Russia on the international stage continues to be an evolving process for Western policymakers.
- About the author: John P. Ruehl is an Australian-American journalist living in Washington, D.C., and a world affairs correspondent for the Independent Media Institute. He is a contributing editor to Strategic Policy and a contributor to several other foreign affairs publications. His book, Budget Superpower: How Russia Challenges the West With an Economy Smaller Than Texas’, was published in December 2022.
- Source: This article was produced by Globetrotter.
The Qur’an states: “And We have preferred some prophets over others, and We gave (Prophet/King) David, Psalms.” (17:55) and “David! We did indeed make you a vicegerent [khalîfah] on earth: so judge [rule] between men in truth [and justice]…” [38:26] and Qur’an 4:163 again states “and to David We gave Psalms”
The Zabur/Book of Psalms is the third of the five longest books in the Hebrew Bible: Jeremiah (33,002 words), Genesis (32,046 words), Psalms (30,147 words), Ezekiel (29,918 words) and Exodus (25, 957 words).
There are 150 psalms in the book of Psalms; 73 by David, plus 12 by Asaph, David’s worship leader, and 11 by three repentant descendants of Korah’s family (Torah Numbers 16:1-50), 5 by other writers and about 50 nameless Psalms. The Talmud names David and ten other authors: “David composed the book of Psalms with ten other elders (two of them non-Jews): Adam, Melchizedek, Abraham, Moses, Heiman, Yedutun, Asaph, and three sons of Korach.” (Bava Batra 14b.)
Thus the book of Psalms has more authors than any other single book in the Bible, which is only to be expected because every Christian and Jew needed the ability to express and articulate both supplication and thanksgiving, from those desperately seeking help from the one God of all humanity; to those expressing joy and gratitude to the one God who created the universe. These varied prayers have over the centuries frequently flowed from faithful hearts and minds.
The book of Psalms is the only book in the Bible that is actually written to God and is both God speaking to us and also God giving us a way to speak to him. Prophet Jesus quoted from Psalms more often than from any other book in the Hebrew Bible. So there were as many as 50-60 different prophetic authors included in the Book of Psalms; it would be as the Qur’an states (40:78): “We already sent messengers before you (Prophet Muhammad). We have told you the stories of some of them, while others We have not.”
It is narrated from Abu Dharr that one day he asked the Messenger of Allah: How many prophets are there in all? He replied: One hundred and twenty four thousand. He then asked: How many of them were messenger prophets? He replied: Three hundred thirteen from the above group. He asked: Who was the first of them? He replied: Adam…The first prophet among Bani Israel was Musa and the last of them was Isa; and they were in all six hundred (Jewish) prophets.” (Biharul Anwar, Vol. 11, Pg. 32.)
The Zabur (Arabic: زبور) according to Islam is the holy book of Dawud (David), one of the three holy books revealed by Allah before the Quran, alongside the Tawrat (Torah) of Musa (Moses) and the Injil (Gospel) of Īsā (Jesus). (Qur’an 4:163, 17:55 and 21:105)
The Zabur is a collection of 150 Hebrew hymns and songs originally written to be sung during worship in Solomon’s Temple in Jerusalem and often called Dawud’s Zabur (Psalms of David). This does not imply that David wrote all of the Zabur, because the Zabur itself names several other Jewish prophets and holy men as having contributed to it; but more of the Zabur is attributed to David than to anyone else.
The Zabur of Prophet David, King of Israel, expresses beautiful poetic prayers and sacred songs; and also gives the believers of the three Abrahamic monotheistic religions a non-polemical way of understanding the Islamic concept of Tahrif, a term originating in the Qur’an. In its verbal form it indicates an accusation hurled four times (2:75; 4:46; 5:13; 5:41) against those Jewish leaders who quote their Scriptures wrongly out of context.
However, a distinction was made early in standard Tafsir (commentary); and especially in Islamic polemical books, between tahrif al-lafz and tahrif al-ma’na, the first referring to actual textual distortion or corruption, the second referring only to distorted interpretations of uncorrupted texts. Jews and Christians vehemently deny that their sacred texts have been intentionally changed to omit references to Prophet Muhammad; although they do admit that there are minor textual differences in various ancient versions of their ancient sacred texts.
Psalm 72 shows evidence of tahrif that we can all agree upon. Psalm 72 which is attributed to Prophet Solomon not Prophet David, ends: “Praise be to the Lord God, the God of Israel, who alone does marvelous deeds. Praise be to His glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with His glory. Amen. This concludes the prayers of David son of Jesse.” (72:18-20)
Yet there are several additional Psalms of Prophet David in the second half of the Book of Psalms/Zabur, other authors are also mentioned, and almost 50 Psalms have no name at all attached to them. So it is clear that the order of the Psalms has changed, and Psalms from other God inspired writers have also been added.
The Dead Sea scrolls found stored in the Qumran caves are a collection of 800-900 texts, containing many ancient Biblical texts; which are the oldest Biblical texts in the world: 29% (223) of them are Biblical texts; and 39 of the 223 are manuscripts of Psalms. They were written during the three centuries prior to the Roman destruction of Jerusalem in 70CE. The first 90 psalms are in the same order as Jews and Christians use today; but the remaining 60 psalm differ in their order from those used since the fourth century. Most Muslims would consider this to be Tahrif, Christians and Jews consider this minor variations. Both sides are correct.
For example, Psalm 67, a short psalm song with a responsive chorus; begins with some phrases from the Blessing given by the Priests in the Jerusalem Temple (and is still used in every synagogue to this day) which is found in the Torah of Moses (Numbers 6:24-26). “The Lord spoke to Moses: ‘Speak to Aaron and his sons: Thus shall you bless the people of Israel. Say to them: The Lord bless you and protect you! The Lord deal kindly and graciously with you! The Lord bestow His favor upon you and grant you peace! Thus they shall link My name with the people of Israel, and I will bless them.'” That Prophet Aaron’s priests were chosen to bless people in God’s name is endorsed in other places in Biblical literature (Deuteronomy 10:8; 21:5) In fact, kohanim (descendants of Prophet Aaron’s priests) continue this practice, using the cited formula, to the present day.
This is the New International Version Translation (In Hebrew texts 67:1-7 is numbered 67:2-8)
1 May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine on us—
2 so that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations.
3 May the peoples (tribes and nations) praise you, God; may all the peoples praise you.
4 May the nations be glad and sing for joy for you rule all peoples with equity
and guide the nations of the earth.
5 May the peoples praise you, God; may all the peoples praise you.
6 The land yields its harvest; our God blesses us.
7 May God still bless us, so that all the ends of the earth will fear him.
The term zabur is the Arabic equivalent of the Hebrew zimrah (Hebrew: “song, music.”) It, along with zamir (Hebrew: “song”), and mizmor (Hebrew: “psalm-song”) are derivatives of the Hebrew verb meaning: “sing, make music.”) Several of the 150 psalms of the Zabur were sung during different daily or holy day prayers in the Jerusalem Temple, and are still sung or chanted in Jewish synagogues and Christian Churches throughout the world today. Thus the Psalms reflect all the varied incidents that can happen in life, both to the individual and to the whole Jewish nation.
Psalm 37, is the only psalm that is directly referred to in the Qur’an. It states: “We have written in the Zabur (Psalms) after the reminder [of Musa] that ‘My righteous servants shall inherit the earth.'” (21:105) This verse is a close parallel to five verses in Psalm 37, ascribed specifically to David, which states that believers should not lose hope and despair; because eventually goodness always overcomes evil; and God’s “righteous servants shall inherit the earth.”
According to Psalm 37 the “righteous servants [who] shall inherit the earth.” are: “For those who are evil will be destroyed; but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land. 37:9
But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy peace and prosperity. 37:11
The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous give generously; Those the Lord blesses will inherit the land, but those he curses will be destroyed. 37:21-2
Wrongdoers will be completely destroyed; the offspring of the wicked will perish. The righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it forever. 37:28-9
Hope in the Lord and keep his way. He will exalt you to inherit the land. 37:34
This shortened version of Psalm 37 could be read at an Al-Jamuah and a Shabbat table:
“Do not fret because of the wicked; nor be envious of wrongdoers,
for they will soon wither like grass, and fade like green herbs.
Trust in the Lord, and do good; so you will live in the land, and enjoy security.
Be patient and wait for the Lord; do not be vexed by the prosperous who scheme
Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him who will act.
God will make your vindication shine like light, and the justice of your cause like noonday.
Be still before the Lord, wait patiently for him; do not fret over those who prosper in their way,
Over those who carry out evil devices… but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land. Yet a little while, and the wicked will be gone; look diligently but they will not be there.
But the meek shall inherit the land, and delight in abundant well being.
The wicked borrow, and do not pay back, but the righteous are generous and keep giving;
for those blessed by God shall inherit the land; but those cursed by God shall be cut off.
Depart from evil, and do good; so you shall abide forever.
For the Lord loves justice; and will not forsake his faithful ones.
The righteous shall be kept safe forever, but the children of the wicked shall be cut off.
The righteous shall inherit the land, and live in it forever.
Wait for the Lord, keep God’s way, God will exalt you to inherit the land;
and you will look on the destruction of the wicked.
The rescue of the righteous is from the Lord who is their refuge in a time of trouble.
The Lord helps them and rescues them; rescues them from the wicked,
and saves them, because they take refuge in God.”
Islam claims the Psalms are God’s direct words and not just the inspired words of Prophet David; but they are written as though they were addressed to Allah. Indeed, the varied personalities of God’s human prophets from Prophets Noah and Abraham down to Prophets John and Jesus play a much larger role in the Bible than in the Qur’an. The great variety of human emotions expressed in different Psalms are explained by the great Bible commentator Rabbi Abraham Ibn Ezra in his Psalms commentary on the supplication plea in Psalms 82:8 “Arise, O Lord, judge the earth…” as a prayer by the poet himself, or on behalf of those who cry out against injustice, or he may be speaking prophetically” All these perspectives are correct depending on the particular circumstances. Many of the Psalms are prayers and supplications to God that King David prayed in times of trouble. Other psalms contain good advice, showing the way of true happiness through virtue and the fulfillment of God’s commandments (see Psalms 37, 89, 101, 105).
A good example of another psalm beside Psalm 37, that connects Judaism, Christianity and Islam is Psalm 19; which refers us to the three ways of learning about God. The first six verses of Psalm 19 speak about God’s creation of the world of nature. The next five verses (7-11) speak about God’s revelations for the spiritual/moral world of believers: Torah for Jews, Injil for Christians and Qur’an for Muslims. The last three verses (12-14) speak about each believer’s personal inward spiritual, moral and religious experiences and commitments.
For the director of music. A psalm of David.
1 The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
2 Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they reveal knowledge.
3 Transmitting speechlessly, radiating wordlessly;
no sound is heard from them.
4 Yet their message goes out to all the earth,
heir words to the ends of the world. In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun.
5 Who is like a bridegroom coming out of his Huppah {wedding tent),
like a champion rejoicing to run his course.
6 Rises at one end of the heavens
and makes its (solar) circuit to the other;
nothing is deprived of its warmth.
7 The Torah of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul.
The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.
8 The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes.
9 The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever.
The decrees of the Lord are firm, and all of them are righteous.
10 They are more precious than gold, than pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey, than honey from a honeycomb.
11 By them your servant is warned; in keeping them there is great reward.
12 But who can discern their own errors?
Forgive my hidden faults.
13 Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me.
Then I will be blameless, innocent of great transgression.
14 May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart
be pleasing in your sight O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.
So as the Qur’an states: “Surely, those who believe, and those who are Jews, and Sabians, and Christians; whosoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, and does works of righteousness, on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve.” (5:69)
Metaphors are used very frequently throughout the Hebrew Bible, especially in the Zabur of Prophet David; where Psalm 87 foresees Mount Zion as Holy for the Three Abrahamic Religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Psalm 87 also adumbrated a future peaceful joint tenancy of Israelis and Palestinians in the Holy Land.
Psalm 87 is one of the eleven Psalms 42—49, 84, 85, 87, and 88 written by three repentant descendants of Korah, the leader of a rebellion against Moses and God (Torah Numbers 16:1-35 and Qur’an Al-Qasas 28: 76-83). Samuel the prophet was one of Korah’s repentant descendants at the time of King David (1 Chronicles 6:31-39). Korah is mentioned in the Qur’an (28:76-83) by the name of Qarun (Arabic: قارون ) as very wealthy and arrogant. He credited all his wealth to his own knowledge instead of to Allah and rebelled against Prophets Moses and Aaron..
Psalm 87 has often been considered a difficult to understand Psalm; because until our own generation the events it foresees were unknown. In the Hebrew Bible all human beings are categorized as being either Jews [the only monotheist ongoing community during that twelve hundred year period] or Gentiles [non Jewish polytheists]. Psalm 87 foresees a distant future when two peoples [Israelis and Palestinians] share the Holy Land; and three religions [Judaism, Christianity and Islam}share the holy sites around Mount Zion.
Here is my translation and Tafsir of Psalm 87. By Korah’s descendants: A Psalm. A Song.
1 On the holy mount stands the city he [Prophet David or God] founded;
2 the Lord loves the gates of Zion more than all the (mundane) dwellings of Jacob.
3 Glorious things are spoken of you, O city of God.
4 Among those who know me (God) I mention Rahab and Babylon;
Philistia too, and Tyre, with Sudan/Ethiopia (5 individual polytheistic nations)
“This one was born there,” they (each) say.
5 And of Zion it shall be said (in the future): “This one and that one were born in it”; for the Most High himself will establish it.
6 The Lord records, as He registers (all) the peoples, (saying of all humans)
“This one was born there.”
7 Singers and dancers alike say: “All my springs are in you.”
First notice that the name “Jerusalem” which occurs 660 times in the Hebrew Bible does not occur in Psalm 87. Jerusalem existed as a pagan city for centuries before King David conquered it a decade or two after 1,000 BCE, when it became known as the City of David. The City of David covers only about 15 acres on Mount Zion one of the several hills of Jerusalem. In the historical account of the Biblical Book of Samuel, after the death of Saul (Arabic: Talut), David (Arabic: Dawud) was made king of the entire nation of Israel (i.e., all twelve tribes), and led his army to capture the city of Jerusalem from the pagan Jebusites (2 Samuel 5: 6-7). Upon winning the city, Prophet David “…took up residence in a fortress and called it the City of David… He became more and more powerful, because the Lord God Almighty was with him” (Bible, 2 Samuel 5:9–10).
King David was a pious and passionate warrior like many of Prophet Muhammad’s closest companions. God made David —whose name appears in the Quran sixteen times, in nine different sûrahs— a “vicegerent” (khalîfa in Q 38:26), a title that the Quran otherwise gives only to Adam (Q 2:30): “O David! We did indeed make you a vicegerent [khalîfah] on earth: so judge between men in truth [and justice]…” [38:26] This is why Psalm 87:1 begins with a reference to King David as a political leader khalifah agent of God who turned a pagan city into a holy site.
The phrase “City of David” (Hebrew: עיר דוד, Ir David; Arabic: مدينة داوود, Madinah Dawud) is used for ancient Jerusalem and Mount Zion 45 times in the Hebrew/Jewish Bible. The Hebrew word for mountain is in the plural in Psalm 87:1 so it applies not only to Prophet Solomon’s Temple site; but to all the holy sites of Jews, Christians and Muslims in the Holy Land, including: the Al-Aqsa Mosque and Golgotha, which in Aramaic means “skull hill”. Christians often refer to the crucifixion site as Mount Calvary.
The last four verses declare that while now nations identify themselves with their geographical homeland saying: Rahab (a symbol for Egypt) and Babylon, Philistia and Tyre, with Sudan-Ethiopia saying “This one [myself] was born there (and there and there),”. Yet sometime in the future there will be a peaceful joint tenancy of Israelis and Palestinians in the Holy Land: “And of Zion it shall be said: ‘This one AND that one were [each] born in it” so in the future: “The Lord records, as he registers the [future] peoples: “This one was born there.” for all monotheists [Jews, Christians and Muslims] are spiritually also born there [in the Holy Land]. This is not a merger of peoples because each people (community) retain its own culture and religion, yet they are transformed from two separate gloves into one pair of gloves; just as singers and dancers are very different but both can share the same music.
The book of Psalms closes with Psalm 150:1–6: “Praise the Lord! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens! Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness! Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp! Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe! Praise him with sounding cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals! Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!”
Վիրավորական արտահայտությունների հեղինակները անմիջապես կարգելափակվեն առանց զգուշացման։
— Robert Ananyan (@robananyan) December 19, 2023
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