Sign 3 of 12 · Animals · Qur'an 7:40
A camel through a needle's eye
The same proverb, and the same debate, in two scriptures.
Signs · A camel through a needle's eye
The Qur'an says the arrogant will not enter Paradise “until a camel passes through the eye of a needle” (7:40). Jesus (peace be upon him) uses the same proverb: “it is easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye, than for a rich man to enter into God's Kingdom” (Matthew 19:24, WEB).
A shared puzzle. A reading attributed to Ibn ʿAbbās gives jummal, a thick ship's rope, instead of jamal, camel. Christian commentators discuss a Greek “rope” reading too.
Pause and ponder
Look again. What else have you looked past?
Wonder, not proof: we never say a verse “predicted” science. Why not? · Science: Biology · Index entry F07
