The story of John the Baptist also brings out that the Jews actually did kill some of their prophets.

Also the Gospel says: “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee” (Matthew xxiii, 37).  Matthew xxiii, 34-35 and Luke xi, 51 refer to the murder of Zachariah.

 

The story of the crimes and malpractices in Jewish history is well documented in their own book Bible.^[3]

 

Obviously it raises many questions in a thinking mind of present day. The State of Israel is apparently the dominant force in the Middle East and has inflicted very crushing and ignoble defeat on the combined forces of Muslims of the area. Albert Einstein, the greatest physicist and genius of the twentieth century was a Jew. How-come? Does the ayah refer only to the Jews of the seventh century ? Or does it apply to their present generation as well? How can the children born today of Jewish parents be responsible for crimes committed by their ancestors centuries ago? Does this not cut through basic principles of Justice, a core principle in Islam? How do we interact with Jews: our neighbors, friends, classmates, teammates, colleagues etc. What to make of the frequent inter-faith meetings between Jews and Muslims in many Western countries? Are these just eyewash or even hypocrisy? Let us consult the Islamic scholarship available to find the answers.

 

In addition to the index ayah, the following ayah clarifies that Allah had made it very clear to the Jews through Sayyidna Moosa that if they continued to be disobedient they would always have to live under the domination of other nations:^[4]

“Behold! thy Lord did declare that He would send against them, to the Day of Judgment, those who would afflict them with grievous penalty. Thy Lord is quick in retribution, but He is also Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful”.

 

Note here the clear statement “to the Day of Judgment.” I feel this is a crucial declaration for the overall assessment of the situation. The Jews are warned here by God Almighty that they will always be dominated by people who would inflict terrible tragedies on them.

 

Allaamaa Yousuf Ali tells us that the Jews have been warned about it much earlier in the fifth book of the Old Testament, Deuteronomy:

“A curse if ye will not obey the commandments of the Lord your God but turn aside out of the way I command you this day”; Deut. 11:28

 “The Lord shall bring a nation against thee from afar, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flieth; a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand”; Deut. 28:49

 

Maulana Maudoodi has summarised this history succinctly: “Since the 8th century B.C. the Israelites were warned consistently. This is borne out by the contents of the Books of the Prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, and their successors. Jesus too administered the same warning which is borne out by many of his orations in the New Testament, This was also later confirmed by the Qur’an. History bears out the veracity of the statement made both in the Qur’an and the earlier scriptures. For throughout history, since the time the Jews were warned, they have continually been subjected to abject persecution in one part of the world or another”.

 

Mufti Mohammed Shafi points out that “One form of disgrace is that temporal power has been taken away from for ever”. Imam Islahi and research scholar and mentor Javed Ahmed Ghamdi have echoed similar opinions; this opinion is based on the Quranic ayahs quoted here. It is also supported by the companions and great commentators. Ibn Khatir has reported: “No matter how wealthy they grow, they will always be despised by other people; whoever gets  hold of them will  humiliate them and attach to them the emblem of servitude”. The commentator Dahhak Ibn Muzahim reports from the blessed companion Abdullah ibn Abbas that the Jews will always remain under the domination of others, will be paying taxes and tributes to them – that is to say they themselves never have power and authority  in the real sense of the term.

 

Most of the Muslims of my generation were greatly disturbed and puzzled on the creation of the state of Israel. It appeared to us to go entirely against the predictions of the Holy Quran as we understood. The following ayah exposes our ignorance:^[5]

 

 

After repeating and recounting the evil doings of Bani Israel, this ayah allows them a respite under two circumstances: “save (where they grasp) a rope from Allah and a rope from men”. This “rope” is variously translated by mufassirs as “covenant (of protection), seek protection and a bond” of God or people. To gain your confidence, I will allow Mufti Mohammed Shafi to elaborate: “Now, the rope or means from Allah refers to the case of those whom Allah Himself has, through His own command saved them from disgrace – for example children, women or those who are totally devoted to prayer and worship and never go to war against Muslims. The rope or means  from men refers to a treaty of peace with the Muslims, or  a permission to live in a Muslim country on payment of Jizya. Since the holy Quran uses the expression “from men” and not “from Muslims” a third situation is also possible – the Jews make political arrangements with other non-Muslims, live under their backing  and protection, and thus be in peace.

 

Thus the apparent anomaly of the creation of the State of Israel is fully resolved. It was born in the UNO on the votes of three fourth of humanity— all of them non-Muslim. There were some delivery problems at the UNO. But the zionists could not wait for the official decision. Giving advance notice of its irresponsible

and rogue behaviour, the state unilaterally and audaciously declared its own inauguration. With the strong financial support of America, it is a heavy weight now in the Middle East. I do not intend to drag  politics in this already difficult discussion but I would like to state I do not agree with “Israel is not an independent sovereign state, but only a stronghold of the Western powers which they have established in the midst of Muslim countries in order to protect their own interests”. Yes, this is all true; yet Israel is independently following its own agenda and has the power to back it up.

 

The following three ayahs of the Quran highlight the other side of the story, acclaiming and admiring the Jews:^[6]
“Not all of them are alike: Of the People of the Book are a portion that stand (For the right): They rehearse the Signs of God all night long, and they prostrate themselves1 in adoration. They believe in God and the Last Day; they enjoin what is right, and forbid what is wrong; and they hasten (in emulation) in (all) good works: They are in the ranks of the righteous. Of the good that they do, nothing will be rejected of them; for God knoweth well those that do right”..

 

A section of the Jews are praised in the last ayah of the same surah:^[7]
“And there are, certainly, among the People of the Book, those who believe in God, in the revelation to you, and in the revelation to them, bowing in humility to God. They will not sell the Signs of God for a miserable gain! For them is a reward with their Lord, and God is swift in account”.

 

What to make of these ayahs? Maulana Mufti Mohammed Shafi makes a blanket statement “And by becoming Muslims…..and embracing Islam they developed the characteristics of Muslims”. Imam Amin Ahsan Islahi is more discreet. He opines that some of this group of Jews had taken their oath on the Holy Prophet; and there were others who did not but were true momins within; ultimately, he adds all of them embraced Islam. Dr. Mohammad Asad, Allaamaa Yousuf Ali and Maulana Maudoodi have no comments on this ayah. What does a PPK Muslim like me make of this ayah? I am reminded at this point of the ayah that immediately follows the index ayah in the Quran:^[8]

 

 

Thus there are many facets to the assessment of Israel/Jews problem of today. I feel we have to open our eyes wide and deep to comprehend the problem fully.

 

I would venture to say that the prevailing attitude and sentiments for the present day Jews in the present day Muslim Ummah is against the directive of our Holy Text or very controversial at best. It is governed by the facts and realities of the seventh century. There seems to be an underlying suppressed—expressed from time to time—grudge and animosity against the Jews. Worst still, this attitude is referred to the Quran. They are treated as anti-Muslim, persistently trying to manipulate and maneuver against Muslims and their interest. Every loss and mishap of Muslims is deflected to them. Why did Muslims rise against their caliph Usman: Jewish conspiracy; the Muslim scholar Dr. Israel has even quoted his name. Why did Tariq bin Zaid attacked Spain: Jewish conspiracy. Why did Protestants parted from the mainstream: Jewish conspiracy. Why did bank interest became so prevalent: Jewish conspiracy. Why do Jews dominate the banking system: Jewish conspiracy. Why are Muslims divided and fighting each other: Jewish conspiracy. “Yahood and Hunood” are responsible for all the ailments of the Muslims of the sub-continent; they themselves are simply poor helpless targets. As I have stated this approach is debatable; not supported by the ayahs under discussion here. If a Jew or a group of Jews or the nation of Jews do a good deed Allah Ta’aala Subhaanahoo will reward them as per HIS widely announced principles, practice and Sunnah. The ayahs quoted hitherto support this view and the hard facts on the ground prove it.

 

The research scholar and mentor Javed Ahmed Ghamdi has clearly and beautifully clarified the history and pattern of Divine revelations. Initially the sunnate Ilahi was to send a messenger for each nation (qaum) directly; there are about one hundred and twenty four thousand of them. But after the appointment of Prophet Ibrahim, HE in HIS utter wisdom has transformed HIS style. He has declared that nabuwat will be restricted now onwards to the progeny of Ibrahim through two lines. One, through Ishaq and Yaqoob ie Bani Israel. They were located in Qan’aan which includes Jerusalem. There followed an uninterrupted succession of Prophets for Bani Israel, starting with two at the same time—Moosa and Haroon— and ending with simultaneously two—Issa and Yahya. Second line, through Ismael, the Bani Ismael. They were assigned to the Hejaz with the harem-e-Kaa’ba. The Quran is on record that the Bani Israel was blessed with “noor and huda” and enjoyed the role of the first Ummate Muslimah. They were later deposed of this position because of their disgraceful deeds and behaviour and condemned to a perpetual role subordination. They were destined to be ruled by others and suffer humiliation and dishonor. Despite being the oldest of the Ibrahimic faiths they number only seventeen million out of a world population of eight billion. The Bani Isamel were installed as the new leaders of the Ummate Muslimah signaled probably by the transfer of the Qibla from the Great Musjid in Jerusalem to the Kaa’ba in Hejaz. Dr. Israr Ahmed labels the shifting of the Qibla  as the coronation of this event. Do these facts have any  role in deciding the “ownership” of Palestine?

 

In the rest of the article, I have discussed some papers that appear to highlight the flip side of the widely prevalent view on the present Muslim-Israel/Jews tussle. According to the popular and prevalent mindset, the writers of these articles may or will be labelled as Israeli “agents”. May be; may be not. I am not concerned with them or their loyalties. I have concentrated on what they are saying and why and analyse the ayahs they have quoted. I feel this exercise will help us to crystallize our ideas on this hot issue.

 

Saied Shoaaib, a Muslim writer and researcher, specializing in Islamic movements focusses on this issue in his article dated January 15, 2018 The Quran Says Jerusalem Belongs to the Jews. No wonder it found its place on the platform of the Gatestone Institute, a think tank known for its right-wing anti Muslim stance.  However the writer makes his case with Quranic ayahs giving cross references to the surah and ayah numbers and presents a balanced view (In addition to the link, I have reproduced this short piece in my footnotes). He asserts “Quranic passages clearly illustrate the Jews’ imperative to enter the land of Israel” quoting Quranic ayahs as the basis. All of these ayahs refer to the directives of Prophet Moses to enter the Holy Land. He further notes that “there is a consensus of interpretation among the most respected Sunni and Shiite Muslim scholars of past centuries — such as Al-Tabari, Al-Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir, Ibn Abi Zayd, Mahmud al-Alusi, Al-Baghawi — that, according to the Quran, God gave to the Jews the land from the Nile to the Euphrates, territory that includes not only Jerusalem and Palestine, but a large part of Egypt and Iraq, and all of Jordan, Syria and Lebanon”.

 

There is no issue with the writer up-till now. But he has failed to mention later ayahs of the Quran which have deposed the Bani Israel from this privileged position and possession and replaced them with Bani Ismael.

 

In fairness to the writer I must quote his conclusion “This is not to say that because the land of Israel was a divine gift to the Jews, they therefore have all rights to it. On the contrary, no future peace between Israelis and Palestinians, both of whom reside there, will or should be determined by scripture”.

 

Dr. Qanta A. Ahmed, MD, a British American Muslim, author of “In the Land of Invisible”, Woman member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and Next Generation Council Member of the University of Southern California’s Shoah Foundation Institute for Visual History and Education @MissDiagnosis has published an article in the The Times of Israel  Jerusalem belongs to the Jews: An Islamic truth.

 

She has a very interesting quote from historian Simon Sebag Montefiore in his 2011 book, Jerusalem: The Biography about this city. He describes the city as “the house of one God, the capital of two peoples, the temple of three religions, and she is the only city to exist twice — in heaven and on earth.”

 

The writer is speaking “as a believing Muslim observing Islam” and asserts  “I am compelled by the Quran to support Israel’s sole claim to the Holy Land; the Quran says it is so”. The subheading to her piece says “In denying Jewish ties to the land of Israel, Islamists defy the Quran and cultivate a genocidal anti-Semitism”. Her personal and political views are not relevant to us at this moment. However she is quoting the Quran as one of our sisters in Islam needing, therefore our close attention. Notably, she does not give references for the ayahs; however these are very familiar ones.

 

She states “The 80,000-word document 1.6 billion Muslims accept as the revealed word of God, the Quran, is categorical about the destiny of Israel and the people who can claim its ownership” and quotes the relevant ayah. No issue here. But then she adds “Nowhere does the Quran make mention of the Muslims’ claim to the Holy Land. Instead, God reveals in the Quran that The Holy Land is designated for the followers of Moses”. She further down mentions “It is this Islamic truth that political Islamists vehemently deny”.

 

Ignoring her views on the present political reality vis-a-vis “Islamism” and “anti-semitism”, I would like to present to you some of her pertinent statements:

“It is these convulsions that have shaped the global outcry against Jerusalem’s destiny as Israel’s capital. This outcry is not confined to Muslims but is spread throughout the wider world, as many glorify Islamists as a persecuted religious minority rather than the totalitarians they are”.

She laments “Muslims in fervent anti-Semitism have abandoned all memory of what is confirmed as beloved and revered to us — the Torah and its followers, Moses and his message, and God’s own promise to his followers of sanctuary in a Promised Land. This renunciation of what the Quran tells Muslims is an incontestable truth today. Theological destiny for the Jews is at the root of the Middle East conflict; whether as Jews it is pursued, or by Muslims, it is denied”.

She comes out with a challenging declaration “The Israel-Palestinian conflict is neither about politics nor Zionism, neither about borders nor land or water. It is not even about the fate of statehood for the Palestinians. It is about the central denial of an Islamic truth: the denial that the Jews are indeed People of the Book, that their path to God is divine and righteous, and that they are indeed, by divine writ, the inheritors of the Holy Land”.

She has quoted Professor Khaleel Mohammed, professor of Religion at San Diego State University and member of SDSU’s Center for Islamic and Arabic Studies as writing “that the Quran decrees that the Holy Land is destined for the Jewish people”.

I see some truth in her strong announcement “Cosmic anti-Semitism (anti-Semitism pursued as a divine mission to combat a cosmic, not mortal, enemy) is kingpin to Islamist ideology. Islamism – a political totalitarianism masquerading as Islam – religionizes anti-Semitism, rendering the hatred of Jews as religious creed and perverse marker of devotion among Islamists today. In doing so, Muslims add to the ferocity and fanaticism of anti-Semitism, granting it dangerous –if false — religious legitimacy”.

 

Thus Dr. Qanta, like Saied Shoaaib says that our Holy Text has declared that Bani Israel were allotted Canaan (which includes Palestine) as their base. As I have stated earlier, no issue here with these writers. Both these writers, however do not read ahead when the Jews were deposed from this position because of their deeds described by the eminent scholar Sayyid Qutb as: “No other nation in history has shown more intransigence and obstinacy than the Jews. They viciously and mercilessly killed and mutilated a number of prophets and messengers. They have over the centuries displayed the most extreme attitudes towards God, and towards their own religion and people”.

 

The second point which the Dr. has pinpointed out is real and intriguing: a palpable and widespread feelings against the Jews in the Muslim Ummah which forces Muslims to hypocrisy and double standards specially in the Western world. The great scholar Sayyid Qutb echoes a similar view “The war the Jews began to wage against Islam and Muslims in those early days has raged on to the present day. The form and appearance may have changed, but the nature and means remain the same”.

 

As proof for her second point, she states:

The Hamas charter asserts that “the Islamic Resistance Movement [i.e. Hamas] regards Palestine as an Islamic Waqf consecrated for future generations until Judgment Day.” A waqf is a religious endowment bestowed by God. Consequently, “neither it, nor any part of it, should be squandered: Neither it, nor any part of it, should be given up. Neither a single Arab country nor all Arab countries, neither any king or president, nor all the kings and presidents, neither any organization nor all of them, be they Palestinian or Arab, possess the right to do that. Palestine is an Islamic Waqf land consecrated for Muslim generations until Judgment Day.” This charter is not unique: Apparently it represents a mainstream view among Muslims today.

Some hadith predict that at the end of the world, in the words of Ibn Kathir, “the Jews will support the Dajjal (false messiah), and the Muslims, along with ‘Isa [Jesus], son of Mary, will kill the Jews.” The idea that the end times will be marked by Muslims killing Jews comes from Muhammad himself—according to another hadith— who said, according to a hadith, “The Hour will not be established until you fight with the Jews, and the stone behind which a Jew will be hiding will say: ‘O Muslim! There is a Jew hiding behind me, so kill him.”

On March 30, 2007, Hamas spokesman Ismail Radwan said on Palestinian Authority television:

The Hour [resurrection] will not take place until the Muslims fight the Jews and the Muslims kill them, and the rock and the tree will say: “Oh, Muslim, servant of God, there is a Jew behind me, kill him!

 

This article reminds us that the relationship between the Muslim Ummah and the Children of Israel and other non-Muslims calls for some serious re-evaluation. This is all the more imperative in the pluralistic world order of today. The previous Muslim world view of Darul Islam and Darul Harb is not only archaic but extremely counter protective for we Muslims. We are sharing history with the Jews and therefore our conversation should be round the family table as Abrahamic brothers around our scriptures. More importantly we share a common humanity.

 

Muhammad Al-Hussaini, fellow and lecturer in Islamic Studies at Leo Baeck Rabbinical College, London. has published a paper in the Middle East Quarterly in the Fall 2009:

“The Qur’an’s Covenant with the Jewish People; Claims to the Holy Land”

 

The writer has asked certain questions and made certain statements. I feel they should be answered in any honest discussion of the problem we are analyzing here. He says

“Beyond that, although the Jews come in for severe criticism in the works of Muslim apologists and theologians, there are no grounds in religious law to entertain the conceit that God’s promise to the Children of Israel has been broken, and none to support the view that Israel is now the property of the Muslims .

“Illustrative of the powerful ambivalences and loose ends in Islamic interpretation is the Qur’anic commentary on the verse in Surat al-Ma ‘ida (Qur’an 5:21) concerning the Israelite settlement of the Holy Land,:“O my people! Enter the holy land which God hath assigned unto you, and turn not back ignominiously, for then will ye be overthrown, to your own ruin”. He then adds “It is necessary to stand this interpretation against the faulty equation that the anti-Jewish critique in the Qur’an cancels out all Jewish legal, religious, and property rights under Islamic law”.

He rightly maintains that

“Historically there have been two broad approaches to commentary on the Qur’an. One is to use received oral sayings of the Prophet and his Companions to interpret the text. The other is the application of reason as a tool for understanding Scripture. With the battles of the ninth century between the traditionalist Sunni party and the rationalist Mu’tazila school of thought, in which Sunnism emerged victorious, oral tradition became the primary instrument for the interpretation and explanation of Holy Writ. In the particular case of legal questions, there is an unbending consensus that prevents anyone from expressing disagreement with a ruling based on the recorded texts of oral tradition”.

“But nowhere at any point does this classical commentator (Tabari) or any other dare to pretend an Islamic-Arab juristic claim upon the Holy Land” he confidently challenges.

Regarding interfaith relationship he states

“In Britain, however, this approach has been taken out of the ivory towers and onto the streets of Muslim communities, resulting in the historic achievement of the first fatwa (religious edict) in modern times issued in 2007 by senior Islamic authorities, giving sanction for lay Muslims to meet with Jews and Christians for interfaith dialogue and frank debate around their sacred texts. Thus a powerful instrument has emerged for the novel exploration of hitherto closed interpretative questions of Muslim relationships with other peoples and faiths—including those of the Middle East conflict”.

 

Like Dr. Qanta, he also declares

“At the same time, Muslims need to recognize the extent to which a vacuum has been created by the absence of any explicit Qur’anic counterclaim to the Holy Land. This missing concept has been filled instead with Judeophobia—the popular demonization of the Jewish people, embraced as a substitute for the lack of a heavenly eviction order”.

 

All these three writers are pointing out that the the Muslim claim on this holy city is not corroborated directly by our Holy Text. As far as I know, this seems to be correct. The Quran has not mentioned at all the name of Jerusalem. We agree with these three writers that the Quran had installed the Bani Israel in Jerusalem. These three halt here. We would like to point out to them that they were deposed by the same Quran later on.

 

Lastly, Alper Bilgili, a Turkish Muslim writer has written a piece Chosen or Cursed: What does the Quran say about the Jews?  I would like to share with you some interesting facts that he has mentioned.

He has referred to a recent manifesto^[10] by 250 French intellectuals including some prominent figures who hold the teachings of the Quran responsible for the recent anti-Semitic attacks in France and strongly recommended that Muslims denounce the verses of the Quran which they claim motivate Muslims to kill Jews. They declared that “Muslim anti-Semitism” is a more serious threat than “Islamophobia”. He also reminds that new atheist thinkers like Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris also blame Quranic teachings for terrorist attacks in the West.

 

He then very rightly rejects this accusation. Muslims’ actions are often not motivated by the Quran; Terrorists, who supposedly act in the name of Islam, are typically ignorant of the Quran; and the Quran (4;140) wants Muslims to leave those who ridicule God and religion alone as a protest, and imposes no worldly punishment for those who ridicule Islam.

 

Alper then browses the Quran giving cross references to ayah to highlight Quranic messages on this topic^[11]: no race and no peoples are ontologically superior to others — it  (49:11) warns believers against belittling other people groups — when Jews are criticized or praised in the Quran it is based entirely on their actions, not their race or religion —  the Quran holds that God has bestowed His favor on the Jews and  criticizes Jews for their wrongdoings — Jews are criticized, but again just for their actions which are enumerated in the article by numbered ayahs —  Jews are criticized in their own scriptures, the Hebrew Bible for similar reasons — the Quran affirms the righteousness of both Jews and Christians — like Muslims, Jews who believe in God and perform good deeds will be rewarded. Please note, the writer quotes a numbered ayah for each of these statements.

 

After making his case that Jews are cursed not because of their race but because of their actions, Alper comes out with a challenging statement:  “As long as they perform good deeds, God keeps helping the Jews in this world and promises to reward them in the Hereafter”. This is a million dollar question which I think and hope I have answered in our present discussion.

 

The writer then illustrates from the Quran^[12] that taking Jews as friends is not prohibited.

 

Lastly, the writer digs into the Quran^[13] to demonstrate that Quran does not give Muslims permission to punish Jews for their action. On the contrary, in the Quran  Prophet Muhammad is commanded to forgive wrongdoers and to tolerate them. God, according to the Quran will judge their actions in the Hereafter. This again is part of the million dollar question about the Jews in the post Prophet Mohammed era. Do they also stand cursed and condemned or will they be judged by their own actions in the Hereafter.

 

The Virtual Jewish Library has about eighty three ayahs in their article Islam: References to Jews in the Koran“  quoting the numbers of the surah and ayah. The messages that they read as intense are highlighted. There are no comments recorded. It provides a good list for reference.^[14]

 

 

……..and Allah knows best.

May Allah Ta’aala bless us with true understanding–“fahm”–of our Deen, Aameen.

 

Dr. Khalid Mitha