Dr. Muzammil H. Siddiqi
This article was written as a response to the following question:
Sir, I am a Jew and in reading the Qur'an, I find that it is very harsh in
its criticism of the Jewish people. For example in Chapter 5: 60-64 I see that
Jewish people are called as those whom Allah has cursed, is angry with them and
has turned them into apes and swine. This is very offensive and it sounds outright
anti-Semitic. How do you explain this? Anticipating your answer please! In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
Sir, we appreciate your question and your efforts in pursuit of knowledge and
that is what everybody, irrespective of his religion, is required to do.
As regards your question, "Anti-Semitism means condemning and hating a people
because of their Semitic race. Anti-Semitism is bigotry and racism. It is wrong
and it has no place in Islam or in Islamic scripture. The Qur'ân does not
allow hate against any race, nationality or color. Throughout the history of Islam,
Muslims have never used passages from the Qur'ân to justify acts of anti-Semitism.
The ill-effects of racism, including ethnic cleaning, genocide and Holocaust,
which has been suffered by Jews and non-Jews alike over the past several centuries,
has never been done under the banner of any passages from the Qur'ân. Jews
were among the earliest converts to Islam (in Madinah) and, throughout the Middle
Ages, Jews found sanctuary to practice their own religion under Islamic rule.
It is truly disappointing and naive to ignore 1430 years of history and learned
discourse on the Qur'ân and argue that the current political situation in
the Middle East has its roots in passages from the Qur'ân.
As with all scriptures, passages from the Qur'ân must be read within the
proper context. The Qur'ân was not just revealed to Muslims, but to all
people, including Jews and Christians. Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be
upon him, was in the line of previous Prophets of Allah, including Prophets Abraham,
Moses and Jesus, and the Qur'ân is in the line of previous scriptures revealed
by Allah. The Qur'ân does not condemn the Semitic race and, in fact, accords
Jews a special status given their shared Prophetic traditions with Islam.
The Qur'ân instead criticizes those Jews who turned away from Allah's authentic
message and admonishes those who scorned and ridiculed Prophet Muhammad, peace
and blessings be upon him, and the message of the Qur'ân. Such criticism
is similar to the criticism against Jews found in other scriptures, including
the Bible, and should be taken by all people as a reminder and warning against
forsaking and straying from the authentic message of Allah. Such specific criticism
has never been interpreted by learned scholars of the Qur'ân to incite hatred
against all Jewish people and should not be confused with anti-Semitism.
The Qur'an speaks extensively about the Children of Israel (Banû Isrâ'îl)
and recognizes that the Jews (a-Yahûd) are, according to lineage, descendants
of Prophet Abraham through his son Isaac and grandson Jacob, peace and blessings
be upon them all. They were chosen by Allah for a mission:
"And
We chose them, purposely, above (all) creatures." [Sûrah al-Dukhân:
32] Allah raised among them many Prophets and bestowed upon them what He
had not bestowed upon many others: "And (remember) when Musa said unto his
people:
O my people ! Remember Allah's favor unto you, how
He placed among you Prophets, and He made you Kings, and gave you that (which)
He gave not to any (other) of (His) creatures." [Sûrah al-Mâ'idah:
20] He, also, exalted them over other nations of the earth and granted
them many favors
: "O Children of Israel! Remember My
favor wherewith I favored you and how I preferred you to (all) creatures."
[Sûrah al-Baqarah: 47]
Passages from the Qur'an which criticize the Jews fall primarily into two categories:
First, the Qur'an speaks of how some of the Children of Israel turned away from
the authentic message revealed to them. They disobeyed Allah and showed ingratitude
for Allah's favors on them. They lost the original Tawrat (Torah) and introduced
their own words and interpretations in the divine books. They became arrogant
and claimed that they were Allah's children and went about vaunting their position
as His most chosen people
[Sûrah al-Nisâ':155;
Sûrah al-Mâ'idah:13,18]. They also brazenly committed sins
and their rabbis and priests did not stop them from doing so
[Sûrah
all-Mâ'idah: 63, 79). Allah raised His Prophet, Jesus, among them
so that he might show them several miracles and thereby guide them to the right
path, but they rejected him, attempted to kill him, and even claimed that they
had indeed killed him although they had not been able to do so
[Sûrah
al-Nisa': 157-158]. Allah specifically addresses the Children of Israel
in many of these passages. This is important, because it shows that the message
of the Qur'an was intended for all people, including the Jews, and the criticism
was directed against a specific group of people for their specific actions. This
criticism should be distinguished from cursing people merely because of their
race.
Second, the criticism of the Jews which is found in passages including those you
referenced from
[Sûrah al-Mâ'idah: 60-64] .
These verses criticize the Jews and Christians who ridiculed Prophet Muhammad,
peace and blessings be upon him, and his message. They made mockery and sport
of his call to prayer, and they rebuked him even though he was calling them to
believe in what Allah revealed to him and to what was revealed before him through
their own Prophets. They became spiteful towards him and rejected him since he
did not belong to the Children of Israel
[Sûrah al-Baqarah:109;
Sûrah al-Nisâ': 54]. The Qur'ân specifically notes that such criticism is not directed against
all Jews. Even when the Qur'ân criticizes the Jews it always notes that
"among them there are some..." who are pious and righteous people, who
command what is right and forbid what is wrong and try to excel each other in
acts of charity and goodness. The Qur'ân says that such people are assured
that whatever good they will do will not be denied them and they shall receive
their reward with Allah [Sûrah آl `Imrân: 113-115].
Taking a few passages from the Qur'an out of proper historical and textual context
will not give a proper understanding of the religious scripture. This is not only
true of the Qur'ân but also of the Bible. Many passages from the Bible also
criticize the Jews. Read the Hebrew Bible, particularly Micah (Chapter 3:1-12)
and Hosea (Chapter 8:1-14), in which these Prophets condemned the Jews "who
abhor justice and pervert all equity" and who "build Zion with blood
and Jerusalem with wrong." These Prophets cursed Israel as a "useless
vessel among nations," and called for the curse of Allah to "send a
fire upon [Judah's] cities" and to make Jerusalem "a heap of ruins."
Similarly, in the Book of Deuteronomy (Verses 16-68), Moses (Musa) warns the Jews
that Allah "will send upon you curses, confusion, and frustration, in all
that you undertake to do, until you are destroyed and perish quickly, on account
of the evil of your doings, because you have forsaken me" (28: 20). In Matthew
(Chapter 23:13-39), Jesus (`Isa) repeatedly admonishes the Jews for their hypocrisy
and injustice, and condemns them for the killing of past Prophets. Jesus says,
"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, killing the Prophets and stoning those who are sent
to you! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers
her brood under her wings, and you would not! Behold, your house is forsaken and
desolate." It would indeed seem strange if, based on these passages, one
were to argue that the Bible and the Hebrew Prophets were anti-Semitic and called
for the destruction of present-day Israel. Yet, questioning passages from the
Qur'an as anti-Semitic is similarly without merit.
Allah Almighty knows best.
Excerpted, with slight modifications, from: http://pakistanlink.com/religion/2002/0104.html
-->
This article was written as a response to the following question:
Sir, I am a Jew and in reading the Qur'an, I find that it is very harsh in
its criticism of the Jewish people. For example in Chapter 5: 60-64 I see that
Jewish people are called as those whom Allah has cursed, is angry with them and
has turned them into apes and swine. This is very offensive and it sounds outright
anti-Semitic. How do you explain this? Anticipating your answer please!
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
Sir, we appreciate your question and your efforts in pursuit of knowledge and
that is what everybody, irrespective of his religion, is required to do.
As regards your question, "Anti-Semitism means condemning and hating a people
because of their Semitic race. Anti-Semitism is bigotry and racism. It is wrong
and it has no place in Islam or in Islamic scripture. The Qur'ân does not
allow hate against any race, nationality or color. Throughout the history of Islam,
Muslims have never used passages from the Qur'ân to justify acts of anti-Semitism.
The ill-effects of racism, including ethnic cleaning, genocide and Holocaust,
which has been suffered by Jews and non-Jews alike over the past several centuries,
has never been done under the banner of any passages from the Qur'ân. Jews
were among the earliest converts to Islam (in Madinah) and, throughout the Middle
Ages, Jews found sanctuary to practice their own religion under Islamic rule.
It is truly disappointing and naive to ignore 1430 years of history and learned
discourse on the Qur'ân and argue that the current political situation in
the Middle East has its roots in passages from the Qur'ân.
As with all scriptures, passages from the Qur'ân must be read within the
proper context. The Qur'ân was not just revealed to Muslims, but to all
people, including Jews and Christians. Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be
upon him, was in the line of previous Prophets of Allah, including Prophets Abraham,
Moses and Jesus, and the Qur'ân is in the line of previous scriptures revealed
by Allah. The Qur'ân does not condemn the Semitic race and, in fact, accords
Jews a special status given their shared Prophetic traditions with Islam.
The Qur'ân instead criticizes those Jews who turned away from Allah's authentic
message and admonishes those who scorned and ridiculed Prophet Muhammad, peace
and blessings be upon him, and the message of the Qur'ân. Such criticism
is similar to the criticism against Jews found in other scriptures, including
the Bible, and should be taken by all people as a reminder and warning against
forsaking and straying from the authentic message of Allah. Such specific criticism
has never been interpreted by learned scholars of the Qur'ân to incite hatred
against all Jewish people and should not be confused with anti-Semitism.
The Qur'an speaks extensively about the Children of Israel (Banû Isrâ'îl)
and recognizes that the Jews (a-Yahûd) are, according to lineage, descendants
of Prophet Abraham through his son Isaac and grandson Jacob, peace and blessings
be upon them all. They were chosen by Allah for a mission: "And
We chose them, purposely, above (all) creatures." [Sûrah al-Dukhân:
32] Allah raised among them many Prophets and bestowed upon them what He
had not bestowed upon many others: "And (remember) when Musa said unto his
people: O my people ! Remember Allah's favor unto you, how
He placed among you Prophets, and He made you Kings, and gave you that (which)
He gave not to any (other) of (His) creatures." [Sûrah al-Mâ'idah:
20] He, also, exalted them over other nations of the earth and granted
them many favors: "O Children of Israel! Remember My
favor wherewith I favored you and how I preferred you to (all) creatures."
[Sûrah al-Baqarah: 47]
Passages from the Qur'an which criticize the Jews fall primarily into two categories:
First, the Qur'an speaks of how some of the Children of Israel turned away from
the authentic message revealed to them. They disobeyed Allah and showed ingratitude
for Allah's favors on them. They lost the original Tawrat (Torah) and introduced
their own words and interpretations in the divine books. They became arrogant
and claimed that they were Allah's children and went about vaunting their position
as His most chosen people [Sûrah al-Nisâ':155;
Sûrah al-Mâ'idah:13,18]. They also brazenly committed sins
and their rabbis and priests did not stop them from doing so [Sûrah
all-Mâ'idah: 63, 79). Allah raised His Prophet, Jesus, among them
so that he might show them several miracles and thereby guide them to the right
path, but they rejected him, attempted to kill him, and even claimed that they
had indeed killed him although they had not been able to do so [Sûrah
al-Nisa': 157-158]. Allah specifically addresses the Children of Israel
in many of these passages. This is important, because it shows that the message
of the Qur'an was intended for all people, including the Jews, and the criticism
was directed against a specific group of people for their specific actions. This
criticism should be distinguished from cursing people merely because of their
race.
Second, the criticism of the Jews which is found in passages including those you
referenced from [Sûrah al-Mâ'idah: 60-64] .
These verses criticize the Jews and Christians who ridiculed Prophet Muhammad,
peace and blessings be upon him, and his message. They made mockery and sport
of his call to prayer, and they rebuked him even though he was calling them to
believe in what Allah revealed to him and to what was revealed before him through
their own Prophets. They became spiteful towards him and rejected him since he
did not belong to the Children of Israel [Sûrah al-Baqarah:109;
Sûrah al-Nisâ': 54].
The Qur'ân specifically notes that such criticism is not directed against
all Jews. Even when the Qur'ân criticizes the Jews it always notes that
"among them there are some..." who are pious and righteous people, who
command what is right and forbid what is wrong and try to excel each other in
acts of charity and goodness. The Qur'ân says that such people are assured
that whatever good they will do will not be denied them and they shall receive
their reward with Allah [Sûrah آl `Imrân: 113-115].
Taking a few passages from the Qur'an out of proper historical and textual context
will not give a proper understanding of the religious scripture. This is not only
true of the Qur'ân but also of the Bible. Many passages from the Bible also
criticize the Jews. Read the Hebrew Bible, particularly Micah (Chapter 3:1-12)
and Hosea (Chapter 8:1-14), in which these Prophets condemned the Jews "who
abhor justice and pervert all equity" and who "build Zion with blood
and Jerusalem with wrong." These Prophets cursed Israel as a "useless
vessel among nations," and called for the curse of Allah to "send a
fire upon [Judah's] cities" and to make Jerusalem "a heap of ruins."
Similarly, in the Book of Deuteronomy (Verses 16-68), Moses (Musa) warns the Jews
that Allah "will send upon you curses, confusion, and frustration, in all
that you undertake to do, until you are destroyed and perish quickly, on account
of the evil of your doings, because you have forsaken me" (28: 20). In Matthew
(Chapter 23:13-39), Jesus (`Isa) repeatedly admonishes the Jews for their hypocrisy
and injustice, and condemns them for the killing of past Prophets. Jesus says,
"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, killing the Prophets and stoning those who are sent
to you! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers
her brood under her wings, and you would not! Behold, your house is forsaken and
desolate." It would indeed seem strange if, based on these passages, one
were to argue that the Bible and the Hebrew Prophets were anti-Semitic and called
for the destruction of present-day Israel. Yet, questioning passages from the
Qur'an as anti-Semitic is similarly without merit.
Allah Almighty knows best.
Excerpted, with slight modifications, from: http://pakistanlink.com/religion/2002/0104.html
