What is the Quran's view of Jews?

[primitivefuture]

As a Muslim, I realize that it is the duty of Muslims to follow our prophet Muhammad (pbuh). However, there are some anti-Jewish quotes in the Quran that give the impression that anti-Semitism by Muslims is supported by the Quran.

Can anyone please refute this? Can anybody provide some quotes that expose the truth?

Thanks, and Salaam

 

[Muslim Knight]

As a Muslim, I realize that it is the duty of Muslims to follow our prophet Muhammad (pbuh). However, there are some anti-Jewish quotes in the Quran that give the impression that anti-Semitism by Muslims is supported by the Quran.

Can anyone please refute this? Can anybody provide some quotes that expose the truth?

Thanks, and Salaam

Al-Quran does not support racism or anti-semitism. Prophet Muhammad salallahu 'alayhi wassalam was an Arab, and effectively, a Semite as well. Could he be possibly be teaching anti-semitism? I think not.

 

[chacha_jalebi]

salaam

the quran has always been right, its not racist or nefin, what u need 2 undastand is dat sum verses wer meant 4 d times bk in day,

lik wen it says "do not take any jew or christian as your friend, they are friends of each other" this was regardin wen d Prophet (saw) went 2 madinah & he signed d treaty with d jews & d jews tried 2 betray d muslims, but Allah (swt) already had revealed dat verse!

bro/ sis wot verses are u particularly talking bout

 

[primitivefuture]

Quote:
1. "They used to fabricate things and falsely ascribe them to Allah. Allah Almighty says: 'That is because they say: We have no duty to the Gentiles. They knowingly speak a lie concerning Allah.' (Al-'Imran: 75) Also: 'The Jews say: Allah's hand is fettered. [But it is] their hands that are fettered and they are accursed for saying [Allah's hands are fettered]. Nay, but both His hands are spread out wide in bounty. He bestoweth as He will' (Al-Ma'idah: 64) In another verse, Almighty Allah says: 'Verily, Allah heard the words of those who said, (when asked for contributions to the war): 'Allah, forsooth, is poor, and we are rich! We shall record their words with their wrongful slaying of the Prophets and we shall say: Taste ye the punishment of burning!' (Al-'Imran: 181)

2. "They love to listen to lies. Concerning this Allah says: 'And of the Jews: listeners for the sake of falsehood, listeners on behalf of other folk.' (Al-Ma'idah: 41)

3. "Disobeying Almighty Allah and never observing His commands. Allah says: 'And because they broke their covenant, We have cursed them and hardened their hearts.' (Al-Ma'idah: 13)

4. "Disputing and quarreling. This is clear in the verse that reads: 'Their Prophet said unto them: Lo! Allah hath raised up Saul to be a king for you. They said: How can he have kingdom over us when we are more deserving of the kingdom than he is, since he hath not been given wealth enough?' (Al-Baqarah: 247)

5. "Hiding the truth and supporting deception. This can be understood from the verse that reads: '… [They] distort the Scripture with their tongues, that ye may think that what they say is from the Scripture, when it is not from the Scripture.' (Al-'Imran: 78)

6. "Rebelling against the Prophets and rejecting their guidance. This is clear in the verse: 'And when ye said: O Moses! We will not believe in thee till we see Allah plainly.' (Al-Baqarah: 55)

7. "Hypocrisy. In a verse, we read: 'And when they fall in with those who believe, they say: We believe; but when they go apart to their devils they declare: Lo! we are with you; verily we did but mock.' (Al-Baqarah: 14) In another verse, we read: 'Enjoin ye righteousness upon mankind while ye yourselves forget (to practice it)? And ye are readers of the Scripture! Have ye then no sense?' (Al-Baqarah: 44)

8. "Giving preference to their own interests over the rulings of religion and the dictates of truth. Allah says [to the Jews]: '… When there cometh unto you a messenger (from Allah) with that which ye yourselves desire not, ye grow arrogant, and some ye disbelieve and some ye slay?' (Al-Baqarah: 87)

9. "Wishing evil for people and trying to mislead them. This is clear in the verse that reads: 'Many of the People of the Book long to make you disbelievers after your belief, through envy on their own account, after the truth hath become manifest unto them.' (Al-Baqarah: 109)

10. "They feel pain to see others in happiness and are gleeful when others are afflicted with a calamity. This is clear in the verse that reads: 'If a lucky chance befall you, it is evil unto them, and if disaster strike you they rejoice thereat.' (Al-'Imran: 120)

11. "They are known for their arrogance and haughtiness. They claim to be the sons and of Allah and His beloved ones. Allah tells us about this in the verse that reads: 'The Jews and Christians say: We are sons of Allah and His loved ones.' (Al-Ma'idah: 18)

12. "Utilitarianism and opportunism are among their innate traits. This is clear in the verse that reads: 'And of their taking usury when they were forbidden it, and of their devouring people's wealth by false pretences.' (An-Nisa': 161)

13. "Their rudeness and vulgarity is beyond description. Referring to this, the Qur'anic verse reads: 'Some of those who are Jews change words from their context and say: We hear and disobey; hear thou as one who heareth not, and Listen to us!, distorting with their tongues and slandering religion. If they had said: We hear and we obey; hear thou, and look at us, it had been better for them, and more upright. But Allah hath cursed them for their disbelief, so they believe not, save for a few.' (An-Nisa':46)

14. "It is easy for them to slay people and kill innocents. Nothing in the world is dearer to their hearts than shedding blood and murdering human beings. They never give up this trait even with the Messengers and the Prophets. Allah says: '… And [they] slew the prophets wrongfully.' (Al-Baqarah: 61)

15. "They are merciless and heartless. In this meaning, the Qur'anic verse explains: 'Then, even after that, your hearts were hardened and became as rocks, or worse than rocks, for hardness.' (Al-Baqarah: 74)

16. "They never keep their promises or fulfill their words. Almighty Allah says: Is it ever so that when ye make a covenant, a party of you violates it?' The truth is, most of them believe not.' (Al-Baqarah: 100)

17. "They rush hurriedly to sin and compete in transgression. Allah says: 'They restrained not one another from the wickedness they did. Verily, evil was what they used to do!' (Al-Ma'idah: 79)

18. "Cowardice and love for this worldly life are undisputable traits [of the Jews]. It is to this that the Quran refers when saying: 'Ye [Muslims] are more awful as fear in their [the Jews'] bosoms than Allah. That is because they are people who understand not. They will not fight against you in a group save in fortified villages or from behind walls. Their adversity among themselves is very great. Ye think of them as a whole whereas their hearts are diverse.' (Al-Hashr: 13-14) Allah Almighty also says: 'And thou wilt find them greediest of mankind for life and (greedier) than the idolaters.' (Al-Baqarah: 96)

19. "Miserliness runs deep in their hearts. Describing this, the Qur'an states: 'Or have they even a share in the Sovereignty? Then in that case, they would not give mankind even the speck on a date stone.' (An-Nisa': 53)

20. "Distorting Divine Revelation and Allah's Sacred Books. Allah says in this regard: 'Therefore woe be unto those who write the Scripture with their hands and say, 'This is from Allah,' that they may purchase a small gain therewith. Woe unto them for what their hands have written, and woe unto them for what they earn thereby.' (Al-Baqara: 79)

These are some quotes. I know they are taken our of context.

 

[czgibson]

Greetings,

12. "Utilitarianism and opportunism are among their innate traits. This is clear in the verse that reads: 'And of their taking usury when they were forbidden it, and of their devouring people's wealth by false pretences.' (An-Nisa': 161)

I'm not sure how utilitarianism is implied by this verse.

Peace

 

[primitivefuture]

The quotes portrayb Jews as deceptive and infidels. Is there anyway I can refute this and reassure my Jewish brothers that Islam respects Jews?

 

[Rabi'ya]

im gonna let one of the more knowledgable brothers or sister answer your question directly. But, Islam respects all people, regardless of their faith. Ultimately we are all creations of Allah and in such terms we should all learn to respect each other. Some people(and itsonly up to Allah to judge) may need guidance. Perhaps we as Muslims will try to give the guidance but only because we have the best of intentions at heart.

are you Muslim PrimitiveFuture?



Rabi'ya:rose:

 

[NJUSA]

The Jews are addressed in two roles in the Qur'an: in their role as an earlier community of believers, prior recipients of revelation, and in their role as a group living in Yathrib(the city that would become Madina), whose interests sometimes agreed with those of Muslims, and sometimes not. The Jews are sometimes praised for values that they held on to, sometimes chastised for values they abandoned in the former role, and revelations concerning their latter role guided the politics of the early Muslim community, which did sometimes involve opposing the Jews in Yathrib in military campaigns. What has happened is that verses that were revealed for a very specific circumstance were deemed to be normative, and verses praising the values that the Jews maintained have been habitually ignored. While the Qur'an was revealed during a time of conflict with a Jewish community, it does not espouse anti-Semitism as a value. It's a bit like saying that Christians should despise modern Romans because of the persecution that the early Christian community endured from the Roman empire.

 

[chacha_jalebi]

salaam

u got dese surahs, from dat place describin d bad qualities of d jews init lol kay:

hmmm lol, now now before i try 2 answer inshallah, im gona say wen we read d quran we need 2 b open minded, lik Hadhrat Umar (ra) he said, wen he read surah Al fatiha, he found over 30 meanings 4 it & surah Fatiha is short!!

now lol

d 1st line from surah al Imran, remem surah al imran was revealed in Madinah, so obviously it had sumfin 2 do wit madinah & it tells bout past events aswel.

dis verse verse 75 is quoted completely out of context bcos if u read d whole surah it says

Some followers of the scripture can be trusted with a whole lot, and they will give it back to you. Others among them cannot be trusted with a single dinar; they will not repay you unless you keep after them. That is because they say, "We do not have to be honest when dealing with the gentiles!" Thus, they attribute lies to GOD, knowingly.

basically it is tellin dat d sum ppl of d book (christians, jews) wil pay bk stuf dey owe u & sum wont, but d 1s dat dnt dey say we dnt gota bcos dey r jews or christians so we can lie 2 dem, sorted

d nex line verse 76 says

Those that keep their plighted faith and act aright,-verily Allah loves those who act aright.
so basically Allah (swt) is sayin dat he loves dose who will pay bk & keep der promises,

so d verses wer quoted out of context, lik in d quran it says "wen ur attacked u can defend urself" now i can quote out of context & say d quran says "attack" lol do u understand lol

u no d surahs u provided read all of dem & read d lines dat follow dem or cum before dem, i hope i hav helped

 

[czgibson]

Greetings,

The quotes portrayb Jews as deceptive and infidels.

I can see that - I just wasn't sure where the writer got the idea that utilitarianism was implied by the verse I quoted. I'm also not sure where they got the idea that utilitarianism is a bad thing.

Is there anyway I can refute this and reassure my Jewish brothers that Islam respects Jews?

I am sure that someone more knowledgable than me will be able to explain how these verses do not in fact imply what they appear to imply. I would say this, though: this is yet another example of an issue mentioned in the Qur'an which can very easily be misinterpreted by someone who has not studied the book at great length.

I used to teach English at an international language school. One year I had a contingent of Muslims from the UAE and Saudi Arabia who formed my class. They were generally very pleasant gentlemen, but it became clear over time that they were all virulently anti-Semitic. They weren't just anti-Zionist - they talked openly of their hatred of Jews of any kind, and claimed that this was the Qur'anic view. I'm not saying that this is a reflection of Islam; simply their interpretation of it. In various other classes at the school were students from Israel, and Jews from other parts of the world. We deliberately kept this a secret from the guys in my class, because we believed that had they been aware that there were Jews at the school, violence would have been inevitable.

I believe that these Muslims had interpreted their religion wrongly. I don't know enough about the Qur'an to be able to demonstrate this; I believe this simply because I have known many Muslims who were clearly not anti-Semitic.

I mention this as support for my view that this issue in the Qur'an can be interpreted in different ways, as against the view often given by Muslims that the Qur'an clearly expresses itself - beyond that, I can say no more.

Peace

 

[Mythical Eagle]

As a Muslim, I realize that it is the duty of Muslims to follow our prophet Muhammad (pbuh). However, there are some anti-Jewish quotes in the Quran that give the impression that anti-Semitism by Muslims is supported by the Quran.

Can anyone please refute this? Can anybody provide some quotes that expose the truth?

Thanks, and Salaam

Assalamualaikum.

The verses which you say are anti-Jewish do not apply to all Jews. They only apply to the ones who do evil.
The Quran says that there are good Jews who "guide and do justice in the light of truth":

"Of the people of Moses there is a section who guide and do justice in the light of truth." (Quran 7:159)

 

[chacha_jalebi]

ya future & dey hav been mis quoted, lik i said!!

 

[Abdullah4ever]

The quran praises the jews in Surah Jathiya "And verily We gave the Children of Israel the Scripture and the Command and the Prophethood, and provided them with good things and favored them above (all) peoples.” (Al-Jathiyah:16) i.e. the peoples of their time.



The following are the bad qualties of the jews in the quran:

1. They used to fabricate things and falsely ascribe them to Allah. Allah says: “ That is because they say: We have no duty to the Gentiles. They speak a lie concerning Allah knowingly.” (Al-`Imran:75) Also: “The Jews say: Allah's hand is fettered. Their hands are fettered and they are accursed for saying so. Nay, but both His hands are spread out wide in bounty. He bestoweth as He will.” (Al-Ma`idah:64)

In another verse Almighty Allah says: “Verily Allah heard the saying of those who said, (when asked for contributions to the war): "Allah, forsooth, is poor, and we are rich! We shall record their saying with their slaying of the Prophets wrongfully and We shall say: Taste ye the punishment of burning!” (Al-`Imran:181)

2. They love to listen to lies. Concerning this Allah says: “and of the Jews: listeners for the sake of falsehood, listeners on behalf of other folk” (Al-Ma’idah: 41)

3. Disobeying Almighty Allah and never observing His commands. Allah says: “And because of their breaking their covenant, We have cursed them and made hard their hearts.” (Al-Ma’idah: 13)

4. Disputing and quarreling. This is clear in the verse that reads: “Their Prophet said unto them: Lo! Allah hath raised up Saul to be a king for you. They said: How can he have kingdom over us when we are more deserving of the kingdom than he is, since he hath not been given wealth enough?” (Al-Baqarah: 247)

5. Hiding the truth and standing for misleading. This can be understood from the verse that reads: “…distort the Scripture with their tongues, that ye may think that what they say is from the Scripture, when it is not from the Scripture.” (Al-`Imran: 78)

6. Staging rebellion against the Prophets and rejecting their guidance. This is clear in the verse: “And when ye said: O Moses! We will not believe in thee till we see Allah plainly.” (Al-Baqarah: 55)

7. Hypocrisy. In a verse, we read: “And when they fall in with those who believe, they say: We believe; but when they go apart to their devils they declare: Lo! we are with you; verily we did but mock.” (Al-Baqarah: 14) In another verse, we read: “Enjoin ye righteousness upon mankind while ye yourselves forget (to practice it)? And ye are readers of the Scripture! Have ye then no sense?” (Al-Baqarah: 44)

8. Giving preference to their own interests over the rulings of religion and the dictates of truth. Allah says: “…when there cometh unto you a messenger (from Allah) with that which ye yourselves desire not, ye grow arrogant, and some ye disbelieve and some ye slay?” (Al-Baqarah: 87)

9. Wishing evil for people and trying to mislead them. This is clear in the verse that reads: “Many of the People of the Scripture long to make you disbelievers after your belief, through envy on their own account, after the truth hath become manifest unto them.” (Al-Baqarah: 109)

10. They feel pain to see others in happiness and are gleeful when others are afflicted with a calamity. This is clear in the verse that reads: “If a lucky chance befall you, it is evil unto them, and if disaster strike you they rejoice thereat.” (Al-`Imran:120)

 

[czgibson]

Greetings,

The following are the bad qualties of the jews in the quran:

Is all of this supposed to help in answering the question, or to reinforce the view that Muslims are instructed by the Qur'an to hate Jews?

Peace

 

[chacha_jalebi]

lol, bro abdullah has posted exactly d same thin dat positive posted as his Q,

neway d verses r quoted out of context!!!! i xplained dem b4 in my above post,

 

[czgibson]

Greetings,

lol, bro abdullah has posted exactly d same thin dat positive posted as his Q,

neway d verses r quoted out of context!!!! i xplained dem b4 in my above post,

Sorry, I can't really understand what you've written.

Peace

 

[Abdullah4ever]

He wrote

Lol bro abdullah has posted exactly the same thing that positive posted as his question

Anyway the verses are quoted out of context! I explained them before in my above post

 

[czgibson]

Greetings,

He wrote

Lol bro abdullah has posted exactly the same thing that positive posted as his question

Anyway the verses are quoted out of context! I explained them before in my above post

Thanks for the translation. I can't see the post where this explanation is meant to have happened, but since chacha_jalebi's posts are written in a language I don't understand I'm guessing it's one of his. Never mind.

Peace

 

[Abdullah4ever]

Greetings,


Thanks for the translation. I can't see the post where this explanation is meant to have happened, but since chacha_jalebi's posts are written in a language I don't understand I'm guessing it's one of his. Never mind.

Peace

Looooooooool his own translation... i think its cool ;D

 

[Ansar Al-'Adl]

These issues have been answered over and over again on the internet:
http://www.islamtoday.com/showme2.cfm?cat_id=29&sub_cat_id=497

Does the Qur'an Sound Anti-Semitic?
| 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.

If any specific verses need to be clarified, feel free to specify.