Jews and Muslims need to Understand Each Other’s Religions Better

Jews know about our God from the Torah; He is jealous, He is El Kana, namely, that he doesn’t tolerate other gods. “No, you must tear down their (idol worshippers) altars, smash their pillars, and cut down their sacred posts; you must not worship any other god, because YHVH יהוה, whose name is Impassioned, is an impassioned God.” (Exodus 34:13-14) The name El Kana means “Impassioned God” or “Zealous God” (Exodus 34:13-14).

Jews are the oldest of the ongoing Abrahamic religions; and Muslims are the youngest of the ongoing Abrahamic religions.

Jews are depicted in the Qur’an in seven different terms; al-Yahud (the Jews), Bani Israil (the Children of Israel), ahl al-Kitab (people of the Scriptures), alladhina utu al-Kitab (those who are given the Book), alladhina utu nasiban min al-Kitab (those who are given a portion of the Book), alladhinahadu (those who are guided –the Jews) and hudan. The term which is mostly repeated is Bani Israil (41 times), followed by Ahl al-Kitab (29 times), alladhina utu al-Kitab (17 times), and al-Yahud (8 times). Alladhina utu nasiban min al-Kitab and hudan (In Arabic, “hudan” (هُدًى) translates as guidance 3 times) plus alladhinahadu which refers to Jews twice also translates to “those who are guided)”. Altogether, the seven terms appear in 105 times in the Qur’an.

And then there are verses in the Qur’an that could refer to both Christians and Jews like: “Not all of them are alike; a group of them stand for the right, they recite the verses of Allah during the hours of the night, prostrating themselves in prayer.”(Qur’an, 3: 113).

The most amazing statement about Jews in the Qur’an is: “And We made the people who were considered weak (the Jews in Europe) to inherit the eastern part of the land (Jordan) and the western part thereof (Israel) which we have blessed. And the fair Word of your Lord was fulfilled for the Children of Israel, because of their endurance. And We destroyed completely all the great works and buildings which Pharaoh and his people erected.” (Qur’an 7:137)

This verse is clear that the land was meant for Jews by using the phrase ‘the people who were considered weak’. Most of the interpreters perceive that this phrase refers to the Children of Israel (Al-Razi; Al-Shawkani; Al-Tabari; and Al-Zamakhshari). In fact, although it seems implicit at the beginning, the meaning is directly made understood from the later part of the same verse which mentions ‘Children of Israel’ in relation to ‘Pharaoh’.

The question which remains is which specific land was inherited to them? Interpreters of the Qur’an, including Muhammad ibn Jarir Al -Tabari (838-923 C.E.), Mahmud ibn ‘Amr Al- Zamakhshari (1070-1143 C.E.) and Muhammad ibn ‘Umar Fakhr al-Din Al-Razi (1149-1209 C.E.), hold the view that the land mentioned in the verse is Al-Sham (present day Palestine, Syria and Jordan).

“You shall certainly be tried and tested in your wealth and properties and in your personal selves, and you shall certainly hear much that will grieve you from those who received the Scripture before you (the Jews) and from those who ascribe partners to Allah (the Christians); but if you persevere patiently, and become al-muttaqiin (pious) then verily, that will be a determining factor in all affairs (Qur’an, 3: 186).”

In Arabic “hudan” (هُدًى) translates as guidance. It’s a noun form of the verb “hada” (هَدَا), meaning “to guide”. In the Quran, “hudan” is frequently used to describe the divine guidance provided by God.

Some Christians insist on taking verses like; “Verily We: it is We who have sent down the Dhikr (the Quran)” 15:9 as meaning a proof of divine plurality, Muslims should refute this claim by quoting clear and unambiguous verses such as: “And your god is One God, there is none who has the right to be worshipped but He, (Quran 2:163) and “Say: He is Allah, the One (Quran 112:1)

The name of God’s pre-creation existence is Ein Sof (Hebrew: אֵין סוֹף) meaning endless in Kabbalah, and understood as the Holy One God (a singularity) before any self-manifestation in the production of any spiritual realm, was probably derived from Solomon ibn Gabirol’s (c.1021–c.1070) term, “the Endless One” (שֶׁאֵין לוֹ תִּקְלָה). Ein Sof may be translated as “unending one”, (Zohar, part 2, section “Bo”, 42b) It was first used by the Spanish Kabbalist Rabbi Azriel of Gerona (c. 1160 – c. 1238).