Why Rabbi Mukhayriq Gave His Life For Prophet Muhammad

According to both the Bible and the Qur’an, since the days of Adam and Eve certain select humans in the distant past have heard the One God speaking to them. These people are usually called Prophets in the Abrahamic religions. And the Hebrew Scriptures, the Greek New Testament, and the Arabic Qur’an all agree that in the future, at Judgement Day; there will be a very few select humans who will relate God’s words to all humanity.

These future Messengers usually have a special name or title like: Messiah son of Joseph, Messiah son of David, or Elijah in Judaism, Jesus’ second coming in Christianity, or the Mahdi in Islam. Since these future End of Days Messengers were forecast more than a millennium or two ago; their details will only become clear to us when they arrive. All we need to know is that they will indeed come as a fulfillment of God’s goal for humanity.

Just as the followers of Jesus son of Mary were disappointed that most Jews did not accept Jesus as a Messiah; the followers of Muhammad were disappointed that most Jews and Christians did not accept Muhammad as a Prophet. As the Qur’an states: “Those to whom We gave the Scripture (Jews and Christians) recognize him (Mohammad) as they recognize their sons (in a crowd). But verily, a party of them conceal the truth while they know it (2:146).

Christians did not accept Muhammad as a legitimate prophet because they believed Jesus was a part of a Holy Trinity and the Qur’an explicitly states: “The Messiah (Jesus) the son of Mary, was but a messenger of Allah and His word which He directed to Mary, a soul from Him. So believe in Allah and His messengers. And do not say Three: desist! – it is better for you. Indeed, Allah is but one God. Exalted is He above having a son.” (Qur’an 4:171)

Why did God wait almost six centuries before sending Prophet Muhammad to mankind. I think it was the Plague of Justinian (died November 14, 565) that killed many millions of people in the Near East and Europe first appeared in the historical record in Egypt, before spreading throughout the Eastern Roman, or Byzantine, Empire. Yersinia pestis, the microbe that causes plague, was definitively linked as the pathogen to the Justinian Plague (541-700) marking the world’s first know pandemic.

Was Prophet Muhammad, who lived from 570-632, sent at this time (and not any other time) to be a messenger of God’s mercy? “And We have sent you (O Muhammad) only as a mercy for mankind, jinns and all that exists.” [Qur’an 21:107]

And why did the Jews of Medina not support Prophet Muhammad? I think most of them were afraid that after the death of Prophet Muhammad, his ex-pagan polytheist followers would turn him into a son of God and worship him, just as the followers of Jesus turned him into a Son of God and not only worshipped him but persecuted Jews who would not worship Jesus.

In 404 CE Jewish citizens of the Roman Empire were excluded from certain governmental posts. In 418, they were barred from the civil service, and from all military positions. In 425, they were excluded from all remaining public offices, both civilian and military. In 438, Emperor Theodosius reaffirmed the prohibition on Jews holding public office, and in 527, this prohibition was again renewed.

In 545, Justinian was the first emperor to order that existing synagogues could be seized and converted into churches. In 553 Emperor Justinian required that the public reading of the Torah be in the local language rather than Hebrew, and forbade altogether the reading of the Mishnah book of Jewish laws.

Thank God that did not happen in Arabia, but by the time Prophet Muhammad died, the three Jewish tribes in Medina had already been defeated in inter-tribal fighting and banished from Medina.

There were some Medina Jews however, especially in the early years, who did support Prophet Muhammad. One of was Rabbi Mukhayriq. Ibn Ishaq, the earliest biographer of Prophet Muhammad, relates an amazing story about Rabbi Mukhayriq, a wealthy and learned leader of the tribe of Tha’labah, a Jewish tribe allied with one of the three major Jewish tribes that had lived in Madinah for centuries.

Rabbi Mukhayriq did fight alongside Prophet Muhammad in the battle of Uhud on March 19, 625 CE, and died in that battle.

Many Muslims think that Rabbi Mukhayriq must have converted to Islam if he was willing to risk his life to protect Muhammad, but Ibn Ishaq, the earliest biographer of Prophet Muhammad, specifically says about Mukhayriq: “He recognized the Apostle of Allah by his description, and by what he found in his scholarship. However, he was accustomed to his own religion, and this held him back (from converting), until he died in the battle of Uhud.”

Actually Prophet Muhammad had more Jewish supporters in Medina than he had in Mecca his own home town where he had been persecuted for so many years.

So Rabbi Mukhayriq’s view was unorthodox. He must have seen Muhammad as a Prophet of the One God. He also knew Prophet Muhammad told his Muslim followers in Medina to pray facing north towards Solomon’s Temple in Jerusalem—although this direction (qiblah) would later be changed to facing south towards the Ka’bah. Furthermore, Rabbi Mukhayriq would have known about Prophet Muhammad’s Night Journey (Al-Isra’) to the site of Solomon’s Temple in Jerusalem (Qur’an 7:1) and his Ascension from that holy site through seven heavenly experiences. Surely, the rabbi would have been reminded of several events in Jewish tradition:

(1) The night time vision of Abraham’s grandson Jacob (Arabic, Ya’kub), in which Jacob saw a ‘stairway ascending from earth to heaven—with angels moving up and down on it.’ (Genesis 28:10-22)

(2) Abraham pleading with God to save from destruction the innocent persons of the evil city of Sodom. Abraham felt compelled to question the justice of “the Judge of all the earth” who seemed set on destroying the innocent of that city along with its sinners. Abraham prevailed upon God to spare the city for the sake of the righteous who lived there—first with as few as 50 innocent residents, then 40, 30, 20 and finally 10, to which the LORD agreed. (Genesis 18:16-19:29)

But to risk your own life calls for stronger reasons; why did Rabbi Mukhayriq give such extraordinary support to Prophet Muhammad? Perhaps Rabbi Mukhayriq believed that Prophet Muhammad was not only a Prophet, but was also one of ‘God’s Anointed,’ who—with his Arab followers—would initiate and facilitate the Jewish people’s return to the ‘Land of Israel’ (the ‘Levant,’ ‘Palestine’); where the Jews had lived for many centuries before the conquest of their land and their Exile as prisoners to Babylonia (597 and 587 BCE).

Why might Rabbi Mukhayriq have expected such a Return? No doubt because such a second repatriation had been predicted in the Bible—just as the Persian King, Cyrus the Great, had previously initiated and facilitated the return of Jews to the Land of Israel, some eleven centuries before Prophet Muhammad and Rabbi Mukhayriq.

Regarding the first Return from Exile, the return from Babylonia, the Book of the prophet Isaiah reports that the Persian king Cyrus had been given ‘a title of honor,’ namely, ‘God’s Anointed’ (or, Messiah): “This is what the LORD says — your Redeemer… who says of Cyrus, ‘He is my shepherd and will accomplish all that I please; he will say of Jerusalem, “Let it be rebuilt,” and of the temple, “Let its foundations be laid.” This is what the LORD says to his anointed (messiah), to Cyrus, whose right hand I take hold of to subdue nations before him … so that you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel. … ‘I summon you by name [Cyrus] and bestow on you a title of honor [Messiah], though you do not know me. I am the LORD, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God.'” (Isaiah 44:24-45:5)

Almost 50 or 60 years after the two part Exile, a repatriation (539 BCE) was permitted by order of King Cyrus (and the Persian kings after him) soon after his conquest of Babylonia: “In the first year that Cyrus of Persia was emperor [in Babylonia], the LORD made what he had said through the prophet Jeremiah come true. He prompted Cyrus to issue the following command and send it out in writing to be read aloud everywhere in his empire: “This is the command of Cyrus, Emperor of Persia. The LORD, the God of Heaven, has made me ruler over the whole world and has given me the responsibility of building a temple for him in Jerusalem in Judah.

“May God be with all of you who are his people. You are to go to Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple of the LORD, the God of Israel, the God who is worshiped in Jerusalem. If any of his people in exile need help to return, their neighbors are to give them this help. They are to provide them with silver and gold, supplies and pack animals, as well as offerings to present in the Temple of God in Jerusalem.” (Ezra 1:1-4)

The Persian King Cyrus, is mentioned twenty-three times in the literature of the books of the Hebrew Bible. Isaiah refers to this non-Jewish king as God’s ‘shepherd,’ and as the Lord’s ‘Anointed (Messiah)’ who was destined to facilitate the divine plan. (Isaiah 44:24 – 45:5)

Rabbi Mukhayriq who expected a second repatriation, would have known that just a decade previous to the Battle of Uhud (625 BCE) the Persians had captured (614 CE) the Land of Israel [Palestine] from the Eastern Roman [Byzantine] Empire.

This may well have stimulated, in the rabbi’s mind, his firm expectation that another of ‘God’s non-Jewish Anointed’ (Messiah) was at hand, namely Prophet Muhammad. If so, then surely the Jewish population should support this new chosen [‘anointed’] instrument (Messiah) of God.

Accordingly, this unorthodox rabbi viewed fighting alongside Muhammad as his personal voluntary fight in support of monotheism—as well as a witness to his faith in the arrival of one of God’s Anointed ‘Messiahs.’ Although everyone has heard of the final ‘Son of David’ Messiah, the rabbis also speak of other pre-Messianic Age figures including another ‘Elijah’ and a ‘Son of Joseph’ Messiah, who would precede the coming of the ‘Son of David’ Messiah. This interpretation is not my view of alone.

There is a ninth or tenth century apocalyptic Midrash (creative rabbinic commentary) called The Prayer of Rabbi Shimon ben Yokhai. In that writing a vision of this late-second century CE well-known mystic and visionary is recorded: After 40 days and nights of prayer, Rabbi Shimon ben Yokhai had a vision of the ‘Kenites’ (the Byzantine Romans)—followed by a vision of the ‘kingdom of Ishmael’ (the Arabs) who were to succeed the Byzantine Romans.

The archangel Metatron then informed Rabbi Shimon ben Yokhai: “The kingdom of the Kenites (the future Byzantine Romans) will come to Jerusalem, subdue it, and murder more than thirty thousand in it. Because of the oppression with which they (the Byzantine Romans) oppress Israel (the Jewish People), the Blessed Holy One (God) will send the Ishmaelites (Arabs) against them (the Byzantine Romans) to make war with them, so as to deliver the Israelites from their hand.”

The anonymous author of the Prayer of Rabbi Shimon ben Yokhai viewed the replacement of the Christian Byzantine Roman Empire—by the Muslim Arabs—as an act of God. Through this anticipated event, God would rescue the oppressed Jewish communities throughout the Near East—especially in Jerusalem—from Christian Byzantine persecution. When Rabbi Mukhayriq was informed that a Persian army, supported by thousands of Persian Empire Jewish volunteers, had captured Jerusalem (614 CE) he took it as a pre-Messianic event.

This event is even referred to in the Quran: “The Romans (Byzantines) have been defeated in the nearest land (Syria/ Palestine). But after their defeat, they will overcome (the Persians) within a few [three to nine] years. To Allah belongs the command before and after.” (30:2-4)

In fact, merely three years after Prophet Muhammad’s Battle of Uhud (625 CE) against the Makkans, the Romans (Byzantines) did recapture Jerusalem (628 CE) from the Persians. In the process, the Byzantine army massacred all those Jews who had already returned to Jerusalem during the period of Persian rule.

But then, just one decade later, it was the Arab armies who would conquer—from Egypt to Iraq —and displace the Roman (Byzantine) rulers who had regained a short-lived control over the territory. If Rabbi Mukhayriq had not died fighting alongside Prophet Muhammad in the Battle of Uhud, he could easily have lived long enough to see the Arab conquest of Jerusalem, and himself been able to return to live there.

In the following centuries, Jews from Spain to Mesopotamia lived much freer lives under Muslim rule than had been the case during the previous centuries of Christian and Zoroastrian rule. Even in the case of those who might think that Rabbi Mukhayriq had been wrong in thinking of Prophet Muhammad as a ‘Messianic’ figure, still, they would have to admit that the rabbi was right in expecting that Muhammad would begin a new era in world history.

Perhaps Rabbi Mukhayriq’s devotion to a Messianic future of peace and brotherhood can inspire Islamic and Jewish religious leaders today—together—to heal past wounds, and to make Jerusalem and the whole Middle East an exemplary land of peace in the world. Let us work together toward this end.

The Qur’an refers to Prophet Abraham as a community or a nation: “Abraham was a nation/community [Ummah]; dutiful to God, a monotheist [hanif], not one of the polytheists.” (16:120) If Prophet Abraham is an Ummah; then fighting between the descendants of Prophets Ishmael and Isaac is a civil war and should always be avoided. And prior to the 20th century Arabs and Jews never did make war with each other. “Nation shall not lift sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. (Isaiah 2:4)

If all Arabs and Jews can live up to the ideal that ‘the descendants of Abraham’s sons should never make war against each other’ is the will of God; we will help fulfill the 2700 year old vision of Prophet Isaiah: “On that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria. The Assyrians will go to Egypt, and the Egyptians to Assyria. The Egyptians and Assyrians will worship together. In that day Israel  will join a three-party alliance with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing upon the heart. The LORD of Hosts will bless them saying, “Blessed be Egypt My people, Assyria My handiwork, and Israel My inheritance.”…(Isaiah 19:23-5)