The Qur'an and the Jews

Allah states in the Qur’an ( ll:106 ) that He reserves the right to abrogate verses and substitute them by better ones. However, the stark contrast between the early verses of the Qur’an, relating to the Jews, and those that followed, is such that it casts serious doubt about the very authenticity of the Qur’an.

In the early verses, when the Jews were equal members of the Medina community, the Qur’an appeals to the Jews to fulfil their part of the Covenant: “Children of Israel, call to mind the (special) favour which I bestowed upon you, and fulfil your Covenant with Me as I fulfil my Covenant with you, and fear none but Me.” ( ll:40 )

In another part of the Surah, the Qur’an reminds the Jews of the special favour that He bestowed on them by preferring them to all others for His Message: “Children of Israel! Call to mind the (special) favour which I bestowed upon you, and that I preferred you to all others ( for My Message ) ” ( ll:47)

At this stage, Islam presented itself as a mere extension of the initial Message revealed to Moses. Muslims prayed towards Jerusalem and fasted on the Day of Atonement Yom kippur along with the Jews (a tradition still observed to date). Muhammad was merely a reminder of the earlier scriptures and acted as an intermediary in settling disputes in Medina.

Muhammad, however, was rejected by the Jews. He was also accused of corrupting monotheism with false ideas. It is, at this juncture, that the Jews attract the wrath of Allah and accusation are made against them in the Qur’an of perverting the Word of God (ll:61, 75)

The Jews are now despised and rejected. The Qur’an also relays the story of a community of Jews who transgressed the Sabbath and were turned into apes for it. “And well ye knew those amongst you who transgressed in the matter of the Sabbath; We said to them: ‘Be ye apes, despised and rejected’ ”(ll:65)

Thus, the Covenant with the Jews was now broken. Allah now favoured the Muslims and drew a pact with them to fight in His Name against all those who do not submit to Islam. The Covenant still holds today.

( translations of the Qur’an in this post are based on Abdullah Yusuf Ali’s translation of the Qur’an. )