Peace is Possible Between Ishmael and Israel According to the
Qur'an and the Tanach (Bible)
by Dr. Asher Eder
With a New Preface by Sheikh Professor Abdul Hadi Palazzi
First Edition, 1969
Academy of Jerusalem Edition 1993
Root & Branch Association Islam-Israel Fellowship First Edition 1997
Root & Branch Association Islam-Israel Fellowship Second Edition 2001
Our Thanks To:
Mr. Nabil Abu Salman, Arabic Translation
Mr. David Bentata, Reviewing Manuscript
YERUSHALIYIM, Yom Shishi (Sixth Day --
"Friday"), Rosh Chodesh Adar, 5761 (Gregorian Date: February 23, 2001) (Hijri Date: 29 Thul Quada,
1421):
1. FORWARD
by Dr. Asher Eder
2. PREFACE
by Sheikh Professor Abdul Hadi Palazzi
3. PEACE IS POSSIBLE BETWEEN ISHMAEL AND ISRAEL ACCORDING TO THE
QUR'AN AND THE TANACH
3A. DIFFERENT MISSIONS OF ISHMAEL AND JACOB/ISRAEL
3B. COMPETITION BETWEEN ISHMAEL AND JACOB/ISRAEL
3C. DIFFERENT WAYS OF INTERPRETING SCRIPTURE
3D. JIHAD, THE CALL TO HOLY WAR
3E. THE RELIGIOUS AND HISTORIC ROOTS OF ARAB MUSLIM REJECTION OF THE STATE OF ISRAEL
3F. MUSLIMS AND JEWS MUST SEEK TRUTH TOGETHER
3G. THE QUR'AN ACKNOWLEDGES THE AUTHORITY OF THE TANACH
3H. THE QUR'AN RECOGNIZES THE AUTHORITY OF THE RABBIS AND THE SPECIAL STATUS OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL
3I. THE QUR'AN RECOGNIZES THE RIGHT OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL TO THE LAND OF ISRAEL
4. APPENDIX
5. ABRAHAMS' PRAYER
6. SUMMARY
7. FOOTNOTES
8. GLOSSARY
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1. FOREWORD
by Dr. Asher Eder
Dear Reader,
This essay presented herewith to you, which I first wrote in 1969, has not lost any of its importance with the signing of the Agreements of Oslo and
of Wye. On the contrary. As the Munich Agreement of 1938 only camouflaged the real issue, namely the
Nazi threat to the free world, likewise do these agreements camouflage the real issue, namely the intent of the Jihad supporters to annihilate Israel.
A large majority of the German people supported the relatively small group of active Nazis, and
similarly do the Jihad bigots enjoy wide support from Arabs who are made to believe that Jihad against Israel is a religious duty
deriving from the Qur'an.
The agreements of Oslo and of Wye could provide better opportunity to confront Arabs with an alternative understanding of their holy
scriptures. This in turn could diminish the support for Jihad bigots, and help pave the way for trustworthy peace.
May these efforts find the blessing of the Almighty.
Shabbat Shalom/Salaam from Ashkelon,
Dr. Asher Eder
Jewish Co-Chairman, Islam-Israel Fellowship, Root & Branch Association,
Ltd.
Rosh Chodesh Adar, 5761
February 23, 2001
29 Thul Quada, 1421
Ashkelon, Israel
************************************
2. PREFACE
by Shaykh Professor Abdul Hadi Palazzi
Dr. Asher Eder's essay is a fascinating investigation of what the Qur'an teaches about
Muslims and Jews. I recommend it to all Muslims, most of all to those living in the Middle East.
Muslims must develop a new attitude towards Jews and Israel. Arab Muslims have been defeated in war after war against Israel. Would Allah have
permitted this if their cause was just?
Arab and Muslim political leaders and some of the Ulema (clergy) misled their own people when they taught that Islam prohibited them from
recognizing the State of Israel or having peaceful relations with it.
The authentic teachings of the Qur'an are quite different.
In "The Cow" Allah says that Jews and Muslims have their own
special directions of prayer (Jerusalem for Jews and Mecca for Muslims) [1].
Allah Himself is saying that Jerusalem is as important to Jews as Mecca is to Muslims.
Nevertheless, most Muslim leaders continue to claim that Islam prohibits Muslims from recognizing the right of the Jewish People to the Land of
Israel. It is our duty to stop this false propaganda.
We must follow the example of the martyr Anwar Sadat, the noble leader, who showed us how to look to the future with a positive attitude and learn from
past mistakes. May Allah have Mercy upon him!
Muslims and Jews must recognize each other as brothers, descendants of Abraham, the messenger to the world of ethical monotheism. To do this we
must be prepared to forgive past faults and understand that those who follow the ways of peace and forgiveness walk in the shadow of Allah.
We must remember Joseph's forgiving attitude to his brothers, the children of Jacob/Israel, and follow his example by telling our Muslim brothers:
"This day let not reproach be cast on you, Allah will forgive you, since
He is the Most Merciful of those who show mercy" [2].
Shabbat Shalom/Salaam from Rome,
Prof. Abdul Hadi Palazzi
Muslim Co-Chairman, Islam-Israel Fellowship, Root & Branch Association,
Ltd.
Secretary General, Italian Muslim Association
Director, Cultural Institute, Italian Islamic Community
Rosh Chodesh Adar, 5761
February 23, 2001
29 Thul Quada, 1421
Rome, Italy
************************************
3. PEACE IS POSSIBLE BETWEEN ISHMAEL AND ISRAEL ACCORDING TO THE
QUR'AN AND THE TANACH
by Dr. Asher Eder
Dear Muslim Reader,
May I as an Israeli Jew speak to you freely as one family member to another? Let us be aware that we are
descendants of one father, Abraham, whose main offspring were Ishmael, Israel (Jacob), and Esau.
From Abraham's faith developed the so-called monotheistic religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Each has its own specific
mission to perform.
Sarah, giving birth to Isaac, demanded that Abraham remove Ishmael. Abraham prayed for Ishmael and sent him out (not "off", as
some translations have it) to become a great nation, as we are told in the Tanach (Hebrew Bible).
Later on, Abraham's grandchild Israel (Jacob) was sent out, first by his father Isaac to Laban, and then his descendants to several exiles for
certain missions.
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3A. DIFFERENT MISSIONS OF ISHMAEL AND JACOB/ISRAEL
The different missions of Ishmael, Esau and Jacob/Israel were to serve two purposes:
1. "As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his fellow", said King Solomon [Mishle/Proverbs 21:17]. This means that
competition and emulation are ingredients needed for our development and growth.
2. Witnessing or conferring the truth of the One God to the nations.
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3B. COMPETITION BETWEEN ISHMAEL AND JACOB/ISRAEL
However, Ishmael and Jacob/Israel each began to see himself as the only true child and heir of Abraham. A family quarrel
ensued, with each one claiming the whole heritage. The scriptures given to us as divine
instructions for our specific tasks are being interpreted in a way meant to support each one's position.
************************************
3C. DIFFERENT WAYS OF INTERPRETING SCRIPTURE
These scriptures -- the Qur'an as the guidebook for Muslims and the Tanach as the guidebook for Jews -- can
be interpreted in different ways. "The Torah has seventy faces", say our sages, referring to the
seventy possible interpretations of any given passage and to the seventy nations
spoken of in the Torah (Five Books of Moses).
Islam developed Sunnism and Shiism, besides other sub-groups, each one interpreting the same Qur'an.
One official school of interpretation in Islam holds that a Jihad (holy war) can be waged only against one's evil inclination, according to the
Qur'an. Others are quick to demand and wage Jihad against Muslim opponents, or even
against all non-Muslims, and they will quote passages from the Qur'an which they claim support their views.
We may say that each of us sees his own reflection when he looks into his own scriptures. We may read a passage many times without grasping its
deeper meaning. We may misconstrue it. We may, if we are fortunate, have our eyes opened to the truths that passage was meant to teach.
I ask that we all take another look at our scriptures. Do they really tell us that we are meant to fight endless wars, or rather to make REAL peace?
The current negotiations between Arabs and Jews, conducted entirely on the political level, COULD be crowned with REAL peace, if we resolved the
RELIGIOUS conflicts that SEEM to divide us.
Let us look at these conflicts.
************************************
3D. JIHAD, THE CALL TO HOLY WAR
Jihad against Jews has been advocated by many Arab religious and political leaders, creating a Jihad psychosis.
Yet, according to Islamic law, a Jihad can only be declared by a caliphate. No caliphate has existed since the fall of the Turkish empire.
After the Madrid and Washington peace talks, several Muslim religious groups, including Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the Palestine Council of Ulema,
condemned the peace agreements with Israel. To these groups, such agreements are "a grave sin and betrayal of God and of his
messenger". This may be right in their view.
By definition, Jihad never ends in compromise. Even if Israel would give up the so-called "West Bank", and Haifa, Yaffa and Beersheva as
well, their Jihad would not have achieved its goal. Their Jihad would have to continue
until Israel disappeared from their map of the Middle East. Muslim and Arab leaders have declared this goal over and over again.
On the long road towards their goal of destroying Israel, they believe that during Jihad they are allowed to lie, act arrogantly and make mock treaties
with the Jewish enemy (and with those who support him).
This Jihad philosophy is set out in the document "Arab Theologians on Israel" from the "Fourth Conference of the Academy of Islamic
Research" held at Al Azhar University, Cairo, in 1968. This Conference was convened
by Gamal Abd-el-Nassr, then President of Egypt. Its task was to lay down the guidelines for conducting Jihad against Israel [3].
How could anyone, under such circumstances, expect Israel to rely on treaties with its Arab neighbors? Even if one wanted to trust "Abdul
Rauf el-Codbi el-Husseini" ("Yasser Arafat") and other Arab
leaders, one would have to take into account that their successors -- whether they come to
power by right or by might -- might adhere to the principles of Jihad, and declare all agreements with Israel as null and void.
We are still in a formal state of war with Saudi Arabia and Iraq. Both of these nations fought against Israel in 1948. They never revoked their
warfare against Israel which hey ok up in 1948. (In contrast, Israel now has peace treaties with Jordan and Egypt and the 1949 armistice agreements
with Syria and Lebanon).
The call to Jihad against the State of Israel is not new. It began with Jewish settlement in the Land of Israel, and was invoked between the First
and Second World Wars by Haj Amin el-Husseini, Grand Mufti of Palestine. Arab wars of (intended) annihilation against Israel in 1948,
1967 and 1973 were all attempts to put the call to Jihad into practice.
After an Australian Christian attempted to burn down the El Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, Saudi Arabia established the Organization of
the Islamic Conference (O.I.C.) specifically to support Jihad against Israel. In 1991, after the peace talks began in Washington, "el-Husseini"
("Arafat") demanded that the O.I.C., meeting in Dakar, Senegal,
include a support for Jihad against Israel in its final resolution.
Even AFTER signing of the first Oslo Agreement, "el-Husseini"
("Arafat") continued the call for a Jihad.
These circles believe that their commitment to Jihad against the State of Israel is supported by verses in the Qur'an which condemn the Children of
Israel for lack of faith in G-d and/or for not observing the commandments of the Torah, or which condemn pagans and idolaters in general.
My own reading of the Qur'an gives me a very different picture, shared by many Muslim friends who dare not speak out for fear of revenge attacks by
Jihad fanatics.
What led Arab leaders to such a strong rejection of Jewish Settlement in the Land of Israel (or "Palestine," as it was called after the
establishment of the British Mandate), not to speak of the establishment of a Jewish State?
The answer will explain Muslim motives for the Arab assault against Israel and suggest a solution allowing both Arabs and Jews to truly live together
with mutual respect, in honor of the G-d of Abraham, our common ancestor.
************************************
3E. THE RELIGIOUS AND HISTORIC ROOTS OF ARAB MUSLIM REJECTION
OF THE STATE OF ISRAEL
Muslim rejection of the State of Israel has religious and historic roots. The religious root lies in the Islamic doctrine that any land once under
Islamic rule (within the realm of "Dar-es-Salam" (Realm of Peace)
must be retrieved if lost (if it changed into the realm of the "Dar-el-Hareb"
(Realm of War).
The historic root goes back to the 13th century when the Arab Muslim countries suffered the Crusader invasion from the West and the Mongol
invasion from the East. The Mongol invasion destroyed Baghdad, the Muslim cultural center and seat of the Caliphate. Until then, Islam was the
leading cultural power of its time.
In the ensuing Mameluk period, Islam stagnated. A short revival under the early Turkish sultans did not take hold. European nations gained power and
influence, subjecting the Muslim world to their colonial rule.
Only after the Europeans weakened themselves in the First World War could the Arab nationalist movement gain strength. Arab nationalists became the
dominant force in the Muslim world by using religion to advance their political agendas. This approach made Islam a tool of political Arab
nationalism.
This misuse of Islam for political ends led Arab nations to wage wars against each other in the name of Jihad. It also
poisoned Muslim attitudes towards Jews and Israel. Wars produce suffering and atrocities on all
sides, and these in turn breed bitterness and hatred.
We must break this vicious cycle by exposing the root of the problem and by rediscovering the intention behind the words of the prophets.
************************************
3F. MUSLIMS AND JEWS MUST SEEK TRUTH TOGETHER
Let us both, Muslims and Jews, seek Truth together. Only Truth will guide us to righteousness, which will bring peace and blessing for both sides.
Let us reflect on the two books which have guided Jews and Muslims for centuries. The Tanach is the Jewish guidebook and the Qur'an is the Muslim
guidebook.
Many Muslims believe that they do not need to read the Tanach. They say that the Qur'an contains the entire truth and cite a passage in the Hadith
(oral tradition of the sayings of Mohammed) where Mohammed saw Omar reading the Tanach and told him he did not need to do so. A Muslim, it is said,
can lead a proper life by following the five basic principles of Islam alone.
Not being required to read the Tanach does not mean that Muslims should reject its teachings. This view is supported by a Hadith which relates
that upon seeing Jews carrying a Torah scroll Muhammed stopped them, kissed the scroll and spoke to the Torah, saying, "I believe in you and in your
contents".
According to another Hadith, Muhammed said, "Quote at least some words
from me, quote also from the Israelites, there is no harm in doing so".
All classic Muslim commentators on the Qur'an quoted from the Tanach. Some Muslims say that the Tanach we have today is not reliable because,
they claim, the Jews revised the original version.
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3G. THE QUR'AN ACKNOWLEDGES THE AUTHORITY OF THE TANACH
The Qur'an speaks differently about the Tanach, (which it refers to as
"The Book"):
"The Qur'an could not have been forged apart from G-d, but it is a confirmation of what was before it, and a distinguishing of the Book
[Tanach] wherein is no doubt, from the Lord of all Being" (4).
The Tanach was canonized centuries before Muhammed spoke these words of confirmation. The Qumran Scrolls, written 2,000 years ago and discovered
in 1947, provide dramatic proof that the Tanach in use today is faithful to the original text.
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3H. THE QUR'AN RECOGNIZES THE AUTHORITY OF THE RABBIS AND THE SPECIAL STATUS OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL
"Surely, We sent down the Torah, wherein is guidance and light. Thereby,
the prophets, who had surrendered themselves, gave judgment for those of Jewry, as did the masters and the rabbis, following such portions of God's
Book as they were given to keep and bear witness to" [5].
"O believers, be not of those who hurt Moses, but God declared him quit
of what they said, and he was high honored with God" [6].
"We gave the Children of Israel the Book, the Judgment and the
Prophethood, and We provided them with good things, and We preferred them above all
beings" [7].
************************************
3I. THE QUR'AN RECOGNIZES THE RIGHT OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL TO THE
LAND OF ISRAEL
The Qur'an has Moses say to the Israelites about the Land of Israel:
"And when Moses said to his people. `Remember G-d's blessing upon you, He...gave you such as He had not given to any other being. Oh my people,
enter the Holy Land which G-d has prescribed for you...' And the angels say, 'We settled the Children of Israel in a sure settlement" [8].
Israel was even meant to fight for the land:
"...They [the Children of Israel] said to a prophet of theirs [Samuel]: 'Raise up for us a king, and we will fight in G-d's way.' He
said 'Might it be that, if fighting is prescribed for you, you will not fight?' They said: 'Why should we not fight in G-d's way?' Yet, when
fighting was prescribed for them, they turned their backs, except for a few of them..." [9].
The Qur'an confirms the special link between the People and the Land of Israel. The Tanach repeats this constantly. The return of the Children of
Israel to their land is also proclaimed by both books.
The Qur'an speaks of the final return of the reunited House of Israel, both the Jews (House of Judah) and the Ten Lost Tribes (House of Ephraim), to
the Land of Israel:
"Pharoah sought to scare them out of the land [of Israel]; but We
[Allah] drowned him, together with all who were with him. Then We said to the Israelites: 'Dwell in this land [the Land of Israel]. When the promise of
the World to Come comes to pass, We shall assemble you all together"
[10].
This Qur'anic prophecy probably refers to Deuteronomy 30:4-5, where Moses predicts the final return of the united House of Israel (Judah and Ephraim)
from the four ends of the earth to the Land of Israel.
The Prophet Jeremiah, developing this theme, says:
"And I will cause the captivity of Judah and the captivity of Israel to return, and will build them, as at the first, and will cleanse them from
all their iniquity, whereby they have sinned against me, and it shall be to me a name of joy, a praise of honor before all the nations of the world,
which shall hear all the good that I do unto them, and they shall fear and tremble for all the goodness and for all the prosperity that I shall
procure unto it" [11].
The Prophet Zechariah, who lived in the Second Temple Period (after the return from the captivity of Babylon) said:
"Thus says the Lord of Hosts: Behold, I will save My people from the
east country, and from the west country, and I will bring them and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem, and they shall be My people, and I will be
their G-d, in truth and righteousness" [12].
The Qur'an forbids making a division between the prophets before or after the Exile (13), and before or after the Hegira.
Furthermore, the Qur'an praises the Psalms of David, which are Songs of Zion. The Qur'an acknowledges David as God's viceroy and Judge on Earth [14].
"We sent not any before thee except men to whom we revealed: Question
the People of the Remembrance [Children fo Israel], if it should be that you do not know -- with the clear signs, and the Psalms, and We have sent down to
thee Remembrance [Qur'an] that thou [Muslims] mayest make clear to mankind what was sent down to them [Israelites]" [15].
In his Psalms David speaks clearly of the return of the Children of Israel to the Land of Israel.
Psalm 102 says:
"Thou (O Lord) shall arise, and Thou shall have mercy upon Zion, for the
time to favor her, yea, the set time is come, for the servants took pleasure in her stones, and favor the dust thereof. So the nations shall
fear the Name of the Lord, and the kings of the Earth his glory. When the Lord shall build Zion, He shall appear in His glory. He will regard the
prayer of the torn, and not despise their prayer. This shall be written for the last generation..." [16].
"The Lord does build Jerusalem, He gathered the outcasts of Israel"
[17].
Jeremiah transmits the Lord's commandment to the nations:
"Hear the word of the Lord, O ye nations, and declare it in the isles
afar off, and say: "He that scatters Israel will gather him and keep him, as
a Shepherd does his flock. For the Lord has redeemed Jacob...therefore they shall come and sing in the heights of Zion..." [18].
The Qur'an concurs with this commandment of the Lord by saying that it was "sent down to thee as a remembrance that thou mayest make clear to
mankind what was sent down to them" as quoted above.
Making that clear to mankind as the Qur'an enjoins you to do, you ought to make that clear first to yourselves.
The return of the Children of Israel to the Land of Israel is in no way comparable to invasions such as the Norman attack on England or the Spanish
assault on the Americas, as you were led to believe.
The prophets, including David, speak clearly. They show that the Land of Israel is an entity of its own, distinct from the present concepts of
Dar-es-Salam and Dar-el-Harb. It is the Land of the Lord God of Israel [18a].
The words of the prophets have begun to be fulfilled in our time with the ingathering of the Children of Israel after a 2,000 year dispersion,
destruction of Nazi Germany, birth of the State of Israel and repeated defeats of hostile neighbors in unjustified wars.
Israel's enemies often claim that the Jews are a cursed people who are not entitled to the Land of Israel. Does the presence of confused and sinful
men and women among the People of Israel justify this hostility? Was the hostility of the ancient Philistines justified by King Saul's
weakness and sins? Were the hostilities of the Arabs against the Jews and their building of the Second Temple Justified?
The Qur'an and the Tanach say no [19].
The Qur'an commands Muslims to forgive:
"God took compact with the Children of Israel...for their breaking their
compact. We cursed them and made their hearts hard...and you will never cease to light upon some act of treachery on their part, except a few of
them. Yet pardon them, and forgive. Surely God loves those who do good"
[20].
Should faults among the Children of Israel nullify God's plans and promises? God is the Almighty, All-Merciful, All-Compassionate, who can
forgive and establish His promises.
As the Qur'an says:
"We sent against you [Israel] our servants [the Romans] to
discountenance you, and to enter the Temple, as they [the Babylonians] entered it the
first time, and to destroy utterly what they ascended to. Perchance your Lord will have mercy upon you, but if you return [to the Land of Israel],
We shall return...[to you]" [21].
God promised that He will forgive Israel at the time of its return:
"And I will bring Israel again to his habitation, and he shall feed on Carmel and Bashan [the biblical name for the Golan Heights], and his soul
shall be satisfied upon Mount Ephraim [Samaria in the so-called 'West Bank'] and Gilead. In those days, and at that time, saith the Lord, the
iniquity of Israel shall be sought for, and there shall be none, and the sins of Judah, and they shall not be found, for I will pardon them whom I
reserve" [22].
The Almighty will surely do what He has promised.
"The promise of God! God fails not His promise, but most men do not
know" [23].
Some say that perhaps the Jews shall return, but there is no promise for them to establish a state, taking away Arab land. Muslims are forbidden to
make friendships with those who expelled Muslims from their habitations [24].
Can they prove that the Land of Israel was or is rightfully their land? The Muslims defeated the Byzantines and took it from them. Were the
Byzantines entitled to this land? Were the Crusaders, whom the Muslims later defeated, entitled to it?
Muslims, and even more so the Jewish People, were delivered into their hands. Do you really think that you became the proper heir of the Land of
Israel because you took it from the Crusaders?
Were the Muslims not guardians and stewards until the rightful heirs (the Children of Israel) would return at the appointed time?
The Land of Israel is assigned to the Children of Israel as an eternal inheritance (25) notwithstanding the two foretold dispersions. The Qur'an
acknowledges this, as we saw already.
King David, after conquering Jerusalem from the Jebusites, bought Mount Moriah from Ornan, the Jebusite King, and paid the full price requested by
Ornan for it.
King Solomon then built the Temple, the "Beth HaMikdash", upon this
site. The title deeds, including their confirmation by the Persian Kings Cyrus and Darius, are documented in the Tannach [26].
Can you produce documents to nullify this or to support contrary claims?
Mount Moriah (the Temple Mount) is generally claimed to belong solely to the Muslim world since Rasul Mohammed's Night Journey and ascension to heaven
from there. The Temple Mount even became Islam's third holiest place (the "Even Shatiah", or
Foundation Stone, known in Arabic as the "Sakhra", is visibly honored by the
Dome of the Rock, which is built on the spot where Jewish and Islamic tradition holds that the Foundation Stone is located).
How could these events alter or cancel revelations given previously to
Muhammed, as recorded in the Qur'an? How can his expulsion of some Jewish tribes (only those which fought against him) from the land of Arabia, now
referred to as a model case, alter or cancel the prophecies of the Qur'an? How can it be applied to the Land of Israel?
The Jews returning to the Land of Israel did not expel Arabs from their homes. Although Jews could have simply claimed their land outright, they
behaved like King David and bought the land, paying full price to those registered as its owners.
Arabs were not expelled in this process of land acquisition. On the contrary, the Arab population increased and prospered parallel to the
Jewish immigration, because with the influx of the proper Jewish heirs, the Land of Israel began to flourish.
At the same time, Arabs, instigated by the Mufti Haj Amim el-Husseini, began to attack Jews. Arab rioting against Jews occurred in Jerusalem in
1920-21. Hebron's Jews were murdered by their Arab neighbors in 1929. The Mufti el-Husseini maintained a hostile attitude in the mid-1930s
towards the Jewish People and ordered the torture and murder of Arab Muslims who preferred normal relations with Jews to his baseless
anti-Jewish hatred. Arab society paid a high price for allowing the Mufti's Jihad
fanatics to gain the upper hand. In the riots of 1936/38 instigated by him, over 700 Jews and more than 3000 Arabs got killed by his gangs - Arabs whom
he accused of preferring normal relationships with the Jews over baseless hatred.
Was the Mufti's behavior in conformity with true Islam? The Qur'an commands Muslims to give refuge and help to those who "have emigrated
and struggled...in the way of God" [27]. The very name "Israel" indicates this struggle. This is not
semantics. Jews suffered from the hatred of the same European nations that subjugated Arab and other Third World nations. Only blind hatred causes
some Muslim leaders to join hands with Jew-haters rather than admit Jewish refugees returning to their ancestral Jewish homeland [28].
Not only European Jews and Jewish survivors of the Nazi Genocide met the Jihad fanatic sword. Mizrachi Jews fled Arab host countries due to
increasing hostility against them, especially from 1946-51. In those years more Jewish refugees immigrated to Israel from Arab countries than from
Europe, forming the majority of Israel's Jewish population.
The attitude of the early Turkish Sultans could have set an example for Muslims. The Turks opened the doors of their empire and welcomed Jewish
refugees fleeing the Spanish Catholic Inquisition. Cities such as Safed in the Galilee began to thrive.
Instead of finding refuge in the Land of their Fathers, Jewish refugees from the Nazis and those from Arab countries were attacked by Jihad
fanatics. These attacks triggered Israel's "War of Independence" in
1948 and all subsequent Arab wars against Israel.
This should alarm those Muslims who heed the Prophet Ezekiel's words:
"Because you have had a perpetual hatred, and shed the blood of the Children of Israel by the force of your sword in the time of their
calamity, in the time their iniquity had an end, therefore, as I live, saith the Lord G-d, I will prepare thee unto blood and will make Mount Seir
most desolate and will make thee perpetual desolations, and thy cities shall not return, because thou hast said, these two nations shall be mine,
and I will possess it" [29].
Many Muslims today say that they can never make peace with Israel. From the point of view of the Qur'an they are mistaken. Their persistent
refusal to accept Israel stems from baseless hatred, and has nothing to do with authentic Islam.
Some Muslims also acknowledge a prophecy in the Qur'an according to which the People of Israel might return to its homeland, not at this time but in
the End of Days, which they calculate will occur in 250 years or so. Why then should they kill off the Jews in the meantime as demanded by Haj Amin
el-Husseini, former Grand Mufti of Palestine, who charged in a 1943 broadcast from Radio Berlin (than the capital of Nazi-Germany): "Kill
the Jews wherever you find them, this is pleasing to Allah" [30].
Are those who argue this way sure that their calculations are correct? The Qur'an and the Tanach tell us that in the eyes of God one thousand years
are like a day [31] and that the Six Days of Creation, or six thousand years of mankind, may well be shortened.
The Qur'an says in this regard:
"They will question you concerning the Hour...Say: 'The knowledge of it
is only with my Lord, none shall reveal it at its proper time, but He..."
[32]. "Nay, but they cry lies to the Hour, and We have prepared for him who
cries lies to the Hour a blaze...Say: 'Is it better, or the Garden of Eternity that is promised to the God-fearing...?" [33].
Beware of miscalculations that encourage hatred. Zionism and the State of Israel are not new forms of imperialism, as
Muslims have falsely been led to believe. They are vehicles for fulfilling Divine promises proclaimed by the Jewish prophets and acknowledged by the
Qur'an.
Ongoing hostilities against Israel may lead to the war of "Gog and Magog",
of which the Qur'an says:
"There is a ban upon a city [Jerusalem] that We have destroyed. They
[the Jews] shall not return [to the Land of Israel] till when Gog and Magog are unloosed, and they slide down out of every slope, and nigh has drawn the
true promise, and behold, the eyes of the unbelievers staring. 'Alas for us! We were heedless of this. Nay, we are evildoers" [34].
Who or what prompts you to enlist in the hordes of Gog and Magog?
In this context the Qur'an warns:
"Upon this day when their faces are turned about in the fire, they shall
say: 'Ah, would we had obeyed God and the messenger!' They shall say: 'Our Lord, we obeyed the chiefs and great ones, and they led us
astray from the way. Our Lord, give them chastisement twofold, and curse them with a mighty curse" [35].
The next verse admonishes:
"O believers, be not as those who hurt Moses, but God declared him quit
of what they said, and he was high honored with God" [36].
A Hadith now often quoted in the above context, has stones and trees saying: "O Muslim, there is a Jew behind me, come and slay him"
[36a]. This is a sad prediction of what is happening now. Are you taking words of stones and trees for commandments instead of the Word of Allah?
Transforming your own hearts into stones? Evil must come but woe unto them through whom it comes.
The Qur'an says Muslims must not harm Jews:
"Dispute not with the People of the Book, save in a fairer manner,
except for those of them that go wrong; and say: 'We believe in what has been sent down to us, and what has been sent down to you, our God and your God
are One, and to Him we have surrendered" [37].
"Have you considered? If it be from God, and you disbelieve in it, and a
witness from among the Children of Israel bears witness to its like, and believes, and you wax proud -- God guides not the people of the
evildoers" [38].
Consider also these words of Muhammed:
"The ink of the scholar is more holy than the blood of the martyr. Faith
is a restraint against violence. Let no Muslim [believer] commit
violence" [39].
Surrender to God is never shameful. It is the essence of Islam! Pride and stubbornness and their evil consequences are shameful. Why should Muslims
follow Pharaoh's path, which led to his destruction?
Both Jews and Muslims believe that God is merciful. His mercy is invoked in the daily prayers of both faiths. God wants the destruction of neither
Israel nor the Muslim nations. He wants us to honor Him through love and peace.
The Qur'an says:
"It may be God will establish between you and those of them with whom
you are at enmity, Love. God is all-powerful, all-forgiving, all-compassionate" [40].
This tallies with Isaiah's prophecy:
"In that day shall Israel be third with Egypt and with Assyria, even a blessing in the midst of the land, whom the Lord of Hosts shall bless,
saying: 'Blessed be Egypt, My people, and Assyria, the work of My hands, and Israel, Mine inheritance'" [41].
Interestingly enough, modern Syria sees itself as the heir of ancient
Assyria.
Isaiah's prophecy explains the phrase "from the river of Egypt to the
great river, the river Euphrates" [42]. It does not speak of imperialist conquests by Israel, as Muslim leaders allege. It means that a just and
lasting peace will prevail between Egypt, Assyria and Israel, under the sovereignty of the G-d of Abraham.
Isaiah gives us a wonderful vision for the future of the Middle East, which the Qur'an supports:
"And We delivered him [Abraham], and Lot, unto the land [of Israel] We
had blessed for all beings" [43].
The phrase "the land We had blessed for all beings" parallels
passages from the Psalms, which read:
"for there [in Zion] has the Lord commanded the blessings, even life for
ever more" [44]. "Lift up your hands towards the sanctuary, and bless the Lord. May the
Lord bless thee out of Zion, he that is the maker of heavens and earth"
[45]. "Blessed be the Lord out of Zion, even He that resideth in
Jerusalem" [46].
We, the children of Abraham, should unite in peace and build up a culture of our own, instead of fighting each other and feeding the war industries
of foreign nations.
We are related by faith and by blood. The different rituals we observe should not lead to enmity between us. Quite the contrary.
The Qur'an says:
"If God had willed, he would have made you one nation, but he may try
you in what has come to you. So be ye forward in good works, unto God shall you return altogether, and He will tell you of that whereon you were at
variance" [47].
It is from God that we follow different rituals:
"We have appointed for every nation a holy rite that they shall
perform" [48].
The Qur'an even distinguishes between Abraham, Isaac and Jacob on the one hand, and Ishmael on the other:
"Remember also our servants Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, men of might they
and of vision. Assuredly, We purified them with a quality most pure, the remembrance of the Abode, and in our sight, they are of the chosen, the
excellent. Remember also our servants Ishmael, Elisha and Dhool Kifl, each is among the excellent" [49].
According to these verses, the three Patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are described as purified, chosen and excellent, while Ishmael, although
being counted among the excellent, is not mentioned as chosen. The chosen-ness of the three Patriarchs has to do with the Land Covenant which
the Lord of All Beings made with them [50].
While every nation has its own distinctive characteristics, it is exactly this Land Covenant which molds the People of Israel into something
distinctive, unique in history.
The Qur'an stresses this repeatedly:
"[Allah] gave you such as He had not given to any being. O My People
[the Israelites], enter the Holy Land [Land of Israel] which God has prescribed for you..." [51].
"Children of Israel, remember...that I have preferred you above all
beings" [52].
Note also the distinction between the calls and levels of Abraham's son Isaac, grandson Jacob and son
Ishmael:
"We gave him [Abraham] Isaac and Jacob, and each We made a prophet, and
We gave them our mercy, and We appointed to them a tongue of truthfulness, sublime...And Ishmael...was true to his promise, and he was a messenger, a
prophet. He bade his people to pray and to give alms, and he was pleasing to his Lord" [53].
The Qur'an does say that Abraham "was neither a Jew nor a Christian, but
a Muslim of pure faith" (54). He "named you Muslim aforetime"
[55] and admonished you to "follow the creed of Abraham, a man of pure faith and
no idolater" [56].
However, could Abraham have uttered the creed of Islam as it was to be established later on: "There is no God besides God and Muhammed is His
prophet"?
The expression "He named you Muslim aforetime" shows that the term
"Muslim" is here applied in its etymological sense, meaning "one who submits to
God", a God Fearer who followed the universal faith of Noah (Genesis 9) given to all mankind, rather than the member of a specific later religion.
This is brought out also by the ensuing admonition to "perform the
prayer and pay the alms and hold fast to God".
It is in this sense that the Qur'an speaks of the prophets of Israel as those who have surrendered to God; i.e., as Muslims (God Fearers) [57],
despite the fact that they and the People of Israel were commanded to observe ordinances and rites different from those of the descendants of
Ishmael.
An example of such differences is the Sabbath. This day of rest and sanctification is for the Children of Israel also a sign of God's covenant
with them [58].
The Qur'an confirms this and even ridicules Jews who do not observe the Sabbath as "apes" [59]. So far, the Sabbath was not ordained for
Muslims. Some claim that Islam is universal, that all people (including Jews) must
adopt their own version of it. The above citations show that the etymological designations "Islam" and "Muslim" include
there the People of the Sabbath (Israel) as well. This must be so. Otherwise, there would
have been no need for Abraham to have two children, Ishmael and Isaac. The statements from the Qur'an quoted above are favorable to the Children
of Israel.
The Qur'an does criticize those members of the Children of Israel who do not have faith in God and who do not observe the commandment of the
Torah. The Qur'an never condemns the Children of Israel as a whole for not observing the Torah's commandments. Qur'anic criticims of the Children of
Israel can never be properly interpreted as abolishing God's Covenant with Israel, nor can they be read as replacing the Torah with the religion of
Ishmael.
Nowhere in the Qur'an is there any prophecy that would do away with Israel's special status.
Nowhere in the Qur'an does it state that God's promises to Israel have been annulled. Prophets of the One God cannot contradict one another. The
Qur'an is in complete accord with the Tanach. The prophets of Israel, from Moses to Zechariah, rebuke the Children of
Israel more harshly for their sins than does the Qur'an. Yet the Israelite prophets always stress God's forgiveness, grace and mercy, and that the
Covenant He established with Israel will be fulfilled.
It is the triumph of His grace that will bring the nations to praise His
Name:
"Praise the Lord, all you nations, praise him, all you people, for his grace did prevail over us, and the Lord's truth is for ever. Praise you
the Lord" [60].
Hatred of Israel does not honor Allah's name, submitting to his prophets does. Hatred is a black hole. Once opened, it devours everything coming
near to it.
This is verified by recent history. Today's Jihad fanatics want to outdo one another in their derision of Israel. They compete and even fight with
one another for the position of Supreme Jew-Hater!
These Jihad fanatics view Jews as the embodiment of cosmic evil. In so doing, they replace the Islamic confession, "There is no God besides
God" with a dualistic world view which is pure idolatry. Muslims should beware
of these perverted teachings. They will have dire consequences.
I do not indulge in propaganda. Let us again consult the Qur'an:
"Have you considered? If it be from God, and you disbelieve in it, and a
witness from among the Children of Israel bears witness to its like, and believes, and you wax proud, God guides not the people of the evildoers"
[61].
Four historic examples prove my point.
1. King Cyrus, founder of the Medeo-Persian Empire, recognizing the injustice done by the Babylonians to the Jews, allowed them to return to
their homeland. He ordered and financed the building of the Second Temple. In the Book of Isaiah, God calls Cyrus "His messiah," the
anointed of the Lord [62]. In the Qur'an, Cyrus is mentioned honorably as "Dhool-Quarnain" [63], which means that the Qur'an regards Cyrus as
an example worthy to be emulated.
2. Caliph Omar, who liberated Jerusalem from the Byzantine Christians in 638
C.E., six years after the death of Muhammed in 632 C.E., revoked Hadrian's 500 year old ban on Jewish settlement in Jerusalem, which the
Byzantines had kept in force. Omar welcomed the Jews back to Jerusalem. The returning Jews built the Bet HaMenorot Synagogue (named for
the menorahs drawn on its walls), excavated in 1998 by Professor Naveh Mazar of the Hebrew University.
3. Salah-e-Din, the great Kurdish Muslim Sultan who liberated Jerusalem from the Crusaders in 1187 C.E., suggested to Rabbi Moses ben Maimon
(Maimonides, who was Salah-e-Din's doctor) that he urge Jews to return and resettle Jerusalem (as recorded by another Jewish scholar of those times,
Rabbi Yehuda al-Harizi). The famous Nachmanides Synagogue in Jerusalem's Old City, built by the returning Jews several decades later during the
period of Mameluk Muslim rule, bears witness to this return.
4. Dahr-el-Omar, the sheikh who conquered Galilee from the Turks in the 18th century, told leading rabbis in Constantinople and Morocco that the
period of the Jewish exile was over and that the Jews should return to their homeland and rebuild it. From that time on, the Movement of Return
to the Land gained momentum.
Many Muslim scholars from earlier times can be quoted. They would have been banished or murdered by the Jihad fanatics of today.
Muslims should not accept automatically the detest of Israel preached by some of their leaders.
The Qur'an says:
"God is our Lord and your Lord. We have our deeds, and you have your deeds, there is no argument between us and you. God shall bring us
together, and unto Him is our homecoming" [64].
Repentance is always possible. According to the Qur'an, even Pharaoh, when he saw his army drowning, came to his senses and admitted:
"I believe that there is no God but He in whom the Children of Israel believe. I am of
those that surrender" [65].
It is not my goal to promote a specific political agenda for the current peace negotiations. My goal is to see that we do not turn the precious
teachings of our prophets into theological battle swords that cause hatred and violence. These teachings should guide us to humility and
understanding of the destiny that we Muslims and Jews must fulfill for our own benefit and ultimately for the benefit of all humanity.
Shalom/Salaam from Ashkelon,
Dr. Asher Eder
************************************
4. APPENDIX
CONTENTS OF PEACE TREATIES BETWEEN ISRAEL AND ARAB NATIONS
It would be a grave mistake to restrict peace treaties to such
"practical" questions as military security, safe borders, trade, and resettlement of
refugees.
Islamic misconceptions about the People and Land of Israel remain the primary cause for Arab rejection of Israel as an independent nation. A
fundamental change in these conceptions should be part of any peace treaty.
Islamic concepts that ought to be changed include Omar's Rules on the "dhimmi" status of Jews (and Christians). Jews during the period of
the ordained exile may have been expatriates to be submitted to such rules. Now, after Israel's return, Omar's Rules reducing Jews/Israelis to
"dhimmi" status contradict the letter and the spirit of the Qur'an.
It does not matter whether these rules were promulgated by Omar the Caliph or Omar the Ummayad king. As a political decree issued by the Islamic
state of that time, Omar's Rules need have no religious authority for Muslims of today.
A peace treaty between Muslims and Jews that does not formally annul Omar's rules implicitly acknowledges them as valid, and a Palestinian state, if it
should come about, could impose them on Jews living there. Moreover, Omar's Rules could provide the grounds for Islamic
fundamentalists to instigate new wars against Israel. They could also be used to constrict or harm Jewish and Israeli travelers in Muslim countries.
The State of Israel is not only a refuge for Jews fleeing persecution. It is obligated to protect all Jews throughout the world, including those in
Muslim countries.
The State of Israel cannot interfere with religious teachings in Islamic lands, but it can insist that governments with which it signs peace
treaties prevent teaching these Rules; refrain from putting them into effect; and instead further impart knowledge of the Qur'an positive
teachings about Jews.
Jews living in and visiting Arab countries must enjoy the same rights that Israel extends to its Arab citizens and visitors. Israel's insistence on
the abolition of Omar's Rules would draw the world's attention to Islamic teachings on "dhimmi" people in general and their meaning for the
Jewish People.
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5. ABRAHAMS' PRAYER
When told by the Lord that in spite of their high age he would get a son from Sarah, Abraham prayed [Bereshit/Genesis 17:18]:
"O that Ishmael might live before thee!"
Abraham loved both Ishmael and Isaac, therefore he had to be told:
"Take now thy son, thine only whom you have loved, even Isaac..." [Bereshit/Genesis 22:2]. The specification "even Isaac", was to
tell him which one of the two beloved sons he should bring to Mount Moriah.
Abraham did not merely pray "that Ishmael might live". He was not concerned that Ishmael would be threatened by Isaac, and would need a
special prayer for the protection from the latter.
Abraham was concerned that Ishmael, biologically the firstborn, might try to bring the whole heritage unto himself, and deprive Isaac of the Divine
promise.
Abraham prayed that Ishmael might live before the Lord. This prayer should encourage and guide him to let his spiritual Abrahamic inheritance get the
upper hand so that he would be alive in the Divine spirit, and consequently recognize also Isaac's call.
The two brothers and their descendants should not fight over the inheritance but "compete in good works" as the Qur'an, Ishmael's
guide book, says so aptly.
In the spirit of our father Abraham, let us , the Children of Ishmael and the Children of Israel, pray together:
"O that both of us -- Ishmael and Israel -- might live before
Thee!"
************************************
6. SUMMARY
The ruling wing of Islam has severed its original ties with the
"Book" (the Tanach, Hebrew Bible) and the "People of the Book", Israel.
It plays out the idea of Jihad, and the quest of Jerusalem.
In the Islamic view, a Jihad can end only with a complete victory or else
with an unreserved admittance that its whole concept was wrong from the start.
The Qur'an itself suggests the latter, and can help paving the way to mutual understanding and co-operation:
1. It stresses the continued validity of the "Book" - Jonah 38;
Table 52; Cow 172; Believers 56; Bee 45-47; and others
2. It recognizes the teachings of the Prophets, even of the rabbis -- Table 48
(notwithstanding Repentance 30-35)
3. It recognizes the peculiarity of Israel and the unparalleled gifts to its people (including the land promise) -- Hobbling 15; Cow 60, 247
4. The Land of Israel is prescribed for the Children of Israel -- Table 23
5. Allah settled the Children of Israel in the Land of Israel -- Jonah 93
6. The Children of Israel are rebuked for not fighting for the Land of Israel
-- Cow 60, 247
7. David's Kingdom (Zion) and Psalms confirmed, and he being acknowledged as Divine viceroy on earth - Zad 19,25; Cow 252 [cf Is. 28:16]
8. The Psalms and Prophets speak of Israel's return to the land and Jerusalem,
and so does the Qur'an -- Bani Israel 8,105
9. Israel often harshly rebuked in the Qur'an, but there is no cancellation of
the Covenant or of the Promises
10. On the contrary, the words of the Prophets shall surely be established --
Greeks 5; Hobbling 31; Believers 76
11. Abraham is called a true Muslim - Imram 60; Pilgrimage 77; Cattle 162; and
so are the Prophets -- Table 48, notwithstanding their keeping Shabbat and their direction of prayer toward Jerusalem [cf. I Kings 8:30,42]
12. Abraham established a) Mount Moriah in Jerusalem for Israel -- Genesis 22:2, II
Chronicles 3:1 b) The Kaaba in Mecca for Ishmael -- Cow 119, 123
13. Qiblah (direction of prayer) for Muslim to Mecca, and for Jews to Jerusalem --
Cow 140, 143 (cf. I Kings 8:29,30)
14. The Qur'an admits different religious rites, and urges all of us to compete in
good works - Cow 143, Table 53, Pilgrimage 66
15. Allah wants to be honored by forgiveness and love - Table 15-17, Woman Tested 7,
Counsel 14
It is the words of the Prophets which provide the base for true peace.
************************************
7. FOOTNOTES
1. Qur'an, "The Cow", chapter 2:140
2. Qur'an, "Joseph", chapter 12:92
3. Arab Theologians on Jews and Israel - excerpts from the Proceedings of the Fourth Conference of the Academy of Islamic Research (held at
Al Azhar, Cairo, 1968), published by the General Organization for Government Printing
Offices, Cairo, 1970. Introduced and edited be D.F. Green; available from Editions de l'Avenir, 1208 Geneva, Switzerland
4. Qur'an, "Jonah", chapter 10:38. Also see "The Table",
chapter 5:52; "Sand Dunes", chapter 46:11 "The Cow", chapter 2:172. Additional
Qur'anic acceptance of the Tanach is given in "Night Journey", chapter
17:3; "Prostration", chapter 32:23; "The Believer", chapter 23:56. These references to "the
Book" always refer to the Tanach in its original Hebrew, not to translations
which are often unreliable
5. Qur'an, "The Table", chapter 5:48
6. Qur'an, "Confederates", chapter 33:69
7. Qur'an, "Hobbling" , chapter 45:15
8. Qur'an, "The Table", chapter 5:23; "Jonah", chapter
10:93
9. Qur'an, "The Cow", chapter 2:246, 247
10. Qur'an, "Night Journey", chapter 17:106 - which foresees the
return of a "mixed multitude"
11. Tanach, Jeremiah, chapter 33:7-9
12. Tanach, Zechariah, chapter 8:7-8
13. Qur'an, "The Cow", chapter 2:130,208, "The House of Imram",
chapter 3:78
14. Qur'an, "Zad", chapter 38:16-19,25
15. Qur'an, "The Bee", chapter 16:45
16. Tanach, Psalm 102:14-19 (the Hebrew text says "the last generation", not
"generation to come" as it appears in most English translations)
17. Tanach, Psalm 147:2, 69:35
18. Tanach, Jeremiah 31:10
18a. Tanach, Jeremiah 2:7; Ezekiel 36:5; 38:16; Joel 4:2; and others
19. Qur'an, "The Cow" chapter 2:245-253; Tanach, Nechemia 4:1
20. Qur'an, "The Table", chapter 5:15-17
21. Qur'an, "Night Journey", chapter 17:8
22. Tanach, Jeremiah 50:19, 20
23. Qur'an, "The Greeks", chapter 30:5, "Believers",
chapter 23:76
24. Qur'an, "The Woman Tested", chapter 60:9
25. Tanach, Genesis, 17:8,21; Joel 4:3; Amos 9:15
26. Tanach, I Chronicles 21:24,25; II Chronicles 3:1; Ezra 1:1-3, 6:11,12
27. Qur'an, "The Spoils", chapter 8:73-76
28. pages 117, 498-99, Proceedings of the Fourth Conference of the Academy of
Islamic Research, Cairo, 1968
29. Tanach, Ezekiel 35:5ff, Psalm 83
30. See also page 122, Proceedings from the Fourth Conference of the Academy of
Islamic Research
31. Tanach, Psalm 90:4; Qur'an, "Pilgrimage", chapter 22:47
32. Qur'an, "Battlements", chapter 7:186-88
33. Qur'an, "Salvation", chapter 25:12-16
34. Qur'an, "The Prophets", chapter 21:96, 97
35. Qur'an, "The Confederates", chapter 33:66
36. Qur'an, "The Confederates", chapter 33:68
36a. Proceedings from the Fourth Conference, page 122
37. Qur'an, "The Spider", chapter 29:45
38. Qur'an, "Sand Dunes", chapter 46:8,9
39. Quoted from "Thus spoke the Prophet Mohammed" by Dr. M. Hafiz, Madras, 1971
40. Qur'an, "The Woman Tested", chapter 60:7; "Counsel",
chapter 42:14
41. Tanach, Isaiah 19:24-25
42. Tanach, Genesis 15:13
43. Qur'an, "The Prophets", chapter 21:71
44. Tanach, Psalm 133:3
45. Tanach, Psalms 134:2-3
46. Tanach, Psalms 135:21
47. Qur'an, "The Table", chapter 5:53; "The Bee", chapter
16:95
48. Qur'an, "The Pilgrimage", chapter 22:66
49. Qur'an, "The Zad", chapter 38:45-48
50. Tanach, Genesis 15:18, 17:4-8, 26:4, 35:11-12
51. Qur'an, "The Table", chapter 5:24
52. Qur'an, "The Cow", chapter 2:44
53. Qur'an, "Mary", chapter 19:50-56; "The Prophets",
chapter 21:72,85
54. Qur'an, "The House of Imram", chapter 3:60
55. Qur'an, "The Pilgrimage", chapter 22:77-78
56. Qur'an, "The Bee", chapter 16:124
57. Qur'an, "The Table", chapter 5:48
58. Tanach, Exodus 31:13-17
59. Qur'an, "The Cow", chapter 2:63
60. Tanach, Psalm 117
61. Qur'an, "Sand Dunes", chapter 46:8-9
62. Tanach, Isaiah 45:1, Ezra 1:1-3
63. Qur'an, "The Cave", chapter 18:83-98. The term "Dhool-Quarnain"
literally means "the Lord of Two Horns". According to Maulana Abu'Ikalam
Azad, a recent Minister of Education in India, this term does not refer to Alexander the Great,
as often thought, but to Cyrus' kingship of the Medeo-Persian double Monarchy (see
Tanach, Daniel 8:3,20)
64. Qur'an, "The Counsel", chapter 42:14
65. Qur'an, "Jonah" chapter 10-90
ADDITIONAL NOTES:
Quotations from the Qur'an are taken from "The Koran Interpreted"
by Arthur Arberry, Oxford University Press, London, 1964.
Verses in the Qur'an (Koran) are numbered differently in different editions. If you cannot find a verse cited in this essay in your edition,
check the verses before or after the respective number.
************************************
8. GLOSSARY
"Dar-es-Salam" (Realm of Peace)
"Dar-el-Hareb" (Realm of War)
"Dhimmi" (second class citizenship accorded to Christians and Jews
in Muslim lands)
"Hadith" (oral tradition of the sayings of Muhammed)
"Hegira" (Muhammed's escape from Mecca to Medina)
"Jihad" (Original Meaning: Performing Divine Commandments that
involve hardship. Current Meaning: "Holy War")
"Qur'an" (Muslim Holy Scriptures)
"Tanach" (Jewish Holy Scriptures consisting of the Torah, Prophets
and Writings)
"Torah" ("Divine Instruction", i.e. the Five Books of
Moses)
"Ulema" (Muslim clergy)
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