Author: Muhammad Asim Ismailzahi
The Appearance of the Jews in the Holy Quran (Part 3)
The Disintegration of the Jewish Organization
The downward trend of the Israelites began after Prophet Suleiman (peace be upon him). At 600 years BC, King Bakht-ul-Nasr of Babylon attacked Jerusalem, killed the Jews, took them captive, and burned all Jewish works, including the few copies of the Torah, and this lasted for about 70 years.
After the captivity and war and its end, some returned to Babylon, and many returned to Palestine under the leadership of Ezra [1] and began writing their own religious books and building temples. This situation continued until the birth of Jesus (peace be upon him). The birth of Jesus (peace be upon him) and his call to the Jews in order to act on the commandments of Allah caused the Jewish people to stand against Jesus (peace be upon him) and none of them accompanied him except a few who were known as the Hawarioun (disciples): “فَلَمَّا أَحَسَّ عیسی مِنْهُمُ الْکُفْرَ قالَ مَنْ أَنْصاری إِلَی اللَّهِ قالَ الْحَوارِیُّونَ نَحْنُ أَنْصارُ اللَّهِ آمَنَّا بِاللَّهِ وَاشْهَدْ بِأَنَّا مُسْلِمُونَ.” Translation: “When Jesus sensed their disbelief, he said: Who are my friends to Allah? The disciples said: We are Allah’s friends, we believe in Allah; and bear witness that we are surrendered to Allah (and His commandments and decrees).” [2]
Finally, the priests conspired with the Roman government and decided to kill Jesus (peace be upon him), and they sentenced him to death in the Jewish high court and crucified him on the cross with their own false imagination. [3] And after Jesus (peace be upon him), although he had made Peter his successor; but the Jews cunningly introduced “Paul” to Christianity in an apparent way and gradually introduced him as the leader of the Christians; that is, Paul is a Jew who enters Christianity and assumes the leadership of the Christians in order to have the direction of Christianity in their hands. In addition to opposing Peter and the disciples, Paul created a new theology that was not consistent with the teachings of Jesus (peace be upon him) and created a completely Jewish Christianity. They changed Christianity in a way that would not bother the Jews. When they were angry, they clashed with the Romans, who had been allied with them until yesterday, asking why they should have sovereignty. This led to the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans again in 70 AD, and many Jews were killed and scattered to different places. They endured all kinds of humiliation in the world. Some of them also went to the Arabian Peninsula and the lush land of Yathrib and the current Medina. [4]
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Jews before Islam
You have already become familiar with some of the situations of the Jews in history, some of which are mentioned here.
Allah Almighty saved this oppressed and downtrodden group, who had nothing but slavery, captivity and humiliation, through Prophet Moses (peace be upon him), from the clutches of the oppressive Pharaoh group, made them their heirs, and “gave them superiority over all the worlds.” Allah Almighty says: “یا بَنیإِسْرائیلَ اذْکُرُوا نِعْمَتِیَ الَّتی أَنْعَمْتُ عَلَیْکُمْ وَأَنِّی فَضَّلْتُکُمْ عَلَی الْعالَمینَ.” Translation: “O Children of Israel, remember My favors which I have bestowed upon you and I have preferred you above the worlds”. [5]
But were these people who received this great blessing grateful and appreciative, or did they follow the path of disbelief and stubbornness?
Anyone who has a little knowledge of this people will understand that they violated all the covenants that Allah Almighty took from them through Moses (worship of Allah alone, kindness to parents, relatives, orphans, and the poor, speaking kindly and behaving well with people, establishing prayer and paying zakat, avoiding harassment and bloodshed, accepting the mission of the divine prophets), and they associated partners with the one God (Allah) and spoke polytheistic words about Allah Almighty.
Among the prominent weaknesses of the Jews is their moral corruption and criminal nature, some of which are mentioned:
When Allah split the great Nile River for this people and they were saved, the Pharaoh’s people drowned (while the Children of Israel were watching them), and the Children of Israel saw this great divine miracle with their own eyes. Again, when Moses (peace be upon him) went to the meeting place to receive divine commands, they adopted worship of calf.
And then, with the guidance of Moses (peace be upon him), they repented, and Allah Almighty also accepted their repentance by His grace. But as if nothing had happened, they once again made up another excuse and said: We will never believe in you until we see Allah openly and with our own eyes.
This stubborn people, with all their stubbornness, moved towards the holy land of Palestine at the command of Prophet Moses (peace be upon him) to cleanse it of the taint of polytheism and idolatry; but when they had to prepare for battle with the enemy at the command of Prophet Moses (peace be upon him), they said: O Moses (peace be upon him), there is a strong and oppressive nation in that land, and we will never enter it until they leave it. If they leave it, we will enter.
Allah said (to Moses (peace be upon him): This holy land is forbidden to them for forty years (and they will not reach it). They will continue to wander in the land (in this desert), and do not grieve over the fate of this sinful people.
But for the umpteenth time, Allah Almighty looked upon them with favor and bestowed His grace and mercy upon them, and made the clouds their shade, and sent down Ma’n’ (a special and delicious sap from trees) and Salwa’ (a special bird resembling a pigeon) upon them, and said: Eat of the pure blessings that We have provided for you; but they disbelieved and said: O Moses (peace be upon him), we are never willing to be content with one type of food, so ask your Lord to provide us with what the earth grows, vegetables, cucumbers, garlic, lentils and onions. Moses (peace be upon him) said: Would you choose inferior food instead of better food? (Now that it is so, try to get down from this desert) to a city; for whatever you wish for is there for you, and humiliation and need were stamped on their foreheads, and they again became subject to divine wrath.
In addition, the disobedience of the Children of Israel on the Sabt (Saturday) and their excuses regarding the cattle of the Children of Israel and… [6]
Continues…
References:
- And this “Ezra” is the one who renewed the Jewish religion and rewrote the Torah in the form of a book after it was completely destroyed in the event of Bakht-ul-Nasr, the king of Babylon, and the conquest of the Jewish lands, the destruction of the temple, and the burning of their books. (Al-Mizan Translation, Vol. 9, p. 324)
- Surah Al-Imran, verse: 52.
- Matthew, Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 27, Year of publication: 1363 AH, Publisher: Tehran Bible Society.
- Mughniyeh, Muhammad Jawad, Al-Kashif, Vol. 6, p. 51, Dar al-Ilm lil-Malayyin, Third edition, 1981 AD. Jan Nas, Comprehensive History of Religions, Translated by Ali Asghar Hikmat, Fourth edition, pp. 490-491; Afif Abdul Fattah Tabareh, The Face of the Jews in the Quran, translated by Seyyed Mahdi Ayatollahi, Jahan Ara Publications, pp. 27, 28, 393, 394.
- Surah Al-Baqarah, verse: 47.
- Hosseini Dashti, Seyyed Mustafa, The World of the Jews, Vol. 1, p. 451, Education and Definitions of the “Jewish Material”, Arayeh Cultural Institute, Tehran, 1379 AH.
