Author: Muhammad Asim Ismailzahi
The Appearance of the Jews in the Holy Quran (Part 6)
The Crime and Ignorance of the Jews
Worldly and unbelieving people always use the cover of hypocrisy to enjoy the benefits of faith and protect their lives in order to achieve their main goals.
Allah says in the Quran: «وَإِذَا لَقُوا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا قَالُوا آمَنَّا وَإِذَا خَلَا بَعْضُهُمْ إِلَىٰ بَعْضٍ قَالُوا أَتُحَدِّثُونَهُمْ بِمَا فَتَحَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْكُمْ لِيُحَاجُّوكُمْ بِهِ عِنْدَ رَبِّكُمْ ۚ أَفَلَا تَعْقِلُونَ.» Translation: “And when they meet the believers, they say: We believe. And when they are alone together (in protest and objection, they say to each other: Why do you tell the believers the truths that Allah has made clear to you (in the Torah about the Prophet of Islam (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) so that they may argue against you (with these facts) before your Lord on the Day of Judgment? Do you not understand? (That you should not give the believers a basis for arguing against you?!)” [1]
In the verse, the two punishments and ignorance of the Jews that are mentioned are: one is their hypocrisy, which they outwardly declare their faith in order to protect themselves from harassment, insults and killing, and the second is that they wanted to hide the truth and their inner intentions from Allah Almighty, and they thought that if they covered it up, they could make the matter seem strange to Allah, although Allah Almighty knows what they reveal and what they hide.
As can be seen from the tone of the speech, the process was as follows: their common people were naïve When they reached the Muslims, they expressed their joy and told them some of the good news from the Torah or provided them with information that the Muslims used to confirm the prophet hood of their Prophet ( peace be upon him). Their leaders forbade them from doing so, saying: this is a victory that Allah has given us and we should not reveal it to them, because they will argue with Allah against us with these good news that are in our books. It is as if they wanted to say: If we do not provide these good news to the Muslims (Allah forbid), Allah Himself does not know that Moses (peace be upon him) recommended us to follow the Prophet of Islam ( peace be upon him), and since He does not know, He does not hold us accountable for it!!” [2]
Some of the enemies of Islam, especially the Jews, with this same spirit of hypocrisy and envy apparently converted to Islam and, since they were mostly Jewish scholars, they were placed in the ranks of hadith scholars and narrators. These people began to fabricate hadiths in order to make Islam appear weak and insignificant among the people. And the enemies of Islam could establish evidence against the Muslims by relying on these fabricated hadiths. This type of fabricated hadiths is known in the science of hadith as «اسرائیلیات» “Israelites”. Some of them also played a fundamental role in the formation of deviant sects.
Therefore, the Jews, from the time they were freed from slavery and humiliation by the savior of the Children of Israel, Moses (peace be upon him), and were able to break the idol of their time with the help of the unseen, always built a foundation of stubbornness and obstinacy and provided every moment with reasons to persecute and harass their Prophet, just as the later Prophets, when they were sent, either did not believe in them and harassed and tortured them and sometimes killed them, or if they believed (which is very rare), they made excuses and disobeyed, as a result, they provided reasons for Allah’s anger and became subject to His wrath.
In addition to these, sometimes, in order to fight against Muslims and perhaps to escape from spiritual torment and conscience, they described Allah with attributes that are far from the divine holy status; For example, they presented Allah with tied hands, like someone who could not do anything with his hands. Allah says in the Qur’an:
“وَقَالَتِ الْيَهُودُ يَدُ اللَّهِ مَغْلُولَةٌ ۚ غُلَّتْ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَلُعِنُوا بِمَا قَالُوا ۘ بَلْ يَدَاهُ مَبْسُوطَتَانِ يُنْفِقُ كَيْفَ يَشَاءُ ۚ وَلَيَزِيدَنَّ كَثِيرًا مِنْهُمْ مَا أُنْزِلَ إِلَيْكَ مِنْ رَبِّكَ طُغْيَانًا وَكُفْرًا ۚ وَأَلْقَيْنَا بَيْنَهُمُ الْعَدَاوَةَ وَالْبَغْضَاءَ إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ ۚ كُلَّمَا أَوْقَدُوا نَارًا لِلْحَرْبِ أَطْفَأَهَا اللَّهُ ۚ وَيَسْعَوْنَ فِي الْأَرْضِ فَسَادًا ۚ وَاللَّهُ لَا يُحِبُّ الْمُفْسِدِينَ.”Translation: “And the Jews say: The hand of Allah is tied (to control the affairs of creation, legislate laws and provide sustenance). So let their hands be tied, and cursed be upon them for the punishment of their false speech. Nay, both hands of Allah are ever outstretched and spread out (to provide for whatever and whoever) He wills. And certainly, what has been revealed to you from your Lord will increase many of them in transgression and disbelief. And We have put between them (the Jews, Christians and other groups) hatred and enmity until the Day of Resurrection. Whenever they kindle a fire for war (with the believers), Allah extinguishes it, and they strive in the earth for corruption, and Allah does not love the corrupters.” [3]
Undoubtedly, this prediction of the Holy Quran about the Jews is one of the undeniable miracles of the Holy Quran, and today we see the corruption and oppression arises from the area of the Jews, and we witness that there is no corruption in the world and no fire is kindled except the hand of the Jews, openly or secretly, is seen in it.
This is the Divine Sunnah that any people who disbelieve and disobey the commands of Allah and deviate from monotheism to associate others with Allah and fearlessly kill the friends of Allah must be humiliated and wandering. Because they are sealed with humiliation and helplessness until they repent and return to Allah.
Allah says in the Qur’an: “ضُرِبَتْ عَلَيْهِمُ الذِّلَّةُ أَيْنَ مَا ثُقِفُوا إِلَّا بِحَبْلٍ مِنَ اللَّهِ وَحَبْلٍ مِنَ النَّاسِ وَبَاءُوا بِغَضَبٍ مِنَ اللَّهِ وَضُرِبَتْ عَلَيْهِمُ الْمَسْكَنَةُ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ كَانُوا يَكْفُرُونَ بِآيَاتِ اللَّهِ وَيَقْتُلُونَ الْأَنْبِيَاءَ بِغَيْرِ حَقٍّ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ بِمَا عَصَوْا وَكَانُوا يَعْتَدُونَ.”
Translation: “Whenever and wherever they were found, humiliation and abasement were inflicted upon them, except (that) they held fast to a rope from Allah (which is faith in the Quran and the Prophet hood of the Prophet) or a rope from the people (the believer who accepts the responsibility and its conditions,) and they have earned the wrath of Allah and misery were inflicted upon them. This is because they used to disbelieve in the signs of Allah and kill the prophets unjustly. And this (disbelief and killing of the prophets) is because they used to disobey (Allah) and used to transgress (the limits of Allah).” [4]
Continues…
References:
- Surah Al-Baqarah, verse: 76.
- Tabara, Afif Abdul Fattah, The Face of the Jews in the Quran, p. 394, translated by Seyyed Mahdi Ayatollahi, Jahan Ara Publications, Tehran, 1377 AH.
- Surah Al-Ma’idah, verse: 64.
- Surah Al-Imran, verse: 112.
