Questions On Islam and Judaism

Q. I'm an Orthodox Jew on the path to becoming a Rabbi, God willing, but this has not stopped me from studying the scriptures of other religions. I have taken a special interest in Islam, partially due to the fact that Jews are currently in conflict with Muslims over Eretz Yisrael, and all we hear is that the Prophet Muhammad said this or that about the Jews, or that Allah cursed the Jews, etc. I have not and will not make it my practice to go on the words of madmen who use a religion as a means to justify an end, and also because, in my opinion, Judaism and Islam are extremely close in practice and belief (monotheism, ritual purity, the parallels between halal and kosher, etc).

I have seen your website, and I find that you are not one to spew the typical rhetoric and are actually a free-thinker, so I want your opinion on quite a few things:

1. What are you personal feelings on Jews and Judaism?

2. According to Islamic tradition and the Qur'an, does a Jew who does good deeds, follows the mitzvot, believes in HASHEM, etc. go to hell or is Judaism acceptable to enter "heaven"?

3. How do you explain the anti-Semitic verses of the Qur'an (such as Jews being called "al-maghdub alayhim" or that we are "ikhwat al-kiradatah w'al khanazeer," or the hadiths which state that the end shall not come until the Muslims fight the Jews and annihilate them, and the rock and the tree will call out to the Muslims that a Jew is hiding behind them and for the Muslims to come and kill the Jew?

4. What are your PERSONAL views on the existence of a Jewish State in the Land of Israel and does the Qur'an stand in opposition to the creation of such a state (I have heard from many Muslims, some close, personal friends of mine, that the Qur'an is Zionist in nature, and many Islamic scholars such as Sheikh Ahmed Palazzi and other Muslims have said that it is a "Palestinian" State which is opposed by the Qur'an, and that the Land of Israel belongs to the Jews)?

5. Is it your personal view that the Torah has been changed or rewritten, and what does the Qur'an truly say about this issue? I find Qur’anic verses that seem to contradict each other, some stating that the previous revelation were corrupted by their followers, and others calling the Torah a light and beacon of truth (I say "seem to contradict" because even in the Hebrew Bible, many verses seem to contradict each other without the proper understanding and education, or the interpretations of the Rabbis and Sages, so I do not and will not make that assumption about Qur'anic verses).

6. There is one verse in particular that troubles me A LOT (9:30, Al-Taubah) which states that the Jews worship Uzair as son of Allah, also this is stated in a hadith (Sahih al-Bukhari, 6/4581 (O.P.105). I have serious issues with this verse, since Jews do not worship any but God and God alone, as stated throughout the Torah, Talmud, and the Siddur, and one of the main reasons Jews have died rather than accept Christianity is because Christians say that Jesus is the son of God! There are also other verses which seem to eschew Jewish Law and tradition, or present an untruthful image (Q3:93), which states that all food was lawful to Israel, except that which we forbade upon ourselves. So does that mean that pork and dead carcasses would have been permitted? The Torah clearly states which foods are not to be eaten because they are unclean. And another verse (Q5:64) states that Jews believe the hands of God are tied. This contradicts every prayer that I say every day, as in the prayer Ashrei, which states: "You open your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing," and that He "burdens us with blessings," meaning that He gives us so much blessing more than we deserve, and the entire Shemonei Esrei contradicts this statement. I have never heard a Jew state, nor read anywhere in Jewish Scripture, that God's Hands are bound. God forbid that such a blasphemous statement should be uttered by a Jew. Please explain this and other verses that seem to contradict basic halacha and Jewish beliefs.

I thank you for your time and I commend you on your website, as it is a "breath of fresh air", and although I do not agree with all that you write (especially concerning the Talmud and Mishna, I do not think that you are 100% accurate), the fact you endeavor to clarify a beautiful tradition that has been misunderstood by millions and overshadowed by extremists and murderers is commendable. I wish you the best of luck and may HASHEM bless you. I await your answer to my questions eagerly.

A. Thank you for your letter. To answer your questions in order:

1. What are your personal feelings on Jews and Judaism?

- The way your question is structured, putting Jews and Judaism together, leads me to assume that you are referring to Jews in the context of religion. We view Judaism as one of the greatest religions, and its followers as people who, if they do good, have their reward with God, and who, if they do not do good, are judged in the same way that any person of religion will be judged.

2. According to Islamic tradition and the Qur'an, does a Jew who does good deeds, follows the mitzvot, believes in HASHEM, etc., go to hell or is Judaism acceptable to enter "heaven"?

- Since you say that you are interested in other scriptures, the answer to this question should be clear from the Qur'an itself: “Verily those who have attained to faith [in this divine writ], as well as those who follow the Jewish faith, and the Christians, and the Sabians - all who believe in God and the Last Day and do righteous deeds - shall have their reward with their Sustainer; and no fear need they have, and neither shall they grieve.” (Q2:62)

3. How do you explain the anti-Semitic verses of the Qur'an (such as Jews being called "al-maghdub alayhim" or that we are "ikhwat al-kiradatah w'al khanazeer" or the hadiths which state that the end shall not come until the Muslims fight the Jews and annihilate them, and the rock and the tree will call out to the Muslims that a Jew is hiding behind them and for the Muslims to come and kill the Jew?

- Let me point out the severe anachronism in your question. In the first place, the term "anti-Semitism" was coined in 19th century Germany. The Qur'an itself is a document of a Semitic people, so your description is completely wrong. Although we disagree with the common Arab argument that "anti-Semitism" also refers to them since they are a Semitic people, in respect to the Qur'an, we do feel that you are reading from prejudgment that which is NOT there. The Qur'an does have verses that describes some Jews in a pejorative manner, but the Hebrew Bible also says the same of those who do not follow the commands of the Lord. Would you agree that the Hebrew Bible is an anti-Semitic document? I assume you got the impression that "maghdubay alayhim" refers to the Jews, based on commentaries you may have read, in the same manner as "ikhwat al khanazir wa'l qirada". The latter term is one used in Polemic by some Islamic preachers, but please understand that the Qur'an does not describe Jews as such. The verses about a group of Jews who were as apes apparently comes from a midrash, and ONLY refers to those who did not observe the Sabbath. The hadith to which you refer does exist indeed, but as we have pointed out elsewhere, those hadiths are later creations, based on the importations from Christianity that show Jesus coming towards the end of time. This is not from within the Qur'an. I think that you will agree that in the spirit of polemic, all religions seem to have developed pejorative images of the other, especially Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Note for example that in the Talmud, there is the concept that "Ten parts of harlotry were given to humankind, nine parts to the Ishmaelites." - "Ten parts of stupidity were given to humankind, nine parts to the Ishmaelites."

- I feel that Israel should be a land wherein Jews live with nochris, gerim, and eruvim in harmony. No, the Qur'an does not stand in opposition to such a State. This does NOT mean that the Qur'an opposes a Palestinian state, and if Palazzi said this, then he is embarking on an eisegesis that is nonsensical. The Torah and the Qur'an allow people to do what will ensure peace and harmony. If Israel feels that its "Jewishness" will be threatened by Palestinian citizenry, then surely, as a nation of the 21st century, it must realize that the Palestinian people cannot accept living as second class citizens. We therefore support (as do many Rabbis and Imams) following the philosophy of the Torah and Qur'an -- the concept of an independent Palestinian state.

- I think that like many Muslims, you misread these verses. The Qur'an NEVER refers to the Torah as being corrupted. If it does, I would really appreciate knowing the verse from which you got this understanding. The Qur'an refers to "woe be unto those who write the book with their own hands and say this is from God," "changing the words from their places…" -- referring therefore to recensions of LATER books than the Torah. If by Torah you mean the Pentateuch, I accept that as genuine. If you refer to the later books, i.e., Prophets and Writings, I do NOT believe they are divine revelations and are subject to errors and contradictions -- and this is tenable even from a Jewish point of view. I feel that the Qur'anic reference is to the people who were compiling oral traditions rather than the Hebrew scripture itself.

6. There is one verse in particular that troubles me A LOT (9:30, Al-Taubah) which states that the Jews worship Uzair as son of Allah, also this is stated in a hadith (sahih al-Bukhari, 6/4581 (O.P.105). I have serious issues with this verse, since Jews do not worship any but God and God alone, as stated throughout the Torah, Talmud, and the Siddur, and one of the main reasons Jews have died rather than accept Christianity is because Christians say that Jesus is the son of God! There are also other verses which seem to eschew Jewish Law and tradition, or present an untruthful image (Q3:93), which states that all food was lawful to Israel, except that which we forbade upon ourselves. So does that mean that pork and dead carcasses would have been permitted? The Torah clearly states which foods are not to be eaten because they are unclean. And another verse (Q5:64) states that Jews believe the hands of God are tied. This contradicts every prayer that I say every day, as in the prayer Ashrei, which states: "You open your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing," and that He "burdens us with blessings," meaning that He gives us so much blessing more than we deserve, and the entire Shemonei Esrei contradicts this statement. I have never heard a Jew state, nor read anywhere in Jewish Scripture, that God's Hands are bound. God forbid that such a blasphemous statement should be uttered by a Jew. Please explain this and other verses that seem to contradict basic halacha and Jewish beliefs.

- The verse to which you refer, and which you seek to interpret, is based on your understanding that we KNOW all forms of Judaism that have existed. The truth is different to that assumption. Indeed, we are not sure even of the types of Judaisms that existed in the Arabian peninsula. The Torah tells us that some Hebrews worshipped the golden calf. Is it possible that some Jews, away from Rabbinic authority, could have said this thing? Were Jesus' apostles not from among the Jews? Was Paul, the introducer of the concept of Jesus’ divinity, not a Jew? While you may wish to believe only that which is theologically appealing to you, the fact is that Jews, like Muslims, and indeed all humans, do things that displease others and are often at odds with orthodox beliefs. History does not afford us a record of everything that happened. And it is inconceivable that the Qur'an would have made a claim that the Jews could easily have refuted. Don't forget too that many Jewish groups that had heterodox beliefs may not be acknowledged by Judaism, but that would not mean that they were not regarded as Jewish by others. Regarding the verses you point out, we feel that ALL foods were allowable. It was only by association, or by our observation of certain things that were incompatible with Israel's views that such things became unlawful. This is not a bad or good statement, but merely an observation. Once again, your lack of awareness of certain sayings attributed to Jews does not mean that some Jews did not say such things. We hold that the Qur'an, as noted earlier, would not make claims that could be easily refuted. If you disagree with our references to the Talmud and Mishnah, by all means point out what you deem to be mistakes, and we shall either retract our statements, or produce our proofs. Let us agree that the Halakha, like the Fiqh of Islam, is not all divinely written. We interpret things based on human understanding. Is this possible in the idea of that which is forbidden? Does the Torah tell us that ALL meat in milk is forbidden? This Halakhic view -- a sectarian one at that -- is based on a philosophy that may be gleaned from a certain Biblical verse. Can this be taken to mean "except which Israel forbade upon itself?" The point is that in the views on religion, we have to be careful when dealing with absolutes, and claiming "this could not be true." Surely as someone who ought to understand Hebrew, you should admit that the concept of monotheism does not support the reference to the Holy One in the plural form of "Elohim." That indicates to us, as academics have pointed out, that there is a lot in the evolution of our religions that we do NOT know about, that creed and law developed over centuries and that if we do NOT know something, it does not mean that such something never existed. As Ibn Taymiyya said: "adam al ilm laysa ilman bil adam" – "Absence of knowledge is not knowledge of absence."

May the Holy One be with you too, and guide all creation to Shalom/Salaam -- wholeness and completeness.

Posted March 25, 2006