Jews in the Qurʾān

Abstract

The Qurʾān uses five terms to refer to Jews, but regardless of the appellation used, it is ultimately concerned with the beliefs and deeds of the Jewish people, both during their pre-Qurʾānic history as well as their response to its own invitation to believe in One God and all the Prophets and Books He has sent, including the last of them and the Book sent to him, that is, the Qurʾān, which confirms the Torah and all earlier Scriptures and is their guardian and pro- tector (muhaymin). Since the Qurʾān came from the same source as Torah, belief in this final Revelation is a sine qua non for the true believers who recognize it as they recognize their own children. Most of the Jewish Madinan contemporaries of the Prophet, however, re- jected his prophethood and this framed the parameters of Jewish Muslim relationship; the same frame exists today and continues to influence events in the Middle east and beyond. Recognizing their status as People of the Book, Islamic Law per- mits Muslims to eat their food and marry their women. Yet, this recognition has not been instrumental in the emergence of a posi- tive relationship.