Jews and the Qur'an

by Meir M. Bar-Asher, Mustafa Akyol (Foreword by), Ethan Rundell (Translator)

Overview

A compelling book that casts the Qur’anic encounter with Jews in an entirely new light

In this panoramic and multifaceted book, Meir Bar-Asher examines how Jews and Judaism are depicted in the Qur’an and later Islamic literature, providing needed context to those passages critical of Jews that are most often invoked to divide Muslims and Jews or to promote Islamophobia. He traces the Qur’anic origins of the protection of Jews and other minorities living under the rule of Islam, and shows how attitudes toward Jews in Shi‘i Islam are substantially different from those in Sunni Islam. Bar-Asher sheds light on the extraordinary contribution of Jewish tradition to the Muslim exegesis of the Qur’an, and draws important parallels between Jewish religious law, or halakha, and shari‘a law.

An illuminating work on a topic of vital relevance today, Jews and the Qur’an offers a nuanced understanding of Islam’s engagement with Judaism in the time of Muhammad and his followers, and serves as a needed corrective to common misperceptions about Islam.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780691264790
Publisher:	Princeton University Press
Publication date:	08/20/2024
Pages:	192
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x (d)

About the Author

Meir M. Bar-Asher is the Max Schloessinger Professor of Islamic Studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. His books include Scripture and Exegesis in Early Imāmī Shiism and The Nusayrī-‘Alawī Religion: An Enquiry into Its Theology and Liturgy. He lives in Jerusalem.

Table of Contents

Foreword Mustafa Akyol xi

Preface xv

Acknowledgments xix

Introduction 1

I The Historical Context 8

A Jewish Kingdom in Arabia 10

Between Arabia and the Holy Land 12

The Jewish Presence in the Hejaz in the Beginning of Islam 14

Which Judaism Did Muhammad Know in Arabia? 17

Arab Jewish Poets before Islam 20

The Arabs and Palestine before Islam 22

The First Muslim Community and the Jews of Medina 23

II The Representation of Judaism and Jews in the Qur'an 27

The Various Names Given the Jews in the Qur'an 28

The Children of Israel, a Chosen People 30

God's Covenant with the People of Israel 35

From Egypt to the Holy Land 38

The Torah as Confirmation of the Qur'an 40

Unruly and Rebellious Children 41

Idolators and Worshippers of the Golden Calf 42

The Figure of 'Uzayr 44

Falsifiers of the Torah 49

Killers of Prophets 51

"Transformed into Apes and Pigs" 54

The Hadith of Stones and Trees 55

The "Ass Carrying Books" 56

III Biblical Accounts and Their Transformations in the Qur'an 58

The Hebrew Vocabulary of the Qur'an 59

The Qur'an and Genesis 60

Cain and Abel 63

Abraham 65

Joseph 70

David 75

Saul/Talut 80

The Red Heifer (al-baqara) 83

The Midrash and the isra'iliyyat 85

IV Qur'anic Law and Jewish Law 88

The Laws of Prayer and qibla 92

The Laws of Fasting 97

Dietary Laws 102

The Calendar and the Embolismic Year 104

Conclusion 107

V The Qur'anic Sources of the Dhimma 109

The Pact of 'Umar 112

A Long Codification 117

Between Theory and Reality 118

From Modernity to Fundamentalism 119

VI The Place of Judaism and the Jews in Twelver Shi'ism 121

The Impurity of the ahl al-kitab 122

Social Relations 125

The Origins of Shi'i Rigorism 127

Children of Israel: Prototypes and Evidence for the Pre-Existence of the Shi'a 130

Conclusion 137

Notes 141

Bibliography 151

Index 159

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“Jews and the Qur’an is a critically important book that advances our understanding of the Qur’an while clarifying misconceptions of the relationship between Islam and Judaism. Bar-Asher analyzes Judaism and Islam with sophistication and sensitivity.”—Gabriel Said Reynolds, author of Allah: God in the Qur’an

“Richly informed, admirably concise, unfailingly clear, and commendably balanced on a remarkably wide range of relevant, fascinating, and sometimes contested topics.”—Jack Miles, author of God in the Qur’an

“Meir M. Bar-Asher masterfully portrays [the] complex relation between Judaism and Islam. . . . I see in [this book] an informative basis for frank dialogue between the children of Abraham—no matter how deep-seated their intra-family issues.”—from the foreword by Mustafa Akyol

Editorial Reviews

Winner of the PROSE Award in Theology & Religious Studies, Association of American Publishers

From the Publisher