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Fazal Ahmad – UK
Context
The continuing battle in Palestine has led to a false impression that Jews and Muslims can not tolerate one another, or that the religions encourage their worshippers to concern and oppress one another.
This text explores the variations between the faiths and the historical past of interactions between Jews and Muslims in numerous components of the world.
Frequent Heritage
Each Muslims and Jews are monotheists. Jews come from the road of Abraham (as) and after prophet Moses (as) introduced the Torah, that they had a succession of Prophets and Kings. Because the Qur’an was revealed to Prophet Muhammad (sa), those self same Jewish Prophets and Kings have been talked about with respect within the Qur’an, certainly Muslims are obliged to consider in and respect the entire earlier Prophets. Jews and Muslims have many widespread spiritual practices e.g. each practise male circumcision and have comparable dietary restrictions akin to not consuming Pork. Each teams see Jerusalem as a key religious metropolis.
Arabia
Within the time of the Holy Prophet (sa), there have been quite a few examples the place he inspired his followers to deal with Jews with respect and dignity, even when they have been being goaded or insulted by them. The Prophet (sa) needed to migrate to Madinah (at the moment often known as Yathrib) to flee persecution in Makkah. Yathrib on the time had a big Jewish inhabitants, together with the tribes of Banu Nadir, Banu Qaynuqa and Banu Qurayzah. It was the Holy Prophet (sa) who introduced them collectively in peace by way of a pact between the varied Arab and Jewish tribes within the spirit of unity and equality. (Ahmad, 2012, p.80)
Palestine
After the loss of life of the Prophet (sa), as Islam started to develop in affect, the Caliph Umar (ra) got here to Jerusalem in easy garments in 638 CE. Many noticed him as a liberator from Roman rule, and the varied Christian denominations and the Jews got freedom to worship. Jerusalem held a particular place within the hearts of the Muslims as initially, they prayed within the route of town. Umar (ra) signed a peace treaty enabling Jews and Christians to dwell in peace. (Aziz, 2012, p.86) This pact would act as a template for future coexistence of various faiths if practised within the spirit of the unique pact enacted by the Holy Prophet (sa).
After the Second World Struggle and the atrocities of the Holocaust confronted by the Jewish group throughout a lot of Europe, Muslims of Palestine welcomed Jewish refugees, and lots of housed them in their very own farms. They have been seen as fellow monotheists, and there was initially no situation between them. The conflicts quickly began however on account of the political aspirations of the Zionist motion moderately than any spiritual points between the 2 communities.
Spain
For a lot of centuries, from 711 CE till 1492 CE, Spain was Muslim Al-Andalus. It grew to become a beacon for growth in Europe and a hub for commerce, theology and tradition. The setting led to artistic marvels such because the Alhambra palace in Granada. Beneath the yolk of Muslim management, many Jewish communities thrived. Moses ben Maimon (Maimonides) was born in Cordoba in 1135 CE and would grow to be one of many best Torah students and ultimately the top of the Jewish group in Egypt.
Many Jews attained excessive workplace on account of their abilities in commerce, poetry and drugs. Ibn Shaprut grew to become the trusted advisor and physician to the Caliph in addition to his duties within the Jewish group (Fletcher, 1994, p.70). There have been many different examples akin to Samuel ibn Naghrila, who from 1038 – 1056 CE, served as the primary minister of Granada. He was identified for his knowledge, dignity, poetry and was additionally a serving Rabbi (Fletcher, 1994, p. 96). One of many best students on Islamic Spain, Stanley Lane-Poole writes:
“Jew and Moor and Persian joined in that cultivation of studying and philosophy, arts and sciences, which pre-eminently distinguished the rule of the Saracens within the Center Ages.” (Lane-Poole, 1984, p.24)
The nice Mezquita of Cordoba was probably the most important mosque in all of Al Andalus. The Muslims created initially shared the place of worship with Jews till the Synagogue of Cordoba was constructed, and even right this moment, some Jewish motifs could be seen within the structure of the mosque.
Egypt
Clearly, the Jewish group had an extended historical past in Egypt, however within the Muslim period, many attained excessive workplace akin to Dunash ibn Tamim, the physician of the Fatimid ruler of the time. Islam took a foothold very early, and by 641 CE, the Treaty of Alexandria afforded the Jews peace and the appropriate to stay within the nation unmolested, after centuries of mistreatment by the hands of the Byzantine Christian rulers.
Türkiye
Jewish communities had existed in outdated settlements in Türkiye for a lot of centuries, however the largest inflow was after 1492 CE after Jews and Muslims have been being expelled from Al Andalus in Spain after the Christian reconquest. Sultan Beyazit II welcomed 150,000 Sephardic Jewish refugees to Türkiye. They introduced with them the tradition, innovation and information from Islamic Spain and with the encouragement of land and tax exemptions, quickly settled and thrived. Many would go on to take senior roles within the Ottoman Empire together with as docs, directors and diplomats. One other wave of Jewish emigrants have been welcomed from Europe after the Second World Struggle. Fashionable Istanbul nonetheless has Jewish heritage within the space across the Galata Tower.
North Africa
For hundreds of years, Jewish communities flourished in a lot of North Africa in Morocco, Algeria, Libya and Egypt. Many had fled to North Africa in antiquity after the Roman occupation of the Center East. In Morocco, after the institution of town of Fez in 789 CE, many Jews settled to learn from rising commerce the world over as Muslim communities have been established throughout Africa, the Center East and Asia. The Jewish group established their very own theological colleges (yeshivot) and attracted students and poets from many nations.
Among the Viziers within the centuries that adopted have been Jewish akin to Abu Ayyub Solomon, Abraham ibn Meir and Solomon ibn Farusal. Nevertheless, the fortunes of the Jewish group fluctuated as completely different factions such because the Almoravids and Almohads took management in North Africa.
Conclusion
So, as we’ve seen, for over 1,400 years, Muslims and Jews have recognised that they’ve way more in widespread with one another than they’ve variations, and have been capable of coexist and thrive. Each share a standard heritage and historical past and comparable spiritual practices.
This doesn’t imply that relations have at all times been good. There are lots of cases the place there have been disagreements and even atrocities between the 2 communities, however these have been impressed by politics moderately than faith simply as the present ongoing struggles between Palestine and Israel are. Perversely while the battle rages, it has united Jews and Muslims by way of widespread voices for peace.
As we’ve proven within the article, there are such a lot of cases the place Jewish folks going through persecution in Christian nations fled to Muslim territories for sanctuary and have been capable of thrive, or the place Jewish and Christian communities have been capable of prosper in Muslim territories.
Concerning the Writer: Fazal Ahmad is the Editor for the World Religions part of The Evaluation of Religions. He additionally serves because the International Operations Director with Humanity First, and is chargeable for poverty alleviation tasks in 54 nations, primarily in Africa, South Asia and Central America.
References
- Ahmad, M. B. M, (2012), Lifetime of Muhammad(noticed), Islam Worldwide Publications Ltd, Tilford, UK
- Aziz, A., (2012), The Age of the Rightly Guided Caliphs: Umar Ibn al-Khattab, Darussalam, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Fletcher, R., (1994), Moorish Spain, Phoenix (Orion Books Ltd), London, UK
- Johns, C., (2010), Particular Challenge: The Holy Land, Nationwide Geographic, 26 January 2010, USA.
- Knobloch, E., (2001), Monuments of Central Asia, I. B. Taurus, New York, USA
- Lane-Poole, S., (1984), The Moors in Spain, Darf Publishers Ltd (first revealed 1887), London, UK
- Rahman, H., U., (1999), A Chronology of Islamic Historical past 570 – 1000 CE, Third Version, Ta-Ha Publishers Ltd, London, UK
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