I would like to get information and resources about the topic of the
Qu'ran's attitude toward the Jews.  Specifically about the attitude
with respect to the Qu'ran's relationship to other 'sacred histories'
like the Torah and Bible and the prophet Muhammad's interactions with
the Jews of Medina.  How do these interact to effect the Qu'ran's
attitude?  What are the best reference and critical materials about
this topic?

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Request for Question Clarification by politicalguru-ga on 15 Oct 2003 08:38 PDT

Dear J Grant L, 

I am interested in answering your question, but I believe that to
answer it well, your question will require more time and effort than
the average amount of time and effort associated with this price. Here
is a link to guidelines about pricing your question, in the pricing
guide:
https://answers.google.com/answers/pricing.html 
  
If you both raise your price and also post a clarification here, the
system will notify me and I will take another look at your question.

---

Clarification of Question by jgrantl-ga on 24 Oct 2003 22:05 PDT

Alright.  I agree this question could be worth more.    

To clarify:  I certainly don't need a pre-written essay or anything
like that.  But resources to read and topics and interesting points
and research avenues would be great.  As much info as possible, of
course.

Thanks!

Dear J Grant L, 

As any other religious document, the Qur'an's teachings could be
interpreted in many ways, and the attitude towards Jews in the Qur'an
is not the only variable in the actual religious policies of Muslims
or Islamic regimes towards Jews.

Therefore, one could interpret the Qur’an as anti-Jewish, and one
could claim that references to Jews are made mostly as theological
rivals, but are not substantiated with hate. There are many sides to
the Qur'anic treatment of Jews - from enemies to monotheists who
should be tolerated.

In an article on the subject (with special reference to Islamic
Fundamentalism and just after 9/11 attacks), Alan Reynolds from the
Cato Research Institute [here I must note, that this institute
promotes Libertarian ideas], quotes the Qur’an: "Those who are Jews,
and the Christians whoever believes in Allah [God] and the last day is
good, they shall have their reward from their Lord" (II:62). The Koran
likewise speaks favourably of the "churches and synagogues and mosques
in which Allah's name is much remembered."(XXII:40)".

Regarding its relation to the Jewish Torah, it regards them as holy.
Reynolds writes, "all prophets are to be respected -- including
Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Mohammed: "We do not make any distinction
between them." (II:136) "We [Muslims] make no difference between any
of His apostles." (II:285) "Every one was of the good." (VI:85) "The
Messiah, son of Mary is but an apostle" (V:73), yet God "put in the
hearts of those who follow him kindness and mercy." (LVII:27) The
Torah "in which there was guidance and light" is considered part "of
the Book of Allah" (V:70), and so are the Bible and Koran (IX: 111)."

Reynolds continues, to discuss the treatment of Jews, and writes "The
Koran never excuses a Holy War or Jihad against fellow monotheists --
Christians or Jews -- but only against those who worship idols
(idolaters) or many gods (polytheists). Even in the case of idolaters,
the Koran honours peace agreements. "Slay the idolaters wherever you
find them except those of the idolaters with which you have made an
agreement." (IX:4-5) "If they break their oaths after their agreement
and [openly] revile your religion, then fight." (IX:12). "Fight with
them until there is no persecution [of Islam] but if they desist, then
there should be no hostility except against the oppressors."(II:193)
"And if they incline to peace, then incline to it and trust in Allah."
(VIII:61) Such language is not of the meek "turn the other cheek"
variety, but neither does it imply that sneak attacks are holy, that
war is preferable to peace, or that Christians or Jews are religious
enemies."

Muhammad himself, according to most of the modern Islam researchers,
was highly interested in Judaism, and was disappointed from the fact,
that the Jews of Medina did not accept his "corrections" to Judaism.
Hence, he formed a new religion [See in particular Goldziher, Lewis].

PBS special describes the Jews of Medina and their connection with
Muhammad: "Muhammad arrived in Medina in 622 believing the Jewish
tribes would welcome him. Contrary to expectation, his relations with
several of the Jewish tribes in Medina were uneasy almost from the
start. This was probably largely a matter of local politics. Medina
was not so much a city as a fractious agricultural settlement dotted
by fortresses and strongholds, and all relations in the oasis were
uneasy. In fact, Muhammad had been invited there to arbitrate a bloody
civil war between the Khazraj and the Aws Allah, in which the Jewish
clans, being their clients, were embroiled." (PBS Special, see bellow
in references).

Between 624 and 628, Jewish kingdoms or tribes were fought against.
Truces and agreements were signed only to be broken (therefore, when a
Muslim refers to an agreement as an agreement such as the one signed
with the Jews of Quraish, this is an agreement that was signed out of
weakness, a tactical agreement to be broken later, when the conditions
will improve).

PBS continues and describes Muhammad’s contentions with the Jews: 
"Yet Muhammad did not confuse the contentiousness of clan relations in
the oasis with the religious message of Judaism. Passages in the
Qur'an that warn Muslims not to make pacts with the Jews of Arabia
emerge from these specific wartime situations. A larger spirit of
respect, acceptance, and comradeship prevailed, as recorded in a late
chapter of the Qur'an:
We sent down the Torah, in which there is guidance and light, by which
the Prophets who surrendered to God's will provided judgments for the
Jewish people. Also, the rabbis and doctors of the Law (did likewise),
according to that portion of God's Book with which they were
entrusted, and they became witnesses to it as well…. Whoever does not
judge by what God has sent down (including the Torah), they are indeed
unbelievers. (5:44)
Some individual Medina Jews, including at least one rabbi, became
Muslims. But generally, the Jews of Medina remained true to their
faith. Theologically, they could not accept Muhammad as a messenger of
God, since, in keeping with Jewish belief, they were waiting for a
prophet to emerge from among their own people.

The exiled Banu Nadir and the Banu Qaynuqa removed to the prosperous
northern oasis of Khaybar, and later pledged political loyalty to
Muhammad. Other Jewish clans honoured the pact they had signed and
continued to live in peace in Medina long after it became the Muslim
capital of Arabia." (ibid).

Indeed, the Medina Suras encompass both the resentment against "People
of the Book" who did not adopt Islam, and also the respect for their
monotheistic beliefs (see "Chapters from the Koran").

In 637, it is also worth mentioning (despite not being Qur'an per-se),
a treaty was published, regulating the lives of Christians and Jews
under Islam (Treaty Regulating Christians and Jews under Islam, 637,
From Al-Turtushi. Sirag al-Muluk. In: Islam from the Prophet Muhammad
to the Capture of Constantinople, ed. Bernard Lewis, vol. 2 - see
references)


Sources Mentioned in the Text and Additional Sources
====================================================
Best reference is, of course, the Qur'an itself: 
An electronic version of The Holy Qur'an, translated by M.H. Shakir
and published by Tahrike Tarsile Qur'an, Inc., in 1983.
University of Michigan
<http://www.hti.umich.edu/k/koran/> 

Specifically, I referred in my answer to: 
Chapters from the Koran, Translated and Annotated by E. H. Palmer.
Vol. XLV, Part 5. The Harvard Classics. New York: P.F. Collier & Son,
1909–14; Bartleby.com, 2001. <www.bartleby.com/45/5/>

"Treaty Regulating Christians and Jews under Islam, 637"  
From Al-Turtushi. Sirag al-Muluk. As reproduced in Islam from the
Prophet Muhammad to the Capture of Constantinople, ed. Bernard Lewis,
vol. 2 (New York: Walker, 1974), 345-6.
Available online at Mosaic
<http://college.hmco.com/history/west/mosaic/chapter4/source197.html>

Jewish Virtual Library 
"References to Jews in the Koran" 
<http://www.us-israel.org/jsource/anti-semitism/koranjews.html> 

PBS Special "Muhammad: Legacy of a Prophet" 
"Muhammad and the Jews of Medina" 
<http://www.pbs.org/muhammad/ma_jews.shtml> 

Reynolds, Alan
"This Is no Holy War" 
Cato Institute, September 18, 2001
<http://www.cato.org/dailys/09-18-01.html> 

Wikipedia
"Islam and anti-Semitism" 
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-Semitism_in_Islam> 

Ignaz Goldziher, Introduction to Islamic Theology and Law. 

Lecker, Michael, Muslims, Jews, and pagans: studies on early Islamic
Medina, Leiden; New York: E.J. Brill, 1995.
 
Bernard Lewis, The Jews of Islam (Princeton University Press, 1984),
pp. 67-106.

Bernard Lewis, Semites and Anti-Semites: An Inquiry into Conflict and
Prejudice W.W. Norton & Company; (May 1999). Sample pages available
for reading from Amazon.com:
<http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0393318397/ref=sib_dp_rdr/102-6087628-5696940#reader-link>
 
M.M. Pickthall, The Meaning of the Glorious Koran (Mentor), pp. 14-82.
 
Norman Stillman, The Jews of Arab Lands (JPS, 1979), pp. 3-21 and pp.
149-51.

I hope this answered your question. I searched the web for the
following:
Jews "Qur’an OR qoran OR koran OR kuran" 
Jews Medina 
However, I chose a very critical method in reading my sources, since
there are many religiously or politically biased sites in the results.
I chose mostly sites I knew that I could trust, or academic sites.
I also searched for authors that I knew as experts on the subject -
Bernard Lewis, for example.

If you need any further clarification on this answer, please let me
know before you tip/rate the answer.

Great job.  A bunch of original summation, and good references!

you may go to www.quraan.com and search for jews in Quraan. but islam
is not just Quraan. Its also secred Sunna (Mohammeds sayings and
doings, if teller was authentic).
some storeis I can tell you quickly and very briefly is (sorry I am
not precise but this is the best of my knowlege):
- Mohammed last wife is a Jew who converted to islam. She choosed to
marry him instead to catch up with her Jewish people.
- Mohammeds naighbor was  a Jew, who used to through trash in front of
Mohammeds door. Mohammed visited him, when he stoped througing the
trash. He was sick.
- Islam asks muslims to be loyal to the Jews (real followers of God
law that time) who were burned by the ancient egyptions and treats
those acient egyptions infidels.
- Muslims and Jews had an agreement to protect "Madinah" from
outsiders. When Arab armies aprouched Madinah to finish muslims for
good (Khandak battle), Muslims didnt ask the Jews to do their treaty.
Jews tribes in Madinah joint Arabic armies againts Muslims. Muslims
defeat was almost certain. When Arab armies withdrew, Muslims expleled
Jews from Madinah (Yom Khayber battle).
- Caliph Ali and a Jew sat in fort on a judge because the Caliph wants
his guard back from the Jew.

These are my comments...but a reasearch still needed I think :)))

Dear J Grant L, 

Thank you for the rating and the tip!