JULY 19
Jews and Muslims Between
Conflict and Encounter
The Jews are called People of the Book in the Quran. The Quran has allowed Muslims to marry Jewish women. Above all the Quran tells us that Muslims and Jews have the common creed. The Quran addressing the Jews states: O People of the Scripture! Come to an agreement between us and you: that we shall worship none but God, and that we shall ascribe no partner unto Him, and that none of us shall take others for lords besides God. (3:64)
This shows that Jews have been accorded special status in Islam. So Jews and Muslims, more than anyone else, must live together in amity and harmony. And history is a witness to it. With the exception of conflicts between Jews and Muslims during the early fifty years of Islam and the recent fifty years, both the communities have lived together harmoniously for more than one thousand years. The history of both Arab and non-Arab countries testifies to it.
If you travel to Egypt, Iraq, Morocco, etc. you will see even today that Jews and Muslims share a common culture. It is the result of this that for the last fourteen hundred years Jews have been coming closer to Islam. Abdullah ibn Salam, a well known Jewish scholar provides an example in the early phase of Islam, and Mohammad Asad is one such example in the recent history.
The truth is that the controversy between the Muslims and Jews is not religious but political. In the early period as well as today, political differences are the main reasons for this conflict.
To my view, if in this matter politics and religion are delinked, the intensity of the conflict will be lessened on its own. Then they will start living together in harmony as they had been living fifty years ago.
Some hold that the enmity between the Muslims and Jews is eternal as it is rooted in the Quran itself. For instance the Quran has this to say: You will find the most vehement of people in hostility to those who believe (to be) the Jews and the idolaters. (5:82)
This is a grave misunderstanding, something pertaining to a particular time has been generalised. In actual fact, this verse is related to some Jews who were Prophet’s contemporary and not to all their generations till Doomsday. Owing to certain political reasons during the Madinan life of the Prophet some conflict ensued between the Jews and the Muslims. During this period of controversy it was but natural, that temporarily an atmosphere of enmity and rivalry was created. But it was not to last for ever. As we see soon after, during the Abbasid period, Jewish scholars were working along with Muslim scholars in an atmosphere of friendship and harmony in the Bait al-Hikmah and other fields. Similarly in Spain both Muslims and Jews worked together in academic pursuits. It will be worth mentioning here that one of the best translations of the Quran was done by a Jewish scholar, Professor N.J. Dawood. Thus Jews have lived peacefully along with the Muslims in Arab countries for centuries. It was in 1948 that once again political rivalry was created as we are witnessing today.
I must add that even today outside Palestine, Muslims and Jews live together as peaceful neighbours in both Muslim as well as non-Muslim countries. This clearly shows that the so-called Muslim-Jewish conflict is certainly political. Using the name of religion in this issue is only an exploitation of religion. It has nothing to do with the real religion—Islam.
To us the solution to this problem lies in delinking this issue with religion. The inclusion of religion in any controversy turns it into an emotional issue. And when an issue becomes emotional, its solution becomes well nigh impossible.
If I were to advise in this matter I would like to suggest to both the communities concerned to do a thorough rethinking over this matter. They should separate the real cause from the non-real cause of the controversy. Instead of adopting emotional approach they should adopt realistic approach. By doing so, the issue will be solved on its own.
Differences inevitably exist in any two communities of the world. A number of differences exist even within the community itself. Despite this we see that they lead their lives in a normal manner. This has become possible only by adopting realistic approach. This same formula should be adopted by Muslims and the Jews in their controversial matters.
The Quran gives us this guideline in controversial matters: Reconciliation is the best. (4:128)
This approach of reconciliation by avoiding confrontation is the only formula for a successful life in this world—for resolving controversies within as well as between the communities.
