Editing Islamic–Jewish relations (section)

==Religious figures==
{{Further|History of the Levant}}
[[File:Abraham tomb.JPG|thumb|150px|left|The [[Cave of the Patriarchs]], burial place of [[Abraham]].]]
[[File:Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn 079.jpg|thumb|150px|left|''[[Moses]] with the [[Ten Commandments]]'', by [[Rembrandt]].]]

The term "Semitic" is due to the legendary derivation of the peoples so called from Shem, son of Noah ([[Book of Genesis|Genesis]] 10:1).<ref>Will Durant, ''The Story of Civilization'', Volume 4, ''The Age of Faith'' p. 156</ref> [[Hebrews|Hebreaic]] and Arabian peoples are generally classified as [[Semitic people|Semitic]], a [[racialism|racialist]] concept derived from Biblical accounts of the origins of the cultures known to the ancient Hebrews. Those closest to them in culture and language were generally deemed to be descended from their forefather [[Shem]], one of the sons of [[Noah]].{{Citation needed|date=October 2016}} Enemies were often said to be descendants of his cursed nephew [[Canaan]], grandson of [[Noah]], son of [[Ham (son of Noah)|Ham]]. Modern historians confirm the affinity of ancient Hebrews and Arabs based on characteristics that are usually transmitted from parent to child, such as genes and habits, with the most well-studied criterion being language.{{Citation needed|date=October 2016}} Similarities between [[Semitic languages]] (including [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] and [[Arabic]]) and their differences with those spoken by other adjacent people confirm the common origin of Hebrews and Arabs among other Semitic nations.<ref>''The religion of Semites'', ch. 1</ref>

Around the 12th century BC, Judaism developed as a [[monotheism|monotheistic]] religion. According to Jewish religious tradition, the [[history of Judaism]] begins with the [[Covenant (biblical)|Covenant]] between [[God]] and [[Abraham]], who is considered a Hebrew. (The first Hebrew being [[Eber]], a forefather of Abraham.) The [[Hebrew Bible]] occasionally refers to ''Arvi'' peoples (or variants thereof), translated as "Arab" or "Arabian" deriving from "Arava" plain, the dwellers of plains.{{Citation needed|date=October 2016}} Some Arabs of the [[Arabian Peninsula]] are considered descendants of [[Ishmael|Ismael]], the first son of Abraham.{{Citation needed|date=October 2016}} While the commonly held view among historians is that [[Islam]] originated in Arabia in the 7th century AD, in Islam's view, Adam was the first Muslim (in the sense of believing in Allah and surrendering to Allah's commands). Islam also shares many traits with Judaism (as well as with [[Christianity]]), like the belief in and reverence for common [[prophet]]s, such as [[Moses]] and [[Abraham]],<ref>Genesis 20</ref> who are recognized in all three Abrahamic religions.

===Abraham===
Judaism and Islam are known as "[[Abrahamic religions]]".<ref>Sources for the following are:
* J. Z. Smith 1998, p. 276
* Anidjar 2001, p. 3</ref> The first Abrahamic religion was Judaism as practiced in the wilderness of the [[Sinai peninsula]] subsequent to [[the Exodus]] of the Hebrews from Egypt and continuing as the Hebrews entered the land of [[Canaan]] to conquer and settle it. The kingdom eventually split into the kingdoms of [[Kingdom of Israel (Samaria)|Israel]] and [[Kingdom of Judah|Judah]] prior to the [[Babylonian captivity|Babylonian Exile]], at the beginning of the [[1st millennium BC|1st millennium AD]]. The firstborn son of Abraham, [[Ishmael]], is considered by Muslims to be the ''Father of the Arabs''. Abraham's second son [[Isaac]] is called ''Father of the Hebrews''. In Islamic tradition Isaac is viewed as the grandfather of all Israelites and the promised son of Ibraham from his barren wife Sarah. In the [[Hadith]], Muhammad says that some twenty five thousand prophets and messengers came from Abraham's seed, most of these being from Isaac, and that the last one in this line was Jesus. In the Jewish tradition [[Abraham]] is called ''Avraham Avinu'' or "Our Father Abraham". For Muslims, he is considered an important [[Prophets of Islam|prophet of Islam]] (see ''[[Islamic view of Abraham|Ibrahim]]'') and the ancestor of Muhammad through Ishmael. Ibrahim is regarded as one of the prophets of Islam alongside Noah, Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad, among others. The narrative of his life in the Quran is similar to that seen in the [[Tanakh]].<ref>Annabel Keeler, "Moses from a Muslim Perspective", in: Solomon, Norman; Harries, Richard; Winter, Tim (eds.), ''Abraham's children: Jews, Christians, and Muslims in Conversation'', by. T&T Clark Publ. (2005), pp. 55–66.</ref>

===Moses===
As in Judaism and Christianity, Moses is regarded in Islam as one of the most prominent prophets. His story is frequently recounted in both the Meccan and Medinan chapters, some of which are long. Although there are differences in the Quranic and Biblical accounts, the remaining narratives are similar. They agree on the events of Moses' infancy, exile to Midian, plagues and miracles, deliverage of the Israelites, parting of the Red Sea, the revelation of the tablets, the incident of the Golden Calf and the 40 years of wandering.<ref>{{cite book|author=European Association for Biblical Studies. Meeting|title=Yahwism After the Exile: Perspectives on Israelite Religion in the Persian Era|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hwExATCqwvwC&pg=PA70|year=2003|publisher=Uitgeverij Van Gorcum|isbn=978-90-232-3880-5|pages=70–}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Dr. Andrea C. Paterson|title=Three Monotheistic Faiths – Judaism, Christianity, Islam: An Analysis and Brief History|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tuuys4HxSzcC&pg=PA112|date=21 May 2009|publisher=AuthorHouse|isbn=978-1-4520-3049-4|pages=112–}}</ref>

According to Noegel and Wheeler some scholars think there is a parallel between the status of Aaron in Moses' narrative and Umar in the narrative of Muhammad. In both the Biblical and Quranic accounts, Moses is accompanied by Aaron. In both accounts Moses is portrayed more actively. The Quranic and Biblical accounts differ on the nus of responsibility for the Golden Calf incident. The Bible accuses Aaron, whereas the Quranic narrative defends him.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Scott B. Noegel|author2=Brannon M. Wheeler|title=The A to Z of Prophets in Islam and Judaism|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lNAWAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA1|date=1 April 2010|publisher=Scarecrow Press|isbn=978-1-4617-1895-6|pages=1–}}</ref>

===Muhammad===
{{Islamic prophets|Views}}
{{Main|Muhammad's views on Jews}}
In the course of Muhammad's proselytizing in [[Mecca]], he initially viewed [[Christians]] and Jews (both of whom he referred to as "[[People of the Book]]") as natural allies, sharing the core principles of his teachings, and anticipated their acceptance and support. Ten years after his first revelation in [[Mount Hira]],<ref name="Muhammad">Uri Rubin, Muhammad, [[Encyclopedia of the Quran]]</ref> a delegation consisting of the representatives of the twelve important clans of Medina pledged to physically protect Muhammad and invited him as a neutral outsider to Medina to serve as chief arbitrator for the entire community, which had been fighting with each other for around a hundred years and was in need of an authority.<ref name="CHI">The Cambridge History of Islam, (1997), p. 39</ref><ref name="Esposito">Esposito, John. (1998), Islam: the Straight Path, extended edition. Oxford university press, p.17.</ref><ref name="Muhammad, Encyclopedia of Islam">'Muhammad, Encyclopedia of Islam', Alford Welch</ref>

Among the things Muhammad did in order to settle down the longstanding grievances among the tribes of Medina was drafting a document known as the [[Constitution of Medina]]. The community defined in the Constitution of Medina had a religious outlook but was also shaped by the practical considerations and substantially preserved the legal forms of the old Arab tribes.<ref>Muhammad, Encyclopedia of Islam, Alford Welch</ref> Muhammad also adopted some features of the Jewish worship and customs such as fasting on the [[Yom Kippur]] day. According to Alford Welch, the Jewish practice of having three daily prayer rituals appears to have been a factor in the introduction of the Islamic midday prayer, but Muhammad's adoption of facing north toward Jerusalem, Islam's first Qiblah or direction of prayer (later changed to facing toward the Kabah in Mecca), when performing the daily prayers, was practiced among other groups in Arabia.

Many Medinans converted to the faith of the Meccan immigrants,<!--Please give date range for this--> particularly pagan and polytheist tribes, but there were fewer Jewish converts.<ref name="W">Watt (1956), p. 175, p. 177</ref> The Jews rejected Muhammad's claim to prophethood,<ref name="Esposito" /> and further argued that some passages in the Qur'an contradicted the [[Torah]].<ref name="CHI43">The Cambridge History of Islam, pp. 43–44</ref> Their opposition was due to political as well as religious reasons, as many Jews in Medina had close links with [[Abd-Allah ibn Ubayy]], who was partial to the Jews and would have been Medina's prince if not for Muhammad's arrival.<ref name="CHI43"/><ref>Gerhard Endress, Islam, Columbia University Press, p.29</ref>

[[Mark R. Cohen|Mark Cohen]] adds that Muhammad appeared "centuries after the cessation of biblical prophecy" and "couched his message in a verbiage foreign to Judaism both in its format and rhetoric."<ref name="Cohen">Mark R. Cohen, ''Under Crescent and Cross: The Jews in the Middle Ages'', p. 23, Princeton University Press</ref> [[Maimonides]], a Jewish scholar, referred to Muhammad as a [[false prophet]]. Moreover, Maimonides asserted that Muhammad's claim to prophethood was in itself what disqualified him, because it contradicted the prophecy of Moses, the Torah and the [[Oral Torah|Oral Tradition]]. His argument further asserted that Muhammad being illiterate also disqualified him from being a prophet.<ref>''Allusion to Muhammad in Maimonides' Theory of Prophecy in His Guide of the Perplexed'' By Yehuda Shamir, University of Cincinnati</ref>

In the [[Constitution of Medina]], Jews were given equality to Muslims in exchange for political loyalty<ref name="Esposito"/><ref name="God's Rule">Jacob Neusner, God's Rule: The Politics of World Religions, p. 153, Georgetown University Press, 2003, {{ISBN|0-87840-910-6}}</ref> and were allowed to practice their own culture and religion. A significant narrative symbolising the inter-faith harmony between early Muslims and Jews is that of the Rabbi Mukhayriq. The Rabbi was from [[Banu Nadir]] and fought alongside Muslims at the Battle of Uhud and bequeathed his entire wealth to Muhammad in the case of his death. He was subsequently called "the best of the Jews" by Muhammad.<ref>{{cite book|author=Akram Ḍiyāʼ ʻUmarī|title=Madīnan Society at the Time of the Prophet: Its characteristics and organization|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=m2fHDgAAQBAJ&pg=PA62|year=1991|publisher=IIIT|isbn=978-0-912463-36-0|pages=62–}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Haggai Mazuz|title=The Religious and Spiritual Life of the Jews of Medina|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RQcSBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA16|date=3 July 2014|publisher=BRILL|isbn=978-90-04-26609-4|pages=16–}}</ref> Later, as Muhammad encountered opposition from the Jews, Muslims began to adopt a more negative view on the Jews, seeing them as something of a [[fifth column]]. Jewish violations of the Constitution of Medina, by aiding the enemies of the community, finally brought on major battles of [[Battle of Badr|Badr]] and [[Uhud]]<ref>See {{qref|2|100|b=y}}</ref> which resulted in Muslim victories and the exile of the [[Banu Qainuqa]] and Banu Nadir, two of the main three Jewish tribes from Medina, and the mass slaughtering of all male adults of [[Invasion of Banu Qurayza#Massacre of Banu Qurayza|Banu Qurayza]].

===Other prophets===
Both Judaism and Islam regard many people as being [[prophet]]s, with exceptions.
Both teach that [[Eber]], [[Job (Bible)|Job]], and [[Joseph (Hebrew Bible)|Joseph]] were prophets.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|url=http://jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=441&letter=J&search=joseph#1|title=JOSEPH |encyclopedia=jewishencyclopedia.com}}</ref><ref>''[[Bava Batra]]'' 15b.</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://anwary-islam.com/prophet-story/hud.htm|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070911211619/http://anwary-islam.com/prophet-story/hud.htm|url-status=dead|title=PROPHET HUD|archivedate=11 September 2007|website=anwary-islam.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://anwary-islam.com/prophet-story/yusuf1.htm|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070827001100/http://anwary-islam.com/prophet-story/yusuf1.htm|url-status=dead|title=PROPHET YUSUF |archivedate=27 August 2007|website=anwary-islam.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.islamtutor.com/islam/prophets-of-islam-list.php|archive-url=https://archive.today/20070703195917/http://www.islamtutor.com/islam/prophets-of-islam-list.php|url-status=dead|archive-date=3 July 2007|title=The Prophets of Islam – A Referenced List|work=islamtutor.com}}</ref> However, according to one sage in Judaism the whole story attributed to Job was an allegory and Job never actually existed.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|url=http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=330&letter=J&search=Job#1|quote=One of the amoraim expressed his opinion in the presence of Samuel b. Naḥmani that Job never existed and that the whole story was a fable (B. B. 15a).|title=Job |encyclopedia=jewishencyclopedia.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|quote=Job never was and never existed, but is only a parable." (Tr. Baba Bathra 15a)|url=http://www.donmeh-west.com/Job.shtml|title=Donmeh West – A Commentary on the Book of Job|work=donmeh-west.com|access-date=13 November 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071027082004/http://www.donmeh-west.com/Job.shtml|archive-date=27 October 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>[http://www.yutorah.org/_materials/SWeiss_102307.pdf "Job never existed and was never created, but was only a mashal] [ie.a fictional tale]" (b. [[Baba Bathra]] 15a). Those, on the other hand, who believe that he "existed and was created" and that the story happened, do not know at what time and in what place he
lived."</ref> [[Rashi]], a Jewish commentator on the Hebrew Scriptures, quotes a text dating to 160 AD, which is also quoted in the Talmud, in his commentary on Genesis 10 to show that Eber was a prophet.