Why The Jews Were Cursed

Why The Jews Were Cursed
Muhammad ash-Shareef

 
Bismillah Walhamdulillah Was Salaatu Was Salaam 'ala Rasulillah

As-Salaam Alaikum Wa-Rahmatullahi Wa-Barakatuhu

Rasul Allahs wife, Umm Al-Mumineen Safiyyah bint Huyayy - radi'Allahu anha - was the daughter of one of the Jewish leaders of Madinah. After she accepted  Islam, she informed the Prophet - sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam - when she had first felt the rays of Islam enter her blessed heart.


It was the day that Anas - radi Allahu anhu - describes as the most radiant day to every come upon al-Madinah - the day Rasul Allah - salAllahu alayhi wa sallam - entered it. All the Ansar men, women and children gathered to greet him, cheers of praise to Allah filled the air.


Amongst the gathering were 2 men; as much as the Ansar and Muhaajireen revered the Prophet, they despised him. It was the father of Safiyyah - radi Allahu anha - and her uncle.

She was only a youngster as she looked into the darkness and gloom that had enveloped their faces when they returned home that day.
Her Jewish uncle asked, "Is it him? Is it the Prophet that our scriptures speak of?"
Huyayy lowered his head and said, "Yes. It is him." "Then what shall we do?" Safiyyah's uncle continued. Huyayy looked into his eyes, "Till the final day we shall be his bitterest enemies!"

From the very first rakaah of Taraweeh we read the verse in the opening Surah: [Guide us to the straight path - The path of those upon whom You have bestowed favor, not of those who have evoked (Your) anger!..]


Adiyy ibn Hatim asked Rasul Allah - sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam - who it was that evoked Allah's anger? He said, "It was the Jews" - Tafseer Ibn Katheer

In the opening verses of Surat Al-Baqarah, Allah invites the Children of Israeel to come back - to remember the favor and blessing He bestowed upon them - and to fulfill the promise that they would follow the Prophet when he was sent to them.


[O Children of Israel, remember My favor that I bestowed upon you and fulfill My covenant upon you that I will fulfill your convenant (from Me) and fear only Me.] - Surah al-Baqarah 2/40


Allah saved them of their slavery to Firown (pharaoh), he saved them from sea and drowned Firown and his army. Allah selected them to receive food from the sky. Allah sent them Prophet after Prophet from amongst themselves, and sent the Holy scriptures - the Towrah and the Injeel. Allah preferred them over all others at their time.

[ ...And that I preferred you over the worlds (i.e. people).] - Surah al-Baqarah 2/47


How did they reply these Blessings of Allah?


(i) They Followed Only What They Wanted to


When a Prophet came to them, if what he taught did not appeal to them they either rejected that truth or slit the throat of the Prophet and followed what was to them appealing.

[We had already taken the covenant of the Children of Israel and had sent to them messengers. Whenever there came to them a messenger with what their souls did not desire, a groups (of the Messengers) they denied and another party they killed.] - al Maaidah 5/70

And we must remember here that this is not the commentary of some human journalist who claims to be neutral. This is the Lord of the Universe telling us - in verses to be read till the final day - the deepest secrets that lie in the pits of Judaism. [And who is more truthful than Allah in statement!] - al Nisaa 4/87

(ii) They Changed the Words of Allah


There was groups of Jews that would change the words of Allah - adding something here, deleting there - to pound the truth and keep the flock in servitude to what they desired.


[And indeed, there is among them a party who alter the Scripture with their tongues so you may think it is from the Scripture, but it is not from the Scripture. And they say, "This is from Allah," but it is not from Allah. And they speak untruth about Allah while they know.] Ali-Imran 3/78




(iii) Their claim that they are the beloved children of God

Ibn Abbas narrates: Numaan ibn Aasaa, Bahr ibn Amr and Shaas ibn Adee (3 Jews) came to Allahs Messenger - sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam. He sat with them and invited them to Allah and warned them of Allahs anger. They replied, "Why are you trying to scare us O Muhammad? By God, we are the children of God and His beloved ones!" At that the verse was revealed:

[And the Jews and the Christians say, "We are the Children of Allah and His beloved." Say: "Then why does He punish you for your sins?" Rather, you are humans from among (all the others) that He created.] Al-Maaidah 5/18 - Ibn Katheer 2/36




(iv) Their Blasphemous Statements


There came upon the Jews a time of poverty, so they went to Shaas ibn Qays and questioned him. He said, "Your Lord is stingy, he never provides."

Allah revealed in the Quran:


[And the Jews say, "The hand of Allah is chained." Chained are their hands and cursed are they for what they say. Rather, both His hands are extended; He spends however He wills.] Al-Maaidah 5/64




(v) Their Murdering of the Prophets


One of the most horrific sins that they performed was the slaughtering of their Prophets. This was one of the major reasons they were struck with humiliation.


[And they were covered with humiliation and poverty and returned with anger from Allah (upon them). That was because they (repeatedly) disbelieved in the signs of Allah and killed the Prophets without right. That was because they disobeyed and were (habitually) transgressing.] - Baqarah 2/61


Not only did they try to kill their Prophets, but they attempted to assassinate Rasul Allah - sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam - himself. RasulAllah went with some companions to meet with the Jews of Banu Nadheer. While he waited for them at the side of a building, they climed the roof with a boulder to crush down upon the head of Rasul Allah. Jibreel warned Rasul Allah - sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam - of their plan. He stood up without saying anything, left for Madinah, and came back with an army. This was the cause of Banu Nadheer's expulsion from Madinah - Mukhtasar Seerat Ibn Hisham 159


And the list goes on - They did not command the good or forbid the evil, they did not accept the ruling of what Allah revealed upon them, they disbelieved their book, they received food from the heavens but rejected it, they challenged their Prophet to show them Allah in this life, they took Angel Jibreel as their sworn enemy, they took the graves of their Prophets as symbols of worship ... and the list goes on and on in the Quraan and Sunnah.

Part II


There are some verses in the Quraan that spoke about those that do not judge by what Allah has decreed is a transgressor.

Some students of Ibn Abbas - radi Allahu anhu - asked him, "Were these not revealed for the Jews and Christians?"
He said, "Subhan Allah! Are all the glad tidings in the Quran for us and all the admonitions for them? If our we do what they did, our end will be their end."
Rasul Allah - sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam - said, "You will follow the wrong ways, of your predecessors so completely and literally that if they should go into the hole of a lizard, you too will go there."
We said, "O Allah's Apostle! Do you mean the Jews and the Christians?"
He replied, "Whom else?" - Bukhari



The Quran tells us of snakes in the grass that bit the Jews. Allah tells us this so that we may take warning of what led them to evoke Allahs anger and not be bitten by the same snake.



Let us take an example from the following verse:


[And there followed them successors who inherited the scripture (while) taking the stock of this lower life (i.e. Haram gains and whims), saying (regardless), "We will be forgiven."] - Araaf 7/169


So many Muslims take this Quran as something inherited, the real power of Allahs words has not penetrated the hearts. How many of our young Muslim youth understand the language of Cobolt and A++, spending years to understand, but do not comprehend a single sentence in the Quran?






Firstly: We should not take them as our close allies.


Allah commands us in the Quran: [O you who have belieded, do not take the Jews and the Christians as allies. They are allies of one another. And whoever is an ally to them among you - then indeed, he is one of them. Indeed Allah does not guide the wrongdoing people.] - Maaidah 5/51



Secondly: We should not Imitate them


The forbidden of imitating the Jews and the Christians applies to those things that have become icons of their customs and falsehood. So for example, if someone wore a white collar on his neck, everyone would assume he was Christian. This is because the white collar has become a symbol of theirs.


The ruling is more general than just clothes. Rasul Allah - sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam - said: [Act differently then the Jews.] - Saheeh Abu Dawood


Thirdly: A Muslimah may never marry a Jewish or Christian man that remains on his beliefs.

Allah declares in the Quran: [They are not (i.e. the Muslim women) lawful wives for them, nor are they lawful (husbands) for them.] - Mumtahinah 60/10


Is all this a death sentence on the Jews?
Nay, Allahs infinite Mercy has left the gate open for ANYONE who wishes to come back to him.

[And if only the People of the Scripture had believed and feared Allah, We would have removed from them their misdeeds and admitted them to joyful Gardens] - Maaidah 5/65

O Allah guide us to the straight path - the path of those who You have bestowed favor, not of those who have evoked (Your) anger, nor of those that went astray. Ameen.