A Brief History of Judaism

A brief overview of the history of Judaism...

The lineage of the Jews traces back to Prophet Jacob and his father Prophet Isaac through the line of Prophet Abraham. As mentioned in the Quran, Israel is the trades of Jacob, and the Children of Israel denote the descendants of Jacob’s 12 sons.

During the time of Prophet Joseph, one of Jacob’s 12 sons, the Jews settled in Egypt. However, they faced many hardships over a long period of time. Allah sent Prophet Moses to the Jews as a messenger during this period. Aaron, who was three years older than Moses, was appointed his assistant.

By the will of Allah, Moses saved the Jews from the captivity and oppression of Pharaoh. He miraculously crossed the Red Sea, leading them to the Sinai Peninsula. Pharaoh and his army, who pursued Moses and the Children of Israel to capture them, drowned in the Red Sea as a divine punishment.

The Jews stayed with Prophet Moses in the Sinai Desert for 40 years. Allah revealed the Torah to Moses on Mount Sinai. After the death of Prophet Moses, they settled in the region of modern-day Palestine, under the command of Joshua.

The Jews flourished during the reigns of both Prophet David (1015-975 BC) and Prophet Solomon (970-930 BC). Jerusalem was captured and made the capital during David’s time. And during Solomon’s era, the Temple of Solomon (Al-Aqsa Mosque) was built in Jerusalem^[1].

After the death of Prophet Solomon, the country was divided into two kingdoms, Israel and Judah. The Kingdom of Israel was destroyed in 721 BC, and the Kingdom of Judah was destroyed in 586 BC. The Temple of Solomon was destroyed, some Jews were killed, some were taken captive, and some were sent into exile.

After the first exile, the Jews returned to Jerusalem and rebuilt the temple. However, in 70 AD, they rebelled against the Roman Empire. As a result, they were sent into exile for the second time, by Emperor Titus. The holy temple was destroyed again and was never rebuilt.

According to Jewish claims, a portion of the temple remains, which they refer to as the “Wailing Wall.” The Jews believe that a Messiah from the lineage of Prophet David will come and rebuild this temple. Therefore, they continuously excavate the area of the Temple Mount, supposedly under the guise of archaeological work, to undermine the foundation of this sacred mosque. Al Aqsa is the first qibla of Muslims (direction of prayer/capital), the noble memory of the Mi’raj resides there, and it is beloved throughout the Islamic world.

After the second exile, the Jews dispersed to various regions. Although a portion of the original Hebrew community remained, safely, in Palestine once the Muslims became the regional governors.

Throughout the centuries, the Christian world cursed the Jews for allegedly killing Jesus, peace be upon him. They have been viewed by them as enemies, in no small part, due to derogatory statements against Christianity found in the Talmud^[2]. Jews faced persecution, exclusion, humiliation, enslavement, confiscation of their property, and were subjected to exile and genocide. During the Crusades, as with the Muslims there, Jews were routinely slaughtered.  Indeed, the term ‘Jew’ was used as an insult against them. In 1290, the Jews in England were expelled, they were exiled from Bavaria in 1340, from Spain in 1492, and from Portugal in 1497.

Martin Luther, the founder of Protestantism, outlined a plan to exterminate Jews in his book. “Set fire to their synagogues or schools,” Martin Luther recommended in On the Jews and Their Lies. Jewish houses should “be razed and destroyed,” and Jewish “prayer books and Talmudic writings, in which such idolatry, lies, cursing, and blasphemy are taught, [should] be taken from them.” This shed light on the historical roots of the hatred and animosity towards Jews in the Christian world.

Luther’s seven-point instruction manual for the extermination of Jews included:

1- Burning down synagogues. Pouring sulphur and tar over the worshippers.   Then, covering the bodies of those burned with soil so that no trace remained.

2- Destroying Jewish homes. Placing the people in barns as if they were animals. This was to teach Jews that they have the status only of condemned prisoners.

3- Taking away their sacred books and texts to prevent the cursing of God and Jesus.

4- Prohibiting rabbis from teaching children, and God in public places. Punishing those who did not comply with the death penalty.

5- Prohibiting travel for Jewish people within the boundaries of the German Empire.

6- Prohibiting Jews from charging interest. Confiscating their money, gold, silver, and all property. Giving the reason that everything Jews acquired was obtained through theft and interest.

7- Forcing Jewish children to work in the hardest trades to learn the meaning of ‘earning bread with sweat’.

But the best method, wrote Luther “is to expel them all from Germany, Spain, France, Bohemia, and other European countries.^[3]”

German-born Luther, with his ideas against Judaism and other Christian sects, became a source of inspiration for the Nazis and other fascistic advocates of violence. This perspective towards Jews in the Christian world persisted into the 20th century. This outlook reached its zenith with the genocide (Holocaust) perpetrated by Nazi Germany against European Jews during World War II.

On the other hand, although European countries had subjected Jews to all kinds of persecution for centuries and expelled them from their lands, from the early 19th century, nationalist movements intensified calls for the establishment of their own states. Jewish leaders embraced this moment to lay the foundations of the Zionist movement. They supported England against the Ottoman Empire in World War I, seeking allies to aid their plan to establish a Jewish national state with Jerusalem as its capital - they called this place the promised land.^[4]’

The systematic slaughter of millions of Jews by Nazi Germany during World War II brought about a profound and sharp transformation between the Christian and Jewish ideological worlds. While Christians began to question anti-Semitism towards Jews, Jews themselves began to embrace the idea advocated by Zionists that a Jewish state was vital to their future survival., This led to a deliberate increase in Jewish migration to Palestine.

Christians began to perceive Jews not as ‘god killers’ but as ‘“witnesses to the Messiah’ “ Christian Zionists began offering unlimited support for Zionist ambitions, in the Middle East, serving their political, economic, and military interests^[5].

In 1948, the British government paved the way for the establishment of the settler colony now named ‘Israel.’  The Balfour Declaration gave a large part of the region, formerly Ottoman territory and homeland of Palestinian Muslims, to European Jews. Since then, Palestine, and the entire region, has lived beneath a cloud of bloodshed and tears. Global powers, emboldened by the disunity of the Islamic world, continue supporting the Illegal Occupation to expand its borders., Systematically forcing the Muslim AND native Christian populations into exile, imprisoning or killing them.

Throughout history, especially during violent moments such as the Holocaust of World War II, Jews, uprooted from their regions, migrated. Most recently, such migrations have been witnessed in the Russia-Ukraine war. Establishing ‘Eretz Israel’ (Greater State of Israel) on the “promised land” and changing the regional demographic in Jewish favour, is the national aspiration of Zionists. Today, roughly half the global Jewish population of 15 million global live in Occupied Palestine. Almost half live in the United States, with the remainder in various countries, most notably Canada and France.

In history, whilst Jews, have been subjected to persecution by Christians, they have experienced the greatest humane treatment, tolerance, and justice from Muslim leaders, populations and states. When Jerusalem was conquered by the earliest Muslims during the time of Hazrat Omar, Jews regained the opportunity to perform pilgrimage, obstructed for many years. The Christian rulers, had intentionally turned the Temple of Solomon - the space of the blessed night of Al Miraj - into a garbage dump. It was the Muslims who cleaned and cared for the area, constructing a mosque and honouring again the one true God  The  Jews at the time were extremely pleased and grateful for  this.

For 1400 years the Jewish community experienced periods under Muslim rule as times where they could freely read the Torah. Their leaders have expressed that living under the just rule of Muslims was much better than living under those who worship stars and idols. They noted that Muslims, unlike Christians, believed in the one and only Allah, had a Sharia, resembling their own in the circumcision rite and in abstention from eating pork. Jews felt a certain affinity with Christians due to their acceptance of the Old Testament, but they felt even closer to Muslims in terms of belief and religious rulings.

After the fall of the Umayyad State in Andalusia, spurred by the Pope’s provocations, Christian Spaniards embarked on the “Reconquista” (reconquest) project. Starting in the 1490s, they began the genocidal mass expulsion of Muslims and Jews. Entire Muslim cities were levelled, amidst bloody invasions. The choice given was between exile, death, or conversion to Christianity. The Muslims, defenceless, were forcibly baptised in churches. hereafter called “Moriscos,” meaning “little Muslims.” Parents could do nothing but watch helplessly and with tearful eyes as their children were forcibly baptized^[6].

Our ancestors, the Ottomans, tried to rescue these oppressed Muslims to the best of their ability, but unfortunately, could not prevent the great massacres and destruction perpetrated by Christians under the circumstances of that time.

Upon the request of the Jews fleeing from this persecution in Spain, Kemal Reis transported them to Istanbul in 1492 in the name of humanity. The Muslim people of Istanbul showed the expelled arrivals kindness and compassion, saying, “These are the oppressed who have been rescued from the hands of the oppressors.” Jews lived their most comfortable periods in Muslim cities like Istanbul, under the just administration and protection of the Ottomans.

In 1989, 113 Turkish citizens, both Muslim and Jewish, established the “the Quincentennial Foundation (500th Year Foundation) in Istanbul, commemorating the anniversary of the rescue of Spanish Jews, known as Sephardim, by the Ottoman Empire. The community expressed their gratitude to the Muslim Turks. The aim of this foundation is expressed in the third article of its founding document:

“To promote the exceptional qualities of Turks as a state and society to the whole world by utilising all means available, to protect religious freedoms by avoiding an environment of bigotry, to embrace the Jewish citizens who chose Turkish soil as their homeland, and to express the gratitude of our Jewish citizens.^[7]”

Throughout the centuries, it is not possible to find in our glorious history any oppression and injustice towards Jews, as has been common in Europe. In this regard, the record of the Islamic world is spotless. Conversely, the West, due to the oppression and massacres they perpetrated against Jews in the past, is now plagued with a psychology of guilt and shame. The silence of the West in the face of Israeli massacres today, apart from a few feeble voices, can be considered as a sort of debt owed for the oppression and massacres they committed in the past.

On a global scale, with the help of media, economy, and lobbying power, Zionist groups provide psychological support to the Islamophobia project, exerting all efforts to label Muslims as violent, and barbaric, terrorists. By doing this, they attempt to normalise attacks and massacres against Muslims in the eyes of humanity.

According to the saying, “Oppression reaches its peak before its demise.” We pray to Almighty God to transform these evils into blessings.

Let us not forget that victory in war depends not only on numerical or military superiority but also on being right, truthful, faithful, and having a morally superior ethos and argument^[8]. The crown of victory is placed on the heads of armies characterised by quality rather than quantity.

The transient victories attained by tyrant armies are merely heralds of their eternal humiliation and loss in the hereafter. The massacres they commit under the guise of “defence,” disregarding rights, laws, and ethics, are nothing but blots in history, marked by oppression, brutality, and atrocities.

As far as we know, history has witnessed two major “massacres of infants.” The first was committed by Nimrod to prevent the emergence of Ibrahim A.S. Nimrod, had dreamt that a prophet would come to dismantle his kingdom, and his supposed ‘godhood’. Fearing this threat to his power, he massacred hundreds of thousands of male infants born that year.

The second major massacre was perpetrated by Pharaoh, who sought to obstruct the rise of Moses (Musa A.S.). Based on a dream he had, Pharaoh mistakenly believed that he could prevent the arrival of Moses by massacring tens of thousands of infants. However, in a stunning example of divine justice, God ensured that Moses, was, instead, raised like a prince, in Pharaoh’s palace.

May Allah, as He once punished Nimrod and Pharaoh, inflict a defeat upon baby killers who oppress our Palestinian brothers and sisters. May the spiritual essence of every innocent child slaughtered in Gaza herald the glorious victories of Islam’s future. Amen!

Source: Osman Nûri TOPBAŞ, ISLAM IS THE ONLY TRUE RELIGION: A Comparative Study With Christianity and Judaism, 

^[1]. In the hadiths, it is stated that the first mosque built on earth was the Masjid al-Haram, and the Masjid al-Aqsa was built forty years later. Considering that the Kaaba was first built by the angels during the time of Prophet Adam, it is thought that the Masjid al-Aqsa was built by Prophet Adam or one of his sons. It is also mentioned that after the Great Flood, Prophet Solomon rebuilt the mosque, which had been lost, on the foundations facing the Kaaba.

In a narration found in Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani’s book “Fath al-Bari,” it is stated that both the Kaaba and the Masjid al-Aqsa were initially built by Prophet Adam.

^[2]. According to the explanation in the book “Al-Kanz al-Marshud fi Qawad at-Talmud,” in the Talmud, it is written that Jesus (peace be upon him) is in the depths of Hell amidst tar and fire, that the Virgin Mary committed adultery with a soldier named Pandira, that churches are filthy, that priests resemble dogs, and that Christians should be killed.

^[3]. https://www.yenisafak.com/yazarlar/yusuf-kaplan/lutherin-yahudileri-imha-plani-4574072

^[4]. There are different accounts of the boundaries of the Promised Land (Ard al-Maw’ud) in the Torah and other books of the Old Testament. The most frequently emphasized boundaries include regions from the Nile to the Euphrates, and from the desert to Lebanon. The final boundaries of these lands have been interpreted according to the periods when Jews were strong or weak. However, even during the periods when they were most powerful, such as the reigns of Prophet David and Prophet Solomon (around 1015-930 BCE), Jews did not fully reach these territories. Theodor Herzl stated these boundaries at the Zionist Congress held in Basel in 1897: “Our northern borders reach the mountains of Cappadocia, and in the south, the Suez Canal. Our slogan will be, ‘Palestine as was David and Solomon’s’.” The broadest interpretation of these boundaries, as articulated in various interpretations, is as follows: In the south, all of the Sinai Peninsula and all of Northern Egypt from Cairo onwards; in the east, all of Jordan and a significant portion of Saudi Arabia, including all of Kuwait and a portion of Southern Iraq along with the southern part of Turkey up to Lake Van; in the north, all of Lebanon and Syria up to Lake Van; and in the west, Cyprus.

^[5]. Bilal Akyol, Ezelî Düşmanlar Nasıl Canciğer Oldu?, Altınoluk Dergisi, sayı 455, p. 21-22.

^[6]. Mehmet Özdemir, İspanya Krallığının Hristiyanlaştırma Politikası, Ank. Ün. İlahiyat Fak. Dergisi, 1996, c. 35, p. 243-284.

^[7]. https://www.muze500.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3&Itemid=121&lang=tr

https://tr.wikipedia.org/wiki/500._Y%C4%B1l_Vakf%C4%B1

^[8]. The Zionist oppressors, when capturing Muslim prisoners in good condition, would hand them over in a disabled and sick state during prisoner exchanges; whereas Muslims, would treat their sick prisoners and hand them over in good health during exchanges. While Israel subjected oppressed Palestinian prisoners to all kinds of degrading treatment, Muslims welcomed their prisoners with compassion and bid them farewell with mercy. In doing so, they provided humanity, which has not yet lost its conscience and reason, with a magnificent lesson in virtue by highlighting the distinction between right and wrong. Moreover, through their extraordinary patience, submission, and resilience, they became a means for many fortunate hearts to turn towards Islam. While they sacrificed themselves as martyrs, many souls found spiritual awakening and honour through Islam.