The Jews remained the sole custodians of the Divine Message
and His Book for almost two millennia — from about 1350 B.C., when Prophet Musa
(AS) was given Torah and the Covenant with the Israelites took place at Sinai,
to 624 C.E., when the change
of qibla from
Jerusalem to Makkah symbolically announced the birth of a
new Ummah.
The Jews were relegated from their rank because of their
transgressions and haughtiness. The Qur’an severely criticizes and upbraids
them for their long record of ingratitude and repeated violations of Divine
injunctions, and declares them a condemned people. These reprimands were issued
by Almighty Allah (SWT) because of the continued failure, on the part of the
Jews, to
carry out their
responsibilities as custodians
of the Divine Revelation.
From the Second year of Hijrah onwards, the followers of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) were appointed as guardians of the Message of God, as well as His representatives among all nations. Thus, this supreme blessing of Almighty Allah (SWT), i.e., His revealed guidance in the form of a Book, is something common to both the Jews and the Muslims, although the Hebrew scriptures are no longer in their pure and unadulterated state. In this context the following verse appears twice in the Qur’an:
From the Second year of Hijrah onwards, the followers of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) were appointed as guardians of the Message of God, as well as His representatives among all nations. Thus, this supreme blessing of Almighty Allah (SWT), i.e., His revealed guidance in the form of a Book, is something common to both the Jews and the Muslims, although the Hebrew scriptures are no longer in their pure and unadulterated state. In this context the following verse appears twice in the Qur’an:
Remember, O
Children of Israel,
the favors I bestowed on you and made you most exalted
among the nations of the world. (Al-Baqarah 2:47 & 122)
Another point of convergence between the Jews and the
Muslims is the prominent personality of Prophet Ibrahim (AS), the patriarch who
is equally revered by the followers of both faiths. The Jews, of course, are
the descendants of Prophet Ishaq (AS),
younger son of
Prophet Ibrahim (AS).
Similarly, the earliest Muslims
were Arabs — the descendants of Prophet Ibrahim’s elder son Prophet Isma‘el
(AS) — and they constitute today the nucleus of the Muslim Ummah. But
irrespective of this genealogical relationship, the whole of the Muslim Ummah
has an attitude of veneration and high regard for Prophet Ibrahim (AS), as they
consider him to be their spiritual father.
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