History of Jews in the Arabian Peninsula
Jews started living in the Arabian Peninsula in the 6th century BC, when Babylonian Empire's conquest of the Kingdom of Judah forced Jews out of Judea (Hebrew: יהודה, Yehudah) located in the Land of Israel (Hebrew: אֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל ʼÉreṣ Yiśrāʼēl).
Overview
[change | change source]Successive waves of Jewish exiles – caused by alternating conquests of Judea – made Jews the leading ethnoreligious group in the Arabian Peninsula, where Judaism stood in contrast to the multi-god religion of ancient Arabs,[1] many of whom had arrived later than the Jews due to their nomadic nature.[1]
Middle Ages
[change | change source]Jews thrived in the Arabian Peninsula until Muslims conquered the Peninsula, when they, along with other conquered indigenous peoples, were required to pay jizya in exchange for their existence to be tolerated.[1][2] The payment of jizya granted Jews the status of dhimmi under which they were prohibited – under the threat of execution – from criticizing any aspects of Islam, sharing Jewish ideas to Muslims or touching a Muslim woman.[3] Jews were also not allowed to[3]
- drink wine in public
- ride horses or camels
- pray or mourn in loud voices
- build synagogues taller than mosques
- construct houses taller than Muslim houses
Selected list of Jewish tribes
[change | change source]Several Jewish tribes are reported to have lived in the Arabian Peninsula on the eve of their conquest by the Rashidun Caliphate:
- Banu Awf
- Banu Juw
- Banu Nadir
- Banu Harith[4][5]
- Banu Zurayq[4][5]
- Banu Jusham
- Banu Alfageer
- Banu Qurayza
- Banu Qaynuqa[4][5]
- Banu Shutayba[4][5]
Related pages
[change | change source]References
[change | change source]- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Gil, Moshe (1997). The origin of the Jews of Yathrib. Brill. pp. 4–5. ISBN 9789004138827.
- ↑
- Cohen, Amnon (1984). Jewish Life under Islam: Jerusalem in the Sixteenth Century. Harvard University Press. doi:10.4159/harvard.9780674283589. ISBN 9780674283572. Retrieved January 11, 2025.
eBook Published: October 1, 2013. ISBN: 9780674283589
- Simonsen, Jørgen Bæk (2004). "Administration In The Islamic State: An Interpretation Of The Terms "Dhimma" And "Jizya"". Islam: State And Society (1 ed.). Routledge. ISBN 9780203060957. Retrieved January 11, 2025.
- Wagner, Mark (November 30, 2018). "What Do You Know? Dhimmi, Jewish Legal Status under Muslim Rule". Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies. Retrieved January 11, 2025.
- Cohen, Amnon (1984). Jewish Life under Islam: Jerusalem in the Sixteenth Century. Harvard University Press. doi:10.4159/harvard.9780674283589. ISBN 9780674283572. Retrieved January 11, 2025.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1
- Gardet, Louis (1954). La Cité Musulmane. Vie Sociale et Politique (in French) (2 ed.). Paris, France: Librairie Philosophique J. Vrin. p. 348. Retrieved January 11, 2025.
- Ye'or, Bat (1985). The Dhimmi: Jews and Christians Under Islam. Fairleigh Dickinson University Press. pp. 43–44, 56–57. ISBN 9781611470796. Retrieved January 11, 2025.
- Spencer, Robert (2009). "The Qur'an: Israel Is Not for the Jews". Middle East Quarterly. 16 (4). Retrieved January 11, 2025.
- Gershenson, Miriam (November 21, 2024). "Israeli Scholar Explains Religious Conflicts Between Jews and Muslims". San Diego Jewish World. Retrieved January 11, 2025.
- "Jews in Islamic Countries: The Treatment of Jews". Jewish Virtual Library. Retrieved January 11, 2025.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Norman A. Stillman, The Jews of Arab lands: a history and source book, p. 117
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Dr. Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri, Constitutional Analysis of the Constitution of Madina (excerpt)