Islam and the Jews by Mark A Gabriel

Author:Mark A Gabriel
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Charisma House
Published: 2015-03-27T16:00:00+00:00

SECTION 5

PHASE THREE OF THE UNFINISHED BATTLE: THE JEWS SCATTERED AND SUBDUED (632–1898)

CHAPTER 18

Muslims Continue Muhammad’s Legacy

MUHAMMAD WRECKED THE LIFE OF JEWS in Arabia. He forced them to leave Arabia just as Titus forced them out of Rome. Even after the Jews spread out to different countries, Islam followed them. Again and again, they were trapped under the authority of Islam.

When the Islamic military ruled a country, Islamic law automatically became the standard. According to Islamic law, Jews and Christians had three choices: convert to Islam, pay the tax to the Muslim authority and remain in their faith, or be killed. (The idol worshipers didn’t even have the option of paying tax. They only had two options: accept Islam or be killed.)

During the rule of Umar ibn al-Khattab, the picture of the way Muslims should treat Jews and Christians, known as “People of the Book,” was finalized.* Remember that Umar walked and talked with Muhammad. Umar was the source of many hadith, and he gave his daughter Hafsa to Muhammad as a wife. Umar came to power only four years after Muhammad’s death.

The point is that Umar was close to the prophet, and he ruled the Islamic empire the way Muhammad would have wanted. That’s why these guidelines are significant—they are close to the source.

These guidelines were meant to be followed by Muslims and Muslim authority at that time and in the future. I will present to you a list of these guidelines, which I have organized by subject.

GUIDELINES FOR PEOPLE OF THE BOOK

Showing deference to Muslims

✹ People of the Book were not permitted to show any disrespect toward Muslims or animosity toward Islam, the prophet himself or the Quran.

✹ If a Jew or Christian were sitting by the road and a Muslim walked by, the Jew or Christian must stand in respect to the Muslim.

✹ If a Jew or Christian were walking on the road, and he met a Muslim coming from the other direction, the Jew or Christian must turn around and find another road to walk through.

✹ People of the Book were not permitted to ride horses. They had to ride donkeys, and the Muslims could ride horses.

✹ People of the Book were required to ride their donkeys sidesaddle (not with one leg on each side of the animal as the Muslims did on their horses).

✹ People of the Book were not allowed to build their houses higher than the Muslim houses. (The height of the house was important because it was a symbol of honor. Muslims were always supposed to be above non-Muslims.)

✹ A Jewish or Christian man was not permitted to marry a Muslim woman. However, a Muslim man could marry a Christian or Jewish woman if he chose to do so.

Not offending Muslims

✹ People of the Book were not allowed to drink alcohol in front of Muslims.

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