Why The Jews Were Cursed

From: Islamic website

Muhammad ash-Shareef
Article ID: 636 12734 Reads

Rasul Allah's wife,
Umm Al-Mu'mineen Safiyyah bint Huyayy - radi'Allahu 'anha - was the daughter of
one of the Jewish leaders of Madinah. After her 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 1400 years ago 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 raka'ah 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
When I was in
high school, studying in journalism class, our teacher had placed on the wall a
statement that I spent many days contemplating. It simply said, "Freedom of the
press (speech) belongs to those that own the press!" Who owns the press? Well,
you can believe me when I say that it is not the god fearing beloved of
Allah.
It is this same
press that molds and programs the aqeedah of a huge section of our Ummah. Many
of our brothers and sisters are illiterate to the words of Allah and the
guidance of Rasul Allah - sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam, so it is with little
doubt that their ideas are subconsciously molded by what Seinfeld tells them at
8 pm every Wednesday evening.
It is this same
brother or sister that asks the question, "I don't understand why the Jews were
cursed. Seinfeld is funny. What did he do?"
This khutbah is
our media and in sha' Allah we shall learn in these few moments only samples of
what carried the Jews to evoke Allah's anger.
In the opening
verses of Surat Al-Baqarah, Allah invites the Children of Isra'eel 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 2/40Allah saved them of their slavery to Fir'own,
he saved them from sea and drowned Fir'own 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 Maa'idah 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: Nu'maan ibn Aasaa, Bahr ibn 'Amr and Shaas ibn Adee (3 Jews) came to
Allah's Messenger - sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam. He sat with them and invited
them to Allah and warned them of Allah's 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-Maa'idah 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
Qur'an:
[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-Maa'idah 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 159And 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 Qur'an and
Sunnah.

Part
II
There are some
verses in the Qur'an 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 Qur'an 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 Qur'an
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 Allah's 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."] - A'raaf 7/169
So many Muslims
take this Qur'an as something inherited, the real power of Allah's word's 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?
Have we
desisted from the Riba that Allah made Haram upon us? In the years of 1973 to
1976, when the Muslims went out to challenge Israel, the entertainment armies
were summoned. Female singers were brought, belly dancers hired, and soap operas
dedicated to the encouragement of our fighting Muslims. The songs were drenched
in nationalism and Arab pride.
In conclusion,
a fundamental part of our Deen is Al-Walaa' and Al-Baraa' (walaa' - love and
loyalty / Baraa' hatred and disownment). It would be profitable for us to
reflect on the implementation of our Walaa' and Baraa' in regards to the
Jews:
Firstly: We should
not take them as our close allies.
Allah commands
us in the Qur'an: [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.] - Maa'idah 5/51
Secondly: We should
not Imitate them
The forbiddance
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 Qur'an: [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, Allah's 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] - Maa'idah
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.