Muhammad and The Jews — Page 9
INTRODUCTION of the two) who were regarded by Jews all over the world as the highest authority in all religious matters, which to be sure, also included· at that time civil law. 1 While lbn Isl)aq was still in Medina, a Syrian, Serene (Serenus) 2 by name claimed to be the Messiah and held out the promise of a miraculous restoration of Palestine. He set himself up not only as a prophet of the Jews but also as a prophet of the Muslims. He abolished the dietary laws, allowed marriage without a marriage contract and "inscribed the release from Talmudical Ordinances" upon his banner. 3 His fame spread as far as Spain, which was now under Muslim rule, and "the Jews of that country resolved to abandon their property and to place themselves under the leadership of the pseudo-Messiah". 4 He was finally captured and brought before Yazid II (101 / 720-105/725), who handed him into the bands of Jews. He was sentenced to death by a Jewish-Muslim court. 5 Within less than a quarter of a century Abu Muslim hoisted the black flag of revolt at Merv, and Abu al-co Abbas, after eliminating the Umayyads, proclaimed himself Caliph in 132/749. His successor al-Man~ur treacherously murdered Abii Muslim in 137/755. Iran and specially Khurasan, which was loyal to Abu Muslim, once more became a centre of storms and revolutions. New uprisings followed. Sinbadh (140/757) 6 , Ustadhsis (149/766-151/768)7, al-Muqanna" (161/777-164/780) 8 rose to avenge Abu Muslim's 'death. All of them were crushed by al-Man~iir. It was sometime during this period, but before the Sirah was compiled, that a sec9nd Jewish Messiah arose in the strong Jewish centre of Isfahan. lbn e1sa Obadiah9 claimed that Palestine was to be 1 Goitein, pp. 120-121. During the first hundred years of Fatimid rule the Gaon, or head of the Jerusalem Academy, occupied a similar position with regard to the Jews of the Fatimid empire. See Goitein, A Mediterrane an Society, Vol. II , pp. 5-18, 519-524. 2 There seems to be considerable controversy about his name. 3 Graetz, Vol. III, p. 120. 4 Ibid. , p. 121. 5 Margolis and Marx, p. 259. 6 Edward G. Browne, A Literary History of Persia (London, 1928), Vol. I, p. 313. 7 Ibid. , p. 317. 8 Ibid. , p. 318. 9 The name is variously given. The Encyclopaedia Judaica version has been followed. Hyamson (infra n. 2 on p. 10) gives it as Isaac ben Ya"qub Obadiah Abo "Isa al-I~fahani. Shahrastani calls him Isl)aq b. Yacoqub (infra n. 1 on p. 10). 9