Muhammad and The Jews — Page xi
PREFACE Intergroup relations, specially when religion is also involved, are full of conflict and suffering. Martyrology feeds the myth, and prejudice adds bitterness to the legend. Political expediency and biased scholarship invest the legend with the status of history. The account of Muhammad's relations with the Jews of the l;Iijaz is one of such legends. I have analysed this chapter of early Muslim history which has been uncritically accepted both by Muslim and non-Muslim historians. If this re-examination succeeds in raising valid doubts about the evidence on which the account is based, the attempt was worth making. Of the many friends who have helped me at various stages of the progress of this study I wish to thank, in particular, Professors Bernard Lewis, Nicola Ziadeh and Husain Mohammad Jafri. Prof. Nicola Ziadeh helped me to formulate my ideas when the book was little more than a conversation piece. Without his encouragement this book would have never materialised. Prof. Husain Mohammad Jafri subjected each chapter of the first draft to detailed criticism. Prof. Bernard Lewis went over the manuscript word by word and gave practical and helpful suggestions which have influenced almost every chapter of this book. I consider myself most fortunate to have been alerted by him to the many pitfalls which a book such as this is bound to encounter. The book has greatly benefited from his penetrating comments and his advice on the value of Muslim and Jewish sources. My debt to these friends who have been so generous with their time and advice is immeasurable. None of them, however, is responsible for the views and opinions expressed in this book. In fact they hold opposite views on several points raised in this book. My only con- solation is that in most of the cases their criticism was not concurrent, wherever it was I bowed to their cumulative judgment. All errors are sadly mine. Many thanks are due to Dr. M. A. Aziz, the Trustee of Abdul Aziz Trust (Trinidad) and Mr. Mahmud D. Aziz, the Consul- General of Trinidad and Tobago in New York, who provided invaluable help in the final stages of this work. (ix)