Muhammad and The Jews — Page 119
THE NATURE AND EXTENT OF THE CONFLICT The Apostle knew before his arrival in Medina that he would be rejected by the Jews and yet offered them the terms of the Sabifah on the basis of the Unity of God. But the Jews considered him not even a false Messiah, but an outright usurper; being a gentile (ummi) he could not be a prophet unto them, and as a prophet to the Arabs he could endanger their already declining position of influence. Two of their major allies in Medina had already accepted this refugee prophet; the Meccans were unable to crush him alone, and their own efforts in Medina to dislodge him had rebounded. The decline was rapid and they were unable to do anything to stop it. The actual encounter with Judaism took place at a later period, and not during the time of the Apostle. 1 The sirah writers, maghiizi narrators, Qur. ,anic commentators and the Jfadith collectors read the Old Testament and the Jewish literature and applied all suitable signs to the Apostle. 2 The Messianic movements among the Jews helped to confuse the situation. The abiding hope of the Jews in galut centred around a king in the house of David who would rule over a new golden age. Derived from the Hebrew mashiah (anointed), the term Messiah in Jewish history applied to the long-awaited, Divinely chosen king who "shall be called wonderful. . . The Prince of Peace", who would destroy the enemies of Israel and establish a paradise-like reign of peace and prosperity. Though appearing in many shapes and permutations, the messianic hope has been an activist element in Jewish history. It has retained the binding spell of Jewish kingship to be realized through God's will. 3 It was not only an article of faith but an emotional necessity in times of distress to hope constantly for the advent of the Messiah. One element basic to Jewish messianism is anticipation of ihe "birth 1 See M. J. Kister, "l;Iaddithu c. an baniisrii"ila wa-la (laraja", Israel Oriental Studies II, 1972, pp 215-239. The article not only discusses this tradition, but also provides a comprehensive list of references on the subject of early Muslim- Jewish encounter; Israel Friedlaender, "Jewish-Arabic Studies", The Jewish Quarterly Review, Vol. I, 1910-11, pp. 183-215, 481-516; De Lacy O'Leary, "The Jewish Transmitters", Arabic Thought and Its Place in History (London, 1954). "This influence of the Jewish Agada and Christian legend is attested with regret by orthodox theologians from the earliest times of Islam up to later periods", Goldziher, Muslim Studies, Vol. II, p. 131. 3 The idea of Jewish kingship seems to have changed to the idea of a Jewish state since the eighteenth century. 119