JEWS IN THE QUR?AN: AN EVALUATION OF THE NAMING AND THE CONTENT

Abstract

No other people are mentioned in the Qur?an as often as the peopleof Israel. They appear in sixteen surahs and approximately fortyverses by name (banu Isra?il). The Qur?an also makes reference tothe Jews either by name (al-yahud/hud) or within the context of thepeople of the book (ahl al-kitab). This paper aims to discuss theQur?anic verses about the Jews and the people of Israel in terms ofthe naming and the content. Key questions to be addressed are: Whatis the purpose of the frequent mention of the people of Israel in theQur?an? What is the context and the content of the verses about theJews and the people of Israel both in Meccan and Medinan surahs?What message or messages are intended to or can be conveyed bythese verses?