What the Qur'an really says about Israel by Shaykh

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Subject: What the Qur'an really says about Israel by Shaykh
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Subject: Islam/Commentary: WHAT THE QUR'AN REALLY SAYS by Shaykh Prof.
Abdul Hadi Palazzi (reprinted with permission from the Winter '98
issue of "Viewpoint" the magazine of the National Council of Young
Israel)

Islam/Commentary: WHAT THE QUR'AN REALLY SAYS

by Shaykh Prof. Abdul Hadi Palazzi

[reprinted with the permission of Rabbi Pesach Lerner, Executive
Vice-President of the National Council of Young Israel (NCYI), from the
Winter '98 issue of NCYI's "Viewpoint" magazine. The NCYI is the
coordinating and umbrella organization of 150 Torah-observant ("orthodox")
synagogues in North America and over 60 synagogues in its sister council --
Yisrael HaTzair, Young Israel of Israel. For further information on NCYI,
please contact Rabbi Lerner at: Email -- [execvp@youngisrael.org];
Telephone -- 212-929-1525]

THE QUR'AN SAYS THAT ALLAH GAVE THE LAND OF ISRAEL TO THE JEWS AND WILL
RESTORE THEM TO IT AT THE END OF DAYS

THE QUR'AN SAYS:

"To Moses We [Allah] gave nine clear signs. Ask the Israelites how he
[Moses] first appeared amongst them. Pharoah said to him: 'Moses, I can
see that you are bewitched.' 'You know full well,' he [Moses] replied,
'that none but the Lord of the heavens and the earth has revealed these
visible signs. Pharoah, you are doomed.'"

"Pharoah sought to scare them [the Israelites] out of the land [of Israel]:
but We [Allah] drowned him [Pharoah] together with all who were with him.
Then We [Allah] said to the Israelites: 'Dwell in this land [the Land of
Israel]. When the promise of the hereafter [End of Days] comes to be
fulfilled, We [Allah] shall assemble you [the Israelites] all together [in
the Land of Israel]."

"We [Allah] have revealed the Qur'an with the truth, and with the truth it
has come down. We have sent you [Muhammed] forth only to proclaim good
news and to give warning."

[Qur'an, "Night Journey," chapter 17:100-104]

SHAYKH PROF. PALAZZI COMMENTS:

God wanted to give Avraham a double blessing, through Ishmael and through
Isaac, and ordered that Ishmael's descendents should live in the desert of
Arabia and Isaac's in Canaan.

The Qur'an recognizes the Land of Israel as the heritage of the Jews and it
explains that, before the Last Judgment, Jews will return to dwell there.
This prophecy has already been fulfilled.

****************************************

MUSLIMS MUST RECOGNIZE THE STATE OF ISRAEL AS A JEWISH STATE

Is there any fundamental reason which prohibits Muslims from recognizing
Israel as a friendly State?

I realize that a negative answer to the above question is taken for granted
by popular opinion. My approach, however, is not based on popular opinion
or the current political situation, but on a theological analysis of
authentic Islamic sources.

Viewing the Jewish return to Israel as a Western invasion and Zionists as
recent colonizers is new. It has no basis in authentic Islamic faith.
According to the Qur'an, no person, people or religious community can claim
a permanent right of possession over any territory. The Earth belongs
exclusively to God, and He is free to entrust sovereignty over land to
whomever He likes for whatever time period that He chooses.

"Say: 'O God, King of the kingdom (1), Thou givest the kingdom to whom
Thou pleasest, and Thou strippest off the kingdom from whom Thou pleasest;
Thou endowest with honour whom Thou pleasest, and Thou bringest low whom
Thou pleasest: all the best is in Thy hand. Verily, Thou hast power over
all things.'"(2) [Qur'an 3:26]

>From the above Qur'anic verse we deduce a basic principle of the
Monotheistic philosophy of history: God chooses as He likes in the
relationship between peoples and countries. Sometimes He gives a land to a
people, and sometimes He takes His possession back and gives it to another
people.

In general, we can say that He gives as a reward for faithfulness and takes
back as a punishment for wickedness, but this rule does not permit us to
say that God's ways are always plain and clear to our eyes, since His
secrets are inaccessible to the human intellect.

Using Islam as a basis for preventing Arabs from recognizing any sovereign
right of Jews over the Land of Israel is new. Such beliefs are not found
in classical Islamic sources.

Concluding that anti-Zionism is the logical outgrowth of Islamic faith is
wrong. This conclusion represents the false transformation of Islam from a
religion into a secularized ideology.

Such a false transformation of Islam was in fact made by the late Mufti of
Jerusalem, Haj Amin el-Husseini. He is the one person most responsible,
both morally and materially, for the repeated Arab defeats in their
conflict with the Jews in Israel.

Husseni not only incited Arabs against Jews. He also encouraged the
torture and murder of all Arabs who correctly understood that Arab
cooperation with Jews was a precious opportunity for the development of the
Land of Israel. Husseini ended his woeful life by putting his perverted
religious teachings at the service of the evil and pagan Nazis.

After Husseini came Jamal al-Din 'Abd al-Nasser. Nasser based his policy
on Pan-Arabism, hatred and contempt for Jews, and an alliance with the
atheistic Soviet Union. Nasser's terrible choices were critical factors in
maintaining Arab backwardness. Fortunately, most of Nasser's mistakes were
afterward corrected by the martyr Anwar Sadat. (3)

After the defeat of Nasserianism, Islamic fundamentalist movements made
anti-Zionism the primary feature of their propaganda. They presented the
negation of any Jewish rights to the Land of Israel as rooted in authentic
Islam and derived from authentic Islamic religious principles.

***********************************

THE LAND OF ISRAEL IN QUR'ANIC EXEGESIS

The fundamentalist Muslim program to use Islam as an instrument for
political warfare against Jews finds a major obstacle in the Qur'an itself.
Both the Bible and the Qur'an state quite clearly that the right of the
Israelites to the Land of Israel does not depend on conquest and
colonization. This right flows from the will of almighty God Himself.

Both the Jewish and Islamic Scriptures teach that God, through His chosen
servant Moses, decided to free the offspring of Jacob from slavery in Egypt
and to constitute them as heirs of the Promised Land. Whoever claims that
Jewish sovereignty over the Land of Israel is something new and rooted in
human politics denies divine revelation and divine prophecy as explicitly
expressed in our Holy Books (the Bible and Koran).

The Qur'an relates the words by which Moses ordered the Israelites to
conquer the Land:

"And [remember] when Moses said to his people: 'O my people, call in
remembrance the favour of God unto you, when he produced prophets among
you, made you kings, and gave to you what He had not given to any other
among the peoples. O my people, enter the Holy Land which God has assigned
unto you, and turn not back ignominiously, for then will ye be overthrown,
to your own ruin.'" [Qur'an 5:20-21]

Moreover - and those who try to use Islam as a weapon against Israel always
conveniently ignore this point - the Holy Qur'an explicitly refers to the
return of the Jews to the Land of Israel before the Last Judgment - where
it says:

"And thereafter We [Allah] said to the Children of Israel: 'Dwell securely
in the Promised Land. And when the last warning will come to pass, we will
gather you together in a mingled crowd.'" [Qur'an 17:104]

Therefore, from an Islamic point of view, there is NO fundamental reason
which prohibits Muslims from recognizing Israel as a friendly State.

*********************************************

ISLAM AND NORMALIZATION OF RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN ISLAMIC STATES AND THE
JEWISH STATE

PLO documents can in no way be regarded as Islamic. The PLO leaders are a
gang of criminals and thieves, and Arabs will be the main victims of any
supposed "Palestinian State" under their leadership.

I do not believe that Islam is the factor preventing normalization between
Arabs and the State of Israel. The real problem is that members of the
ruling classes in Arab countries believe their authority and power would be
threatned by democracy, modernization, and education in the Arab world.
They use a distorted interpretation of Islam as a political tool, and
unfortunately the majority of uneducated Arabs believe their poisonous
propaganda.

I believe that we must return to the time when Islam was in the vanguard of
scientific progress and interfaith dialogue. Instead of false "leaders"
such as Qadhafi, Saddam Hussein, Arafat [el-Husseini] or Yasin, we Muslims
again need true leaders such as al-Ghazali, Ibn Rushd and Ibn Khaldum.

King Faysal of Iraq said: "The Arabs, and particularly the educated ones
among them, must look at the Zionist movement with the deepest sympathy."

Tragically, true leaders such as Faysal were silenced, and fanatics such as
Haj Amin al-Husseini prevailed.

The evil consequences of the victory of fanaticism are clear for all to
see: Jews expelled from Arab countries where the lived in peace for over
one thousand years, "Palestinian" refugees, terrorism, etc. To avoid
future mistakes, we must learn from our past ones.

Unfortunately, there are Arabs who believe that they must fight against
Israel until they completely destroy it (a tragedy which I do not believe
the God of Israel will ever permit to happen - Never again!).

Unfortunately, there are also naive and foolish Israelis who believe,
incredibly to me, that they will achieve "peace" with their Arab neighbours
by giving the murderer "Arafat" [el-Husseini] a State, an army, etc. This
is insane. You Jews are supposedly famous for your intelligence. How can
some of your "leaders" be so stupid?

>From the perspective of the natural world, I am not optimistic about what
the future holds. However, from the supernatural perspective of faith, we
who believe in God must face the future with a positive attitude.

We must have faith that we will see the day when real peace and prosperity
- which can only be based on true faith in God and His Word (the Bible and
Rabbinic Tradition for you; the Bible, Qur'an and Authentic Islamic
Tradition for us) - will spread throughout the world. Meanwhile, we must
work together to prepare for a better future.

********************************************

MUSLIMS MUST RECOGNIZE JEWISH SOVEREIGNTY OVER JERUSALEM

>From an Islamic point of view, is there any fundamental reason which
prohibits Muslims from recognizing Jerusalem both as an Islamic Holy Place
and as the capital of the State of Israel?

JERUSALEM IN THE QUR'AN

The most common argument against Muslim acknowledgment of Israeli
sovereignty over Jerusalem is that, since al-Quds [Jerusalem] (4) is a Holy
Place for Muslims, Muslims cannot accept that it is ruled by non-Muslims,
because such acceptance amounts to a betrayal of Islam.

Before expressing our point of view on this question, we must reflect upon
the reason for which Jerusalem and Masjid al-Aqsa [the Al Aksa mosque] hold
such a sacred position in Islamic faith.

As is well known, the inclusion of Jerusalem among Islamic holy places
derives from al-Mi'raj, the Ascension of the Prophet Muhammed to heaven.
The Ascension began at the Rock, usually identified by Muslim scholars as
the Foundation Stone of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem referred to in
Jewish sources.

Recalling this link requires us to admit that there is no connection
between al-Miraj [the Ascension] and Muslim sovereign rights over Jerusalem
since, in the time that al-Miraj took place, the City was not under
Islamic, but under Byzantine administration. Moreover, the Qur'an
expressly recognizes that Jerusalem plays for Jews the same role that Mecca
does for Muslims.

We read:

"...They would not follow thy direction of prayer (qiblah), nor art thou to
follow their direction of prayer; nor indeed will they follow each other's
direction of prayer..." (5)

All Qur'anic commentators explain that "thy qiblah" [direction of prayer
for Muslims] is clearly the Ka'bah of Mecca, while "their qiblah"
[direction of prayer for Jews] refers to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.

To quote only one of the most important Muslim commentators, we read in
Qadn Baydawn's
Commentary:

"Verily, in their prayers Jews orientate themselves toward the Rock
(sakhrah), while Christians orientate themselves eastwards..." (6)

In complete opposition to what "Islamic" fundamentalists continuously
claim, the Book of Islam [the Qur'an] - as we have just now seen -
recognizes Jerusalem as the Jewish direction of prayer.

Some Muslim commentators also quote the Book of Daniel (7) as a proof for
this.

After reviewing the relevant Qur'anic passages concerning this matter, I
conclude that, as no one denies Muslims complete sovereignty over Mecca,
from an Islamic point of view - despite opposing, groundless claims - there
is no reason for Muslims to deny the State of Israel - which is a JEWISH
state - complete sovereignty over Jerusalem.

************************************

ISLAMIC HOLY PLACES

Anti-Jewish sentiments expressed by Islamic leaders throughout the Middle
East are, in fact, not religious in nature, but, rather, political. The
best proof of this is in the fact that Islamic anti-Judaism is quite recent.

Omar ended the Roman ban that prevented Jews to enter Jerusalem, the
Ummayad caliphs in Cordoba built a synagogue for Maimonides, and
Salahu-d-Din, after defeating the Crusaders, wrote to the Jewish leaders,
"Your exile is over. Whoever wants to come back is welcome."

The late King Faysal of Iraq openly expressed his sympathy for the Zionist
movement, while King Abdullah of Jordan was compelled to wage war against
Israel by the other Arab leaders.

Recently, the Resident Arab ["Palestinian"] Wakf has made pronouncements,
such as that the Western Wall (Kotel) is not a Jewish shrine, but, rather,
the wall to which the Prophet's [steed] was tethered, or, at best, the wall
surrounding the Muslim Mosque. The Wakf has also stated that all of Hebron
should be turned over to the Resident Arab ["Palestinian"] Authority, and
that Jews would be forbidden to pray in the Cave of the Patriarchs.

These kinds of declarations by the PLO gangsters are ridiculous and absurd.

The Kotel was effectively, according to the Islamic tradition, the place
where al-Buraq [the Prophet's steed] was tethered, but it was already an
existing part of the Herodian structure. Muslims have never prayed close
to it, and it has never had a special relevance in Islam. On the contrary,
everyone knows how important it is for Jewish worshippers.

Apart from Mecca, no Islamic holy place is off-limits for non-Muslims.
Historical sources say that the Prophet Muhammad entertained a delegation
of Christians from Najran in the Mosque of Medina, and permitted them to
celebrate a mass inside the Mosque, notwithstanding the fact that Christian
rites can include words that are against Islam [such as stating that Jesus
is God].

There is nothing in Jewish worship that can be offensive for Muslims, and
nothing in Islamic Law prevents Jews to pray on Haram al-Sharif/Har
Habayyit (the Temple Mount), in the Cave of Machpela or in any other place
that is regarded as holy by Muslims.

Every time I meet those who say otherwise, I ask them to identify a single
authoritative Islamic source as legal proof of their claim. None of them
has ever answered such a request of mine.

********************************************

NOTES:

1. The original Arabic word we translated as "kingdom" is mulk, from a
Semitic root m-l-k, that is common to both Arabic and Hebrew. According to
Islamic theological terminology, the three synonyms for "kingdom" are mulk,
malakut and jabarut. They refer respectively to the physical, psychic and
spiritual levels of existence. Of course, G-d can be called King of all of
them; if here only mulk is quoted, it depends on the fact that this verse
directly concerns the earthly domain. To denote a kingdom in the secular
and political sense, Arabic commonly uses another derived form,
that is mamlakah.

2. Koran 3:26. For typographical reasons, it is not possible to reproduce
here the original Arabic text of the Koran, which must nevertheless be
understood as quoted. As well here as in other Koranic quotations, the
English translation of the meaning of Koranic words from Arabic is my own,
but based on the most authoritative English commentaries, such as M.
Marmaduke Pickthall's "The Meaning of The Glorious Koran" (Beirut 1973),
'A. Yusuf 'Ali, "The Holy Koran - Text, Translation and Commentary"
(Maryland 1983) and A. 'A. Maududi "The Holy Koran - Text, Translation and
Brief Notes" (Lahore 1986).

3. In using the term "martyr" I do not simply refer to one who lost his
life for a good cause. I give a precise translation of the Arabic word
"shahid," which identifies a "martyr" in the strictly religious sense; that
is to say, someone who spent his life serving the cause of G-d. Since
making peace with former enemies is an explicit Koranic order (see Koran
8:61), and since, according to Islam, Peace is G-d Himself, any believer
who is killed because of his search for Peace must be understood as a
religious martyr. The same considerations clearly apply to Yitzhak Rabin.

4. Arabic name of Jerusalem, from the root q-d-s, meaning "holiness". It
is an abridged form of Bayt al-maqdis, "the sanctified House" or "the House
of the Sanctuary", an exact equivalent of the Hebrew Beth ha-mikdash. The
name originally referred only to the Temple Mount, and was afterward
extended to the City as a whole. This extension of meaning became common
among Arabs from the tenth century C.E. onwards. Earlier Islamic sources
use the name Iliyia, an adaptation to Arabic pronounciation of the Roman
name Aelia.

5. Koran 2:145.

6. M. Shaykh Zadeh Hashiyaah 'ali Tafsir al-Qadn al-Baydawn (Istanbul
1979), Vol. 1, p. 456.

7. Daniel 6:10

***********************************

Prof. Abdul Hadi Palazzi has been a lecturer in the Department of the
History of Religion at the University of Velletri (Rome, Italy).

In 1987, after completing his secular and religious education in Rome and
Cairo, he was asked to serve as an Imam (spiritual leader) for the Italian
Islamic Community. In addition to numerous Masters Degrees, Prof. Palazzi
hold a Ph.D in Islamic Sciences by decree of the Grand Mufti of the Kingdom
of Saudi Arabia.

In 1989 he was appointed a member of the Board of Directors of the Italian
Muslim Association (AMI) and afterward elected its Secretary General.

In 1991 he was asked to act as Director of the Cultural Institute of the
Italian Islamic Community (ICCII), with a program based on the development
of Islamic education in Italy, refutation of fundamentalism and fanaticism,
and deep involvement in inter-religious dialogue, especially with Jews and
Christians.

In 1997, Prof. Palazzi's essay entitled "The Jewish-Moslem Dialogue and the
Question of Jerusalem" was published by the Institute of the World Jewish
Congress.

In 1997, Prof. Palazzi joined the International Council of the Root &
Branch Association.

In 1998, Prof. Palazzi and Dr. Asher Eder (Jerusalem, Israel) co-founded
the Islam-Israel Fellowship, which promotes a positive Muslim attitude
towards Jews and Israel based on what Prof. Palazzi believes are the
authentic teachings of Muhammed as expressed in the Koran and Hadith
(Muslim Oral Tradition). Prof. Palazzi serves as Muslim Co-Chairman of the
Fellowship. Dr. Eder serves as the Jewish Co-Chairman.

***********************************************************************

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