Are We Really Better than the Jews?

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Are We Really Better than the Jews?

By Professor Abdul Rauf

It has become a common practice throughout the Muslim world that whenever some unpleasant or undesirable incident takes place, it is at once described as a part of the sinister global Jewish conspiracy, sponsored by Israel and backed by its staunchest ally: the United States. On all such occasions, violent crowds of infuriated Muslims take to the streets, chanting “Death to Israel!” and “Death to America!” and hurling abuses and curses on the Jews, holding them responsible for all their woes and sorrows, sufferings and ordeals.

When nations are on the verge of extinction, among the many things they are deprived of, is the capability of honestly assessing the real causes of their decline and deterioration. Considering themselves to be perfect and flawless, blind to their own faults and weaknesses, they are always found blaming others. Same is the case with us, who are boiling with the Anti-Jewish sentiments, but never bother to undertake an objective analysis of our present miserable plight.

The Quran is loud in its conde-mnation of Jews and narrates numerous episodes of their repeated disobedience and colossal crimes, which robbed them of their prestigious status in the world and invited perpetual Divine Curse for them. The sinful past of the Jews has been permanently preserved in the Quran to serve as a reminder for us that if we too indulged in such malpractices, we would also deserve severest penalty. Had we ever studied the Quran from this particular angle, our eyes would surely have been opened to the grim and shameful reality that our own actions are by no means better than those of the accursed Jews. In fact, in many cases, we have surpassed them in sin and transgression. Let us go through some of the Quranic verses critical of Jews and apply them to our own state of affairs.

When Jews (Israelites) had under-gone immense torture and persecution at the hands of the Pharaoh, God had mercy on them; and under the leadership of Moses, they miraculously escaped from Egypt towards the Holy Land, where they were expected to lead a life of peace, piety and obedience to God. As Allah says, “remember, We delivered you from the people of Pharaoh: They set you hard tasks and punishments, slaughtered your sons and let your women-folk live; therein was a tremendous trial from your Lord. And remember We divided the sea for you and saved you and drowned Pharaoh's people within your very sight.” (Al-Baqara, 49-50)

The creation of Pakistan was also a miracle, aimed at protecting the Muslim minority of India from the exploitation and persecution of the Hindu Majority. But it is ironical that religion which is said to be the basis of this state, has now become a source of the rapid growth of extremism, militancy, terrorism and bloodshed in the form of suicide attacks and bomb blasts. On account of their bitter internal rivalries and wrongdoings, the Jews were driven out of the Holy Land. In the same way, our mutual quarrels and sinful activities led to the dismemberment of our country. With half of the country already gone, one wonders for how long the remaining country can survive.

Allah bitterly condemns the Jews for deliberately altering the text of their Scriptures and describing their own writings as the Word of God, to suit their own materialistic interests. “Then woe to those who write the Book with their own hands, and then say: "This is from Allah," to traffic with it for miserable price!- Woe to them for what their hands do write, and for the gain they make thereby.” (Al-Baqara, 79)

Fortunately, we cannot alter the text of the Quran, but to promote their own worldly interests, some of our so-called religious scholars make such interpretations of its verses, which have nothing to do with the spirit of the Quran and Islam. Moreover, instead of studying the Quran as a book of practical guidance, we use it for swearing, finding out the names of our children and arranging its marriage with girls, to protect the family property. The concept of such marriages was not found even among the Jews whom we hate so bitterly.

In the absence of Moses, the Israelites began worshipping a calf made from gold. “There came to you Moses with clear (Signs); yet ye worshipped the calf (Even) after that, and ye did behave wrongfully.” (Al-Baqara, 92)

If Jews were the worshippers of gold (a symbol of wealth), we are the worshippers of the dollar, for whose sake, we are always ready to sell our blood, our honour, our dignity, our religion, our country and even our mothers (As an American once publicly stated.)

The Jews were cursed for taking usury and involving in financial corruption. “That they took usury, though they were forbidden; and that they devoured men's substance wrongfully; - we have prepared for those among them who reject faith a grievous punishment.” (Al-Nisa, 161)

Despite the dire punishment mentioned in the Quran for those who take usury, we are still not willing to purge our economy of this curse. Instead of promoting interest-free banking, our economic planners are compelling the common people to invest more and more money in the interest-based ventures.

The Jews had a selective approach towards religion and acted upon only those injunctions which helped them in getting some worldly benefits. “Then is it only a part of the Book that ye believe in, and do ye reject the rest? but what is the reward for those among you who behave like this but disgrace in this life?- and on the Day of Judgment they shall be consigned to the most grievous penalty. For Allah is not unmindful of what ye do.” (Al-Baqara, 85).

Same is the case with us, who always like to refer to only those Quranic verses and sayings of the Prophet (SAW) which can bring some worldly benefits for us. Thus, husbands like to recite only those verses which confirm their domination and superiority over their wives; and parents always like to repeat those verses which explain their rights and the duties of their children towards them. In the same way, those who go on increasing the number of their children, have only one verse in mind in which Allah has promised to provide sustenance to all the people. But they never bother to study those Islamic teachings which emphasize on proper upbringing, training and education of all the children and providing them with all the facilities of life. Despite this behaviour, they believe that the disgrace in this life and most grievous punishment on the Day of Judgment mentioned in the above quoted verse are only meant for Jews.

In spite of their appalling crimes and cardinal sins, Jews regarded themselves as “Sons of God”, who would go straight to heaven after death. They believed that if at all they went to Hell, it would be for a very short period. “they say: "The Fire shall not touch us but for a few numbered days": For their forgeries deceive them as to their own religion.” (Aale Imran, 124)

Although the list of our heinous crimes is much longer than that of the Jews, yet we continue to believe that being the members of Prophet Muhammad's Ummah, Paradise with all its joys and comforts has been created only for us and is eager to open its doors for us as soon as we die.

As the Jews plunged deeper into the quagmire of sin, their hearts became harder than the stones, confirming their doom and destruction. “Thenceforth were your hearts hardened: They became like a rock and even worse in hardness. For among rocks there are some from which rivers gush forth; others there are which when split asunder send forth water; and others which sink for fear of Allah. And Allah is not unmindful of what ye do.” (Al-Baqara, 74)

Multiple crimes and heaps of sins have hardened our hearts to such an extent that even the deadliest earthquakes, worst floods and other dreadful forms of divine punishment are unable to remove their rust and reduce their hardness. Standing on the brink of utter destruction, unrepentant and remorseless, we still believe that all is well with us and God is pleased with us. God can still shower His infinite Mercy on us, if we really make earnest endeavours to shun the path of evil, otherwise, we should be prepared for the kind of treatment which the Jews received from God, although they considered themselves to be His beloveds.

Source: Are we really better than the Jews