Friends who follow the Palestinian-Israeli conflict know that Israel's national entanglement with the Arabs began with the Jewish Zionist movement. At the call of "Zionism", a large number of Jews in the diaspora returned to the land of Palestine, triggering the five subsequent wars in the Middle East and the unrest that continues to this day.
However, little is known about the interaction between the two peoples prior to this. In this article, I will fill in this piece of the puzzle.
1. Contacts before the founding of Islam
1. The earliest intercourse in the time of Moses
The earliest history of interaction between Jews and Arabs can be traced back to the time of Moses around 1500 BC. After Moses left Egypt, he drifted in the wilderness of the Sinai Peninsula. To the east of the Sinai Peninsula, there is the Gulf of Aqaba. So Moses took Sipala, the daughter of the high priest, as a concubine in Midian, on the shores of the Gulf of Aqaba. Sipala also bore Moses two sons.
The Sinai Peninsula is bounded by the Gulf of Aqaba to the east and the Gulf of Suez to the west
2. After the destruction of the Second Temple, the Jews moved into the Arabian Peninsula
In the southwestern part of the Arabian Peninsula, there has been a trade route since ancient times, also known as "hijaz", which originally means "to separate", which means to separate the desert in the east and the coastal zone in the west. The official Chinese translation of "hijaz" is the Hejaz, which represents a geographical area. It stretches from Jordan in the north to Yemen in the south, including three provinces in Saudi Arabia.
To avoid war between the Byzantines and Persians, precious goods such as gems, spices, and silk from India and China were often transported to Yemen via the Arabian Sea, and then to Syria and Egypt via the "hijaz".
In 66 A.D., after the failure of the Jewish revolt against Rome and the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, a large number of Jews were forced to flee Palestine and migrate to the "Hijaz" in the Arabian Peninsula, where they formed cultural centers in Medina and Khaybar.
After settling in Hijaz, the Jews occupied oases in the northwestern part of the peninsula, including Medina. Medina, known as Yathrib in pre-Islamic times, was an oasis on the trade routes.
The settlement of the Jews brought to the inhabitants agricultural experience, new plant varieties, and new techniques for metalwork, dyes, jewelry, and how to do business.
The inhabitants of Medina were also influenced by the Jews and gradually adopted Judaism and abandoned the original polytheistic worship. This laid the foundation for Muhammad's later spread of Islam. The Arabs of Medina were influenced by the Messianic concept of Judaism, and also hoped that a Messianic figure would emerge in the Arab nation to resolve the conflicts and disputes between them and stop the internal vendettas. It was in this context that Muhammad came to Medina to settle tribal disputes.
The influence of the two peoples goes both ways. The Jews of Medina influenced both the Arabs and were deeply influenced by the Arabs. At that time, Arabic was already quite popular among Jews, and the Arabic translation of the Hebrew Bible was widely used by Jews. Not only that, but the Jews also imitated the Arabs to establish their own tribes.
3. The conversion of the Himyyar kingdom to Judaism in the Yemeni region
The Arabian Peninsula is surrounded by the Persian Gulf to the east, the Red Sea to the west, and the Arabian Sea to the south. The northern and central parts of the peninsula are highlands, mostly deserts and grasslands, interspersed with small oases, and the climate is arid and difficult to cultivate.
In the southwestern part of the peninsula, the rain was relatively abundant, and the Cypriots began to develop agriculture in the centuries BC and established the Sebbai state. Around the second century BCE, a Semitic Hemean, who had long since moved out of the peninsula, returned to the peninsula and successfully conquered the Sebeans, establishing the kingdom of Himeyar (Himia).
The Kingdom of Himyyar is located in the Yemen region of the southwestern part of the Arabian Peninsula. After 300 A.D., Judaism gradually spread in the region. Many subjects and royal families came to Judaism. In 340 AD, the Ethiopians first conquered Yemen. Many Arabs fled to the Jewish ghetto of "Hijaz".
Abu Qarib, the first Jewish king of the Himyyar kingdom, chose to convert to Judaism during his expedition to North Arabia. Legend has it that Abu Kalib took revenge for killing his son and fought against Yathrib (Medina). During the siege, Abu Qarib fell ill and was healed by two Jews before abandoning the siege and converting to Judaism.
By the beginning of the 6th century, the number of Jews engaged in commercial trade in Yemen was increasing, and Judaism was becoming more widespread. In 523 A.D., King Zu Nuis of Himyar attacked the Najran region of the Arabian Peninsula and demanded that the local Christians convert to Judaism. After a resolute resistance, Jo Noias burned many Christians to death.
A Christian escaped death and appealed to the Byzantine king for help, and the Byzantium decided to attack. In October 525, the Byzantines supported the Ethiopians in their second attack on Yemen, and Zu Nuis was defeated and the Himyyar dynasty fell.
4. In the 3rd and 5th centuries A.D., the Arab population of Yemen migrated to the north
The Byzantine Empire in the north, the Sassanid Persian Empire, and the Ethiopian Kingdom of Asum in East Africa fought a protracted war for hegemony over Yemen's international trade routes. This century-long war for hegemony brought severe trauma to the southern part of the Arabian Peninsula, and the once prosperous early civilization of South Arabia was completely destroyed.
Between the 3rd and 5th centuries AD, the inhabitants of the Yemen region migrated to the northern part of the peninsula. Most of these immigrants were Jews or Christians, and after moving to the north, the beliefs and Xi of Judaism and Christianity inevitably influenced the local population, especially the religious ideas of monotheism. This also planted the seeds for the subsequent monotheistic concept of Islam.
2. Interaction at the time of the rise of Islam
In 622 A.D., Muhammad and his followers migrated to Yathrib (Medina) in groups. Muhammad successfully mediated the conflict between the Jews and the Arab tribes.
In the beginning, Muslims and Jews had friendly relations and signed the Medina Charter, which stipulated equal rights for Jews. During that period of good relations, Jerusalem also became a holy city of worship for Muslims.
But then the Jews did not recognize Muhammad's prophetic status and broke with the Muslims completely. In Mecca, the Jews united with polytheistic worshippers to fight against the Muslim armed forces, and at one point defeated the Muslim army.
In Medina, Muslim Arabs clashed fiercely with Jews. After their victory, the Muslim Arabs expelled two Jewish tribes from Medina.
One of them, the Nadir tribe, was in Khaybar, uniting pagan forces to continue the resistance against the Muslim Arabs. In 629 A.D., the Muslim Arabs attacked Khaybar and after three weeks of fierce fighting, they were able to defeat the Jews. Since then, the Jewish power on the peninsula has been greatly weakened.
3. Contacts during the Arab Empire
1. The Arab Empire was relatively tolerant of the Jewish faith
In the 7th and early 8th centuries AD, the Arabs established a great empire that spanned Western Asia, North Africa, and Spain. The Arab Empire adopted a more tolerant policy towards the Jews under its rule. Jews are free to practice Judaism as long as they submit to the rule of the Islamic regime and pay a "human tax".
Although the Arab Empire also issued a series of edicts restricting infidels, such as prohibiting the construction of new synagogues and Christian churches, they were generally not strictly enforced.
2. Jews became a commercial link between Christians and Muslims
The Carolingian Empire of Christianity and the Arab Empire of Islam emerged on the coast of the Mediterranean. As a result of the long confrontation between the two empires, the Jews became the lubricant for Muslims and Christians alike.
The Jews in the Arab world were fluent in Roman, Greek, Hebrew, and Arabic, which made them play an important role in commercial trade.
3. Jews served the Arab court
Because of their cultural literacy, many Jews served as diplomatic, trade, and financial advisors to the Arab court.
In Muslim Spain, there were many Jews who served the royal family, especially during the reign of Abd al-Rahman III, and many Jews became high-ranking government officials.
After the 11th century, Muslim Spain was divided into many princely states, and its rulers hired Jews to serve in high-ranking positions such as political and economic advisors.
4. The development of Jewish community and culture
During the Muslim era, the Jewish community in Palestine was gradually restored. With the permission of Caliph 'Umar, 70 Jewish families moved into Jerusalem and climbed the Temple Mount to clean the Temple.
Later, a number of Jews known as the "Mourners of Zion" settled near the Western Wall, and Rabbinic College reopened.
Jewish communities and their cultures have developed considerably in Tiberias, Gaza, Ashkelon, Tripoli, Tyre, Aleppo, Damascus in Syria, as well as in Cairo, Alexandria, Kairouan, Tripolitania, and Morocco.
5. In Spain, Jews and Arabs were on good terms
Around the first century C.E., Jews came to Spain. In 412 AD, the Visigoths occupied Spain. During their time under Visigothic rule, the Jews were subjected to restrictions on their power and were forced to convert to Christianity.
In 711 C.E., when the Muslim general Tariq entered Spain, he was warmly welcomed by the Jews. In Spain under Arab rule, Jews gained unprecedented freedom of belief, judicial autonomy, and choice of occupation.
From the 8th to the 13th century, there was a "golden age" of Jewish culture in Spain. In Hebrew, Spain is referred to as "Sepharad", and the Jews of Spain and Portugal and their descendants are also referred to as "Sephardic Jews", and their culture is collectively referred to as "Sephardic culture".
In the cities of Córdoba, Granada, Toledo and other cities at that time, a large number of Jewish societies and Bible colleges appeared. The Bible College of Córdoba, in particular, not only has a well-stocked library and a well-educated number of scholars, but it has also become an authority on Jewish affairs. After the decline of Babylon, these Bible colleges became centers of religious culture for the Jewish diaspora.
Spain also saw the emergence of a group of Jewish scholars who were keen to study the Hebrew classics and gradually emerged in the fields of religion, philosophy, language, literature, and natural sciences.
Among the most prestigious scholars were Judah Halevi (1075-1141) and Moses Maimonides (1135-1204).
Israeli New Shekel Banknote A series issued in 1986
6. Spanish Jews promote cultural exchanges between the East and the West
Spanish Jews played an indelible role in promoting cultural exchange between East and West. Many Jewish scholars became famous translators of their time, translating the classics of Greek and Roman culture into Arabic and Hebrew, and the writings of the Arabs into Latin.
The most famous Spanish-Jewish translators were Johannez (c. 1090-1165) and Geyland (1114-1187). Johanez introduced the outstanding achievements of Arabic mathematics to the Latin-speaking world. Jayland has translated more than 70 books, including the Medical Codex by the famous Arab scholar Avicenna.
It was through the passing of the Jewish torch of civilization that Europe, which was still backward in the late Middle Ages, gained the source of its civilizational development.
7. After Christian Week, there was an anti-Semitic movement in Spain
After the 14th century, Christian regimes emerged in Spain, and anti-Semitic forces became popular. Jewish communities were massively destroyed, and Jews were either persecuted to death, forcibly converted, or sold into slavery.
In 1492, Spain issued an expulsion order, and about 200,000 Jews were deported. From then on, Spanish Jews spread to Portugal, Italy, Turkey, and North Africa. It was not until 1869 that the Spanish constitution repealed the 1492 expulsion order.
Fourth, summary
Historically, both Jews and Arabs belonged to the Semitic race. According to the Hebrew Bible, Abraham and his concubine Hagar gave birth to Ishmael, the patriarch of the Arabs. Later, Abraham and his wife Sarah gave birth to Isaac, the patriarch of the Jews.
The two ethnic groups are also close neighbors geographically and have a long history of interaction. As early as the time of Moses, there are historical records of marriages between the two peoples. After the destruction of the First Temple, the Jews were exiled to the Arabian Peninsula, where they had a two-way influence with the local population, especially on local religious attitudes.
After the 7th century AD, with the rise of Islam, there was a religious conflict between the Arabs and the Jews. But when the Islamic regime was secured, the two sides lived in harmony again.
During the Arab Empire, Jews enjoyed a high degree of tolerance, and Jewish culture developed considerably. During the Abbasid dynasty, many Jews were employed by the court and achieved high political and military status. In Spain, Sephardic Jews, with the tolerance of the Arabs, ushered in a golden age, formed a splendid Sephardic culture, and played the role of a torch relay for the exchange between Arab civilization and European civilization.