The Characteristics of the Jews in the Sunnah
(Translated)

Al-Waie Issue 455
https://www.al-waie.org/archives/article/19407

- They are those with whom Allah (swt) is angry with

The Prophet (saw) said about the ayah,

[صِرَٰطَ ٱلَّذِينَ أَنۡعَمۡتَ عَلَيۡهِمۡ غَيۡرِ ٱلۡمَغۡضُوبِ عَلَيۡهِمۡ وَلَا ٱلضَّآلِّينَ]

“The path of those upon whom You have bestowed favor, not of those who have evoked Your anger or of those who are astray.” «الْيَهُودُ مَغْضُوبٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَالنَّصَارَى ضُلاَّلٌ»“The Jews are those with whom Allah is angry with, and the Christians have strayed from guidance.” [Tirmidhi]

- They are cursed, they deform the religion and permit the forbidden

Umar b. al-Khattab (ra) reported the Messenger of Allah (saw) as saying,

«لَعَنَ اللَّهُ الْيَهُودَ حُرِّمَتْ عَلَيْهِمُ الشُّحُومُ فَجَمَلُوهَا فَبَاعُوهَا»

“Allah cursed the Jews. Animal fat was forbidden to them. So they melted it down and sold it.” [Agreed upon].

- Envy

It was narrated from ‘Aishah (ra) that the Prophet (saw) said,

«مَا حَسَدَتْكُمُ الْيَهُودُ عَلَى شَىْءٍ مَا حَسَدَتْكُمْ عَلَى السَّلاَمِ وَالتَّأْمِينِ»

“The Jews do not envy you for anything more than they envy you for the Salam and (saying) ‘Amin’.” [Sunan Ibn Majah]

Also It was narrated from Ibn 'Abbas (ra) that the Messenger of Allah (saw) said, ‏«مَا حَسَدَتْكُمُ الْيَهُودُ عَلَى شَىْءٍ مَا حَسَدَتْكُمْ عَلَى آمِينَ فَأَكْثِرُوا مِنْ قَوْلِ آمِينَ» “The Jews do not envy you for anything more than they envy you for (saying) Amin, so say Amin a great deal.”

- Evil Conduct

It was narrated by al-Bukhari and Muslim that, “The Jews came to the Prophet (saw) and said to him, السَّامُ عَلَيْكَ “As-Saamu ‘Alaika (i.e. “death be upon you”).” He replied, «وعلَيْكُم»“The same on you.” Aishah said to them, السَّامُ عَلَيْكُمْ، وَلَعَنَكُمُ اللَّهُ وَغَضِبَ عَلَيْكُمْ “Death be upon you, and may Allah curse you and shower His wrath upon you!” The Messenger of Allah (saw) said, «هْلاً يَا عَائِشَةُ، عَلَيْكِ بِالرِّفْقِ، وَإِيَّاكِ وَالْعُنْفَ أَوِ الْفُحْشَ» “Be gentle, O `Aishah! Be gentle and beware of being harsh and of saying evil things.” She (ra) said, أَوَلَمْ تَسْمَعْ مَا قَالُوا “Didn’t you hear what they said?” He (saw) said, «أَوَلَمْ تَسْمَعِي مَا قُلْتُ رَدَدْتُ عَلَيْهِمْ، فَيُسْتَجَابُ لِي فِيهِمْ، وَلاَ يُسْتَجَابُ لَهُمْ فِيَّ»“Didn’t you hear what I replied to them? I have returned their statement to them, and my invocation against them will be accepted, but theirs against me will not be accepted.”

This hadith illustrates the conduct of Islam and Muslims towards non-Muslims. It also highlights the characteristics of the Jews, such as evil conduct, harboring ill intentions, cunning, deceit, and manipulating words to mislead, or reverse the intended meaning.

A’isha (ra) said, the Prophet (saw) wore two coarse, striped garments, and when he sat and sweated, he felt them heavy. A certain Jew received a consignment of cloth from Syria. So I suggested he should go to him and buy two garments from him, to be paid when circumstances were easier. He did so, and when the man replied, “I know what you want. All you want is to make off with my property,” The Messenger of Allah (saw) said, «كَذَبَ قَدْ عَلِمَ أَنِّي مِنْ أَتْقَاهُمْ لِلَّهِ وَآدَاهُمْ لِلأَمَانَةِ» ‏ “He has lied; he knows I am one of the most pious of them and most accustomed to pay what is given on trust.” [Tirmidhi and Nasa’i]

- Craftiness and deceit

Ibn Abbas (ra) said: Ka'b ibn Asad, Ibn Surayya, and Shas ibn Qays said to each other, “Let us go to Muhammad and see if we can turn him away from his religion.” So they went to him and said. “O Muhammad, you know that we are the scholars of the Jews, their dignitaries, and their leaders. If we follow you, the Jews will follow us. They will not go against us. We have a dispute with our people. So let us bring our case to you to judge between us. If you rule in our favor, we will believe in you and support you.” However, the Messenger of Allah (saw) refused, Then Allah (swt) revealed about them,

[وَأَنِ ٱحۡكُم بَيۡنَهُم بِمَآ أَنزَلَ ٱللَّهُ وَلَا تَتَّبِعۡ أَهۡوَآءَهُمۡ وَٱحۡذَرۡهُمۡ أَن يَفۡتِنُوكَ عَنۢ بَعۡضِ مَآ أَنزَلَ ٱللَّهُ إِلَيۡكَۖ]

“And judge, O Muhammad], between them by what Allah has revealed and do not follow their inclinations and beware of them, lest they tempt you away from some of what Allah has revealed to you,” until  [لِّقَوۡمٖ يُوقِنُونَ]“for people who are certain [in faith].”

Abu Musa (ra) said, "The Jews used to sneeze in the presence in the Prophet (saw) hoping that he would say to them, يَرحَمُكَ اللَّهُ “May Allah have mercy on you,” but he used to say, «يَهْدِيكُمُ اللَّهُ وَيُصْلِحُ بَالَكُمْ» “May Allah guide you and out your affairs in order.” "Narrated by Al-Tirmidhi and Abu Dawood

- They distort the words of Allah (swt)

The Jews came to the Messenger of Allah (saw) and mentioned to him that a man and a lady among them had committed illegal sexual intercourse. The Messenger of Allah (saw) said to them, «مَا تَجِدُونَ فِي التَّوْرَاةِ»“What do you find in the Torah with respect?” They replied, “We only disgrace and flog them with stripes.” The Prophet Muhammad (saw) said, «كذَبْتُم واللهِ، إنَّ فيها آيةَ الرَّجمِ، فأْتُوا بالتَّوراةِ فاتْلُوها إنْ كُنْتُم صادقينَ»“You have lied. There is indeed the verse of stoning in it. So bring the Torah and recite it if you are truthful.” Abdullah bin Salam said to them, كذَبْتُم واللهِ إنَّ فيها آيةَ الرَّجمِ “You have told a lie. By Allah, the penalty of Rajam is a verse in the Torah.”  He said “They brought the Torah and opened it. One of them called Ibn Surayya A'war put his hand over the verse of the Rajam and read what was before and after it. Abdullah bin Salam said to him, ارفَعْ يدَك “Lift up your hand.” Where he lifted it there appeared the verse of the Rajam. So they said, “O Muhammad! He has said the truth, the verse of the Rajam is in the Torah.” Then the Messenger of Allah (saw) ordered that the two persons, guilty of illegal sexual intercourse, be stoned to death, and so they were stoned. Abdullah Ibn Umar said, وأنا فيمَن رجَمهما يومَئذٍ“And I was among those who stoned them that day.”

- They are characterized by slander and falsehood

When Abdullah ibn Salam embraced Islam, Anas ibn Malik (ra) narrated that he said, يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، إِنَّ الْيَهُودَ قَوْمٌ بُهُتٌ، فَاسْأَلْهُمْ عَنِّي قَبْلَ أَنْ يَعْلَمُوا بِإِسْلاَمِي“ O Messenger of Allah (saw)! Jews invent such lies as make one astonished, so please ask them about me before they know about my conversion to Islam.” The Jews came, and the Prophet (saw) said, «أَىُّ رَجُلٍ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ سَلاَمٍ فِيكُمْ» “What kind of man is Abdullah bin Salam among you?” They replied, “The best of us and the son of the best of us. The most superior among us, and the son of the most superior among us.” The Prophet (saw) said, «أَرَأَيْتُمْ إِنْ أَسْلَمَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ سَلاَم»“What would you think if Abdullah bin Salam should embrace Islam?” They said, “May Allah protect him from that.” The Prophet (saw) repeated his question. They gave the same answer. Then Abdullah came out to them and said, أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ وَأَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ “I testify that None has the right to be worshipped except Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah!” On this, the Jews said, “He is the most wicked among us, and the son of the most wicked among us.” So they degraded him. On this, Abdullah bin Salam said, هَذَا كُنْتُ أَخَافُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ‏ “It is this that I was afraid of, O Messenger of Allah (saw).” [This was narrated by Al-Bukhari'

- Followers of as-Dajjal

The Messenger of Allah (saw) said, «يَتْبَعُ الدَّجَّالَ مِنْ يَهُودِ أَصْبَهَانَ سَبْعُونَ أَلْفًا عَلَيْهِمُ الطَّيَالِسَةُ»“The Dajjal would be followed by seventy thousand Jews of Isfahan wearing Persian shawls.”  The Prophet Muhammad (saw) said about the Dajjal عن الدجال أنه يهودي that he is a Jew. This was narrated by Muslim.