References to Jews in the Koran
The Koran is divided into 114 chapters called suras. The
following are translations from the Koran of passages
related to Jews. As in any translation, the original language is not always
easy to render in English, and this particular translation uses more
temperate language than some others. Sometimes the specific mention of the
Jews is not explanatory, so we then include the next relevant lines. Some of
the disparaging references are highlighted in bold.
The Cow
[2.40] O children of Israel! call to mind My favor which I bestowed on you
and be faithful to (your) covenant with Me, I will fulfill (My) covenant with
you; and of Me, Me alone, should you be afraid.
[2.47] O children of Israel! call to mind My favor which I bestowed on you
and that I made you excel the nations.
[2.62] Surely those who believe, and those who are Jews, and the
Christians, and the Sabians, whoever believes in Allah and the Last day and
does good, they shall have their reward from their Lord, and there is no fear
for them, nor shall they grieve.
[2.83] And when We made a covenant with the children of Israel: You shall
not serve any but Allah and (you shall do) good to (your) parents, and to the
near of kin and to the orphans and the needy, and you shall speak to men good
words and keep up prayer and pay the poor-rate. Then you turned back except a
few of you and (now too) you turn aside.
[2.88] And they say: Our hearts are covered. Nay, Allah has cursed them
on account of their unbelief; so little it is that they believe.
[2.98] Whoever is the enemy of Allah and His angels and His apostles and
Jibreel and Meekaeel, so surely Allah is the enemy of the unbelievers.
[2.111] And they say: None sh all enter the garden (or paradise) except he
who is a Jew or a Christian. These are their vain desires. Say: Bring your
proof if you are truthful.
[2.113] And the Jews say: The Christians do not follow anything (good) and
the Christians say: The Jews do not follow anything (good) while they recite
the (same) Book. Even thus say those who have no knowledge, like to what they
say; so Allah shall judge between them on the day of resurrection in what
they differ.
[2.120] And the Jews will not be pleased with you, nor the Christians
until you follow their religion. Say: Surely Allah's guidance, that is the
(true) guidance. And if you follow their desires after the knowledge that has
come to you, you shall have no guardian from Allah, nor any helper.
[2.121] Those to whom We have given the Book read it as it ought to be
read. These believe in it; and whoever disbelieves in it, these it is that
are the losers.
[2.122] O children of Israel, call to mind My favor which I bestowed on
you and that I made you excel the nations.
[2.135] And they say: Be Jews or Christians, you will be on the right
course. Say: Nay! (we follow) the religion of Ibrahim, the Hanif, and he was
not one of the polytheists.
[2.140] Nay! do you say that Ibrahim and Ismail and Yaqoub and the tribes
were Jews or Christians? Say: Are you better knowing or Allah? And who is
more unjust than he who conceals a testimony that he has from Allah? And
Allah is not at all heedless of what you do.
[2.211] Ask the Israelites how many a clear sign have We given them; and
whoever changes the favor of Allah after it has come to him, then surely
Allah is severe in requiting (evil).
[2.246] Have you not considered the chiefs of the children of Israel after
Musa, when they said to a prophet of theirs: Raise up for us a king, (that)
we may fight in the way of Allah. He said: May it not be that you would not
fight if fighting is ordained for you? They said: And what reason have we
that we should not fight in the way of Allah, and we have indeed been compelled
to abandon our homes and our children. But when fighting was ordained for
them, they turned back, except a few of them, and Allah knows the unjust.
The Family of Imran
[3.23] Have you not considered those (Jews) who are given a portion of the
Book? They are invited to the Book of Allah that it might decide between
them, then a part of them turn back and they withdraw.
[3.24] This is because they say: The fire shall not touch us but for a few
days; and what they have forged deceives them in the matter of their
religion.
[3.49] And (make him) an apostle to the children of Israel: That I have
come to you with a sign from your Lord, that I determine for you out of dust
like the form of a bird, then I breathe into it and it becomes a bird with
Allah's permission and I heal the blind and the leprous, and bring the dead
to life with Allah's permission and I inform you of what you should eat and
what you should store in your houses; most surely there is a sign in this for
you, if you are believers.
[3.67] Ibrahim was not a Jew nor a Christian but he was (an) upright
(man), a Muslim, and he was not one of the polytheists.
[3.93] All food was lawful to the children of Israel except that which
Israel had forbidden to himself, before the Taurat was revealed. Say: Bring
then the Taurat and read it, if you are truthful.
The Women
[4.46] Of those who are Jews (there are those who) alter words from their
places and say: We have heard and we disobey and: Hear, may you not be made
to hear! and: Raina, distorting (the word) with their tongues and taunting
about religion; and if they had said (instead): We have heard and we obey,
and hearken, and unzurna it would have been better for them and more upright;
but Allah has cursed them on account of their unbelief, so they do not
believe but a little.
[4.47] O you who have been given the Book! believe that which We have
revealed, verifying what you have, before We alter faces then turn them on
their backs, or curse them as We cursed the violaters of the Sabbath, and the
command of Allah shall be executed.
[4.50] See how they forge the lie against Allah, and this is sufficient as
a manifest sin.
[4.160] Wherefore for the iniquity of those who are Jews did We
disallow to them the good things which had been made lawful for them and for
their hindering many (people) from Allah's way.
[4.161] And their taking usury though indeed they were forbidden it and
their devouring the property of people falsely, and We have prepared for the
unbelievers from among them a painful chastisement.
The Dinner Table
[5.12] And certainly Allah made a covenant with the children of Israel,
and We raised up among them twelve chieftains; and Allah said: Surely I am
with you; if you keep up prayer and pay the poor-rate and believe in My
apostles and assist them and offer to Allah a goodly gift, I will most
certainly cover your evil deeds, and I will most certainly cause you to enter
into gardens beneath which rivers flow, but whoever disbelieves from among
you after that, he indeed shall lose the right way.
[5.13] But on account of their breaking their covenant We cursed them
and made their hearts hard; they altered the words from their places and they
neglected a portion of what they were reminded of; and you shall always
discover treachery in them excepting a few of them; so pardon them and
turn away; surely Allah loves those who do good (to others).
[5.18] And the Jews and the Christians say: We are the sons of Allah and
His beloved ones. Say: Why does He then chastise you for your faults? Nay,
you are mortals from among those whom He has created, He forgives whom He
pleases and chastises whom He pleases; and Allah's is the kingdom of the
heavens and the earth and what is between them, and to Him is the eventual
coming.
[5.32] For this reason did We prescribe to the children of Israel that
whoever slays a soul, unless it be for manslaughter or for mischief in the
land, it is as though he slew all men; and whoever keeps it alive, it is as
though he kept alive all men; and certainly Our apostles came to them with
clear arguments, but even after that many of them certainly act extravagantly
in the land.
[5.33] The punishment of those who wage war against Allah and His
apostle and strive to make mischief in the land is only this, that they
should be murdered or crucified or their hands and their feet should be cut
off on opposite sides or they should be imprisoned; this shall be as a
disgrace for them in this world, and in the hereafter they shall have a
grievous chastisement,
[5.41] O Apostle! let not those grieve you who strive together in
hastening to unbelief from among those who say with their mouths: We believe,
and their hearts do not believe, and from among those who are Jews; they are
listeners for the sake of a lie, listeners for another people who have not
come to you; they alter the words from their places, saying: If you are given
this, take it, and if you are not given this, be cautious; and as for him
whose temptation Allah desires, you cannot control anything for him with
Allah. Those are they for whom Allah does not desire that He should purify
their hearts; they shall have disgrace in this world, and they shall have
a grievous chastisement in the hereafter.
[5.42] (They are) listeners of a lie, devourers of what is forbidden;
therefore if they come to you, judge between them or turn aside from them,
and if you turn aside from them, they shall not harm you in any way; and if
you judge, judge between them with equity; surely Allah loves those who judge
equitably.
[5.43] And how do they make you a judge and they have the Taurat wherein
is Allah's judgment? Yet they turn back after that, and these are not the
believers.
[5.44] Surely We revealed the Taurat in which was guidance and light; with
it the prophets who submitted themselves (to Allah) judged (matters) for
those who were Jews, and the masters of Divine knowledge and the doctors,
because they were required to guard (part) of the Book of Allah, and they
were witnesses thereof; therefore fear not the people and fear Me, and do not
take a small price for My communications; and whoever did not judge by what
Allah revealed, those are they that are the unbelievers.
[5.51] O you who believe! do not take the Jews and the Christians for
friends; they are friends of each other; and whoever amongst you takes
them for a friend, then surely he is one of them; surely Allah does not guide
the unjust people.
[5.59] Say: O followers of the Book! do you find fault with us (for aught)
except that we believe in Allah and in what has been revealed to us and what
was revealed before, and that most of you are transgressors?
[5.60] Say: Shall I inform you of (him who is) worse than this in
retribution from Allah? (Worse is he) whom Allah has cursed and brought His
wrath upon, and of whom He made apes and swine, and he who served the
Shaitan; these are worse in place and more erring from the straight path.
[5.64] And the Jews say: The hand of Allah is tied up! Their hands
shall be shackled and they shall be cursed for what they say. Nay, both
His hands are spread out, He expends as He pleases; and what has been
revealed to you from your Lord will certainly make many of them increase in
inordinacy and unbelief; and We have put enmity and hatred among them till
the day of resurrection; whenever they kindle a fire for war Allah puts it
out, and they strive to make mischief in the land; and Allah does not
love the mischief-makers.
[5.69] Surely those who believe and those who are Jews and the Sabians and
the Christians whoever believes in Allah and the last day and does good--
they shall have no fear nor shall they grieve.
[5.70] Certainly We made a covenant with the children of Israel and We
sent to them apostles; whenever there came to them an apostle with what that
their souls did not desire, some (of them) did they call liars and some they
slew.
[5.72] Certainly they disbelieve who say: Surely Allah, He is the Messiah,
son of Marium; and the Messiah said: O Children of Israel! serve Allah, my
Lord and your Lord. Surely whoever associates (others) with Allah, then Allah
has forbidden to him the garden, and his abode is the fire; and there shall
be no helpers for the unjust.
[5.73] Certainly they disbelieve who say: Surely Allah is the third
(person) of the three; and there is no god but the one God, and if they desist
not from what they say, a painful chastisement shall befall those among
them who disbelieve.
[5.78] Those who disbelieved from among the children of Israel were
cursed by the tongue of Dawood and Isa, son of Marium; this was because
they disobeyed and used to exceed the limit.
[5.79] They used not to forbid each other the hateful things (which) they
did; certainly evil was that which they did.
[5.80] You will see many of them befriending those who disbelieve;
certainly evil is that which their souls have sent before for them, that
Allah became displeased with them and in chastisement shall they abide.
[5.81] And had they believed in Allah and the prophet and what was
revealed to him, they would not have taken them for friends but! most of them
are transgressors.
[5.82] Certainly you will find the most violent of people in enmity for
those who believe (to be) the Jews and those who are polytheists, and you
will certainly find the nearest in friendship to those who believe (to be)
those who say: We are Christians; this is because there are priests and monks
among them and because they do not behave proudly.
[5.86] And (as for) those who disbelieve and reject Our communications,
these are the companions of the flame.
[5.110] When Allah will say: O Isa son of Marium! Remember My favor on you
and on your mother, when I strengthened you I with the holy Spirit, you spoke
to the people in the cradle and I when of old age, and when I taught you the
Book and the wisdom and the Taurat and the Injeel; and when you determined
out of clay a thing like the form of a bird by My permission, then you
breathed into it and it became a bird by My permission, and you healed the
blind and the leprous by My permission; and when you brought forth the dead
by My permission; and when I withheld the children of Israel from you when
you came to them with clear arguments, but those who disbelieved among them
said: This is nothing but clear enchantment.
The Cattle
[6.146] And to those who were Jews We made unlawful every animal having
claws, and of oxen and sheep We made unlawful to them the fat of both, except
such as was on their backs or the entrails or what was mixed with bones: this
was a punishment We gave them on account of their rebellion, and We are
surely Truthful.
The Elevated Places
[7.105] (I am) worthy of not saying anything about Allah except the truth:
I have come to you indeed with clear proof from your Lord, therefore send
with me the children of Israel.
[7.134] And when the plague fell upon them, they said: O Musa! pray for us
to your Lord as He has promised with you, if you remove the plague from us,
we will certainly believe in you and we will certainly send away with you the
children of Israel.
[7.137] And We made the people who were deemed weak to inherit the eastern
lands and the western ones which We had blessed; and the good word of your
Lord was fulfilled in the children of Israel because they bore up
(sufferings) patiently; and We utterly destroyed what Firon and his people
had wrought and what they built.
[7.138] And We made the children of Israel to pass the sea; then they came
upon a people who kept to the worship of their idols. They said: O Musa! make
for us a god as they have (their) gods. He said: Surely you are a people
acting ignorantly:
The Immunity
[9.30] And the Jews say: Uzair is the son of Allah; and the Christians
say: The Messiah is the son of Allah; these are the words of their mouths;
they imitate the saying of those who disbelieved before; may Allah destroy
them; how they are turned away!
Jonah
[10.90] And We made the children of Israel to pass through the sea, then
Firon and his hosts followed them for oppression and tyranny; until when
drowning overtook him, he said: I believe that there is no god but He in Whom
the children of Israel believe and I am of those who submit.
[10.93] And certainly We lodged the children of Israel in a goodly abode
and We provided them with good things; but they did not disagree until the
knowledge had come to them; surely your Lord will judge between them on the
resurrection day concerning that in which they disagreed.
The Bee
[16.118] And for those who were Jews We prohibited what We have related to
you already, and We did them no injustice, but they were unjust to
themselves.
The Children of Israel
[17.2] And We gave Musa the Book and made it a guidance to the children of
Israel, saying: Do not take a protector besides Me;
[17.4] And We had made known to the children of Israel in the Book: Most
certainly you will make mischief in the land twice, and most certainly you
will behave insolently with great insolence.
[17.101] And certainly We gave Musa nine clear signs; so ask the children
of Israel. When he came to them, Firon said to him: Most surely I deem you, O
Musa, to be a man deprived of reason.
[17.104] And We said to the Israelites after him: Dwell in the land: and
when the promise of the next life shall come to pass, we will bring you both
together in judgment.
Marium
[19.58] These are they on whom Allah bestowed favors, from among the
prophets of the seed of Adam, and of those whom We carried with Nuh, and of
the seed of Ibrahim and Israel, and of those whom We guided and chose; when
the communications of the Beneficent God were recited to them, they fell down
making obeisance and weeping.
Ta Ha
[20.47] So go you both to him and say: Surely we are two apostles of your
Lord; therefore send the children of Israel with us and do not torment them!
Indeed we have brought to you a communication from your Lord, and peace is on
him who follows the guidance;
[20.48] Surely it has been revealed to us that the chastisement will
surely come upon him who rejects and turns back.
[20.80] O children of Israel! indeed We delivered you from your enemy, and
We made a covenant with you on the blessed side of the mountain, and We sent
to you the manna and the quails.
[20.94] He said: O son of my mother! seize me not by my beard nor by my
head; surely I was afraid lest you should say: You have caused a division
among the children of Israel and not waited for my word.
The Pilgrimage
[22.17] Surely those who believe and those who are Jews and the Sabeans
and the Christians and the Magians and those who associate (others with
Allah)-- surely Allah will decide between them on the day of resurrection;
surely Allah is a witness over all things.
[22.40] Those who have been expelled from their homes without a just cause
except that they say: Our Lord is Allah. And had there not been Allah's
repelling some people by others, certainly there would have been pulled down
cloisters and churches and synagogues and mosques in which Allah's name is
much remembered; and surely Allah will help him who helps His cause; most
surely Allah is Strong, Mighty.
The Poets
[26.17] Then send with us the children of Israel.
[26.22] And is it a favor of which you remind me that you have enslaved
the children of Israel?
[26.59] Even so. And We gave them as a heritage to the children of Israel.
[26.197] Is it not a sign to them that the learned men of the Israelites
know it?
The Ant
[27.76] Surely this Quran declares to the children of Israel most of what
they differ in.
The Adoration
[32.23] And certainly We gave the Book to Musa, so be not in doubt
concerning the receiving of it, and We made it a guide for the children of
Israel.
The Believer
[40.53] And certainly We gave Musa the guidance, and We made the children
of Israel inherit the Book,
Ornaments of Gold
[43.59] He was naught but a servant on whom We bestowed favor, and We made
him an example for the children of Israel.
The Smoke
[44.30] And certainly We delivered the children of Israel from the abasing
chastisement,
The Kneeling
[45.16] And certainly We gave the Book and the wisdom and the prophecy to
the children of Israel, and We gave them of the goodly things, and We made
them excel the nations.
The Sandhills
[46.10] Say: Have you considered if it is from Allah, and you disbelieve
in it, and a witness from among the children of Israel has borne witness of
one like it, so he believed, while you are big with pride; surely Allah does
not guide the unjust people.
The Banishment
[59.2] He it is Who caused those who disbelieved of the followers of the
Book to go forth from their homes at the first banishment you did not think
that they would go forth, while they were certain that their fortresses would
defend them against Allah; but Allah came to them whence they did not expect,
and cast terror into their hearts; they demolished their houses with their
own hands and the hands of the believers; therefore take a lesson, O you who
have eyes!
[59.3] And had it not been that Allah had decreed for them the exile, He
would certainly have punished them in this world, and in the hereafter they
shall have chastisement of the fire.
The Ranks
[61.6] And when Isa son of Marium said: O children of Israel! surely I am
the apostle of Allah to you, verifying that which is before me of the Taurat
and giving the good news of an Apostle who will come after me, his name being
Ahmad, but when he came to them with clear arguments they said: This is clear
magic.
[61.7] And who is more unjust than he who forges a lie against Allah and
he is invited to Islam, and Allah does not guide the unjust people.
[61.14] O you who believe! be helpers (in the cause) of Allah, as~ Isa son
of Marium said to (his) disciples: Who are my helpers in the cause of Allah?
The disciples said: We are helpers (in the cause) of Allah. So a party of the
children of Israel believed and another party disbelieved; then We aided
those who believed against their enemy, and they became uppermost.
The Congregation
[62.6] Say: O you who are Jews, if you think that you are the favorites
of Allah to the exclusion of other people, then invoke death If you are
truthful.