Ajay Kumar at 19:40, 28 September 2023

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{{Short description|Jewish groups that inhabited the Arabian Peninsula before and during the rise of Islam}}
{{Jews and Judaism sidebar |expanded=communities}}

The '''Jewish tribes of Arabia''' were ethnic groups professing the [[Judaism|Jewish faith]] that inhabited the [[Arabian Peninsula]] before and during the [[History of Islam|advent of Islam]]. In Islamic tradition, the Jewish tribes of the [[Hejaz]] were seen as the offspring of the [[Israelites|ancient Hebrews]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Gil|first=Moshe|title=The origin of the Jews of Yathrib|year=1997|pages=4–5|isbn=9789004138827|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8vTTCwG0nKIC&pg=PA4 }}</ref> According to [[Historiography of early Islam|historical Muslim sources]], they spoke a language other than Arabic, which [[al-Tabari]] claims was [[Persian language|Persian]].{{Citation needed|date=April 2021}} This implies they were connected to the major [[Jews in Babylonia|Jewish community of Babylonia]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Gil|first=Moshe|title=The origin of the Jews of Yathrib|year=1997|page=5|isbn=9789004138827|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8vTTCwG0nKIC&pg=PA5 }}</ref> Certain Jewish traditions record the existence of nomadic tribes such as the [[Rechabite]]s, which [[Conversion to Judaism|converted to Judaism]] in [[History of ancient Israel and Judah|antiquity]].{{Citation needed|date=April 2021}}

== The Jewish tribes ==
Some of the Jewish tribes of Arabia historically attested include:

{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
*[[Banu Harith]] or [[Bnei Chorath]]<ref name="Stillman">[[Norman A. Stillman]], ''The Jews of Arab lands: a history and source book'', p. 117</ref><ref name="Tahir-ul-Qadri">Dr. Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri, ''[https://web.archive.org/web/20030319140737/http://www.pat.com.pk/pdf/constitution_madina.pdf Constitutional Analysis of the Constitution of Madina]'' (excerpt)</ref><ref>{{Citation|url=http://mirajnews.com/article/opinion/muslim-rulers-saved-jews/ |publisher=Miraj Islamic News Agency |title=FIVE MUSLIM LEADERS THAT SAVED JEWS |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402101019/http://mirajnews.com/article/opinion/muslim-rulers-saved-jews/ |archivedate=2015-04-02 }}</ref>
*[[Banu Qaynuqa]]<ref name="Stillman" /><ref name="Tahir-ul-Qadri" />
*[[Banu Shutayba]]<ref name="Stillman" /><ref name="Tahir-ul-Qadri" />
*Jafna Clan of the [[Banu Tha'laba]] who were exiled members of the [[Banu Ghassan]] - while both tribes were not Jewish, they did have Jewish members; whereas the Jafna Clan was solely Jewish<ref name="Stillman" /><ref name="Tahir-ul-Qadri" /><ref>Moshe Gil, ''A history of Palestine, 634-1099'', p. 19</ref> {{unreliable source?|date=August 2012}}
*[[Banu Zaura]]<ref>Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik (translator), ''Al-Qur'an, the Guidance for Mankind - English with Arabic Text'' (Hardcover) {{ISBN|0-911119-80-9}}</ref>
*[[Banu Zurayq]]<ref name="Stillman" /><ref name="Tahir-ul-Qadri" /> In Islamic lore, Labid ben Asam was a Jewish sorcerer who cast a spell on Muhammad that made him ill for several months and prevented him from having sexual relations with his wives<ref>Ibn Kathir, Trevor Le Gassick, ''The Life of the Prophet Muhammad: Al-Sira Al-Nabawiyya'', p. 227</ref>
*[[Banu Quda'a]] — [[Himyarite]] tribe of converts to [[Judaism]]<ref>Joseph Adler (May/June 2000), The Jewish Kingdom of Himyar (Yemen): Its Rise and Fall, ''Midstream'', Volume XXXXVI No. 4</ref>
*[[Banu Qurayza]] — sub-clan of the [[Kohanim|al-Kāhinān]], located in Yathrib ([[Medina]])
*[[Banu Nadir]] — sub-clan of the [[Kohanim|al-Kāhinān]], located in Yathrib ([[Medina]])
*[[Banu Juw]] — sub-clan of the [[Banu Qaynuqa]], Fled to North Africa.
*[[Banu Aws]]
*[[Banu Awf]]
{{div col end}}

==History of immigration==
[[Judaism]] found its place in the Arabian Peninsula by immigration of Jews, which took place mainly during six periods:

* After the collapse of [[Kingdom of Judah]] in 586 BCE.
* After the [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] conquest of Judea.
* After the Jewish rebellion in 66 CE, and the destruction of [[Jerusalem]] by [[Titus]] in 70 CE, exiles found a home in the desert.
* Survivors of the [[Bar Kochba Revolt]], in 135 CE, who sought religious freedom in the Arabian desert rather than live under the yoke of the Romans.
* Immigration, around 300 CE, by people who are known in Islamic literature as the Banu Aus and the [[Banu Khazraj]] who fled the [[Ghassanids]] in Syria.
* Migration from Judea into southern Arabian Peninsula to ride the ascent of the [[Himyarite Kingdom]] around 380 CE.

===Sanaite===
The Sanaite Jews have a tradition that their ancestors settled in Yemen forty-two years before the destruction of the First Temple. According to Jeremiah some 75,000 Jews, including priests and Levites, traveled to Yemen.<ref>Shalom Seri and Naftali Ben-David (1991), ''A Journey to Yemen and Its Jews''. Eeleh BeTamar publishing; p.43</ref> The [[Habbani Jews|Banu Habban]] in southern Yemen have a tradition that they are the descendants of Judeans who settled in the area before the destruction of the Second Temple. These Judeans supposedly belonged to a brigade dispatched by King Herod to assist the Roman legions fighting in the region.<ref>Ken Blady (2000), ''Jewish Communities in Exotic Places'', Jason Aronson Inc., p.32</ref>

The [[Himyarite]] royal family in exile commanded vast wealth and resources, particularly the [[Nabatean]] bedouin with whom they had controlled the market of trade by Land from North-East Africa for centuries.{{Citation needed|date=February 2012}}

By the close of the fifth century, the [[Banu Aus]] and [[Banu Khazraj]] had become masters of [[Yathrib]]. During these events, or possibly in coordination with them, Yathrib was host to a noble visitor. In 470 CE, Persian King Firuz was attempting to wipe out the Exilarchate. The [[Exilarch]] Huna V, who was the son of [[Mar-Zutra III|Mar-Zutra bar Mar-Zutra]], whisked his daughter and some of his entourage to [[Yathrib]] (Medina) for safety.

===Judaized Arabs and the Himyarite Kingdom===
In about 400 CE, [[Himyarite]] King ''tubba Abu Karib As'ad Kamil'' (385-420 CE),<ref>Ibn Hisham, I, pp. 26-27</ref> a convert to Judaism, led military expeditions into central Arabia and expanded his empire to encompass most of the Arabian Peninsula.<ref>''A Traditional Mu'tazilite Qur'an Commentary: The Kashshaf of Jar Allah Al-zamakhshari'' (D538/1144) (Texts and Studies on the Qur'an)</ref> His army had marched north to battle the [[Aksumite Empire|Aksumites]] who had been fighting for control of Yemen for a hundred years. The Aksumites were only expelled from the region when the newly-Jewish king rallied Jews together from all over Arabia with pagan allies. The relationship between the Himyarite Kings and the polytheistic Arab tribes strengthened when, under the royal permission of Tubba' Abu Karib As'ad, [[Qusai ibn Kilab]] (400–480 CE) reconstructed the [[Ka'aba]] from a state of decay, and had the Arab al-Kahinan ([[Cohanim]]) build their houses around it.<ref>The History of al-Tabari Vol. 5, The Sasanids, the Byzantines, the Lakhmids, and Yemen, C. E. Bosworth—Translator, SUNY series in Near Eastern Studies</ref> Qusai ibn Kilab was the great-great- grandfather of [[Shaiba ibn Hashim]] (Abdul-Mutallib). Shaiba ibn Hashim was fifth in the line of descent to Muhammad, and attained supreme power at Mecca. Qusai ibn Kilab is among the ancestors of [[Sahaba]] and the progenitor of the [[Quraysh (tribe)|Banu Quraish]]. When Qusai came of age, a man from the tribe of [[Banu Khuza'a]] named Hulail (Hillel) was the trustee of the Kaaba, and the Na'sa (Nasi)—authorized to calculate the calendar. Qusai married his daughter and, according to Hulail's will, obtained Hulail's rights to the Ka'aba. Hulail, according to Arabian tradition was a member of the [[Jurhum|Banu Jurhum]]. Banu Jurhum was a sub-group of the Banu [[Qahtanite|Qahtani]] from whom the [[Himyarites]] originally descend.

Around 455 CE, the last Himyarite King is born, ''Zur'ah Yusuf Ibn Tuban As'ad Abu Kaleb Dhu Nuwas'' or [[Dhu Nuwas]]. He died in 510. His zeal for Judaism brought about his fall. Having heard of the persecutions of Jews by Byzantine emperors, Dhu Nuwas retaliated by putting to death some Byzantine merchants who were traveling on business through Himyara. He didn't simply kill them with hanging—he burned them in large pits—earning him the title "King of the burning pit".

These killings destroyed the trade of Yemen with Europe and involved Dhu Nuwas in a war with the heathen King Aidug, whose commercial interests were injured by these killings. Dhu Nuwas was defeated, then he made war against the Christian city Najran in Yemen, which was a dependency of his kingdom. After its surrender, he offered the citizens the alternative of embracing Judaism, under coercion, or being put to death. As they refused to renounce their faith, he executed their chief, Harith ibn Kaleb, and three hundred and forty chosen men.<ref>[[Richard Gottheil]] and [[Isaac Broydé]], [http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=319&letter=D#ixzz0U8jvonQE Dhu Nuwas, Zur'ah Yusuf ibn Tuban As'ad abi Karib], ''[[Jewish Encyclopedia]]''</ref>

==Rise of Islam==

The Jewish tribes played a significant role during the rise of Islam. [[Muhammad]] had many contacts with Jewish tribes, both urban and nomadic. The eating of pork has always been strongly prohibited in both religions.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/muhammad|title=Muhammad|website=www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org|access-date=2020-04-02}}</ref>

In the [[Constitution of Medina]], Jews were given equality to Muslims in exchange for political loyalty<ref name="Esposito">Esposito, John. (1998), Islam: the Straight Path, extended edition. Oxford university press, p.17.</ref><ref name="God's Rule">Jacob Neusner, God's Rule: The Politics of World Religions, p. 153, Georgetown University Press, 2003, {{ISBN|0-87840-910-6}}</ref> and were allowed to practice their own culture and religion. A significant narrative symbolising the inter-faith harmony between early Muslims and Jews is that of the Rabbi [[Mukhayriq]]. The Rabbi was from [[Banu Nadir]] and fought alongside Muslims at the Battle of Uhud and bequeathed his entire wealth to Muhammad in the case of his death. He was subsequently called ″the best of the Jews″ by Muhammad.<ref>{{cite book|author=Akram Ḍiyāʼ ʻUmarī|title=Madīnan Society at the Time of the Prophet: Its characteristics and organization|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=m2fHDgAAQBAJ&pg=PA62|year=1991|publisher=IIIT|isbn=978-0-912463-36-0|pages=62–}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Haggai Mazuz|title=The Religious and Spiritual Life of the Jews of Medina|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RQcSBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA16|date=3 July 2014|publisher=BRILL|isbn=978-90-04-26609-4|pages=16–}}</ref> Later, as Muhammad encountered opposition from the Jews, Muslims began to adopt a more negative view on the Jews, seeing them as something of a [[fifth column]]. {{Citation needed|date=February 2023}} Early Muslim conquests resulted in the exile of the [[Banu Qainuqa]] and Banu Nadir, two of the main three Jewish tribes from Medina, and the [[Invasion of Banu Qurayza#Massacre of Banu Qurayza|mass execution of all male adults of the Banu Qurayza]] clan.

Some historians, like Guillaume, sees the attacks on the [[Banu Qaynuqa]] for their hosilitlty against the Muslims and for mocking them.<ref>{{cite book|author=Alfred Guillaume|author-link=Alfred Guillaume|title=The Life of Muhammad: A Translation of Ibn Ishaq's Sirat Rasul Allah|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=1955|isbn= 0-19-636033-1|page=363}}</ref><ref>Stillman, Norman A. (5739-1979) The Jews of Arab Lands: A history and source book. Philadelphia: The Jewish Publication Society of America. p. 112 {{ISBN|0-8276-0116-6}}</ref> They left for modern-day [[Der'a]] in [[Syria]].<ref name=Stillman13>Stillman, Norman A. (5739-1979) The Jews of Arab Lands: A history and source book. Philadelphia: The Jewish Publication Society of America. p. 13 {{ISBN|0-8276-0116-6}}</ref> In one account, the Banu Nadir tribe was evicted from [[Medina]] after they attempted to assassinate Muhammad.<ref name = "Halabi">{{cite book|last=al-Halabi|first=Nur al-Din|title=Sirat-i-Halbiyyah |publisher=Idarah Qasmiyyah Deoband | volume = 2, part 10 |location= Uttar Pradesh |page= 34 }} Translated by Muhammad Aslam Qasmi.</ref>

==See also==
*[[Arabian tribes that interacted with Muhammad]]
*[[History of the Jews in the Arabian Peninsula]]
*[[Yemenite Jews]]
*[[Mizrahi Jews]]
*[[Arab Jews]]
*[[Dhu Nuwas]]
*[[Maimonides|Moses Maimonides]]
*[[Banu Israil]]

==References==
{{Reflist|32em}}

==Bibliography==
*{{cite encyclopedia |author-last=Firestone |author-first=Reuven |author-link=Reuven Firestone |date=4 January 2016 |title=Muslim-Jewish Relations |url=https://oxfordre.com/religion/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780199340378.001.0001/acrefore-9780199340378-e-17 |encyclopedia=Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Religion |location=[[Oxford]] |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |doi=10.1093/acrefore/9780199340378.013.17 |isbn=978-0-19-934037-8 |doi-access=free |s2cid=163063592 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181203113142/https://oxfordre.com/religion/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780199340378.001.0001/acrefore-9780199340378-e-17 |archive-date=3 December 2018 |url-status=live |access-date=10 January 2021}}
*{{cite book |last=Waardenburg |first=Jean Jacques |year=2003 |title=Muslims and Others: Relations in Context |chapter=The Earliest Relations of Islam with Other Religions: The Jews in Medina |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nZaTKpS-9DoC&pg=PA91 |location=[[Berlin]] |publisher=[[De Gruyter]] |series=Religion and Reason |volume=41 |pages=91–109 |doi=10.1515/9783110200959 |isbn=978-3-11-017627-8 |access-date=8 December 2020}}

{{Arabian Peninsula Jewish tribes}}
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[[Category:Jewish tribes of Arabia| ]]
[[Category:History of the Jews in the Arabian Peninsula]]
[[Category:Arab people of Jewish descent]]

Jewish tribes of Arabia - Revision history

Ajay Kumar at 19:40, 28 September 2023