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Isaac Weiner
November 2, 2005
Islam and Judaism: Selected Bibliography
(* = recommended for use in Introductory course)
General Histories:
Goitein, S.D. Jews and Arabs: Their Contacts Through the Ages. New York: Schocken Books,
1955; 3rd ed. 1974.
Classic work on the subject. Readable, no footnotes, useful (though outdated) annotated
bibliography. Still widely cited, but criticized as excessively Orientalist in approach. Introduced
concept of “interreligious symbiosis.”
Lewis, Bernard. The Jews of Islam. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1984.
Along with Goitein’s Jews and Arabs, widely cited as the standard text in the field. Adapts the
image of “symbiosis.” Strong on intellectual history. Includes a lengthy introductory chapter on
the relationship between Islam and other religions.
Patai, Raphael. The Seed of Abraham: Jews and Arabs in Contact and Conflict. New York:
Scribner, 1986.
Another attempt to narrate the history of Jewish-Arab encounter, but written very much in the
context of the Israeli-Arab conflicts. Focuses on “folk culture” as central analytical category. Not
recommended for introductory course on Islam.
*Stillman, Norman. The Jews of Arab Lands: A History and Source Book. Philadelphia: Jewish
Publication Society of America, 1979.
Very useful source. Relatively brief (about 100 pages) narrative of the history of Jews in Arab
lands up until about the nineteenth century. Stillman then provides an incredible compendium of
primary sources, many of which are quite brief and would be great for use in introductory course.
*------------. The Jews of Arab Lands in Modern Times. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society
of America, 1991.
Same as above, but covers nineteenth century to the present.
*------------. “The Judeo-Islamic Historical Encounter: Visions and Revisions,” in Tudor Parfitt,
ed. Israel and Ishmael: Studies in Muslim-Jewish Relations. New York: St. Martin’s Press,
2000.
Excellent, short, readable historiographic essay on the study of Jews under Islam. Shows how
political and social context has influenced how this history has been interpreted and narrated.
Discusses and critiques major authors and works. Highly recommended for those interested in
the subject.
Nettler, Ronald. “Judaism and Islam,” in Oxford Encyclopedia of Modern Islamic World.
Provides great overview of the subject with useful periodization and bibliography.
Early History/Origins
Crone, Patricia and Michael Cook. Hagarism: The Making of the Islamic World. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press, 1977.
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Notorious revisionist history of the early period of Islam. Crone and Cook reconstruct Islam’s
formation based on non-Islamic sources, arguing that the Islamic sources were redacted later and
therefore are unreliable. They suggest that Islam grew out of “Judaeo-Arabic intimacy.” Judaism,
and particularly Jewish messianism, had great influence on the emerging self-definition of early
Muslims (or Hagarenes, as Crone and Cook describe them). Their account has been criticized by
many other scholars. This might be useful if wanted to treat subject of revisionist scholarship in
introductory course.
Ahmad, Barakat. Muhammad and the Jews: A Re-examination. New Delhi: Vikas Publishing
House, 1979.
Another revisionist account, Barakat argues that the Qur’an can not be read as a reliable
historical source for the relationship between Muhammad and the Medina Jews. Instead, the
traditional Islamic understanding of Muhammad and the Medina Jews reflects the concerns of 8th
and 9th century writers who projected their views backwards. Ahmad seems to have apologetic
aims. He wants to suggest that the harsh treatment of the Jews is inconsistent with the teachings
of the Prophet.
*Newby, Gordon. A History of the Jews of Arabia: From Ancient Times to their Eclipse Under
Islam. Columbia, S.C.: University of South Carolina Press, 1988.
Concise (122 pages), readable. Newby tries to provide an account of the Jews of Arabia up until
Muhammad’s time to illuminate the early formation of Islam. Useful if taking historical
approach, though perhaps more relevant to course on Jewish history. Provides historiography as
well as history, and self-consciously reflects on the problem of inadequate sources and other
challenges facing the historian of this period.
Rubin, Uri. “The ‘Constitution of Medina’: Some Notes.” Studia Islamica 62 (1985): 5-23.
Careful re-examination and analysis of the “Constitution of Medina” by a textual critic.
Faizer, Rizwi S. “Muhammad and the Medina Jews: A Comparison of the Texts of Ibn Ishaq’s
Kitab Sirat Rasul Allah with Al-Waqidi’s Litab al-Maghazi.” International Journal of Middle
East Studies 28:4 (1996): 463-489.
Comparative study of the material concerning Muhammad and his relationship with the Medina
Jews in two pieces of biographical literature on the Prophet. Faizer argues that the Qur’an can
not be treated as reliable history. Instead, he demonstrates how these authors impose their own
biases and interests on their texts.
Lecker, Michael. Jews and Arabs in Pre- and Early Islamic Arabia. Brookfield, VT: Ashgate,
1998.
A collection of articles published by the author between 1985 and 1997 on the subject. Not as
coherent or readable as Newby’s A History of the Jews of Arabia.
The Quran, the Bible, and Polemics
Rubin, Uri. “Jews and Judaism,” in Encyclopaedia of the Quran.
Extremely useful presentation and analysis of Quranic attitudes to Jews and Judaism.
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*Perlmann, Moshe. “The Medieval Polemics Between Islam and Judaism,” in S.D. Goiten, ed.,
Religion in a Religious Age. Cambridge, MA: Association for Jewish Studies, 1974.
Considered by many the definitive work on the subject, though I worry it may be dated.
Relatively concise, readable. Emphasizes that the Islamic-Jewish polemical literature was never
as vast as the Islamic-Christian polemical literature. Offers series of brief case studies.
*Lazarus-Yafeh, Hava. Intertwined Worlds: Medieval Islam and Bible Criticism. Princeton:
Princeton University Press, 1992.
Excellent, stimulating study of “the role the Hebrew Bible played in Muslim medieval
polemics.” Relatively short (less than 160 pages), this might be a great text for an introductory
course. Uses attitudes toward Bible and polemical literature as entry into understanding the
complicated “symbiosis” of cultures in early/medieval Islamicate civilization. Suggests that this
material presents another example of Islamic civilization as both storehouse and transmitter –
learned Biblical criticism from pre-Islamic sources, developed it, and transmitted it back to
Europe.
Adang, Camilla. Muslim Writers on Judaism and the Hebrew Bible: From Ibn Rabban to Ibn
Hazm. New York: E.J. Brill, 1996.
Adang studies “early Muslim attitudes towards the Jewish Scriptures.” Similar to LazarusYafeh’s Intertwined Worlds, but denser, more sustained, focused reading of nine particular
Muslim authors. Lazarus-Yafeh’s briefer overview would be more useful for introductory
course.
Rubin, Uri. Between Bible and Quran: The Children of Israel and the Islamic Self-Image.
Princeton: Darwin Press, 1999.
This innovative study is not of Biblical influence on the Quran, bur rather of the relative impact
of Biblical and Quranic sources on early Islamic texts (mainly Hadith material). Very interesting,
but overly dense for introductory course.
Gohari, M.J. Islamic Judaism: An Account of References to Jews and Judaism in the Quran.
Oxford: Oxford Logos, 2000.
Arranged thematically, Gohari lists every reference in the Quran to Jews and Judaism, but offers
no commentary. Useful reference for scholar, perhaps. He suggests that this compilation will
shed light on the relations between Judaism and Islam, but I am skeptical. Perhaps
unintentionally demonstrates need for exegesis, interpretation when approaching sacred texts.
Medieval Muslim-Jewish Relations (Social History):
Goitein, S.D. A Mediterranean Society: The Jewish Communities of the Arab World as
Portrayed in the Documents of the Cairo Geniza. 6 vol. Berkeley, CA: University of
California Press, 1967-1993.
Goitein’s impressive and overwhelming magnum opus. Based on a lifetime of work with sources
from the Cairo Geniza, Goitein reconstructs the social world of these Jewish—and Muslim—
communities. Its six volumes makes it unlikely for use as an assigned text, but it is a valuable
resource for scholars or as a recommended source for students. A one-volume abridgement is
also available.
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Goitein, S.D. “Religion in Everyday Life as Reflected in the Documents of the Cairo Geniza,” in
S.D. Goiten, ed., Religion in a Religious Age. Cambridge, MA: Association for Jewish
Studies, 1974.
An article version of the fifth volume of A Mediterranean Society, Goitein tries to capture the
religious life of medieval Arab-speaking Jews. He vividly illustrates the notions of “Islamicate”
society and of symbiosis, for we see many “Islamic” terms and concepts shared by these Jewish
communities.
*Brinner, William M. and Stephen D. Ricks. Studies in Islamic and Judaic Traditions. Atlanta,
GA: Scholars Press, 1986.
Very useful edited collection. Essays in this volume examine the nature of the Muslim-Jewish
medieval “symbiosis” through a variety of lenses, all emphasizing the multi-directionality of
exchanges between the two communities. Focuses on exegesis, law, and philosophy. Tentatively
recommended essays:
Waldman, Marilyn. “New Approaches to ‘Biblical’ Materials in the Qur’an” (pp. 47-64).
Hourani, George F. “Maimonides and Islam” (pp. 153-165).
*Wasserstrom, Steven M. Between Muslim and Jew: The Problem of Symbiosis Under Early
Islam. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1995.
Drawing on S.D. Goitein’s (and others’) image of “creative symbiosis” to characterize early
Jewish-Muslim relations, Wasserstrom investigates the dynamics of this symbiosis from a
religious studies perspective. He criticizes Goitein’s Orientalism, but argues in the end that
“creative symbiosis” is still a useful concept. For Wasserstrom, symbiosis is not merely about
cultural borrowing and influence, but symbiosis itself presented intellectual challenge that
sparked cultural creativity. Stimulating and provocative, but perhaps too difficult for
introductory course.
Deshen, Shlomo and Walter P. Zenner, eds. Jews Among Muslims: Communities in the PreColonial Middle East. New York: New York University Press, 1996.
Collection of essays (arranged geographically) that explore various Jewish communities under
Muslim rule utilizing an anthropological/social scientific approach. Interested in the differences
between Jewish communities under Muslim rule and Christian rule. Probably more useful for
Jewish history course than for course on Islam, but might be helpful if pursuing regional
approach or for a particular case study.
*Hary, Benjamin H., John L. Hayes, and Fred Astren, eds. Judaism and Islam: Boundaries,
Communications, and Interaction. Leiden: Brill, 2000.
Another excellent edited collection of articles. Arranged historically and thematically, these
essays cover an enormous range of topics – remarkably thorough and comprehensive, written by
leading scholars in the field. Tentatively recommended essay:
Lassner, Jacob. “Time, Historiography, and Historical Consciousness: The Dialectic of JewishMuslim Relations” (pp. 1-26).
Lerner, Ralph and Muhsin Mahdi. Medieval Political Philosophy. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University
Press, 1963.
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Great collection of primary sources for those interested in using philosophy as an entry into
discussing Jewish-Muslim interactions and exchanges. Includes excerpts from major writings of
most important Jewish and Muslim (and Christian) medieval philosophers. Might also consider
using excerpts from Maimonides’ The Guide of the Perplexed or Judah HaLevi’s The Kuzari.
The Modern Conflict:
*Nettler, Ronald L. and Suha Taji-Farouki, eds. Muslim-Jewish Encounters: Intellectual
Traditions and Modern Politics. Amsterdam: Harwood Academic Publishers, 1998.
Excellent collection of essays, mostly readable and accessible, that focus on Islamic responses to
the modern “Jewish question” (post-colonial, post-Zionist, post-exodus of Jews from Arab
lands). Also includes some examples of Jewish responses. Very effective for de-essentializing
and historicizing the question of Muslim attitudes towards Jews and Judaism. Demonstrates how
interpretation of Quran and of history can be affected by social, political, and historical context.
Tentatively recommended essays:
Taji-Farouki, Suha. “A Contemporary Reconstruction of the Jews in the Qur’an” (pp. 15-37).
Galford, Hugh S. “Sayyid Qutb and the Qur’anic Story of Joseph: A Commentary for Today”
(pp. 39-64) (perhaps could be read alongside Qutb’s “Our Struggle with the Jews”).
Peled, Alisa Rubin. Debating Islam in the Jewish State: The Development of Policy Toward
Islamic Institutions in Israel. Albany: State University of New York Press, 2001.
Traces formation of Israeli policy toward Islamic institutions and citizens in the Israeli state. She
argues that Israeli policy has been fragmented and has developed piecemeal over time. It has not
been the product of a systematic “grand vision” from the outset, as some have claimed. Might be
interesting for unit on modern relations, but probably inappropriate, too narrowly focused for
introductory course.
Parfitt, Tudor and Yulia Egorova, eds. Jews, Muslims, and Mass Media: Mediating the ‘Other’.
London: RoutledgeCurzon, 2004.
Edited collection of articles that examine how Jews, Muslims, and their conflict have been
portrayed in the mass media.
*Bunzl, John, ed. Islam, Judaism, and the Political Role of Religions in the Middle East.
Gainesville, FL: University Press of Florida, 2004.
Fantastic collection of essays by leading scholars that explore the “Jewish and Islamic
dimensions of contemporary Middle East politics.” They aim to historicize and de-essentialize
the sacralization of politics and the politicization of religious discourse. Preface by Said that sets
up this collection in opposition to Hutchinson’s “Clash of Civilizations” thesis. Any of the essays
would be interesting and useful for an introductory course—might even consider assigning entire
book, depending on interests of the instructor. Tentatively recommended essays:
Hans-Michael Haussig, “A Religion’s Self-Conception of ‘Religion’: The Case of Judaism and
Islam.”
Nissim Rejwan, “Islam and Judaism: Cultural Relations and Interaction through the Ages”
(perhaps this essay should be listed under general history or under medieval social history).
Adam B. Seligman, “Religious Roots of Tolerance with Special Reference to Judaism and
Islam.”
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Dialogue/Mutual Understanding:
Duran, Khalid. Children of Abraham: An Introduction to Islam for Jews. Hoboken, NJ: Ktav
Publishing House, 2001.
Firestone, Reuven. Children of Abraham: Introduction to Judaism for Muslims. Hoboken, NJ:
Ktav Publishing House, 2001.
Hechiche, Abdelwahab. What Jews Should Know About Islam and Muslims: Remembering a
Common Heritage. Paris: Editions Publisud, 2002.
Neusner, Jacob and Tamara Sonn. Comparing Religions Through Law. London; New York:
Routledge, 1999.
Peters, F.E. The Monotheists. 2 vol. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2003.
Introduction to the “three monotheistic faith communities of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam in
a comparative context.” Recognizes and acknowledges that he is fairly essentialist in approach
(for pragmatic purposes). More about faith than history. Readable and accessible, but I would not
recommend it for introductory course on Islam.
Pratt, Douglas. The Challenge of Islam: Encounters in Interfaith Dialogue. Burlington, VT:
Ashgate, 2005.
Waldman, Marilyn Robinson, ed. Muslims and Christians, Muslims and Jews: A Common Past,
A Hopeful Future. Columbus, OH: Islamic Foundation of Central Ohio, 1992.
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