Descent of the Jews

15-2-2012 | IslamWeb

Question:

Who is the father of the Jews?

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Answer:

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam,  is His slave and Messenger.

 

The Jews descend from the Prophet of Allaah Ya‘qoob (Jacob) who is called Israel, which means the slave of Allaah. It is said that their name is derived from the name of the son of Ya‘qoob from whom they descend, Judah.

However, later Judaism became a religion that anyone could embrace and bear its name whether he meets with the Jews in the same descent or not. Consequently, it is hard to determine one father to whom they belong. However, the Prophet of Allaah Nooh (Noah) is the father of everyone on earth. Allaah The Almighty Says about Nooh (what means): {And We made his descendants those remaining [on the earth]} [Quran 37:77]

Allaah Knows best.