Every now and then a non-Muslim stumbles upon Qur’an 5:21, which has Moses saying: “O my people, enter the Holy Land which Allah has prescribed for you, and turn not back in your traces, to turn about losers,” and starts saying that the Qur’an promises the land of Israel to the Jews, and that if only Islam were rightly understood, Muslims would recognize this and make peace with the State of Israel. Back in 2009 I wrote an article in the Middle East Quarterly showing that this was false, based on essentially the same argument that Ali Al-Siba’i makes here.
“Libyan Researcher Dr. Ali Al-Siba’i: Allah Took Jerusalem from the Jews Because of Their Sins and Gave It to the Muslims,” MEMRI, July 28, 2018:
Libyan researcher Dr. Ali Al-Siba’i said that Jerusalem had once belonged to the Jews, but “because they did what was forbidden to them, and they denied the signs of Allah, slayed the prophets, and committed offenses and mortal sins, and so on, Allah took this honor from them and gave it to the Muslims.” He said that the battle for Jerusalem had a “religious dimension” and pertained to the Muslims, not just to the Arabs. The interview with Al-Siba’i aired on Turkey’s TV Channel 9 on July 28, 2018.
Libyan Researcher Dr. Ali Al-Siba’i: It is true that Jerusalem belonged to the Jews, because the prophets of the Israelites and the Israelite people were indeed in that place. But because they did what was forbidden to them, and they denied the signs of Allah, slayed the prophets, and committed offenses and moral sins, and so on, Allah took this honor from them and gave it to the Muslims – not only to the Arabs. This is why the Arab [Caliph] Omar came and conquered [Jerusalem], and the Kurds, led by Saladin, came and fought there… What made Saladin go there, if it was a conflict between Arabs, as some try to portray it today? What made Saladin, and Nur Al-Din Al-Zengi before him, the Seljuks before him, and Mehmed the Conqueror before them, and the Ottomans before him, and the Ayyubids before them… Why did all these non-Arab Muslim nations put their lives on the line for the sake of Jerusalem? Because it has a religious dimension. Allah took this sacred place away [from the Jews] and gave it to the Muslims.
Indiana Tom says
Somewhere and somehow this had something to do with the advent of Christ’s sacrifice and the rise of the Christian Gospel.
My take on the subject:
…50 When Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, He yielded up His spirit. 51 At that moment the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth quaked and the rocks were split.
https://www.compellingtruth.org/temple-veil-torn.html
BC says
How any people died as a result of the earthquake and does Roman history record such a disturbance? No I thought not. ‘allah’ is a fiction invented by Moham. ‘allah’ does not exist so cannot have a voice to speak about any matter
J D S says
Psalms 125:2 “As the mountains surround Jerusalem so the Lord surrounds His people both now and forever”
Indiana Tom says
I do hope the Muslims enjoy the Temple Mount, because i really do think that this is a temporary situation if one bothers to read Bible prophecy.
ibrahim itace muhammed says
Mr spencer, that Quran 5:21 does not confer exclusive ownership of Jerusalem to the Jews. In fact the verse never mentioned Jerusalem, it says “udkhulu ard al-muddasa lati barakna haulaha(enter the sacred land, which we blessed what is around it) “a description of Jewish exodus from Egypt to Palestine. The researcher has misconceived this Quranic verse. Nobody is disputing the fact that Jews have to stay in Jerusalem, but it is not exclusive to them, palestinians whose ancestors have been there have equal rights. Hence, the land was partitioned under UN Resolution No 181 giving East Jerusalem to palestinians. Note:It was the Muslims during caliph that allowed jews to come back to Jerusalem after they were expelled by mithraist christian Byzantines.
Buraq says
@ Ibe itace Mohamed
Hi Habibi! Where have you been? Delayed at a wedding at ToysRUs?
Anyway, you mention the UN Resolution 181. Why did the Jews accept the Resolution – even though it gave them less land than promised in the Balfour Declaration – and the Arabs said absolutely ‘No!’?
Because the Arabs, aka Palestinians, want it all! The whole of Israel and all of Jerusalem!
And guess what, Habibi, it is not going to happen! Israel will endure forever!
DHazard says
Nobody “owns” land. At best they are just the temporary caretakers. The history of Jerusalem goes back 5,000 years and has had many “owners”. But, like every place, it doesn’t really belong to any person or group of people. It wasn’t “conquered” by Jews until 1,000 BCE.
“Archaeological evidence suggests that the first settlement was established near Gihon Spring between 4500–3500 BCE”; before Jews, Muslims, Christians, Zoroastrians, Sabians, monotheists, leftists, rightists and centrists.
Is Jerusalem a special place? It wouldn’t be if 3 related religions didn’t run into each other there, each with their own claims. The Jews have certainly been good caretakers of the land, turning desert into fields and sea water into drinking water. Neighboring Muslims don’t seem to be able to get their act together long enough for the same kind of results. And they seem more interested in just getting rid of the Jews than “owning” the land. Allah started hating Jews at exactly the same time Muhammad did. So the situation is more anti-Jew than pre-Palestine.
Ren says
@ibrahim itace muhammed
Doesn’t need the quran to prove or disprove the “ownership of Jerusalem to the Jews”. History proves it. The quran doesn’t prove anything but fabulation of the fools.
Andy says
Mass Sexual Assault of Girls in Streets of Egyptian City
https://israelunwired.com/mass-sexual-assault-of-girls-in-streets-of-egyptian-city/
tony46 says
Jerusalem is Israel and belongs to the Jews. Even to ”the last day when you will be gathered from all nations”
Surah 17:100-104
Quran.
The Istanbulian says
ibo, tatlim. The Jews never fled to palastine. The Exodus was to Canaan. You obviously don’t know your history; which means you don’t know your present. For Palestinians to call themselves that just proves they are the descendants of recent arab colonists and just as much claim as Rhodesians or white South African farmers you say have none.
gravenimage says
Ibrahim itace muhammed citing UN Resolution No 181 is ridiculous for several reasons–firstly, it was not Jews who refused to abide by this resolutions, but *Muslims* who were sure they could destroy Israel outright.
Which brings up the most important point–Ibrahim itace muhammed has said that he not only wants to see Israel completely destroyed–he is a champion of the hideous Hamas–but that he looks forward to personally taking part in the genocide of the Jews.
It is clear from this that the only interest he has in things like UN Resolution No 181 is to weaken Israel so that Muslims can finish her off. *Ugh*.
Ronald Barnett says
Has MEMRI been censored too? I keep getting a Network Error Sign, which I do not believe because it happens all the time now. I guess we all know where this is going to end if enough people do not start taking truth-tellers like Robert Spencer and others seriously. This is not the world I grew up in.
Ren says
Jerusalem once belonged to the Jews, but the muslims think they own everything on earth and so they just claim it belongs to them.
FYI says
According to the Book of Joel Chapter 3 it would appear that Israel’s existence{and Jerusalem as capital}is fully in accord with the plans of the Actual God{of Moses etc}.
This information is found in the prophetic scriptures of the Bible.
{A book,incidentally, that allah claims to have written: koran 3:3.allah claims he wrote the Torah and the Gospel}
It will make little sense (perhaps) to secular Jews and no sense to atheists but it should make perfect sense to religiously observant Jews and Christians who understand the OT prophecies
.
It’ll make little sense to moslems despite the fact that allah claims to have written the Bible{koran 3:3)
The Book of Joel chapter 3
It bodes ill for the enemies of Israel.
Since allah the deceiver {k3:54}is NOT the God of Moses,that means.. the muslims with their islamic nations are the very ones on the wrong side of God{But of course they will laugh at that -just as mighty goliath would have laughed at the possibility of losing to David}
Since allah claims {in koran 3:3} to have written the Bible{Torah+Gospel}one might expect allah and his muslims to understand that the Jews have the right to their own Jewish state of Israel with{logically}Jerusalem as its capital.
allah and his moslems do not appear to understand Biblical Prophecy.
That’s probably because 1) allah didn’t write the Bible and 2) In koran 4;171 allah reveals that he doesn’t even know where Biblical prophecy comes from;it comes from a particular aspect of God revealed by Jesus christ in the Gospel{which REMEMBER allah claims to have written..}but which allah denies in his koran{which REMEMBER allah claims to have written}
———————–
Some advice for muslims and muslim trolls:
“And if thou muhammed art in doubt concerning that which WE reveal unto thee{koran},then question those who read the scripture that was before thee{The Bible}”
koran 10:94
Since allah,your deceiver god{k3:54}claims to be the author of the Bible {in koran 3:3} and since he gives advice to his “prophet” muhammed {in koran 10:94} to
“Read the scripture that was before thee”{i.e the Bible}
Perhaps you muslims should follow allah’s advice in his koran and start to read…
… the Bible.
Jerusalem and the land of Israel belonged to the Jews in ancient times and it is,if you read the Biblical prophecies in the Bible{which allah after all claims to have written}by Command of the Actual God{ of Moses etc}to be their homeland and capital city.
That’s why Israel exists:the fulfilment of a prophetic promise God gave the Jews.
You moslems can’t have it:you can’t have Jerusalem either.
Since allah claims to have written the Bible{he didn’t}one would expect muslims to get that.
The land of Israel exists by full permission of the Actual God:this is very clear from Biblical prophecy.That is something that allah and the muslims don’t get.
And this silly nonsense of a “palestinian” state :”Cease!Desist.It is better for you” as allah might say as he does in koran 4:171 when he formally denies that aspect of God through which Biblical prophecy comes{contradicting the revelations given in the Gospel …which remember allah claims to have written!!}
———————————-
Remember if you are an observant,religious Jew :-
David{+God of Israel} vs goliath{the enemies of Israel with their false god}
David prayed to the God of Israel.We know how it worked out:Biblical prophecies concerning Israel’s future are quite clear.You are very lucky in Israel because..
You have the Real Deal{=the God of Israel,of Moses} on your side!
He has even told you how things will work out.He makes it clear that He will bring catastrophe upon those who murder the Jews and try to destroy Israel.
“I will avenge those who were killed,I will not spare the guilty”
Joel 3 v 20-21
Because v 19 “They attacked the Land of Judah and killed its INNOCENT people”
{In the light of this ferocious warning consider the fate of nazi Germany and the holocaust:do you think God will show any mercy to those responsible?Where is hitler’s 1000 year reich?God allows His righteous anger to fall on the wicked nations does He not?Nothing is forgotten by God;the innocent will have justice.What was done to the Jews during the Shoah was done to the God of Israel.If you believe in the True God then you can be certain of Justice done..and seen to be done..in the next life.
Israel is not on the wrong side of God:it exists with His full permission.The enemies of Israel are the enemies of the God of Israel.moslems don’t get this of course ,but their “allah” will not save them from the Real Deal,the actual God,should they go against Israel..}
moslems have their “allah”: an antisemitic k2:64,antiChristian k9:30 racist bigot of a god to misguide them:that’s essentially the god of..goliath.a god who preaches hatred and endless violence.
Jews have the God of Israel,a God of Love.A God of those essential Commandments( that allah in his koran disagrees with!):Now who in their right mind would want to wage war on the Actual God and hope to win?who would be dumb enough?
The iranian mullahs versus… the God of Israel
As a matter of fact the outcome has already being arranged.Biblical prophecy concerns the future in our temporal frame but from the eternal perspective of God,it has already happened:that’s what you read in prophecy.God knew that Israel would be re-established{it was in 1948}:He is hardly on the side of anyone who would want to destroy it…..
And its not hard if you are a Jew to differentiate between the Actual God and allah and to figure out who exactly allah is:allah is the same god as the god of goliath.
allah is NOT the Biblical{or Judeo-Christian}God.
Daniel chpt 12
Book of Joel chpt 3
kangi_yotaka says
Point taken, but Joel and Daniel aren’t in the Torah.
The Hebrew Bible is called TaNaKh, the acronym for Torah (Law), Nevi’im (Prophets) and Ketuvim (Writings).
Joel (Yoel) is in the Prophets; Daniel is in the Writings.
Indiana Tom says
He needs to get the TLV Bible.
https://www.tlvbiblesociety.org/
Manny says
And so Allah gave it back to the Jews because Muslims are murdering scoundrels. What a bunch of dolts.
WPM says
Islam the religion of heads I win tails you lose illogical through process ,god gave it to Islam because god loves violent, child molesters , thieves, lying ,land stealing, inbreed ,wife beating, racist ,warlord religion .God who made the Jews his chosen people , whose son Christ was born and raised a Jew, God gave Israel to the Jews they were there from the beginning of settling the land . Islam claims the whole world is theirs . They have been trying to conquer the whole world for 1400 years.
Fred Middleton says
So was allah asleep or on holiday in 1967 when the Jews took it back?
gravenimage says
🙂
tony46 says
Well,….they shouldn’t stop at Surah 5:21.
They should also read Surah 17:100-104 where We (Allah that is) gives the land to Moses ”even to the end of days when you will gather from all nations”
Period.
ibrahim itace muhammed says
Buraq, remember UN Resolution No 181is a mutilateral resoulition adopting Balfour Declaration, and as such no individual state or group of states could amended it or repeal. Again, there is no provision in the resoulition that it is subject to acceptance by the state concern. As such even if Palestinians or Israelites have rejected it, it is still subsisting. That is why occupation of Palestinian portion by fascist evil Zionist State of Israel was declared illegal under another UN Resolution No 242.About 3 years ago UN passed another Resolution declaring construction of Jewish settlements on palestinian territory also illegal. You could also recall that recognition of Jerusalem as capital of fascist evil Zionist State of Israel by savage mad devil Trump was declared illegal by the UN.
So, the question of rejection of the partitioning of Palestine into two states, palestine and fascist evil Zionist State of, by some Arab or Muslim states will not even arise because it cannot change the status quo already determined by international community through the United Nations.
Andy says
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4vuU6LlSg8
Andy says
Bless Israel, bless President Trump and bless the United States of America! Good job Mr. President , another campaign promise fulfilled!
We need Leadership like President Trump for ALL Judeo-Christian Heritage Countries
Trump makes video for U.S. embassy opening in Jerusalem
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuqZrsi8CUY
gravenimage says
Ibrahim itace muhammed has already said that his end game is the destruction of Isreal and genocide of the Jews.
Westman says
When “Dr.” gets associated with Islam, one thinks of a Cracker Jack prize. And when it begins to say, Allah did this.. or Allah did that …, instead of staying with the historical narrative only, one knows the hot breeze is blowing.
Walter Sieruk says
That Muslim “researcher” must either does not know or knows but doesn’t care that God had declared in His Word, the Bible, in Jeremiah 31:35,36. “Thus saith the Lord, Who gives the sun for a light by day and the ordinances of the moon and stars for a light by night…The Lord of host is His name. If those ordinances depart from before Me, saith the Lord, then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before Me forever.”
The Istanbulian says
Funny that they aren’t honoring Allah’s decision to give it back to the Jews. They always say in’shallah, but never accept the outcome.
gravenimage says
The Qur’an always deals with any praise of the Jews by noting that this only applies when they were actually Muslims. Never mind that this makes no sense.
somehistory says
This is just more spoiled bologna. Saying it…even saying it a trillion times…does not make it so.
The True God gave the land to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and to their descendants. When the Jews committed idolatry…which they did as a nation every now and then…God took away His blessings, but He didn’t take the land, nor the City of Jerusalem.
And He certainly would never give it to a bunch of bloodthirsty sons of demon/ moslims make all kinds of claims…. many of them have said that all people were once moslim…(better dead than moslim)…bit of that statement proved true, then it would mean that God would be taking the land from one group of “moslims” and giving it to another group of “moslims” who were behaving in a worse, more sinful, manner.
moslims claim the earth belongs to them. They should all be ignored or mocked for their many lying claims.
gravenimage says
Muslim researcher: Jerusalem once belonged to the Jews, but they disobeyed Allah, so Allah “gave it to the Muslims”
……………….
This is *exactly* how Muslims think, and this view is on full display in the Qur’an.
It is, in essence, that Jews used to be Muslims, and now in adopting ideas like a loving God and the Golden Rule they are no longer Muslims, and so “Allah” hates them.
Savvy Kafir says
Incredible! If 1.6 billion people can be stupid & gullible enough to believe that sort of superstitious nonsense — to say nothing of the evil & hatred inherent in those beliefs — we really shouldn’t be surprised by ANYTHING the True Believers of that faith might say or do.
Their ability to swallow the most absurd religious beliefs is apparently limitless. And the evil & savagery spawned by that whack-job ideology is also limitless. Beliefs as f**ked up as these have no place in the civilized world. They’re just far too dangerous.
Muslims must be isolated in the Muslim world — where they can stew in their savage, idiotic religion and embrace it fully, and create their own separate world resembling 7th Century Arabia, which is the ultimate destination for Islam and its most pious devotees. Then, as impoverished, constantly-warring goat herders & bandits, they can serve as a cautionary tale for the rest of the world, while waiting for Allah to bless them.
In that scenario, I would pity them. But mostly I would be thankful that those poor, evil-infected wretches are no longer free to wander & colonize the rest of the world, spreading the cancer of Islam.
UNCLE VLADDI says
Robert:
All the ROCKER (Rudolph Rocker?!) links from your original article are 404.
Robert Spencer says
The MEQ article? That article is eight years old. No one has the resources to maintain ancient links.
ChocolateTart says
What self-entitlement. No wonder the middle east didn’t become the world’s first superpower and biggest to date – the United States of America.
Savvy Kafir says
I’m just amazed that people can actually believe such brainless, superstitious nonsense in the 21st Century. And not only yokels in the hinterlands, but “researchers” with PhDs.
The Jew-hatred evident in this Muslim’s “findings” is not surprising in the least. But the bigger issue — the fact that people still take this sort of hocus-pocus bullshit seriously — is really shocking.
Smart guy says
Daniel 8-13 ;14 How long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot? 14 And he said unto me, unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed, Alexander the Great rode into Jerusalem as a conqueror in 333 B C Counting a day for a year 2,300 years later = 1967 !!!
Shy Guy says
Robert, earlier in 2009 you published the following relevant article in Jihad Watch, remember?
https://www.jihadwatch.org/2009/03/a-recurring-source-of-false-hope