Title:
The Qur'anic Affirmation of Jewish Ownership of the Holy Land: A Textual and Historical Analysis of Qur'an 5:21
By Dr. Maxwell Shimba
Shimba Theological Institute
Abstract
This article explores the theological and historical implications of Qur'an 5:21, where Allah unequivocally grants the Holy Land to the Children of Israel. Through a close exegetical analysis of the Qur'anic text, supported by classical Islamic commentaries and historical records, the paper demonstrates that the Qur'an recognizes the Jewish people's ancestral and divine claim to the Land of Israel. Furthermore, this study reveals that the term Palestine never appears in the Qur'an, nor was such a political entity or ethno-national identity recognized during the time of Muhammad. This analysis corrects prevalent misconceptions and offers a scripturally grounded perspective on the issue of Israel’s legitimacy within Islamic thought.
1. Introduction
The ongoing geopolitical conflict between Israel and various regional actors has often been framed through religious and historical narratives. Among Muslims, the question of rightful ownership of the land commonly called Palestine is frequently contested. However, a meticulous reading of Islamic scripture, particularly Qur'an 5:21, reveals a consistent acknowledgment of Jewish sovereignty over the Holy Land. This article aims to present a scholarly, text-based examination of this assertion, emphasizing that Allah Himself decreed the land to the Children of Israel. Furthermore, it argues that the modern concept of Palestine as a national or ethnic entity did not exist during Muhammad’s lifetime, nor does it find mention in the Qur'anic text.
2. Qur'an 5:21 and the Divine Grant to the Children of Israel
The key passage for this study is Qur'an 5:21, which reads:
يَا قَوْمِ ادْخُلُوا الْأَرْضَ الْمُقَدَّسَةَ الَّتِي كَتَبَ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ وَلَا تَرْتَدُّوا عَلَى أَدْبَارِكُمْ فَتَنقَلِبُوا خَاسِرِينَ
“O my people, enter the Holy Land which Allah has assigned to you and do not turn back, or you will become losers.” (Qur'an 5:21, Sahih International)
In this verse, Moses addresses the Children of Israel, commanding them to enter the Holy Land (al-ard al-muqaddasah) which Allah has assigned (kataba) to them. The Arabic term kataba implies a binding decree or divine ordinance, indicating that the land was granted to the Jewish people by divine will.
Classical Islamic exegetes such as Ibn Kathir, Al-Tabari, and Al-Qurtubi concur that this land refers to the region historically known as the Land of Canaan, later Judea and Israel. Ibn Kathir, in his Tafsir, explicitly states:
“It is the land of Ash-Sham, specifically Bayt al-Maqdis (Jerusalem) and its surrounding areas, which Allah wrote for the Children of Israel.”
Thus, according to both the Qur'anic text and authoritative Islamic exegesis, the Jewish people were divinely assigned this territory.
3. Absence of "Palestine" in the Qur'an and Early Islamic History
Notably, the term Palestine (فلسطين) never appears in the Qur'an. At no point does the Islamic holy text refer to a nation, people, or territory by that name. During the Prophet Muhammad’s lifetime (570–632 CE), the area encompassing modern Israel was known in Greco-Roman usage as Provincia Syria Palaestina, a designation made by the Roman Emperor Hadrian in 135 CE following the suppression of the Bar Kokhba Jewish revolt.
Islamic historiography, as documented in early texts such as Al-Baladhuri’s Futuh al-Buldan and Ibn Ishaq’s Sirat Rasul Allah, references the region as Bayt al-Maqdis, Iliya (from Aelia Capitolina, the Roman name for Jerusalem), or Bilad al-Sham (Greater Syria). Nowhere is it called Palestine, nor is there any recognition of a distinct Palestinian identity.
The absence of this terminology in the Qur'an is significant, indicating that Islamic scripture recognizes territorial continuity associated with earlier Abrahamic traditions, particularly the Jewish claim to the land.
4. Theological Implications and Modern Misinterpretations
Modern Islamic political rhetoric often invokes religious sentiment against Israel by framing the conflict as a religiously mandated struggle over Palestinian land. However, this position lacks scriptural support within the Qur'an. On the contrary, Qur'an 5:21 establishes a clear divine grant to the Jewish people.
Even subsequent Qur'anic passages (e.g., Qur'an 7:137 and Qur'an 17:104) reaffirm the idea that Allah favored the Children of Israel with this land:
“And We caused the people who were oppressed to inherit the eastern and western parts of the land, which We had blessed.” (Qur'an 7:137)
“And We said to the Children of Israel after Pharaoh: 'Dwell in the land, and when the promise of the Hereafter comes to pass, We shall bring you as a mixed gathering.’” (Qur'an 17:104)
These verses confirm a Qur'anic pattern that associates Jewish people with the Holy Land, making contemporary claims of exclusive Muslim entitlement to the territory theologically untenable from a Qur'anic perspective.
5. Conclusion
A careful, text-based analysis of the Qur'an reveals that the Jewish people hold a divinely sanctioned claim to the Holy Land, as articulated in Qur'an 5:21. Neither the term Palestine nor any Palestinian national or ethnic identity appears in the Qur'an or early Islamic sources. The Qur'anic position, corroborated by classical Islamic scholars, situates Jewish ownership of the land within a divine covenantal framework that modern political narratives cannot easily dismiss.
This study calls for an honest, scripture-based discourse among Muslim and Jewish communities alike, recognizing the textual evidence within Islamic scripture itself.
References
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The Qur'an, Sahih International Translation.
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Ibn Kathir, Tafsir al-Qur'an al-Azim.
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Al-Tabari, Jami' al-Bayan fi Ta'wil al-Qur'an.
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Al-Qurtubi, Al-Jami' li-Ahkam al-Qur'an.
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Al-Baladhuri, Futuh al-Buldan.
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Ibn Ishaq, Sirat Rasul Allah.
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Wensinck, A. J. (2012). The Holy Land in Early Islam. Brill.
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