The Theological Roots of Muhammad’s Hostility toward Jews and Christians

The Theological Roots of Muhammad’s Hostility toward Jews and Christians

By Dr. Maxwell Shimba
Shimba Theological Institute

Abstract

This paper critically examines the theological and historical foundations of Prophet Muhammad’s antagonism toward Jews and Christians as recorded in Islamic canonical texts, particularly Sahih Muslim 1767a. The hadith, in which Muhammad declares his intent to expel Jews and Christians from the Arabian Peninsula, reveals deep-seated hostility towards the “People of the Book,” challenging the modern narrative of Islam as a religion of tolerance and coexistence. Through textual, historical, and theological analysis, this article explores how such pronouncements shaped Islamic jurisprudence, interfaith relations, and the theological exclusivism that persists in many Muslim societies today.

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1. Introduction

The relationship between Islam and the Judeo-Christian world has long been complex and often contentious. Despite sharing common Abrahamic roots, the Quran and Hadith literature contain numerous passages that reflect Muhammad’s growing animosity toward Jews and Christians. One of the most striking declarations of this animosity appears in Sahih Muslim 1767a, where Muhammad is quoted as saying:

“I will expel the Jews and Christians from the Arabian Peninsula and will not leave any but Muslim.”
(Sahih Muslim 1767a, narrated by ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb)

This statement, recorded in one of Islam’s most authoritative hadith collections, is not merely a historical comment but a theological directive that influenced centuries of Islamic policy toward non-Muslims.

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2. Historical Context of the Hadith

The hadith in question originates from a period when Muhammad had consolidated political and military power in Medina. His early interactions with Jewish tribes such as Banu Qaynuqa, Banu Nadir, and Banu Qurayza were marked by treaties of coexistence that later ended in violent conflicts and expulsions. These tribes were accused of disloyalty, but the deeper cause was theological—Jews rejected Muhammad’s prophetic claims and the Quranic distortion of Mosaic revelation.

Similarly, Christians were condemned in the Quran for ascribing divinity to Jesus Christ (Qur’an 5:72–73). Muhammad’s repeated denunciations of both Jews and Christians as “infidels” (kuffar) and “enemies of Allah” (Qur’an 9:30) established an enduring dichotomy between Muslims and non-Muslims in Islamic thought.

Thus, the statement to expel Jews and Christians was not a momentary policy decision but part of Muhammad’s larger vision to purify the Arabian Peninsula from competing theological influences and establish Islam’s exclusive hegemony.

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3. Theological Implications

Theologically, this hadith reveals Islam’s supersessionist worldview—the belief that Islam abrogates all previous revelations. By commanding the expulsion of Jews and Christians, Muhammad positioned Islam as the final and only legitimate faith in God’s plan. This teaching contradicts the biblical message of coexistence, love, and reconciliation as modeled by Jesus Christ, who taught:

“Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44).

The contrast between the inclusive gospel of Christ and the exclusionary commands of Muhammad underscores a fundamental theological divide. Whereas the New Testament envisions a kingdom embracing all nations and peoples (Matthew 28:19–20), Islam’s foundational texts promote a territorial and ideological exclusivity.

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4. Impact on Islamic Law and Interfaith Relations

Muhammad’s decree to remove Jews and Christians from Arabia was later codified into Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh). The second Caliph, ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb, fulfilled this command by expelling Jewish and Christian communities from the Hejaz region. This policy became the prototype for later Islamic restrictions under the dhimmi system, in which Jews and Christians were tolerated only under subjugation, heavy taxation (jizya), and social inferiority.

Even in modern times, this theological hostility continues to shape Muslim-majority societies, where apostasy laws, blasphemy laws, and anti-conversion statutes are rooted in Muhammad’s precedent.

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5. Comparative Theological Reflection

From a Christian theological standpoint, such actions stand in direct opposition to the universal redemptive mission of Jesus Christ. The apostle Paul declared:

“There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28).

The biblical vision is thus inclusive and reconciliatory, whereas Muhammad’s command institutionalized exclusion and animosity. The hadith in Sahih Muslim reflects a worldview in which divine favor is limited to one group, rejecting the broader covenantal inclusivity revealed through Christ.

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6. Conclusion

The hadith declaring the expulsion of Jews and Christians from the Arabian Peninsula exposes the theological hostility embedded within early Islam toward other Abrahamic faiths. Muhammad’s declaration was not only political but also spiritual—a proclamation of religious supremacy.

This historical reality must be acknowledged when discussing interfaith dialogue, for authentic peace cannot emerge from denial. Only through truth, as revealed in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, can humanity transcend hatred and rediscover the divine purpose of love, forgiveness, and unity.

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References and Bibliography

• Sahih Muslim, Book 19, Hadith 1767a.

• The Qur’an 5:51, 9:29–30, 98:6.

• Al-Tabari, The History of al-Tabari, Volume 8: The Victory of Islam. State University of New York Press, 1997.

• Ibn Ishaq, Sirat Rasul Allah (The Life of Muhammad). Translated by A. Guillaume, Oxford University Press, 1955.

• The Holy Bible, New International Version.

• Shimba, Maxwell. The Theology of Jesus Christ: A Study on Divine Love and Restorative Justice. Shimba Theological Institute Press, 2023.

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