What does the Quran say about Jews?
It depends on the passage, because the Quran speaks about the Children of Israel and the Jews in many ways. It honors their prophets, calls the Torah "guidance and light," and praises righteous Jews. It also criticizes specific actions of some groups in history. Its judgments are about beliefs and deeds, never about ethnicity.
An honored people of prophets
The Children of Israel appear in the Quran more than almost any other community. God reminds them: "remember My favor that I have bestowed upon you and that I preferred you over the worlds" (Quran 2:47). Moses is the prophet the Quran mentions most, and many other prophets Muslims love, like Jacob, Joseph, David, Solomon, Zechariah and John, came from Israel.
The Quran calls the Torah a book "in which was guidance and light" (Quran 5:44), and the famous principle that "whoever saves one [life] - it is as if he had saved mankind entirely" is presented as something God decreed for the Children of Israel (Quran 5:32). See Can I become Muslim if I'm Jewish?
Praise for righteous Jews
The Quran also says of the People of the Book: "They are not [all] the same" (Quran 3:113), and praises those among them who pray, believe and do good. Muslims are taught to meet Jewish neighbors and relatives with the same openness. See Can I celebrate Hanukkah with my Jewish family as a Muslim?
What about the critical verses?
The Quran tells stories of some Israelites who broke their covenant, such as worshipping the golden calf while Moses was away, much like the Hebrew Bible itself does. It also mentions tensions with some Jewish tribes in 7th-century Medina. For example, Quran 5:82 says Muslims would find strong hostility from some Jews and the idol-worshippers of that time.
Mainstream scholars read these passages as lessons about specific behavior in specific moments, not as a verdict on every Jewish person. The Quran criticizes Muslims and hypocrites in very similar language when they fail, because its point is moral: faith is shown by deeds. It also teaches that "the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you" (Quran 49:13), which rules out judging people by birth.
How the Prophet ﷺ treated Jews
- Respect for life: when a Jewish funeral passed, he stood up. When told it was a Jew, he said, "Is it not a living being (soul)?" (Sahih al-Bukhari 1312)
- Everyday trust: he died while his armor was held as security with a Jewish man for barley he had bought (Sahih al-Bukhari 2916).
- Shared devotion: he fasted on Ashura, the day Moses was saved, saying Muslims have a close claim to Moses (Sahih al-Bukhari 2004).
Muslims and Jews today often share family, friendships and study. See Can I study religion or theology at university as a Muslim?
- The Quran honors the Children of Israel and their prophets.
- It calls the Torah guidance and light, and praises righteous Jews.
- Critical verses address specific actions, not ethnicity.
- The Prophet ﷺ treated Jews with dignity and fairness.
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