Does the "Jews" in Quran refer to the race Jew or followers of Judaism?
-
Do the "Jew" and "those who are Jewish" refer to the race Jew or the followers of Judaism?
I prefer to construe it as followers of Judaism, since God does not punish people with their ancestor's sins, and the Quran stated that the Sabbath is only for those who dispute in it (16124), and it's implied that anyone can become "Jews and Nazarenes" (2120; 2135), and it was the Jews who fabricated those trivial prohibitions (393). Furthermore, perhaps the Torah did impose more prohibitions to Jews than the Quran to us, but the Quran says that the Quran authenticates and supersedes the previous books (54, so a Monotheist Jew doesn't have to observe those trivial prohibitions. It seems that the Quran refers to the Jewish race by "Children of Israel" instead of "Jews."
626 Say, "O you who are Jewish, if you claim that you are God's chosen, to the exclusion of all other people, then you should long for death if you are truthful!"
But a Monotheist who is genetically a Jew will not make such a statement, because according to the Quran, the only criterion that God will prefer someone to others righteousness (4913), and Jews who transgress are no better (57. However, such a claim is common among followers of Judaism and Christianity.
A Jew is not necessarily a follower of Judaism, and followers of Judaism are almost exclusively Jews.
-
Peace
The meaning of Jews according Prof Aisha Musha (a Quranist scholar)
http//www.askmusa.org/site/c.ehLKKZPJLuF/b.3125653/