Judaism in Muhammad Asad's interpretation of the message of the Quran

This study focuses on Jewish beliefs, worship, historical background and character analyzes of the Jews in the Quran which are interpreted by Muhammad Asad in translation-interpretation called The Message of the Quran. Assad's approach to information about Judaism was analyzed and his interpretations were evaluated in the context of the History of Religions discipline, Jewish holy texts, the Holy Quran and classical Islamic commentaries. Esed's evaluations in the context of Judaism reveal a unique perspective in terms of his individual background, his style in connection with the present without breaking away from tradition, his mastery of the language and his knowledge of Western culture. Asad's comments on many issues such as the story of Uzair, the understanding of God, the attitude towards the prophets and the claim of being elected, overlap with the classical commentators, however, his comments contain different and critical aspects as well. His references to Jewish sources and his different definitions by reconstructing Qur'anic concepts are the elements that make his comments different. In addition, Asad, who did not stick to individuals and events but emphasized the universality of the message in the verses of the Holy Quran, drew attention to behavioral patterns rather than Jewish personality. The study consists of chapters such as Asad's life and works, the history of Judaism, the beliefs, worship and characteristic features of the Jews in the Message of the Quran, and the comparison between Asad's interpretation of Judaism and classical Islamic commentaries. In this study, while the Message of the Quran was considered as the main source, Jewish holy texts and History of Religions sources were extensively used. While evaluations were made in terms of the Holy Quran and the Torah, comparative readings were also made with classical Islamic commentaries. In the study, interpretive text analysis and comparative evaluation techniques, which are qualitative research methods, were used.