The lecture focuses on the relationship between Muhammad and the emerging Muslim community and the major Jewish tribes in Arabia. We shall see how the animosity between the two parties is reflected in the Quran, in its various interpretations, and in the Muslim traditions in general. We shall try to understand the historical reality hidden behind the verses and the traditions. Nevertheless, some classical and mainly modern interpretations try to read the relevant verses in a more cordial manner towards the “People of the Book.”
