Word origins
One explanation of the Arabic word Yahūd
Origin of the name "Jews" in Arabic -يَهودُ
Verb هَادَ / يَهُودُ means
" To be a Jew "
It is found in many places in the Qurʾān.
At 2:62 — وَالَّذِينَ هَادُوا:
“ those who are Jews ”
At 62:6 — يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ هَادُوا:
“ O you Jews !”
However,
This word has another important meaning. When Prophet Mūsā عليه السلام chose 70 best people from Children of Israel and they went with him on the mountain and when the mountain shook, they said (Qurʾān 7:156):
— إِنَّا هُدْنَا إِلَيْكَ
“ Certainly we have turned back to You .”
So another meaning of this verb is " to turn back in repentance "
Shaykh Ibn ʿUthaymīn (رَحِمَهُ اللهُ) explicitly made a connection between these two meanings.
When explaining the meaning "Jews", he said that one view is that the name comes from هَادَ يَهُودُ, meaning رَجَعَ — to return, connected with their statement:
إِنَّا هُدْنَا إِلَيْكَ
“Indeed, we have turned back to You.”
[7: 156]
He said:
" That is, one explanation is that اليهود is connected with هَادَ يَهُودُ = رجع, because they returned to Allāh in repentance after worshipping the calf. "
However,
Shaykh Ibn ʿUthaymīn also mentions another possibility:
that يهود comes from يهوذَا — Judah, one of the sons of Yaʿqūb عليه السلام, with the name becoming Arabised as يهود.
He added that it is possible that the name relates to both matters together.
And Allāhu Alim.
Verb هَادَ / يَهُودُ means
" To be a Jew "
It is found in many places in the Qurʾān.
At 2:62 — وَالَّذِينَ هَادُوا:
“ those who are Jews ”
At 62:6 — يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ هَادُوا:
“ O you Jews !”
However,
This word has another important meaning. When Prophet Mūsā عليه السلام chose 70 best people from Children of Israel and they went with him on the mountain and when the mountain shook, they said (Qurʾān 7:156):
— إِنَّا هُدْنَا إِلَيْكَ
“ Certainly we have turned back to You .”
So another meaning of this verb is " to turn back in repentance "
Shaykh Ibn ʿUthaymīn (رَحِمَهُ اللهُ) explicitly made a connection between these two meanings.
When explaining the meaning "Jews", he said that one view is that the name comes from هَادَ يَهُودُ, meaning رَجَعَ — to return, connected with their statement:
إِنَّا هُدْنَا إِلَيْكَ
“Indeed, we have turned back to You.”
[7: 156]
He said:
" That is, one explanation is that اليهود is connected with هَادَ يَهُودُ = رجع, because they returned to Allāh in repentance after worshipping the calf. "
However,
Shaykh Ibn ʿUthaymīn also mentions another possibility:
that يهود comes from يهوذَا — Judah, one of the sons of Yaʿqūb عليه السلام, with the name becoming Arabised as يهود.
He added that it is possible that the name relates to both matters together.
And Allāhu Alim.