Through THE lookingglass: backwards & forwards ...

Het maken van tijd- & ruimtereisjes is dus net zoiets als het veranderen van de belichting op heden & verleden: het is maar met onder welk licht je iets ziet & welke inkleuringen je gebruikt, wat voor contouren opdoemen & hoever we inzicht kunnen krijgen in grote lijnen & alle fijne details?!

Thus, our findings negate the theories of many historians who claim that the Arabian Jews were uncultured and ignorant and were severed from traditional Judaism that had been flourishing in Palestine and in Babylonia. The abundance of Jewish thought and ideas contained in the Koran & in it's early authoritative commentaries testify to the profound knowledge of Judaism possessed by Arabian Jews. They may even help us now to restore some Aggadic cemcepts lost in the course of time & unknown to Jewish scholarship today, as well as to gain much-sought data about the life and practices of the Jews in Arabia.

From the literature of the Moslem exegetes we may rightly surmise that had islam not appeared on that scene, Judaism would have extended its faith throughout all of Arabia or at least through an extensive part thereof. Many Arab communities accepted the Jewish faith and practices & even Muhammad himself was almost judaized. THE knowledge of the Jews and Judaism displayed in Islamic literature reflects not only upon the excel-lent relationship between the Jews and the Arabs but also shows that Arabian Judaism was not different from that of other Jewish communities ...

The Arabian Jews abided by the laws and traditions that prevailed among Jews everywhere who, steadfast in their faith, resisted Muhammad's attempt at islamizing them. The unusual number of Aggadic stories quoted in the writings of Zamakhshari, Baidawi, Bukhari & Tabari all testify to the fact that Arabian Jews took a (very) active part in Jewish spiritual life, erected many synagogues, schools and other institutions, and in this way succeeded in maintaining strong permanent ties with the Jews of Palestine and Babylonia. The Moslem commentators used by us in this way
throughout our studies are thus excellent material to reconstructing Jewish traditions hitherto unknown and almost totally forgotten.

We delen als Joden, christenen, moslims, boeddhisten, hindoes and so on lots of stories throughout our history for thousands of years ...