Yathrib Jews' language(S): A study based on authentic hadiths

Abstract

A controversial topic of research was the language of the Jews of Yathrib, this research tries to shed light on the controversial issue. Muslim and non-muslim scholars give different explanations. However, none of these theories could determine whether this language is spoken or written. Hadiths of Prophet Muhammad indicate three languages; Hebrew, Aramaic and Syriac. For the purpose of this study, the researchers have gathered a repertoire of the authentic hadiths of the prophet related to the topic, accredited and then analyzed them. The results indicate that the Prophet asked Zayd, his translator, to learn Hebrew, which is the language of correspondence and worship of the Jews of Yathrib. Furthermore, the study shows that the language of everyday communication of the Jews of Yathrib was Arabic, which borrowed some worship-related Hebrew terms.