After the
Jews' betrayal to the Prophet peace be upon him, it became necessary to punish them and cleanse them out of the Holy Lands:
Prophet Muhammad's Model of Coexistence:
The Prophet of Islam and the Jews (Part 2)
(Basis of Conduct, Acceptance, Respect and Cooperation)
http://www.onislam.net/english/reading-islam/research-studies/comparative-religion/465519-the-prophet-of-islam-and-the-jews-part-2-.htmlThe Arabic word for earth is الْأَرْضِ. Dr. Zaghloul El-Naggar states:
The word 'Earth' recurs in the Glorious Qur'an and in the Prophet's Ahadith referring to three other meanings according to the context. Sometimes it refers to the whole planet and at other times, to the dry mass on which we live, while at some other times, it indicates the topsoil covering the dry land rocks. (Dr. Zaghloul El-Naggar, Mountains to Stabilize the Earth, Source)
For instance, we know that the Arabic word used for Earth الْأَرْضِ is used in Surah 2:61 to refer to land mass and not the entire planet. Or in Surah 2:71 we see that the cow being described to the Israelites is one that wonders on the Earth الْأَرْضِ, but the context obviously shows that the cow is wondering in a specific area close by and not that it could be wondering anywhere on planet Earth. Or in Surah 4:97 where the oppressed believers tell the angels that they were oppressed on Earth الْأَرْضِ, but the context denotes that they were referring to the specific land that they were residing in.
There are many other examples that I can provide, but I believe that the above examples suffice to show that context is important when wanting to know the meaning of a word. So the Arabic word الْأَرْضِ does not only refer to the entire planet Earth, it could also refer to a certain area or piece of land.
I believe that the context of the hadith is clear that the Prophet (peace be upon him) was specifically talking about the land that the Jews were residing. The land belonging to "Allah and His Messenger" implies that Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) will rule the land according to the laws of Allah.
http://www.call-to-monotheism.com/refuting_shamoun_on_monotheism_10
