Inter-cultural relations between Arabs and Jews trace their roots to pre-Islamic times and have taken place in the shadow of a prolonged and violent political setting in the Middle East.

Judaism originated in the Fertile Crescent. Since the 2nd century BC, Jewish populations inhabited the region of Babylonia and were sharing their land with people of other religions. The beginnings of the Diaspora in the 6th century BC and the Muslim presence in the Holy Land in the 7th century with the capture of Palestine led to a linguistic influence on Jewish populations that adopted the Aramaic language. Jewish urban residents, who specialized in trade and crafts, were speaking Arabic.

Under the rule of Umayyad Caliphate (661-750) in the Middle East, North Africa and Spain Jewish populations flourished. Their exceptional prosperity took place, for the most part, in Spain, under the reign of the Caliphate of Cordoba (756-1031). For the Jewish populations of Spain, known as Sephardic Jews, this period is considered the Golden Age because they have exposed an increased activity in commerce, agriculture, medicine and finance, although initially Muslim bureaucrats had tried to keep them out of the political sphere of influence.

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