People of the Book

People of the Book is a complex phrase usually used in a religious context. The Book is taken to refer to the "Book of Books", usually meaning the Bible or Jewish Tanakh and the People may therefore refer to those who treasure it, namely, Jews and Christians, or to Muslims who consider their Koran to be that Book.

In Islam, People of the Book or ahl al Kitâb are peoples who have, according to the Qur'an, received and possess the divine scriptures.

The term applies to monotheistic faiths prior to Islam who received revelation(s) (hence "book") from God. This includes all Christians, Jews, Samaritans, and all "Sabians" - a term generally identified with Mandaeans - and according to some scholars Zoroastrians. The legal interpretation was later expanded to accommodate other non-Muslims living under Muslim rule (e.g. Hindus in India), where certain aspects of being a dhimmi were granted (paying jizyah, protected status, freedom of worship, ...etc), but others were not (e.g. Muslim males allowed to marry their females).

Table of contents

1 The Qur'an 2 Similarities in Belief 3 Islamic Law 4 References 5 External links

The Qur'an

There are many statements in the Qur'an that promote tolerance towards People of The Book. For example:

And dispute ye not with the People of the Book, except with means better (than mere disputation), unless it be with those of them who inflict wrong (and injury): but say, 'We believe in the revelation which has come down to us and in that which came down to you; Our Allah and your Allah is one; and it is to Him we bow (in Islam). (XXIX: The Spider: 46)

There are also many statements that promote an adversarial relationship. For example:

O you who believe! Do not take the Jews and the Christians for friends; they are friends of each other; and whoever amongst you takes them for a friend, then surely he is one of them; surely Allah does not guide the unjust people. (Qur'an 5:51)

Throughout Islamic history, Muslims have used these verses to justify a variety of positions towards non-Muslims. In some places and times, Muslims showed a great deal of tolerance towards non-Muslims; in other places and times non-Muslims were treated as enemies and persecuted. Islamic law demands that Muslims treat Jews and Christians as dhimmis, second-class protected citizens who have a limited number of rights.

Similarities in Belief

There are many similarities in belief between the People of the Book:

• They are monotheistic
• They share certain religious texts
• They share many of the same prophets, such as Abraham
• They believe in life after death, judgement, heaven and hell, and angels.
• They share similar beliefs regarding the Creation, specifically, in the lives of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.

Islamic Law

Where non-Muslim People of the Book live in an Islamic nation under Sharia law, they become dhimmi. They are given a number of rights, such as the right to freely practice their faith in private, in return to state protection, exemption from military service, and also have some responsibilities, such as the payment of a special tax called jizyah ("poll tax"). People of the Book living in non-Islamic nations are not considered dhimmi.

References

• Yusuf al-Qaradawi has a book entitled "Non-Muslims in Muslim societies" detailing many issues including what a dhimmi is, jizyah, rights, responsibilities, and more.

External links

• "People of the Book" and Muslims. A positive view of attitudes concerning People of the Book
• The Books of the People of the Book: Judaic Collection of Library of Congress
• Islam and the People of the Book. A negative view of attitudes concerning People of the Book