
The People of the Book or ''ahl al Kitâb'', (Arabic language: اهل الكتاب) is a term in Islam for peoples who, according to the Qur'an, have received and are in possession of the Holy books —referring to the Torah, the New Testament, as well as the Qur'an. The term "People of the Book" (''Am HaSefer'') is also used in Judaism, where it refers specifically to the Jewish people and the Torah. In Islam, the term applies to monotheistic Abrahamic religion older than Islam who received revelation(s) (hence "book") from God. To orthodox Muslims this includes at least all Christian, Jew (including Karaite and Samaritan), and "Sabians" (identified with Mandaeanism). Many early scholars such as Imam Malik agree in also including Zoroastrian, while some have argued for extending the concept further. ==The Qur'an== There are many statements in the Qur'an that promote tolerance towards People of The Book. For example: :And do not dispute with the followers of the Book except by what is best, except those of them who act unjustly, and say: We believe in that which has been revealed to us and revealed to you, and our God and your God is One, and to Him do we submit.(Qur'an 29:46) 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== The various faiths of the People of the Book share several qualities: * They recognize monotheism. * They share certain religious texts. * They share many of the same Prophets of Islam, such as Abraham. * They recognize life after death, judgment, heaven and hell, and angels. * They share similar beliefs regarding the Creation (theology), 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 for state protection, and exemption from military service. They also have some responsibilities, such as the payment of a special tax called jizyah ("poll tax"), but exempted from Zakat which Muslims are required to pay. 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. ==See also== *Isa (Islamic name for Jesus) ==External links== *[http://www.harunyahya.com/32terrorism_people_soc09.html ''"People of the Book" and Muslims'']. A positive view of attitudes concerning People of the Book *[http://www.loc.gov/rr/amed/guide/hs-books.html The Books of the People of the Book: Judaic Collection of Library of Congress] *[http://www.freeman.org/m_online/may98/shaikh.htm ''Islam and the People of the Book'']. A negative view of attitudes concerning People of the Book Christian interfaith and secular relations Islam Jewish Islam topics
==Definition of 'People of The Book'== It is quite interesting to note the focus on 'contradictions' in scripture (here and elsewhere). I would like to point out that per the definition of 'people of The Book' in the page under discussion (which does indeed include those who call themselves "Muslims"), the material following the heading 'The Quran' is itself a gross contradiction. (Remember: "Muslims" are also the people of The Book.) To have any hope of understanding The Qur'an, one must always remember who it is addressed to: 2:1 In the name of ALLAH The Gracious The Merciful. 2:2 Alif Lam Mim 2:3 This is a perfect Book There is no doubt in it It is a Guidance for the Righteous 2:4 Who believe in the unseen and observe prayer and spend out of what WE have provided for them 2:5 And who believe in that which has been Revealed to thee (i.e. The Qur'an) and that which was Revealed before thee (i.e. Torah, Pslams, Gospels) And they have firm faith in the hereafter 2:6 It is they who follow the Guidance from their LORD and it is they who shall prosper So we note that the Book is addressed to 'believers'. And we further reason that not all those who have inherited (a portion of) The Book -- i.e. Jews, Christians, and (yes) Muslims -- are 'believers' in the strict sense defined above. Thus, any claim that the Qur'an enjoins "Muslims" to do x, y, or z (good or bad) to 'people of The Book' is simply a misunderstanding of the Scripture. - User:Kabir ==Article claims:== :All others are considered idolators?, who are to be either murdered or converted. Excuse me? Where does the Koran say that idolators are to be "murdered"? I've removed the statement for now, as I suspect many Muslims would dispute it. --User:Stephen Gilbert : Yeppers. Especially given that many PotB were neither murdered nor killed for many years while in Islamic states. The whole point of dhimmi is that unlike other religions, PotB are tolerated. User:MyRedDice ::Tolerated, ''as long as they remain dhimmis''. But if a Jew or Christian demands to be treated as an equal, the all bets are off. User:RK : RK, you've added a long para here on the status of dhimmi - but we have an article on dhimmi, so surely we should rely on that to provide the details? I think we should only summarise the key points of dhimmi here. : Second point - do the later parts of the Qu'ran actively ''rescind'' the earlier parts? Or do they merely contradict? User:MyRedDice ::The answer depends on whether you ask a religious Muslim, or a historian. Religious Muslims (like religious Jews and Christians) will deny that ''any'' contradictions exist in their scripture at all! They hold that all contradictions are only "apparent", and they produce complicated apologetics to prove that contradictory passages don't contradict each other at all. As a Jew, I am well familiar with this phenomenon, having seen this from the inside: Orthodox Jews hold that there are no contradictions at all in the Torah, and that all contradictions are only "apparent". During my reading on Christianity a few years ago I found precisely the same phenomenon in much of the American Protestant Christian community. (Liberal religious Jews, Muslims and Christians usually reject this approach, and admit that contradictions exist.) Historians usually hold that when contradictions exist, they are evidence of historical development. Sometimes the original author changes his mind in his later years; sometimes a contradiction is the result of a passage that was added many years after the death of the author. This is much easier for Wikipedians to talk about when it comes to the Hebrew Bible or the New Testament. Many of us here are familiar with higher biblical criticism on these books. For Islam, however, this is a tougher issue since so few people are familiar with higher Koranic criticism (in the academic sense of the word) and text study. User:RK I was told by a Muslim missionary that later parts of the Qur'an can "abrogate" earlier parts. He said it was written over a 22-year period, and in an early stage, God allowed the Arabs to use alcholic beverages, and in a later stage, he thought they had advanced to the point where they could give up such use, and then told them to do so. User:Michael Hardy 22:05 Mar 7, 2003 (UTC) User User:Usedbook writes: :Although it is commonly held that this group includes the Jews, Christians and Muslims, it is equally evident that Muslims are the only extant group to legitimately hold this title. According to Islam, all nations were given a Messenger and guidance from God. Eventually, due to the abandonment and adherence to strict monotheism, the followers of Moses earned God's Anger (by supposedly worshipping a calf and Ezra)and the followers of Jesus Christ went astray (by supposedly worshipping Jesus Christ). It is popularly held by the vast majority of Muslims that the Holy Tawrah (revelation given to Moses) and the Holy Injeel (revelation given to Jesus Christ) are no longer extant and that the present day Bible and Torah share little or no resemblance to the divine copy. According to Islam, Muhammad was sent during a time of spiritual darkness and once the Qur'an was finally established, all past revelations became abrogated, making the Last Testament not only for the Arab nation but for all mankind until the Jay of Judgement. :More unorthodox Muslim groups consider the Karaites, Samaritans, Zoroastrians and even Mandaeanism to be People of the Book. :: This is inaccurate and needs further explanation. The People of the Book as in the Quran refers to "groups with previous revelations, prior to Islam" even it has been corrupted (from the Muslim Point of view). Therefore, this applies to various Christians, Jews, Samaritans (they have the Torah, and are considered a group of Jews), Karaites (a splinter group of Jews as well), Mandeans (called Sabeans in the Quran), Zoroastrians (because of Zarathushtra being a prophet of God, although dualism crept into the faith later, the Zurvanism heresy, and was dominant in 7th century) -- User:Kbahey ::: There has never been a doubt as to the Jewishness of Karaites - we are simply Jews who do not accept the Oral Torah. When the temple last stood, the majority of Jews did not accept the Talmud and were called עם הארץ. --User:Yoshiah ap 04:49, 11 Jul 2004 (UTC) ==New intro== Izak, do you have any cites for "People of the Book" being used outside of an Islamic religious context? It's scarcely common English usage. - User:Mustafaa 11:42, 24 Jul 2004 (UTC) :Outside Islamic context, abrahamic religion is used. User:Ausir 17:42, 14 Aug 2004 (UTC) ===For Jews TODAY "Am HaSefer" in Hebrew is the People of the Book=== Here are a some random selections proving that the phrase "Am Hasefer" as well as (and meaning "People of the Book") is currently used and applied in Jewish circles. Here are some random examples: *The People of the Book: Jews and Universal Literacy by Erica Brown [http://www.jcrcboston.org/literacy/texts/people_of_the_book.htm]] *See entry under: Goren, N., Garfinkel, L. et al. editors. Yahadut Lita [Lithuanian Jewry], vol. 1. Tel Aviv: ''Am Hasefer'', 1959. (H) [http://www2.jewishgen.org/Litvak/lithref.htm] *Course description: Am Hasefer Program by:Besdin, Abraham R. Dept. of Adult Education Yeshiva University [http://www.chabadlibrary.org/ecatalog/EC02/EC02011.HTM] *See entry under: Torah and Other Sacred Texts: The Hebrew bible is basic to Jewish life. The Jewish people are sometimes known as \"The People of the Book\" ( Am HaSefer). [http://www.jewishhealing.org/tools.html] *See entry for Grade 5 Basic Judaism Description: "...This course is intended to teach core Jewish concepts to students. It exposes students to classic Jewish texts, terms...Topics include...''Am HaSefer''..." [http://jcrs-braintree.org/images/courses.html] *See entry for: Pursuing Justice In Our Cities, Part III: Working in Coalitions: "Minna Morse wraps up her three-part series on Jewish urban justice groups with this article on coalition building. Part II, Teaching the \"People of the Book\"..." [http://www.socialaction.com/change_makers.html] Cool. I've added a mention of that usage to the first paragraph; if someone writes an article (say Am haSefer or People of the Book (Judaism)), we could make a disambig if necessary. - User:Mustafaa 08:07, 15 Aug 2004 (UTC) *Thank you. Makes sense. User:IZAK 08:12, 15 Aug 2004 (UTC) == Sikhs == Are Sikhs "People of the Book"? Are they considered "stranded" Muslims?
#REDIRECT People of the Book
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People of the Book
The People of the Book or ''ahl al Kitâb'', (Arabic language: اهل الكتاب) is a term in Islam for peoples who, according to the Qur'an, have received and are in possession of the Holy books —referring to the Torah, the New Testament, as well as the Qur'an. The term "People of the Book" (''Am HaSefer'') is also used in Judaism, where it refers specifically to the Jewish people and the Torah. In Islam, the term applies to monotheistic Abrahamic religion older than Islam who received revelation(s) (hence "book") from God. To orthodox Muslims this includes at least all Christian, Jew (including Karaite and Samaritan), and "Sabians" (identified with Mandaeanism). Many early scholars such as Imam Malik agree in also including Zoroastrian, while some have argued for extending the concept further. ==The Qur'an== There are many statements in the Qur'an that promote tolerance towards People of The Book. For example: :And do not dispute with the followers of the Book except by what is best, except those of them who act unjustly, and say: We believe in that which has been revealed to us and revealed to you, and our God and your God is One, and to Him do we submit.(Qur'an 29:46) 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== The various faiths of the People of the Book share several qualities: * They recognize monotheism. * They share certain religious texts. * They share many of the same Prophets of Islam, such as Abraham. * They recognize life after death, judgment, heaven and hell, and angels. * They share similar beliefs regarding the Creation (theology), 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 for state protection, and exemption from military service. They also have some responsibilities, such as the payment of a special tax called jizyah ("poll tax"), but exempted from Zakat which Muslims are required to pay. 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. ==See also== *Isa (Islamic name for Jesus) ==External links== *[http://www.harunyahya.com/32terrorism_people_soc09.html ''"People of the Book" and Muslims'']. A positive view of attitudes concerning People of the Book *[http://www.loc.gov/rr/amed/guide/hs-books.html The Books of the People of the Book: Judaic Collection of Library of Congress] *[http://www.freeman.org/m_online/may98/shaikh.htm ''Islam and the People of the Book'']. A negative view of attitudes concerning People of the Book Christian interfaith and secular relations Islam Jewish Islam topics
People of the Book
==Definition of 'People of The Book'== It is quite interesting to note the focus on 'contradictions' in scripture (here and elsewhere). I would like to point out that per the definition of 'people of The Book' in the page under discussion (which does indeed include those who call themselves "Muslims"), the material following the heading 'The Quran' is itself a gross contradiction. (Remember: "Muslims" are also the people of The Book.) To have any hope of understanding The Qur'an, one must always remember who it is addressed to: 2:1 In the name of ALLAH The Gracious The Merciful. 2:2 Alif Lam Mim 2:3 This is a perfect Book There is no doubt in it It is a Guidance for the Righteous 2:4 Who believe in the unseen and observe prayer and spend out of what WE have provided for them 2:5 And who believe in that which has been Revealed to thee (i.e. The Qur'an) and that which was Revealed before thee (i.e. Torah, Pslams, Gospels) And they have firm faith in the hereafter 2:6 It is they who follow the Guidance from their LORD and it is they who shall prosper So we note that the Book is addressed to 'believers'. And we further reason that not all those who have inherited (a portion of) The Book -- i.e. Jews, Christians, and (yes) Muslims -- are 'believers' in the strict sense defined above. Thus, any claim that the Qur'an enjoins "Muslims" to do x, y, or z (good or bad) to 'people of The Book' is simply a misunderstanding of the Scripture. - User:Kabir ==Article claims:== :All others are considered idolators?, who are to be either murdered or converted. Excuse me? Where does the Koran say that idolators are to be "murdered"? I've removed the statement for now, as I suspect many Muslims would dispute it. --User:Stephen Gilbert : Yeppers. Especially given that many PotB were neither murdered nor killed for many years while in Islamic states. The whole point of dhimmi is that unlike other religions, PotB are tolerated. User:MyRedDice ::Tolerated, ''as long as they remain dhimmis''. But if a Jew or Christian demands to be treated as an equal, the all bets are off. User:RK : RK, you've added a long para here on the status of dhimmi - but we have an article on dhimmi, so surely we should rely on that to provide the details? I think we should only summarise the key points of dhimmi here. : Second point - do the later parts of the Qu'ran actively ''rescind'' the earlier parts? Or do they merely contradict? User:MyRedDice ::The answer depends on whether you ask a religious Muslim, or a historian. Religious Muslims (like religious Jews and Christians) will deny that ''any'' contradictions exist in their scripture at all! They hold that all contradictions are only "apparent", and they produce complicated apologetics to prove that contradictory passages don't contradict each other at all. As a Jew, I am well familiar with this phenomenon, having seen this from the inside: Orthodox Jews hold that there are no contradictions at all in the Torah, and that all contradictions are only "apparent". During my reading on Christianity a few years ago I found precisely the same phenomenon in much of the American Protestant Christian community. (Liberal religious Jews, Muslims and Christians usually reject this approach, and admit that contradictions exist.) Historians usually hold that when contradictions exist, they are evidence of historical development. Sometimes the original author changes his mind in his later years; sometimes a contradiction is the result of a passage that was added many years after the death of the author. This is much easier for Wikipedians to talk about when it comes to the Hebrew Bible or the New Testament. Many of us here are familiar with higher biblical criticism on these books. For Islam, however, this is a tougher issue since so few people are familiar with higher Koranic criticism (in the academic sense of the word) and text study. User:RK I was told by a Muslim missionary that later parts of the Qur'an can "abrogate" earlier parts. He said it was written over a 22-year period, and in an early stage, God allowed the Arabs to use alcholic beverages, and in a later stage, he thought they had advanced to the point where they could give up such use, and then told them to do so. User:Michael Hardy 22:05 Mar 7, 2003 (UTC) User User:Usedbook writes: :Although it is commonly held that this group includes the Jews, Christians and Muslims, it is equally evident that Muslims are the only extant group to legitimately hold this title. According to Islam, all nations were given a Messenger and guidance from God. Eventually, due to the abandonment and adherence to strict monotheism, the followers of Moses earned God's Anger (by supposedly worshipping a calf and Ezra)and the followers of Jesus Christ went astray (by supposedly worshipping Jesus Christ). It is popularly held by the vast majority of Muslims that the Holy Tawrah (revelation given to Moses) and the Holy Injeel (revelation given to Jesus Christ) are no longer extant and that the present day Bible and Torah share little or no resemblance to the divine copy. According to Islam, Muhammad was sent during a time of spiritual darkness and once the Qur'an was finally established, all past revelations became abrogated, making the Last Testament not only for the Arab nation but for all mankind until the Jay of Judgement. :More unorthodox Muslim groups consider the Karaites, Samaritans, Zoroastrians and even Mandaeanism to be People of the Book. :: This is inaccurate and needs further explanation. The People of the Book as in the Quran refers to "groups with previous revelations, prior to Islam" even it has been corrupted (from the Muslim Point of view). Therefore, this applies to various Christians, Jews, Samaritans (they have the Torah, and are considered a group of Jews), Karaites (a splinter group of Jews as well), Mandeans (called Sabeans in the Quran), Zoroastrians (because of Zarathushtra being a prophet of God, although dualism crept into the faith later, the Zurvanism heresy, and was dominant in 7th century) -- User:Kbahey ::: There has never been a doubt as to the Jewishness of Karaites - we are simply Jews who do not accept the Oral Torah. When the temple last stood, the majority of Jews did not accept the Talmud and were called עם הארץ. --User:Yoshiah ap 04:49, 11 Jul 2004 (UTC) ==New intro== Izak, do you have any cites for "People of the Book" being used outside of an Islamic religious context? It's scarcely common English usage. - User:Mustafaa 11:42, 24 Jul 2004 (UTC) :Outside Islamic context, abrahamic religion is used. User:Ausir 17:42, 14 Aug 2004 (UTC) ===For Jews TODAY "Am HaSefer" in Hebrew is the People of the Book=== Here are a some random selections proving that the phrase "Am Hasefer" as well as (and meaning "People of the Book") is currently used and applied in Jewish circles. Here are some random examples: *The People of the Book: Jews and Universal Literacy by Erica Brown [http://www.jcrcboston.org/literacy/texts/people_of_the_book.htm]] *See entry under: Goren, N., Garfinkel, L. et al. editors. Yahadut Lita [Lithuanian Jewry], vol. 1. Tel Aviv: ''Am Hasefer'', 1959. (H) [http://www2.jewishgen.org/Litvak/lithref.htm] *Course description: Am Hasefer Program by:Besdin, Abraham R. Dept. of Adult Education Yeshiva University [http://www.chabadlibrary.org/ecatalog/EC02/EC02011.HTM] *See entry under: Torah and Other Sacred Texts: The Hebrew bible is basic to Jewish life. The Jewish people are sometimes known as \"The People of the Book\" ( Am HaSefer). [http://www.jewishhealing.org/tools.html] *See entry for Grade 5 Basic Judaism Description: "...This course is intended to teach core Jewish concepts to students. It exposes students to classic Jewish texts, terms...Topics include...''Am HaSefer''..." [http://jcrs-braintree.org/images/courses.html] *See entry for: Pursuing Justice In Our Cities, Part III: Working in Coalitions: "Minna Morse wraps up her three-part series on Jewish urban justice groups with this article on coalition building. Part II, Teaching the \"People of the Book\"..." [http://www.socialaction.com/change_makers.html] Cool. I've added a mention of that usage to the first paragraph; if someone writes an article (say Am haSefer or People of the Book (Judaism)), we could make a disambig if necessary. - User:Mustafaa 08:07, 15 Aug 2004 (UTC) *Thank you. Makes sense. User:IZAK 08:12, 15 Aug 2004 (UTC) == Sikhs == Are Sikhs "People of the Book"? Are they considered "stranded" Muslims?
People of the book
#REDIRECT People of the Book
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