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People of the Book or Ahl al-kitāb (Arabic: أهل الكتاب) is an Islamic term referring to followers of those religions which Muslims regard as having been guided by previous revelations, generally in the form of a scripture.[1] In the Quran they are identified as the Jews, the Christians, the Sabians, and—according to some interpretations—the Zoroastrians.[2] Starting from the 8th century, some Muslims also recognized other religious groups such as the Samaritans,[3] and even Buddhists, Hindus, and Jains,[4] as People of the Book.
Historically, the religious communities recognized by Muslims as People of the Book were subject to the legal status known as dhimma ('protection'), meaning that they were allowed to practice their faith and to govern their community according to the rules and norms of their own religion, in return for paying a special head tax called the jizya.[5]
The Quran uses the term in a variety of contexts, from religious polemics to passages emphasizing the community of faith among those who possess monotheistic scriptures.[6]
In Islamic law, Muslim men are permitted to marry women who are People of the Book; however, Muslim women are prevented from marrying men who are People of the Book.[7] In the case of a Muslim-Christian marriage, which is to be contracted only after permission from the Christian party, the Christian woman should not be prevented from attending church for prayer and worship.[8][9]
The term 'People of the Book' has been reappropriated as a means of self-identification by Jews and by the members of certain Christian denominations.[10]
- ^ Sharon 2004; Madigan 2001.
- ^ On the Sabians, see De Blois 2004. On the Zoroastrians, see Darrow 2003; Nasr et al. 2015, p. 834 (verse 22:17).
- ^ Esposito 2003.
- ^ Kimball 2019, p. 195. On Hindus, see also Nasr 1972, p. 139.
- ^ Esposito 2003.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
EIwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Rahman, Fazlur (July 1980). "A Survey of Modernization of Muslim Family Law" (PDF). Ikhtyar.org. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
- ^ Ahmed, Akbar S. (11 January 2013). Postmodernism and Islam: Predicament and Promise. Routledge. p. 62. ISBN 978-1-134-92417-2.
The Quran speaks favourably of the people of the Book. For example, Surah 3, verse 199, carries a universal message of goodwill and hope to all those who believe, the people of the Book irrespective of their religious label—Christian, Jew or Muslim. Muslims can marry with the people of the Book,
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
TimaniAshton2019was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Jeffrey 1996, pp. xi–xiv.