Question
Dear Brother,
Ramadan Kareem.
In response to the one of the question regarding “people of the book” you wrote that “The People of the Book in reference, generally speaking, are Christians and Jews of all time.In some contexts it is specific to a certain matter but overall the term is, without a doubt, in relation to all Christians and Jews.” but in one of the website “http://onlinepj.com/quran-
Here is its extract ” Even though the phrase “people of the book” specifies literately all those who believe in the Book the Quran specifies only the Christian and the Jews as the people of Books. It should not be assumed that all the Christians and the Jews are the people of Books. That view is incorrect. It is because Isa (pbuh) and all other Prophets (pbut) sent for the Jews were sent exclusively for the people of Israel only. Similarly the Books Taurath and Injeel were bestowed upon the Israelites alone. (Refer Quran 3:49, 5:72, 7:105, 7:134,, 7:138, 10:90, 17:2, 17:101, 20:47, 20:94, 20:94, 26:17, 32:23, 40:53, 43:59, 61:6)
It is stated in the Quranic verses 3:49, 5:72, 43:59, 61:6 that Isa (pbuh) has said had been that he had been sent as a Prophet only for the Israelites. Even if the non-Israelites had converted to Christianity they could never be considered themselves the people of Book because Injeel was not given upon them.Hence, as the Books were not revealed to Christians who were not Israelites, they will not be considered the people of the Books, by Allah.
Since those Books had not been given to Christians, who were not Israelites, they would not be considered ‘People of Books’ by Allah. The rule, ”You can marry the people of the Book and you can eat from what they have slaughtered”, is applicable only in case of Israelites”.
I urge you to read the whole article given the above link and kindly i request you to shed more light on the issue.
MAY ALLAH REWARD YOU.
Answer
Wa Alaykumu Salam,
The initial response was based on the context of the original question. It was not a comprehensive response of the overall definition for “People of the Book.” This is explicit in the sentence: “The People of the Book in reference, generally speaking, are Christians and Jews of all time.” The “in reference” points to the context of the question.
The People of the Book are the people of all times belonging to the Abrahamic faiths. This includes, but is not limited to, Jews and Christians before and after the advent of Islam. The Qur’an mentions that every nation received a divine message but makes references to the People of the Book in the Semitic context – from which the Qur’an stems. Thus, the only identifiable people referenced directly in the Qur’an are those of the Abrahamic tradition.
Even though the above phrase specifies literately all those who believe in the Book the Quran specifies only the Christian and the Jews as the people of Books.
If the phrase specifies all then the author should provide verses that explicitly excludes all the other people who believe in the revelations sent by God before the Qur’an. The phrase is Islamic and its source is the Qur’an. Thus, since it was coined by the Qur’an and it literally means all people who have faith in revelations then such a designation cannot be changed unless there is explicit indication or contextual basis.
The article says:
It should not be assumed that all the Christians and the Jews are the people of Books. That view is incorrect. It is because Isa (pbuh) and all other Prophets (pbut) sent for the Jews were sent exclusively for the people of Israel only. Similarly the Books Taurath and Injeel were bestowed upon the Israelites alone. (Refer Quran 3:49, 5:72, 7:105, 7:134,, 7:138, 10:90, 17:2, 17:101, 20:47, 20:94, 20:94, 26:17, 32:23, 40:53, 43:59, 61:6)
The Prophets (pbut) of God were not sent only for one people even if they were sent specifically for a particular people. The subtlety is quite important. We acknowledge that the Israelites had a special role in the prophetic missions that were established by God. However, historically speaking the Children of Israel (Israelites) include Jacob’s (his name was changed to Israel) descendants and those who lived within the Kingdom of Israel and those who accepted the faith. The writer does not establish what he means by the term “Children of Israel” and seems to limit it to a very small group of people. Therefore, by his definition, there is not one verse in the citations given that mentions that the Torah and the Gospel (i.e. Injeel) were exclusively sent to the Israelites . In fact, the Qur’an states otherwise:
…He had revealed the Torah and the Gospels before it, a guidance to humankind… -Ala `Imran 3:4
The context is that God revealed messages to humanity throughout the ages. In such a manner, He revealed the Torah and Gospels as well. The messages of God were always to guide people in the general sense even if one dominant group were the direct addressees of that message.
The article says:
It is stated in the Quranic verses 3:49, 5:72, 43:59, 61:6 that Isa (pbuh) has said had been that he had been sent as a Prophet only for the Israelites. Even if the non-Israelites had converted to Christianity they could never be considered themselves the people of Book because Injeel was not given upon them.
There is no such statements made in the Qur’an that Jesus (pbuh) was sent “only” for the Israelites. As explained above, he was a messenger to them but this did not mean his message was not open to others. Those who accepted his message were believers and automatically become People of the Book. A simple look at history would make clear that claiming non-Israelite converts are not considered People of the Book is totally wrong. The Qur’an refers to Christians after the time of Jesus and during the time of the Prophet Muhammad (pbut). In such instances, they are also referred to as the People of the Book. Somehow the writer has separated the message from the messenger and gives distinction to one particular people.
O People of the Book! Commit no excesses in your religion: Nor say of Allah aught but the truth. Christ Jesus the son of Mary was (no more than) a messenger of Allah, and His Word, which He bestowed on Mary, and a spirit proceeding from Him: so believe in Allah and His messengers. Say not “Trinity” : desist: it will be better for you: for Allah is one Allah: Glory be to Him: (far exalted is He) above having a son. To Him belong all things in the heavens and on earth. And enough is Allah as a Disposer of affairs. – Al Nisa’ 4:171
The verse above explicitly mentions all Christians as People of the Book. Most, if not all, of them were not Israelites. Thus, we have an unequivocal statement from the Qur’an that People of the Book refers to more than just Jews or Israelites.
The rest of the article deals with the issue that the Prophet Moses (pbuh) only came with a book for the Children of Israel. It is important to remember that God’s prophets and messengers did not have to have physical books; rather, the concept was to deliver the divine revelations. Moses went to Pharaoh with divine revelations to bring him to purification and guidance. Any insinuation that Moses’ message – whether in book form or otherwise – is strictly for the Children of Israel is severely flawed.
There is no doubt that People of the Book, depending on context, can refer to a far wider group of people than merely the Israelites.
I hope this helps.
God knows best.