People of the Book

People of the Book (Arabic: أهل الكتاب‎ ′Ahl al-Kitāb) is a term used to designate non-Muslim adherents to faiths which have a book of prayer. The two faiths that are mentioned in the Qur'an as people of the book are Judaism and Christianity . However, many Muslim rulers and scholars have included other religions such as Zoroastrianism and Hinduism in this list as well. In Islam, the Muslim scripture, the Qur'an, is taken to represent the completion of these scriptures, and to synthesize them as God's true, final, and eternal message to humanity. Because the People of the Book recognize the God of Abraham as the one and only god, as do Muslims, and they practice revealed faiths based on divine ordinances, tolerance and autonomy is accorded to them in societies governed by sharia (Islamic divine law). In Judaism the term "People of the Book" ( Hebrew : עם הספר, Am HaSefer ) subsequently became self-applied to refer specifically to the Jewish people and the Torah ; also the Jewish people and the wider canon of written Jewish law (including the Mishnah and the Talmud ). In the Jewish tradition's use of the term there is generally no connotation as to the nature of Judaism's relationship with other faiths. The Catholic Church specifically rejects the similar expression "religion of the book" as a description of the Christian faith. Hence for example such books as People of the Book: Thirty Scholars Reflect on Their Jewish Identity (Johns Hopkins University Press, 1997) and People of the Book: Canon, Meaning, and Authority (Harvard University Press, 1997). Catechism of the Catholic Church (1997), n. 108 .

People of the Book ( ′Ahl al-Kitāb) are adherents of Abrahamic religions . In Islam, the Qur'an is taken to represent the completion of these scriptures, and to synthesize them as God's true, final, and eternal message to humanity. Because the People of the Book recognize the God of Abraham, Yahweh ( Hebrew : יהוה) as the one and only god, as do Muslims, and they practice revealed faiths based on divine ordinances, tolerance and autonomy is accorded to them in societies governed by sharia (Islamic divine law). In Judaism the term "People of the Book" ( Hebrew : עם הספר, Am HaSefer ) was used to refer specifically to the Jewish people and the Torah , and to the Jewish people and the wider canon of written Jewish law (including the Mishnah and the Talmud ). Adherents of other Abrahamic religions, which arose later than Judaism, were not added. As such, the designation is accepted by Jews as a reference to an identity rooted fundamentally in the Torah. In Christianity , the Catholic Church rejects the similar expression "religion of the book" as a description of the Christian faith, preferring the term "religion of the Word of God", since the faith of Christ, according to Catholic teaching, is not found solely in the Christian Scriptures, but also in the Sacred Tradition and Magisterium of the Church. Nevertheless, other denominations , such as the Baptists , Methodists , Seventh-day Adventist Church , as well as Puritans and Shakers , have embraced the term "People of the Book." Hence for example such books as People of the Book: Thirty Scholars Reflect on Their Jewish Identity (Johns Hopkins University Press, 1997) and People of the Book: Canon, Meaning, and Authority (Harvard University Press, 1997). Though first intended pejoratively, "People of the Book" in Jewish tradition came to be accepted with pride as a legitimate reference to a culture and religious identity rooted fundamentally in Torah, the original book of the Law. Baptists are "people of the Book." The Bible serves as a guide for faith and practice, instructing local churches and individual believers on faith, conduct, and polity. Scripture is also the final authority in determining faith and practice, and is the Word of God which is revealed to the Church in order that God's people may know God's will. Nor is it unusual that the badge should be worn proudly as one means of resisting further denigration: one need only think of Puritans, Methodists, Quakers, and Shakers. In fact, the first of these groups are foremost in the Christian tradition who claimed the term in question, proud themselves to be in their own way identified as "a People of the Book." In the early Christian experience the New Testament was added to the whole Jewish "Tanakh" (an acronym from T orah, the Law, Nebi'im, the prophets, and K ethubim, the other canonical writings). This larger anthology, which after St. Jerome's translation tended more and more to be bound up as a single volume, had for those to whom the Christian missionaries came bearing it all the import of a unified locus of authority: " the Book."

Islamic term which refers to Jews, Christians and Sabians This article is about the theological concept. People of the Book/Scripture ( ′Ahl al-Kitāb) is an Islamic term which refers to Jews , Christians and Sabians . It is also used in Judaism to refer to the Jewish people and by members of some Christian denominations to refer to themselves. The Quran uses the term in reference to Jews , Christians and Sabians in a variety of contexts, from religious polemics to passages emphasizing the community of faith between those who possess monotheistic scriptures. The term was later extended to other religious communities that fell under Muslim rule, including Sikhs and even Hindus (who, unlike most other religions identified as People of the Book, are polytheist). Historically, these communities were subject to the dhimma contract in an Islamic state. In Judaism the term "People of the Book" ( Hebrew : עם הספר, Am HaSefer ) has come to refer to both the Jewish people and the Torah . Members of some Christian denominations , such as the Baptists , Methodists , Seventh-day Adventist Church , as well as Puritans and Shakers , have embraced the term "People of the Book" in reference to themselves. The Oxford Dictionary of Islam . A Glossary of Jewish Life . Though first intended pejoratively, "People of the Book" in Jewish tradition came to be accepted with pride as a legitimate reference to a culture and religious identity rooted fundamentally in Torah, the original book of the Law. Baptists are "people of the Book". The Bible serves as a guide for faith and practice, instructing local churches and individual believers on faith, conduct, and polity. Scripture is also the final authority in determining faith and practice, and is the Word of God which is revealed to the Church in order that God's people may know God's will. Nor is it unusual that the badge should be worn proudly as one means of resisting further denigration: one need only think of Puritans, Methodists, Quakers, and Shakers. In fact, the first of these groups are foremost in the Christian tradition who claimed the term in question, proud themselves to be in their own way identified as "a People of the Book". In the early Christian experience the New Testament was added to the whole Jewish "Tanakh" (an acronym from T orah, the Law, Nebi'im, the prophets, and K ethubim, the other canonical writings). This larger anthology, which after St. Jerome's translation tended more and more to be bound up as a single volume, had for those to whom the Christian missionaries came bearing it all the import of a unified locus of authority: " the Book".

Islamic term for Jews and Christians For the novel by Geraldine Brooks, see People of the Book (novel) . People of the Book or Ahl al-kitāb ( ) 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 . In the Quran they are identified as the Jews , the Christians , the Sabians , and—according to some interpretations—the Zoroastrians . Starting from the 8th century, some Muslims also recognized other religious groups such as the Samaritans , and even Buddhists , Hindus , and Jains , 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 . 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. 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. In the case of a Muslim-Christian marriage, which is to be contracted only after permission from the Christian party, Christian women should not be prevented from attending church for prayer and worship. 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 . On the Sabians, see De Blois 2004 . Postmodernism and Islam: Predicament and Promise . The Quran speaks favourably of the people of the Book.

Islamic term originally used to refer to Jews and Christians For the novel by Geraldine Brooks, see People of the Book (novel) . People of the Book , or Ahl al-Kitāb ( Arabic : أهل الكتاب ), is a classification in Islam for the adherents of those religions that are regarded by Muslims as having received a divine revelation from Allah , generally in the form of a holy scripture . The classification chiefly refers to pre-Islamic Abrahamic religions . In the Quran , they are identified as the Jews , the Christians , the Sabians , and—according to some interpretations—the Zoroastrians . Beginning in the 8th century, this recognition was extended to other groups, such as the Samaritans (who are closely related to the Jews), and, controversially, Hindus , Buddhists , Jains , and Sikhs , among others. In most applications, "People of the Book" is simply used by Muslims to refer to the followers of Judaism and Christianity , with which Islam shares many values, guidelines, and principles. Historically, in countries and regions following Islamic law , the religious communities that Muslims recognized as People of the Book were subject to a legal status known as dhimmi , meaning that they had the option to pay a special head tax called jizya in exchange for being granted the privilege to practice their faith and govern their community according to the rules and norms of their own religion. Jizya was levied on all mentally and physically capable adult males from these recognized non-Muslim communities. Practitioners of non-recognized religions were not always granted this privilege, although many later Islamic states , particularly those in the Indian subcontinent , amended their laws to extend the application of dhimmi status beyond the originally designated Jewish and Christian communities. In the Quran, the term is used in a variety of contexts, from religious polemics to passages emphasizing the community of faith among those who possess scriptures espousing monotheism , as opposed to polytheism or any other form of belief. The designation of People of the Book is also relevant to Islamic marriages : a Muslim man is only permitted to marry a non-Muslim woman if she is Jewish or Christian, and he must additionally ensure that any children produced with his Jewish or Christian wife/ wives are raised in the Muslim faith. Muslim women are not permitted to marry non-Muslim men, even if they are Jewish or Christian. In the case of a Muslim–Christian marriage, which is to be contracted only after permission from the Christian party, the Ashtiname of Muhammad dictates that the Muslim husband is not allowed to prevent his Christian wife from attending church for prayer and worship . More recently, the term has been reappropriated by some Jews and Christians as a means of self-identification vis-à-vis Muslims. On the Sabians, see De Blois 2004 . Postmodernism and Islam: Predicament and Promise . The Quran speaks favourably of the people of the Book.