elassaad@csl.ncsu.edu (Shauki Elassaad) (03/01/90)
In article <9200@wpi.wpi.edu> gwydion@tavi.rice.edu (Basalat Ali Raja) writes: > >In article <16286@orstcs.CS.ORST.EDU> sdodd@nyevax.cas.orst.edu (Stephen M. Dodd) writes: > >>The 'people of the book' have no bearing on this. Anyone who denys the >>Prophethood of Muhammad (SAAWS) also denys the Qur'an and the concept of >>Allah as described in the Qur'an. Therefore there is no allowed category >>in Islam for one who accepts Allah but not Muhammad. These cannot be >>included in the set of Muslims or believers. > >There is something I do not understand here, and call for further >clarification. It relates to the status of the people of the >book. > >You state that there is no allowed catagory in Islam for one who >accepts Allah but not Mohammed [saws]. However, the Quran is full >of references to the People of the Book. These are distinguised >from the Kuffar in many cases. As an example, I refer you to the >reference in the Quran about the Christians, Jews and Sabeans. >These are the people who, if they do right works and believe in >Allah, will enter heaven. [If you are not familiar with the verse, >I can look up the reference for you - I don't have a copy handy >right now]. This would certainly be a very important distinction >which you do not seem to consider important. Please explain your >viewpoint in greater detail. In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate I would like to clerify something about the position of the People of the Book in Islam. In regards to the verse that you tried to quote, it reads: "Those who believe (in the Qura'n), And those who follow the Jewish (scriptures), And the Christians and the Sabians, And who believe in Allah, And the Last Day, And work righteousness, Shall have their reward With their Lord: on them Shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve." According to the Articles of Belief in Islam, you have to believe in Jesus, Moses, as well as all the prophets and messengers who preceded the prophet Mohammad. We are doing this because of Allah's order in sura 2, verse 285. Thus the above-mentioned verse explains that those people who were at the time of Jesus, Moses, and the prophets and messengers who preceded the Seal of the prophets Mohammad, if they beleived in what those messengers preached, then on them there will be no fear, and they will be rewarded by Allah. The question that comes to mind is: What about the Christians and Jews of today? The Qura'n has called them "The People of the Book". They have the same status as their ancestors at the time of the prophet Mohammad. They are not believers according to Qura'n since they have denied the prophethood of the prophet Mohammad, and they associate Gods of beings with Allah, like claiming that Jesus is the son of God, or the belief in Trinity. However, they are still called the people of the Book whom we can marry their females and can eat from their food and engage in trade with them. The Christains of today have the same beliefs as those of their ancestors at the time of the prophet Mohammad, at least those who believe among them. Allah almight has honored the people of the book because they, unlike the pagans for example, had a heavenly religion, which is either Christianity or Judaism. I hope the confusion is cleared up. Assalam Alaikum Shauki