Who are the People of the Book?
In the name of Allah, the most Beneficent, the most Merciful.
Answer
It is a consensus of the Muslim Ummah that the word ‘book’ is where there exists a certitude, confirmed by the Holy Qur’an to be the Book of Allah, for instance, the Torah, Evangile, Zabur (Psalms) and other scriptures of Saaiduna Musa Alayhis Salam and Saaiduna Ibrahim Alayhis Salam.
Therefore, people who believe in a book but this book does not stand proved through the Holy Qur’an and the Hadith shall not be included under the term ‘People of the Book.’
This tells us that the Jews and Christians who are believers of the Torah and the Evangile respectively are included in the term of ‘People of the Book.’
Finally Mufti Shafi (RA) has said if the Jews and Christians accept and believe in a scripture and claim to follow it- they still be considered as the ‘People of the Book’ even though they may have altered the Torah and the Evangile. (Maariful Quran p.61 v.3)
Only Allah Knows Best
Mohammed Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham
