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"''People of the Book''" ( term, primarily related to Islam , describing non-Muslim peoples who, according to the Qur'an , received Scripture s which were Revealed to them by God before the time of Muhammad . In Islam, the Muslim scripture, the '' Qur'an '', is taken to represent the completion of these scriptures, and to supplant them as God's true, final, and eternal message to humanity. However, because the People of the Book recognize the supreme Abrahamic God as the Muslims do, and they practice revealed faiths based on Divine ordinances, a certain level of tolerance and autonomy is accorded to them in societies governed by Sharia (Islamic divine law). The generally accepted interpretation is that the pre-Islamic revealed texts are the Tawrat and the Injil . A ''s and Christian s), but was later extended to include Sikh s, Zoroastrian s, Mandean s, and, in some areas, Hindu sBat Ye'or (1985), p. 45 and Buddhists .The Chach Nama English translation by Mirza Kalichbeg Fredunbeg. Delhi Reprint, 1979. Annemarie Schimmel (2004), p.107, "The conqueror Muhammad Ibn Al Qasem gave both Hindus and Buddhists the same status as the Christians, Jews and Sabaeans in the Middle east". They were all "dhimmi" ('protected people')" Who is a dhimmi? In the classical understanding, the People of the Book are those whose faiths share the following qualities:
The term "People of the Book" is thus taken in classical Orthodox Islam to refer to monotheistic Abrahamic Religion s which are older than Islam. This includes all Christian s, all Jew s (including Karaite s and Samaritan s), and "Sabians" (a Qur'anic term interpreted to refer to the Mandaeans ). Many early Islamic scholars, such as Malik Ibn Anas , agreed that Zoroastrians should also be included. Zoroastrianism is believed by scholars and historians to have been founded between 1000 BCE and 600 BCE making it older than Christianity and Islam. It shares similar eschatological views with Christianity and Islam, and recognizes life after death, Satan (as Angra Mainyu ), Heaven, and Hell. There is no official Zoroastrian viewpoint regarding Adam and Eve or Moses. Generally speaking, only pre-Islamic religions are considered to be the religions of the Book. This is because Muhammad is viewed in Islam as the Seal Of The Prophets , the final prophet that God will ever send to humanity for all time. This means that post-Islamic faiths are not considered religions of the Book in the classical sense, even if they are revealed, scriptural, monotheistic, and/or Abrahamic. The Islamic Conquest Of India necessitated that this definition be revised, because the majority of the inhabitants of India were followers of Indian Religions , and as such were generally regarded as '' Mushrik een'' ( Polytheists ). Scholars have had diverse opinions as to whether or not Hinduism constitutes a religion of the Book. Hinduism was, and still is, the Indian religion with the largest number of followers. However, Hindu Views Of God are diverse and multifaceted, ranging from conventional monotheism, to Panentheism , Monism , Immanence , and pure Polytheism ; many Hindus have a perspective that is somewhere between the extremes of polytheism and monotheism. Because of the substantial Hindu tradition of monism, and the prominent Hindu theological perspective that there is a single Entity ('' Brahman '') which sustains the world, Hindus have often been included as dhimmis. Sikhism has been more readily accepted as a religion of the Book than have the other Indian religions. This is because it is firmly, unequivocally monotheistic. In fact, Allah , the Islamic Name For God , is one of the names of God that is acceptable for use by Sikhs (the main one is Waheguru ). Sikhism is not Abrahamic, but nothing in Sikh theology positions itself in opposition to Abrahamic religion. Thus Sikhs are usually accepted as People of the Book. Buddhism does not explicitly recognize a God, or the concept of prophethood. However, there is no official Buddhist View Of God , and Buddhism does not specifically oppose monotheism. Followers of Ahmadiyyah Islam are usually not offered the protection accorded to dhimmis, because of significant divergence with mainstream Islamic theology (chiefly the belief that the promised Mahdi ( Messiah 's assistant), whose arrival Muslims await, has already come, in the form of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Qadiani .) Persecution of Ahmadis occurs in some Muslim-majority countries, unless the Ahmadis hide their faith. Opinions differ as to whether Ismaili Islam can be considered a religion of the Book. Like Ahmadiyyah Islam, Ismaili Islam diverges markedly from mainstream Islamic doctrine. The same question is often proposed in relation to most (but not all) strains of Sufism . The Yazidi , Druze and Azali faiths are small post-Islamic monotheistic faiths whose adherents mainly reside in Muslim-majority countries. Because they number very few and have seldom disturbed, countered or threatened Muslim authority, they are usually regarded as dhimmis. Some strains of Islam, such as Salafism and Wahhabism , reject all of the above, most especially the followers of Indian religions, as '' Kafir '' (unbelievers). Saudi Arabia , which has the Wahhabi sect of Islam as its state religion, has implemented full sharia law, but does not regard Non-Muslims staying in the country as 'dhimmis'. Numerous non-Arabs, mostly South Asians and Filipinos , have been allowed into the country as Foreign Worker s, some of whom are Muslim, and some of whom are not. However, public practice of a non-Muslim religion in Saudi Arabia is a punishable offence. The definition of "dhimmi" always excludes followers of the Baha'i Faith . This is because the Baha'i Faith, which grew out of Shi'a Islam , is a post-Islamic religion which does not accept the finality of Muhammad's revelation. Instead, Baha'is believe in the concept of Progressive Revelation , which states that God's will is progressively revealed through different teachers at different times, and that there will never be a final revelation. Baha'is refer to the people who bring a new revelation into the world as Manifestations Of God ; the person who is accepted as the current Manifestation of God is Bahá'u'lláh . The Baha'i Faith is revealed, scriptural and Abrahamic, and Baha'is have enormous respect for Muhammad, having accepted him as one of the previous Manifestations of God. However, because they have explicitly repudiated the eternal authority of the Qur'an and Sunnah , they are condemned as '' Murtadeen '' ( Apostates ). They are sometimes also called '' Zandiqa '' (" Atheists "). Baha'is are considered to be subject to the fate of Dar Al-Harb , the doomed pagan world which is not beloved of God. Baha'is have been Badly Persecuted by Muslim regimes up to the present day. The most significant persecution has occurred in Iran , where Baha'is are the most populous religious minority. The exception is Turkey , where a policy of State Secularism has resulted in almost no official persecution. THE QUR'AN ON DHIMMIS There are many statements in the Qur'an that promote tolerance towards People of The Book. For example:
There are also many statements that promote an adversarial relationship. For example:
In other places the Qur'an says:
Throughout Islamic history, Muslims have used these Ayah (verses) to justify a variety of positions towards non-Muslims. In some places and times, Muslims showed a great deal of tolerance towards non-Muslims; in other places and times non-Muslims were treated as enemies and persecuted. Islamic Law demands that Muslims treat Jews and Christians as Dhimmi s, protected citizens who have a number of rights. One ayah in the Qur'an can even be interpreted to encourage a were Zurvanist Zoroastrians, and this verse, specifically mentions them alongside other People of the Book, and lists them ahead of polytheists. ISLAMIC LAW When non-Muslim People of the Book live in an Islamic nation under Sharia law, they become Dhimmi s. They are given a number of rights, such as the right to freely practice their faith in private, in return for state protection, and exemption from military service. They also have some responsibilities, such as the payment of a special tax called Jizyah ("poll tax"), but they are exempted from Zakat which Muslims are required to pay. People of the Book living in non-Islamic nations are not considered Dhimmi s. NOTES FURTHER READING
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