Muslims and the People of the Book

In the Qur'an, Allah calls Jews and Christians the "People of the Book" and reveals in detail how the Muslims should interact with them. From the birth of Islam onward, compassion and mutual understanding between Muslims and the People of the Book have usually been very good, for even though their holy books and some of their beliefs have been tampered with, they still have many moral values and concepts based upon Divine revelation. In the Qur'an, Allah encourages respectful and civilized conduct between Muslims and the People of the Book. For example, Muslims can eat their food and vice versa, and Muslim men can marry their women (Surat al-Ma'ida: 5). These rules show that it is possible for individuals belonging to these three religious communities to have friendly and neighborly relations, bond as relatives, and accept each other's invitations to share a meal.

Our Prophet, (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), was always just and compassionate to Jews and Christians and sought to establish an atmosphere of mutual compassion and love among all members of these Divinely revealed religions. During his lifetime, he made agreements and gave assurances that the Christians and Jews could practice their religions freely and continue their existence in autonomous communities. In the early years of Islam, some of the Muslims who had endured Meccan oppression and cruelty sought refuge with Negus, the Christian king of Ethiopia, with the Prophet's (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) blessing. On the other hand, the believers who migrated to Madinah with him developed a model of coexistence that became an example for all succeeding generations. In the period of Islam's growth, this entered history as an example of Muslim compassion and justice toward Jews and Christians.

For instance, the text of an agreement dictated by our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and written down by the Christian Ibn Harris b. Ka'b and his fellow Christians stated: "The religion, churches, lives, chastity and goods of all Christians living in the East and the West are under the protection of Allah, the Prophet and all believers. None of those living by Christianity will be forced to turn to Islam. If any Christian is subjected to any killing or injustice, Muslims must help him."³⁴And then read this verse from the Qur'an: "Only argue with the People of the Book in the kindest way, saying, 'We believe in what has been sent down to us and what was sent down to you." (Surat al-'Ankabut: 46)

Numerous accounts relate that our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) attended Jewish and Christian wedding receptions, visited their sick, and hosted them generously. When the Christians of Najran visited him, he spread out his cloak and asked them to be seated thereon. His marriage to the Egyptian Christian Maria is an example of this mentality. Following his death, the good treatment accorded to the People of the Book had at its heart the same compassion that the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) had shown toward these two communities throughout his life.

AN INTERVIEW WITH MR. ADNAN OKTAR BY THE GULF TODAY, NOVEMBER 2nd, 2008 Adnan Oktar: The people of Israel are descended from the prophets, they are the children of our own prophets. They follow the law of the Prophet Moses (pbuh), and they have brought that law, that faith, right down to the present day. It is therefore irrational and incompatible with good conscience to try to deprive these immaculate people of their state and nation, to seek to exile them or refuse them the right to life.Muslims are affectionate and compassionate and full of love. They are our brothers, of course, and have the right to live. They are first-class people, who live as they choose, trade and engage in art and science in the region. So why should they be exiled or troubled or deprived of the right to peaceful life? No reasonable person could accept that. Nor do I accept it. Of course they must live in peace and happiness, and have their security guaranteed. They will live in plenty and abundance in the Turkish-Islamic Union. The commandment of the Qur'an is crystal clear, as are the Sunnah and practices of our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). The people of the Book were perfectly at ease in the time of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). The people of Israel were perfectly at ease. They were living in Jerusalem then, in the region that is Israel. They were happy and wealthy. Our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) treated them with love and affection. One can marry Jewish girls, eat meat they have prepared, sit down at their tables, visit their homes and be friends with them, and that was what happened in the time of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and is his Sunnah. The same applies to Christians. As you know, one of the Prophet's (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) wives was a Christian. She is our mother, whom we recall with love and respect. I am not only talking about Judaism here. The same goes for Christians. They are also people with the right to live in happiness and peace, with the right to comfortable lives, with the right to live in wealth and abundance, and we must see they enjoy and rejoice in it.