Surah Al-Qasas, Ayah 53

The Believers among the People of the Book

Allah tells us that the pious scholars among the People of the Book believe in the Qur'an, as He says:

الَّذِينَ آتَيْنَـهُمُ الْكِتَـبَ يَتْلُونَهُ حَقَّ تِلاَوَتِهِ أُوْلَـئِكَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِهِ

(Those to whom We gave the Book recite it as it should be recited, they are the ones who believe therein) (2:121).

وَإِنَّ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَـبِ لَمَن يُؤْمِنُ بِاللَّهِ وَمَآ أُنزِلَ إِلَيْكُمْ وَمَآ أُنزِلَ إِلَيْهِمْ خَـشِعِينَ للَّهِ

(And there are, certainly, among the People of the Scripture, those who believe in Allah and in that which has been revealed to you, and in that which has been revealed to them, humbling themselves before Allah) (3:199).

Is the word Muslim restricted to the Ummah of Muhammad ﷺ or it is common to all Ummahs?

إِنَّا كُنَّا مِن قَبْلِهِ مُسْلِمِينَ (And we are the ones who submitted (to it) even before it (was revealed) - 28:53). The word used by these people of the book for their submission is 'muslims' which may also be translated as ` We were Muslims even before the revelation of Qur'an'. If the word Muslim is taken here in its literal meaning, submissive or obedient, then the meaning is quite clear that the faith they had in Qur'an and the Holy Prophet ﷺ ، because of their books, is referred here by the use of words Islam and Muslims in its literal sense of submission. But if the word 'Muslim' is taken in the same meaning in which it is regarded as appellation of the Ummah of Muhammad ﷺ ، then it will signify that the words 'Islam' and 'Muslim' are not restricted to Ummah of Muhammad ﷺ alone, but they are common to the Ummahs of all the prophets. But some verses of Qur'an suggest that words 'Islam' and 'Muslim' are special names of the Ummah of Muhammad ﷺ ، for example the assertion of Sayyidna Ibrahim I recorded by the Qur'an itself هُوَ سَمَّاكُمُ الْمُسْلِمِينَ (He named you as Muslims - 22:78). ` Allamah Suyuti favours this course of argument and has written a book on the subject in support or his contention. He has explained this verse advocating that the word Muslimin is used here in the sense that` we were ready and prepared to accept Islam even before'. If one looks at the issue deeply, there is no conflict in the two versions; it is possible that Islam is the common attribute of the religion of all the prophets in its literal sense, and at the same time it is a special appellation of the Ummah of Muhammad ﷺ . It is like the appellations of Siddiq and Faruq that are exclusive for Abu Bakr and ` Umar ؓ in the context of Ummah of Muhammad ﷺ but otherwise these words can apply to anyone else also falling within the scope of their attributive meaning.

The real criterion for the acceptance or rejection of the message of Truth is its assessment on the basis of its inherent worth. If the message itself establishes that it is inherently a greater Truth, then that is sufficient to warrant its acceptance. Only Truth can answer Truth. If a man denies a truth and is unable to produce any other superior truth in its place, it indicates that he is denying the Truth as a result of following the dictates of his base desires. Those who behave in this way, have gone astray and are the worst of people. Such people will be treated as transgressors by God.