Re: -[Splt] Why does Holy Quran Praise Ahl-e-Kitab (JEWS, Christians) ?
Peace bros SindSagar and tariqlkhan
Below in your quotes are two sides of the coin. SindSagar states that the Qur’an does not call the Jews and Christians Ahlalkitab and tariqlkhan states that it is not an honourable title, but merely a classification.
These two points I think are worth clarifying in accordance to many tafsir both of these are wrong understandings.
Yes, the Qur’an does honour the Jews and Christians and the likes as Ahlalkitab, but that is always attached to an invitation in calling them towards a better and correct understanding. It can be seen as a luring invitation. So the honour is there!
At the same time, the Qur’an does not avoid the issue of making clear the shirk that the Ahlalkitab do. Ahlalkitab are generally a racial denomination it is a label for a type of people. However, mushrikun is not a label for a tribe or geographic type of people, it is a classification of behviour. Therefore it quite possible for Ahlalkitab and Mushrikun to be one in the same. i.e. in the body of Christians who practice shirk with Allah (SWT) with Ar-Ruh and Isa (AS) making them from the mushrikun but at the same time when they are being invited the Qur’an calls them ahlalkitab inviting them to a better way.
There is more of the classification which bridges more than one category …
The munafiqun can be from the Muslims and the non-Muslims. The fasiqun are a subset of the Muslimun, but are separate from the moi’minun. The mohsinun are an exclusive subset of the muslimun which are separate from the moi’minun. Da’lun or Da’leen as in Surah Fatihah refers to the Christians which means ‘Astray’ers’ or people gone astray. Maghdubi’alayhim ‘The ones who earned Your Wrath’ are typically referred to as the Jews, but both Jews and Chrisitans are also called Ahlalkitab … an honourable title.
Some scholars have differentiated between them … they say that only the good and pious and honest from amongst the Jews and Christians are rightfully called Ahlalkitab, but the general, bad and impious from amongst them are rightfully called by their others titles.
However, it is quite possible for the same person to be appointed two titles based on the premise of approach and subject at hand.
When it comes to marrying them … it is best to seek the best from amongst them. The ones who avoid shirk also should be an important criterion.
It is true that Trinity was well established then, but also in those days the population of monotheistic Christians and Jewish Christians was much higher than it is today. The vast monotheists from amongst the Ahlalkitab that were living in the Arab peninsula became Muslim.