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Ahl al-Kitab
Arabic: 'al-jizya
In Islam, a term designating religions understood as centred around revealed scriptures.
The religions belonging to this category are Christianity, Judaism and Sabians. The latter group has never been identified, and there are several theories who the Sabians were.
Islam is unique in its declaration of other religions as authentic.
People belonging to Ahl al-Kitab cannot be forced to convert to Islam; non-Muslims beyond the Ahl al-Kitab shall be killed unless they convert to Islam.
Conditions for the Ahl al-Kitab living in a Muslim state, is regulted by dhimmi regulations. Despite belonging to an accepted religion, the dhimmi regulations involved discrimination of non-Muslims.
It is a central part of Muslim learning that messengers had been sent to other peoples before Muhammad brought his message forth among the Arabs. It is what Islam defines as survivors, though imperfect, of such messages. The imperfection of the Ahl al-Kitab religions is often seen as so dramatic that little of the original truth is preserved.
Possibly, also the Zoroastrians belong to the Ahl al-Kitab, judging from Koran 22:17, where the Magians are mentioned, Magians being another designation for Zoroastrians.
Koran sura 22
17 Verily, those who believe, and those who are Jews, and the Sabaeans, and the Christians, and the Magians, and those who join other gods with God, verily, God will decide between them on the resurrection day; verily, God is witness over all. |
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By: Tore Kjeilen
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