People of the Book

In the Qur'an, Mohammad (peace be upon him) mentions those whom he calls the People of the Book. They are the ones to whom God (Baruch haShem) has given a revelation of His character and purposes, and they have kept a record of it in sacred Scripture. In his day, these were the Christians and the Jews. Mohammad (pbuh) recognizes their founders as great prophets who passed on to their people the words of God (BhS), giving them the guidance they needed to live their lives in righteousness, and explaining what God (BhS) desires and what he expected them to do. God's ideals and priorities are clearly laid out in these sacred works, but people being what they are did not always do as they were supposed to do. The messages were slowly twisted by dogma and obscured by self-interested interpretations and speculations. Maybe this cannot be avoided, but it does not please God (BhS). It is merely the blind leading the blind. Mohammad (pbuh) had no patience with this kind of foolishness, but saw that our paths to God (BhS) needed to be purified of such dross.

Mohammad (pbuh) became a prophet because he was discontent with the messages brought to him by those who claimed to speak for God (BhS). He retreated into the mountains to try to sort out the truth for himself. God (BhS) loves those who seek Him ardently with purity of heart, and often comes to them with visions. This time, He sent the angel Gabriel to teach Mohammad the Qur'an. As time progressed, the Qur'an became a new sacred Book. But Mohammad saw into the future and knew that even this Qur'an would eventually be covered over with humanity's dross, so he declared, "I shall be the Seal of the Prophets," and this shall be the last of the sacred Scriptures to begin a new religion. It is pointless to start any new religions when there is already enough guidance to be found by those who truly seek God (BhS).

But Mohammad (pbuh) retained his respect for the prophets who had come before him. Their Books held essential ideas and principles both necessary and sufficient to guide any one who would seek God (BhS) along the paths they marked. Mohammad (pbuh) only spoke against them in the places where they went wrong. He insisted that there can only be one God, and that He is a Unity, without any peer or divisions - which is true, and he declared that observing the 613 laws promulgated among the Jews would only succeed in making one into a Jew - which is also true. If one sincerely seeks God (BhS), it is enough to be a person of faith keeping the laws of Noah, to be strictly ethical and carefully rational, and to be devoted to God (BhS) through submission to His will and service to His plan. The People of the Book who follow in this way are of equal stature before God (BhS), even with the most pious and "good works" muslim. We all stand in need of His infinite compassion, mercy and grace.