Page 300 - A Call for a Turkish-Islamic Union

A CALL FOR A TURKISH-ISLAMIC UNION

Muslims and the People of the Book
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 mu-
tual 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 be-
tween 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 life-
time, he made agreements and gave assurances that the Christians
and Jews could practice their religions freely and continue their ex-

istence 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.

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