The Jews and the Christians: People of the Book in Islam (UK British Muslim Guide)

The People of the Book in the Quranic worldview

The Quran calls Jews and Christians Ahl al-Kitāb — "the People of the Book" — recognising them as recipients of earlier divine revelations from the same God Muslims worship. This category is unique in Islamic theology; no other religious community is named this way. For British Muslim families with Jewish and Christian neighbours, colleagues, classmates and (increasingly) family members, understanding the Quranic position on the People of the Book is essential.

This guide is the British Muslim parent\'s reference: the foundational Quranic position, the practical rulings (marriage, food, social interaction), the disagreements that exist, and how to engage Jewish and Christian friends with dignity in modern Britain.

The Quranic recognition

The Quran is unambiguous that Judaism and Christianity originated as monotheistic revelations from the same God Muslims worship. The Tawrāh (Torah) was given to Mūsā ﷺ; the Injīl (Gospel) to ʿĪsā ﷺ; both are named in the Quran as genuine divine scriptures (Surah Al-Māʾidah 5:44-46). Jews and Christians are described as people who received divine guidance, even where Islam disagrees with later doctrinal developments in those communities.

The practical rulings

1. Marriage

A Muslim man may marry a chaste Jewish or Christian woman without her converting (Quran 5:5). She retains her own faith. Their children are raised Muslim. Many British Muslim men in mixed-faith marriages have functional, religiously coherent family lives because of this Quranic permission.

The mainstream Sunni position is that a Muslim woman cannot marry a non-Muslim man (Jewish, Christian, or any other) — the asymmetry is rooted in the principle that household religious leadership in Islam falls to the man, and a non-Muslim husband cannot fulfil that role. Many contemporary Muslim families and scholars debate this asymmetry, but the classical position remains the mainstream.

2. Food

A Muslim may eat the food slaughtered by Jews and Christians (Quran 5:5). The classical interpretation: meat slaughtered according to the Jewish kosher tradition or the Christian tradition (with the name of God invoked) is generally permitted for Muslims. Pork remains forbidden in all cases.

3. Social interaction

Muslims may have Jewish and Christian friends, neighbours, business partners and colleagues. The Prophet ﷺ\'s own life provides direct precedent. He had Jewish neighbours in Madinah; he visited his Jewish neighbour\'s sick son; he stood for the funeral procession of a Jewish man passing his door; he traded with both Jewish and Christian merchants throughout his life.

4. Public dignity

The Quran prohibits insulting or mocking other religious traditions (Surah Al-Anʿām 6:108). Even where Islam disagrees with specific doctrines, the disagreement should be expressed with dignity, not contempt.

The areas of disagreement

Islam disagrees with mainstream Christianity and mainstream Judaism on specific doctrines. These disagreements are real and substantive — pretending they don\'t exist serves nobody:

Disagreements with mainstream Christianity

• The divinity of ʿĪsā (Islam: ʿĪsā is a prophet, not divine)

• The Trinity (Islam: Allah is one without partners)

• The crucifixion (Islam: ʿĪsā was raised to the heavens, not crucified)

• Original sin (Islam: each person is born in a state of fiṭra — natural disposition towards monotheism)

• Salvation by faith alone vs faith with deeds (Islam: both faith and righteous deeds matter)

Disagreements with mainstream Judaism

• The status of ʿĪsā (Islam: he is a prophet of God; mainstream Judaism rejects this)

• The status of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ (Islam: he is the final prophet for all humanity)

• The current Hebrew Bible vs the original Tawrāh (Islam: the original was altered through transmission)

The shared inheritance

Despite the disagreements, much is shared:

• Belief in one God

• Belief in the prophets (substantially overlapping list)

• Belief in revealed scripture (different scriptures, but the principle of revelation is shared)

• Belief in the Day of Judgement

• Belief in angels

• Belief in moral accountability

• Many specific ethical commandments (against murder, theft, adultery, false witness, etc.)

How British Muslim families should engage Jewish and Christian friends

1. Treat them with dignity. They are people of the Book — owed respect as recipients of divine revelation, even where Islam disagrees with later developments.

2. Be honest about the disagreements. Don\'t pretend Islam agrees with the Trinity to make conversation easier. Disagreement with dignity is more credible than evasion.

3. Don\'t mock religious symbols. The Quran prohibits insulting other religions. The cross, the Star of David, the Christian Bible, the Torah — all should be spoken of with respect even where the doctrines they represent are not Islamic.

4. Engage substantively when invited. Many Christian and Jewish friends are genuinely curious about Islam. Substantive conversations from a place of mutual respect are valuable.

5. Maintain Islamic boundaries personally. Engagement does not mean compromise on Islamic practice. You can have dinner with Christian friends without drinking the alcohol on offer; you can attend a Jewish wedding without participating in haram elements; you can be respectful of Christmas without celebrating it religiously.

About contemporary scholar Fadil Soliman

Dr Fadil Soliman is a contemporary Egyptian-American Muslim scholar known for his comparative religion work, particularly his engagement with Christian theology and biblical scholarship. His work focuses on apologetic engagement with the People of the Book from a Muslim perspective — addressing arguments about the divinity of ʿĪsā, the historicity of the crucifixion, and the relationship between the original Injīl and the current Christian Gospels. His material is one source among several for British Muslim families wanting deeper engagement with comparative religious questions.

Frequently asked questions

Where to go next

For more on related topics, see our guides on The Holy Scriptures, Prophet ʿĪsā ibn Maryam, Prophet Mūsā, Ṣafiyya bint Ḥuyayy (the Jewish convert wife of the Prophet ﷺ), and our pillar on Points of Suspicion About Islam. To study the Quranic verses on the People of the Book with a qualified teacher, book a free trial lesson.