Yahya - Justice and Tolerance in the Qur'an (2003)

THE PEOPLE OF THE BOOK IN THE OUR'AN
45
Today all good things have been made lawful for you.
And the food of those given the Book is also lawful for
you and your food is lawful for them. So are chaste
women from among the believers and chaste women
of those given the Book before you, once you have
given them their dowries in marriage, not in
fornication or taking them as lovers. But as for anyone
who disbelieves, his actions will come to nothing and
in the hereafter he will be among the losers. (Qur'an,
5:5)
Throughout Islamic history, the People of the Book have
been always treated with tolerance in Muslim societies. This
was particularly evident in the Ottoman Empire. It is a well
known fact that the Jews, whose rights were denied and were
exiled by the Catholic Kingdom of Spain, took refuge in the
lands of the Ottoman Empire. As will be dealt with in detail
in the following sections, when Sultan Mehmed the
Conqueror captured Istanbul, he granted both Christians and
Jews all their fundamental rights. Throughout Ottoman
history, Jews were regarded as a People of the Book and
enjoyed peaceful coexistence with Muslims.
How Should a Muslim Regard Judaism?
As exemplified in the previous pages, throughout his life,
the Prophet (pbuh) treated the People of the Book with the
utmost tolerance and justice. Thanks to this noble attitude,
Abdullah ibn Salam, a prominent rabbi, and his friends
converted to Islam and came to believe in his prophethood.
The practices of the Inquisition in European history,