is likewise shared by the People of the Scripture and by those who possess no revealed book at all. Yet the People of the Scripture are marked by particular kinds of knowledge and practice that they inherited from the prophets—matters that no one who is not himself a prophet could possibly attain on his own. This advantage is plain to see in the sphere of morals and in the management of household and civic affairs. Indeed, as a class, the People of the Scripture—even though their own dispensations have been abrogated and altered—are still in a better condition than those who have no book at all. Their superiority is especially obvious in acts of worship and in faith in Allah and the Last Day.

By contrast, there are branches of knowledge and modes of action whose harm outweighs their benefit—such as sorcery, talismans, and all forms of idolatrous practices used to enlist the service of devils. In these dark arts, those who are not among the People of the Scripture may be more accomplished, but only because the People of the Scripture have no need for them, being content with that which is far more beneficial to them in both this world and the next. For this reason, when Allah—exalted is He—recounted the story of Solomon, He declared him innocent of