all the slogans of tolerance, coexistence, and dialogue—has assumed numerous guises and adopted a variety of methods, employing every kind of instrument at its disposal. The whole enterprise seeks to sap the Muslims’ religious feeling and fervor, causing them to splinter and making it easier to dominate them in the realms of thought and culture as well as in politics and economics. At the same time it paves the way for missionaries and secularists; together they collaborate in assailing Islam, the Noble Qur’an, the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—and his call, and then the Prophet’s Companions—may Allah be pleased with them—who carried this religion forth.

What has been mentioned above, and much else besides, obliges the scholars, thinkers, and leaders of Islam to discharge their duty of calling people to this faith. In so doing they must clarify its reality and rulings and refute the doubts stirred up by spiteful, ignorant, or ill-intentioned detractors, whether those enemies are openly hostile or masked and covert.

These scholars have indeed fulfilled their obligation, in both past and present. Among them is the eminent scholar Imam Abu ʿAbd Allah Muḥammad ibn Abi Bakr ibn Ayyub, Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah (d. 751 AH). His book “Guidance for the Perplexed in Answers to the Jews and Christians” stands as eloquent testimony to the manner in which—may Allah have mercy on him—he carried out this duty. It is therefore only fitting that the work receive the scholarly attention it deserves in study and publication, so that benefit from it may continue by Allah’s permission.

Accordingly, before presenting the text of the book we shall preface it with a number of sections that deal with the beginnings of dialogue with the People of the Book, the most important works that arose from these debates and disputations, and then the relationship of Islam to Judaism and Christianity, interspersed with some