If it is objected that He has described them as associating partners with Him in His words:

“They have taken their rabbis and monks as lords besides Allah, and also the Messiah, son of Mary, though they were commanded only to worship one God. There is no deity worthy of worship except Him. Exalted is He above whatever they associate with Him.”

The reply is that the religion of the People of the Book contains no polytheism in its original form. Allah sent the messengers only with monotheism; thus, those who believed in the messengers and the Scriptures had no polytheism in the original foundation of their religion. The Christians, however, introduced polytheism, as He says:

“Glorified and exalted is He above whatever they associate with Him.”

Wherever He describes them as having associated partners with Him, it is because of the polytheism they introduced, which Allah did not command. They must nevertheless be distinguished from the polytheists, because the original foundation of their religion is adherence to the revealed Scriptures, which taught monotheism, not polytheism. Thus, when they are called the People of the Book, they are not polytheists in that respect, since the Scripture to which they are affiliated contains no polytheism.

Likewise, when we speak of “the Muslims” and “the community of Muhammad,” there is, in that respect, no belief in the union of Creator and creation, no Rāfidism, no denial of divine decree, nor any other such religious innovation among them—even though some who belong to the community have introduced these innovations. However, the community of Muhammad—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—does not unite upon misguidance. There will therefore always remain within it those who follow the law of monotheism, unlike the People of the Book.

Allah, Mighty and Majestic, did not describe the People of the Book as “polytheists,” using the noun. Rather, He said:

“Whatever they associate with Him,”

using the verb. In the verse in al-Baqarah, however, He used the nouns “polytheistic men” and “polytheistic women.” The noun is more emphatic than the verb.