If it is said that Allah Most High’s words,

“The food of those who were given the Scripture is lawful for you,”

refer to fruits and grains, the reply is that this is mistaken for several reasons.

First, these are permissible whether obtained from the People of the Book, polytheists, or Magians, so there would be no point in singling out the People of the Book.

Second, attributing the food to them implies that it became food through their action. This properly applies only to slaughtered animals, which become meat through their ritual slaughter. As for fruits, Allah created them edible; they did not become food through any human action.

Third, He coupled the lawfulness of their food with the lawfulness of marrying their women, and permitted our food to them just as He permitted their food to us. It is well known that the ruling concerning women applies specifically to the People of the Book, not to polytheists; the same therefore applies to the ruling concerning food. The ruling concerning fruits and grains, however, is not specific to the People of the Book.

Fourth, the word “food” is general in scope. Its inclusion of meat and the like is more evident than its inclusion of fruit, so the wording must retain its general scope, especially since it is coupled with Allah Most High’s words:

“And your food is lawful for them.”

We may feed them every kind of our food; likewise, we may eat every kind of their food. Furthermore, it is established in the authentic hadith collections—indeed, through widely transmitted reports:

“The Jewish woman presented the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, with a roasted sheep in the year of Khaybar. He ate a morsel of it, then said: