“Indeed, those who believe, the Jews, the Sabians, the Christians, the Magians, and those who associate partners with Allah.”

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, although they were commanded only to worship one God. There is no deity worthy of worship except Him. Exalted is He above what they associate with Him.”

The answer is that the religion of the People of the Book contained no polytheism in its original form. Allah sent the messengers only with monotheism, so the religion of all those who believed in the messengers and the Scriptures originally contained no polytheism. The Christians, however, introduced polytheism into their religion, as He says:

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

Thus, wherever He describes them as having associated partners with Him, it is because of the polytheism they introduced, which Allah did not command. Wherever He distinguishes them from the polytheists, it is because their religion was originally based on following the revealed Scriptures, which taught monotheism, not polytheism.

Thus, if it is said that the People of the Book were not polytheists in this respect, this is because the Scripture with which they are associated contains no polytheism. This is like saying that the Muslims—the community of Muhammad—have, in this respect, neither the doctrine that Creator and creation are one, nor Rāfidī doctrines, nor denial of divine decree, nor any other such innovations, even though some who belong to the community have introduced these innovations. Yet the community of Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, does not agree unanimously upon misguidance. There will therefore always remain within it those who follow the law of monotheism, unlike the People of the Book.

Moreover, Allah, Mighty and Majestic, did not describe the People of the Book using the noun “polytheists.” Rather, He used a verb in the phrase “above what they associate with Him.” In the verse in al-Baqarah, He says: