The passages in Surah Āl Imrān concerning the People of the Book were revealed only when the delegation from Najrān arrived in the ninth or tenth year.

Second, Ibn Salām and others like him are counted among the Companions and the believers, and he is among the best of them; the same applies to Salmān al-Fārisī. It is therefore not said of him that he (1) belongs to the People of the Book. These men receive rewards like those of all other believers; indeed, they will be given their reward twice, and they adhere to all the ordinances of Islam. Their reward is too great for it merely to be said of them:

“Those will have their reward with their Lord.”

Moreover, the standing of these men was manifest and well known, and no one had any doubts about them. What purpose, then, would there be in making a statement about them?

This would be no different from saying: “Islam was embraced both by those who had been polytheists and by those who had belonged to the People of the Book.” Everyone knows this, for Islam was a religion unknown before Muhammad—may Allah bless him and grant him peace. Thus, before embracing it, everyone had been either a polytheist or one of the People of the Book—either a follower of scripture or an unlettered person. What purpose, then, would there be in stating this?