al-nabi), as well as “May blessing and peace be
upon him” (alayhi al-salat wal-salam). Invoking
blessing and peace upon Muhammad is con-
sidered to be an expression of devotion that is
endorsed by the Quran, which states, “God and
the angels bless the Prophet. O you believers!
Bless him and greet him with peace” (Q 33:56).
In Islamic popular religion calling for blessing and
peace upon Muhammad is believed to bring God’s
blessing (baraka) and repel evil from the person
using it. Some Muslims believe it will win those
who use it Muhammad’s intercession on JUdg-
ment day. Such phrases are recited in Sufi dhikr
rituals and included in amulets that are worn on
the body or displayed in homes, businesses, and
vehicles.
See also aFterliFe; amUlets and talismans;
prophets and prophecy.
Further reading: Constance E. Padwick, Muslim Devo-
tions: A Study of Prayer-Manuals in Common Use (1961.
Reprint, Rockport, Mass.: Oneworld, 1996), 152–166,
220–232.
People of the Book (Arabic: ahl al-kitab;
alternately “those who have been given the
book” [alladhina utu al-kitab])
Muslims believe that their religion is related to that
of the Jews and Christians through the holy books
God has revealed in human history to his proph-
ets. This belief is evident when they call Jews and
Christians “People of the Book,” signifying that
they understand the qUran to be related to the
torah of moses, the Psalms (Zabur) of david, and
the gospel of JesUs. All three holy books have
their origin in a single divine source—God. As
Muslims encountered new people they also used
this designation for Zoroastrians of iran, Sabians
(identified with the Mandeans of southern iraq or
the Yazidis of northern Iraq/southeastern tUrkey),
Hindus, Buddhists, and Sikhs. In the light of the
historical evidence the use of this designation,
therefore, was somewhat flexible, especially out-
side the Middle East. In terms of the sharia the
People of the Book held special legal status under
Muslim rule. As the people granted protection
(ahl al-dhimma, or dhimmis), Jews and Christians
enjoyed minority legal status that allowed them
to have their own religious authorities and follow
their own religious laws, as long as they paid the
jizya tax (irregularly enforced), remained loyal to
the state, and did not attempt to convert Mus-
lims or otherwise undermine the religion of the
state—Islam.
The source for the labeling Jews, Christians,
and others as People of the Book is the Quran,
where the phrase occurs 31 times (plus an addi-
tional 21 times in the alternative phrasing). It
occurs predominantly in the chapters that Mus-
lim tradition ascribes to the medina period of
mUhammad’s career, between 622 and 632. This
was when he and his followers had to negoti-
ate their relations as a religious minority with
other religious and social groups, as reflected in
the so-called Constitution of Medina. A number
of quranic verses depict relations of the faithful
Muslims (muminin) with others in terms of the
commonalities of their belief in one God and his
prophets, as reflected in Q 29:46–47 and 3:64, 84.
Many of the passages, however, reflect adversarial
relations between the three Abrahamic religions,
based largely on the assertion that Jews and Chris-
tians did not recognize Muhammad as a prophet
and that some of them had joined with the idola-
ters and disbelievers (for example, Q 2:105, 109).
This latter charge was connected with the Jewish
anticipation of a messianic savior and the Chris-
tian belief in JesUs as the son of God, as stated
in sura 9 Repentance, where some of the most
polemical statements against the People of the
Book are to be found. There believers are urged,
“Fight those who have been given the Book who
do not believe in God and the Last Day, who do
not forbid what God and his prophet have forbid-
den, and do not follow the true religion until they
pay the jizya tax with their own hands. They are
contemptible” (Q 9:29).K 548 People of the Book