Stories of the People of the Book in the Quran

Author's name: Heinrich Schreiber Publisher: Al-Rafidain for Publishing and Distribution Year of publication: 2018 Literary classification: Religious history Book overview: The stories of the People of the Book in the Quran is the only book of its kind that deeply explores the stories mentioned in the Holy Quran and provides a detailed understanding of the People of the Book and their role in Islamic heritage. Reading this book is beneficial for Muslims and non-Muslims alike to increase knowledge and deepen understanding of interfaith dialogue. The People of the Book is a term used in the Quran to refer to the previous divine religions, namely Jews and Christians. Muslims believe that these previous religions have been distorted and changed over time, and that Islam is the final and ultimate religion that fulfills the earlier messages. In the Quran, the People of the Book are repeatedly mentioned, and many verses discuss the relationship between Muslims and the People of the Book, their rights, and their duties. The People of the Book are considered to possess previous holy scriptures, and Muslims are encouraged to engage in constructive dialogue and peaceful coexistence with them. In this study, Schreiber aims to understand the content of the Quran as a whole. He considers it the only uncontroversial text from the Bible and does not concern himself with the concepts of later Muslim interpreters. He collects stories from the Old Testament and arranges them chronologically according to the Torah, to address the origin and development of individual stories, which reflect the general concept of the Quran regarding Adam, Noah, Moses, and others. The main part of the work focuses on reviewing the individual elements in each story, highlighting the relationship between Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and the Jewish and Christian scriptures, and comparing and analyzing central events between the Quranic concept and what is mentioned in the holy books. This study is considered one of the controversial research works on perceptions of “the other” in Islam and its development.