5 Fascinating Verses From the Quran About Other Religions

Muslims hold the Quran to be the unmediated and perfect Word of God. As such, the scripture lays out both Islam’s belief system and theology along with its social and practical application to the real world. Part of this reality includes the existence of other religions and the fact that many of these religious communities must co-exist side by side. Although the Quran exhorts Muslims to share the message of Islam “in the ways best and most gracious” (16:125), there is tolerance, acceptance, and an embrace of those who continue to pursue other religions. Let’s look at five verses from the Quran that capture this fascinating aspect of Islam.

We must first acknowledge that Muslims have a broad spectrum of interpretations and opinions on this matter. On the least tolerant end, some believe that after the revelation of Islam, there is no other valid and viable path to salvation. Such scholars tend to interpret the following verses as referring to non-Muslims before the Quranic revelation. Moderates may interpret them as only having a practical purpose of maintaining harmony and respect while still believing other religions to be entirely “abrogated” and obsolete. Some may go as far as to say that “the matter lies with God.”

On the most tolerant end, Sufi, modernist, and/or perennialist scholars interpret these verses to indicate a universal acknowledgment and acceptance of other religions as viable paths to spiritual elevation. Unsurprisingly, these more mystical and rationalistic schools of thought were often repressed by the religious establishment. The theological territory gets complex and murky here, and we will not get into it in this article. That being said, we provide some discussion on these five verses from multiple perspectives, as they are arguably the most telling, and, to some, most contentious, Quranic verses regarding other religions.

To give due diligence to the topic, we will consult tafsirs with various interpretations of the following verses, and use al-Wahidi’s (d. 1075 CE) Asbab al-Nuzul, often considered the earliest and most authoritative text on the subject.

“Indeed, the believers, Jews, Christians, and Sabians – whoever ‘truly’ believes in Allah and the Last Day and does good will have their reward with their Lord. And there will be no fear for them, nor will they grieve” (2:62).

This verse appears within the Sura al-Baqarah, which is the longest chapter of the Quran and one of the most explicit in addressing other religious communities. On an initial reading, the Quranic verse provides a sweeping directive – that being rewarded for one’s good deeds is not exclusive to the “believers” (i.e., the believing Muslims). Rather, this guarantee is given to specifically named religious communities of Christians, Jews, and Sabeans (a minor monotheistic community). Even more interesting is the verbiage following these specific communities – anyone who believes in God, in the Last Day (i.e., accountability for one’s actions), and does righteous deeds. With the most generous reading, one could argue that the vast majority of decent human beings could be included in this.

Al-Qushayri (1072 CE), a renowned and early champion of Islamic mysticism (Sufism), provided such an interpretation. So long as one “affirms His signs” in a general sense, and “if they fear [God] in [their] different ways of knowing [Him], all of them will have a beautiful place of return and an ample reward.”

The Quran undoubtedly holds Prophet Muhammad’s revelation as giving the last and optimal religion, being a sort of final fruit in the history of God’s revelations to mankind. Yet the previous fruits, in their original forms, are also considered expressions of the same primordial religion of “Islam.”

Other exegetes take a different position on the matter of this verse, however, believing this open interpretation to give too much leeway to corrosive beliefs of Arab paganism. According to al-Wahidi, the verse was revealed when Salman al-Farsi (d. 653 CE), a Persian companion of the Prophet Muhammad, shared details of the Christian monks he had spent time with before meeting the Prophet. Upon telling of their piety and their attestation of the Prophet Muhammad himself, the Prophet is reported to have said, “O Salman! They are of the dwellers of hell fire.” Whereupon, the previous verse was revealed in what appears to be a correction, assuring the reward for the Christian monks. Due to this circumstance, more exclusivist interpreters see this as proof that the verse’s criteria for salvation refer exclusively to the orthodox Islamic religion and belief.

“There shall be no compulsion in religion. The right course has become clear from the wrong. So whoever disbelieves in the false deity and believes in Allah has grasped the most trustworthy handhold with no break in it. And Allah is Hearing and Knowing.” (2:256)

Islam as a religion was in fact largely spread through military campaigns during the Arab Conquests between 632-750, but the notion that hordes of populations were “forced” into the religion is both historically inaccurate and theologically flawed.

Accounts of this verse’s context vary, but each situation involves a companion of the Prophet Muhammad either wishing to convert a family member from Judaism to Islam or preventing them from converting from Islam to Christianity. As Abdullah Ibn ‘Abbas (d. 687), a young companion of the Prophet Muhammad who became a pioneering Quranic exegete, explains “No one from among the People of the Book and the Magians should be coerced to believe in the divine Oneness of Allah.” The “People of the Book,” or ahl al-kitab, is a Quranic term referring to followers of previous Abrahamic religions. It has also been used as a more general term referring to any adherent to a Divinely revealed religion.

This Quranic injunction makes clear that Muslims are in no manner encouraged to force their religion on others – rather, there is a clear injunction to abstain from evangelism and coercion. The Quran encourages a different approach because “the right course has become clear from the wrong.” In this sense, the truth of Islam should be self-evident to those who learn of it, and those most responsible for representing the truth of the religion are Muslims themselves.

From a more interior standpoint, the verse also alludes to the nature of mankind’s relationship to religion. Compelling an individual in religious matters may be possible externally, but it is impossible internally. Belief and faith cannot be forced on a person – instead, this must dawn on the person of their own accord.

Al-Kashani (d. 1345 CE), a highly esoteric commentator from the school of Ibn al-’Arabi, provides an interpretation regarding the impossibility of compulsion in religion: “​​because in reality religion is the guidance that is acquired from the light of the heart. . . and Islam, which is the exoteric aspect of religion, is built upon this [guidance] and is something in which compulsion can have no place.”

“Yet they are not all alike: there are some among the People of the Book who are upright, who recite Allah’s revelations throughout the night, prostrating ‘in prayer.’

They believe in Allah and the Last Day, encourage good and forbid evil, and race with one another in doing good. They are ‘truly’ among the righteous.

They will never be denied the reward for any good they have done. And Allah has ‘perfect’ knowledge of those mindful ‘of Him.’” (3:113-115)

Al-Wahidi reports the occasion of this revelation when the Prophet Muhammad once delayed the nighttime prayer exceptionally late. When he finally came to lead the congregation, well after midnight, he saw his companions still waiting for him and remarked: “There is no one among the adherents of other religions who is remembering Allah, exalted is He, at this hour except you.” The Quranic verses above were then revealed as a clarification of this statement.

Exoteric exegesis usually explains this verse as clarifying that not all adherents to other religions are alike because some convert to Islam. Some of them are, according to Ibn ‘Abbas, “a community upright with integrity adhering to the Truth, such as ‘Abd Allah ibn Salam (d. 663 CE)” [a former Jewish rabbi who converted to Islam].

More esoteric commentators, such as al-Kashani, provide a more general explanation, that “in other words, there are among [the People of the Book] affirmers of Oneness and people of uprightness.” In the original Arabic, Kashani uses the terms ahl al-tawhid wa al-istiqamah (people of monotheism and integrity/uprightness). As such, being a genuine monotheist and upright individual is obviously not limited to being a Muslim per se.

This once again outlines two specific modes of interpreting the Quran’s apparent praise or acknowledgment of pious individuals within other religions. Either the praise is explained as referring to those who leave their religion for Islam, or as those who remain within their religion but maintain high standards of piety, devotion, and good character.

“Say: O People of the Scripture! Come to a common word between us and you: that we shall worship none but God, and that we shall ascribe no partner unto Him, and that none of us shall take others for lords beside God. And if they turn away, then say: Bear witness that we are they who have surrendered (unto Him).” (3:64)

In 2007, an unprecedented number of Muslim scholars collaborated on and endorsed a joint letter to the world’s Christian community entitled, “A Common Word Between Us and You,” in reference to the above verse. The letter sought to fulfill the verse’s command by elaborating on the common ground between the two religions, such as love of God, love of one’s neighbor, and common conceptions of Jesus Christ’s nature.

The context of this revelation has not received much focus from scholars, perhaps because this injunction is somewhat straightforward. Kashani simply comments on how all prophets and scriptures have attested to the oneness of God. Ibn ‘Abbas and al-Suyuti (d. 1505 CE) take a more conventional interpretation, understanding the verse as an express invitation to accept Islam, basing the argument on the two religions’ shared values and beliefs.

Whatever the intention of the verse, we can note that the Quran’s wording not only acknowledges the existence of other religious communities, but it encourages a degree of civil discourse and dialogue between the two communities. Even if the eventual hope is to persuade the “People of the Book” to see Islam as the final revelation of which their own was a part, Muslims are nonetheless encouraged to seek out common ground with other religious adherents.

5. “To Each Among You, We Have Prescribed a Law and a Way”

“To thee We sent the Scripture in truth, confirming the scripture that came before it, and guarding it in safety: so judge between them by what Allah hath revealed, and follow not their vain desires, diverging from the Truth that hath come to thee.

To each among you have We prescribed a law and an open way. If Allah had so willed, He would have made you a single people, but (His plan is) to test you in what He hath given you: so strive as in a race in all virtues. The goal of you all is to Allah; it is He that will show you the truth of the matters in which ye dispute.” (5:48)

This final verse serves as perhaps the Quran’s greatest testament to interreligious diversity, dialogue, tolerance, and acceptance. The verse first clarifies that the Quran itself confirms the truth of earlier scriptures, and serves as a muhaymin, or guardian, over them. This reassures that the truth of the earlier scriptures which may have been lost or corrupted over time can be clarified by the Quran itself.

Yet interestingly, the verse commands the Prophet Muhammad to “judge between [the People of the Book] by what Allah hath revealed.” This was a common practice at the time, as the populous Jewish tribes within the city of Medina would often seek the Prophet’s arbitration and council in their matters. In doing so, he would either judge according to Quranic law or he would insist that they judge the matter according to their own scripture, the Torah.

In the context commonly ascribed to this revelation, the Prophet confers with a local rabbi about the proper punishment laid down in the Torah. He is told that the Jewish community had not followed the law in this regard for some time. The Prophet then responds, “O Allah! I am the first to reapply your command after they had suspended it.”

Moreover, the reality of religious diversity is construed here not as a problem to be solved, but as a state of the world resulting from deliberate Divine Will and Wisdom. He clearly does not intend for all of mankind to follow one religion, be it Islam, Christianity, or Judaism, but for each to follow their prescribed “law and an open way.” Aside from this attitude of “each to their own,” the verse further guides Muslims on how they themselves should contend with this reality of religious diversity: to understand that it is a test and to strive alongside these other religious adherents to pursue virtue and piety.

The differences between religions, the verse assures, are impossible to iron out in this world and it is not even necessary to do so. Each human being’s goal and final destination is Allah, whether they know it or not. Although many Muslims may disagree on who will be enfolded in Allah’s Mercy, they can at least agree that He will clarify all differences in the end.