“Those to whom We have given the Book know this as they know their own sons.” Who is ‘this’ in the verse above?

“Those to whom We have given the Book know this as they know their own sons. Those who have lost their own souls refuse therefore to believe.”

- How is the interpretation of verse 20 of the chapter of al-An'am?

- Who knows whom?

Dear Brother / Sister,

The verse mentioned in the question is as follows:

“Those to whom We have given the Book know this as they know their own sons. Those who have lost their own souls refuse therefore to believe.” (al-An'am, 6/20)

Zamakhshari and many other scholars state that what the People of the Book knows in the verse is Hz Muhammad (pbuh); some scholars say it is the Quran. (see Zamakhshari, Shawkani, Ibn Ashur, Elmalılı, the interpretation of verse 20 of the chapter of al-Anam)

According to the first understanding, the People of the Book, especially Christians, knew that there were some signs about the prophethood of Hz. Muhammad (pbuh) in their holy books. (see al-A'raf 7/157)

According to Ibn Ashur, who thinks that the second understanding is more appropriate, the scholars of the People of the Book knew that the Quran came from Allah because it contained information that were mentioned in their own books. Besides, they also knew the one that proclaimed the Quran since there was information in their books about the last Prophet.

Another verse of the Quran regarding the issue is as follows:

“The people of the Book know this as they know their own sons; but some of them conceal the truth which they themselves know. The Truth is from thy Lord; so be not at all in doubt.” (al-Baqara, 2/146-147)

It is emphasized in the verse above that the People of the Book knew Hz. Muhammad (pbuh) due to his characteristics mentioned in the Gospel and the Torah as they distinguished their own children from others. According to a narration, Hz. Umar asked the Jewish scholar Abdullah b. Salam, “Did you really know Hz. Muhammad as you know your own children – based on your book?” He said, “We knew him better than our own children”. (see Tabari, Qurtubi, Razi, Ibn Kathir, Ibn Ashur, Nasafi, the interpretation of verse 146 of the chapter of al-Baqara)

An important point regarding the issue is as follows: If the issues that the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) laid emphasis on and stated to have existed absolutely in the Torah had not existed, Jewish scholars like Abdullah b. Salam – who believed in him – would not have remained in the religion of Islam and would have returned to their previous religion before others. The same thing was valid for Christian scholars too. Their sincere devotion to the religion of Islam throughout their lives is a clear indication of the trueness of the verse and the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).

According to what is understood from the word "know", what is meant by the People of the Book is Jews and Christian scholars. There are various explanations in tafsir books about who or what the thing or person is.

According to all of the narrations Tabari reports, what they knew is the fact that Masjid al-Haram is the qiblah. (Tabari, the interpretation of the verse in question)

However, Razi regards this interpretation as weak and adopts the view that the prophethood of Hz. Muhammad (pbuh) is meant in the verse due to the following reasons:

a) It is mentioned just before this statement that knowledge reached the Prophet; this knowledge is prophethood in the general sense.   

b) The Quran states that there is information in the holy books of Jews and Christians about the advent of the Prophet but that no information exists about the Kaaba’s being the qiblah. Therefore, what the People of the Book know is the prophethood of Hz. Muhammad (pbuh).

c) It is a miracle that the People of the Book was informed about something before it happened; the miracle regarding the issue is that the information existing in their holy books that Hz. Muhammad (pbuh) is really a prophet. The change of the qiblah was informed through revelation; it is necessary to accept the Prophet first in order to believe the revelation. It is stated in the verse that the People of the Book knew that Prophet due to the information given in their books and hence they have to accept his prophethood.  

In conclusion, Allah gave information in the Torah and the Gospel that the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) would come. (see al-A'raf 7/157; as-Saff 61/6) Jews and Christians were waiting for a prophet but they thought he would come from their own nations since they had a racist and bigoted mentality. Therefore, they could not accept it that an orphan from a humble family among Arabs grew up and was chosen as a prophet by Allah; they rejected his other proclamations including the decree about the qiblah. Thus, they also concealed a truth that they knew through their holy books.

It is stated in verse 147 that no matter what the People of the Book say the real truth is the knowledge and decrees expressed by Allah; and Muslims are warned through the Prophet (pbuh) that they should not have any doubts due to the wrong ideas put forward by Jews and Christians related to the change of the qiblah and the other religious and social issues.

Such a warning exists at the end of verse 145 too: “If thou after the knowledge hath reached thee, Wert to follow their (vain) desires,-then wert thou Indeed (clearly) in the wrong.”

Similar warnings are present in many other verses; they all aim to teach Muslims the fact that they should maintain their own values and faith without being influenced by foreign cultures and that they can survive only by doing so. That the Muslims, especially intellectuals, were influenced by the intellectual world of Jews and Christians throughout the last century and that they assumed some skeptical, imitative and gradually denying understandings, the identity crises caused by this degeneration and that those crises were transformed into ethical, social, political and economic unrests show how vitally important this warning of the Quran is for the Islamic societies.

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