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94-713: According to Ahmadiyya thought, the name Yuz Asaf is of Buddhist derivation, and possibly from Yusu or Yehoshua (Jesus) and Asaf (the Gatherer). According to Ahmadiyya thought, the Yuz Asaf was a prophet of the ahl-i kitab (People of the Book) whose real name was Isa – the Quranic name for Jesus . The prophet Yuz Asaf came to Kashmir from the West (Holy Land) during the reign of Raja Gopadatta (c 1st century A.D) according to

188-566: A certain madhhab or school of thought'. The word kitāb , meaning 'writing' or 'book', occurs very often in the Quran, generally in the sense of a divine rather than a human activity, which consists in writing down and recording everything that is created. More than just referring to a 'book', it conveys meanings of divine knowledge, divine authority, and divine revelation. The term ahl al-kitāb , then, refers to those who have been given access to such knowledge and revelation: they are

282-472: A distinct, opportunistic ethnos and, alternatively, a Jewish sect. The Dead Sea scrolls ' Proto-Esther fragment 4Q550 has an obscure phrase about the possibility of a Kutha(ean) ( Kuti ) man returning but the reference remains obscure. 4Q372 records hopes that the northern tribes will return to the land of Joseph. The current dwellers in the north are referred to as fools, an enemy people. However, they are not referred to as foreigners. It goes on to say that

376-602: A large fraction of the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh (i.e., Samaritans) remained in Israel after the Assyrian exile. E. Mary Smallwood wrote that the Samaritans "were the survivors of the pre-Exilic northern kingdom of Israel, diluted by intermarriage with alien settlers," and that they broke away from mainstream Judaism in the 4th century BCE. Archaeologist Eric Cline takes an intermediate view. He believes only 10–20% of

470-408: A person, the term ahl identifies the members of that person's household, including their fellow tribesmen, relatives and all those who share a family background with them. However, it may also be used with place names to refer to people living in a certain locality (e.g., ahl al-Madīna in Quran 9:101, 'the people of Medina '), or with more abstract nouns, as in ahl madhhab , 'the people of

564-549: A pottery type he identifies as Mesopotamian clustering around the Menasheh lands of Samaria, that they were three waves of imported settlers. The Encyclopaedia Judaica (under "Samaritans") summarizes both past and present views on the Samaritans' origins. It says: Until the middle of the 20th century it was customary to believe that the Samaritans originated from a mixture of the people living in Samaria and other peoples at

658-751: A rival shrine at Shiloh , thereby preventing southern pilgrims from Judah and the territory of Benjamin from attending the shrine at Gerizim. Eli is also held to have created a duplicate of the Ark of the Covenant , which eventually made its way to the Judahite sanctuary in Jerusalem. In contrast, Jewish Orthodox tradition, based on material in the Bible, Josephus and the Talmud , dates their presence much later, to

752-532: Is cognate with the Biblical Hebrew term Šomerim , and both terms reflect a Semitic root שמר, which means "to watch, guard". Historically, Samaritans were concentrated in Samaria . In Modern Hebrew , the Samaritans are called Shomronim (שומרונים), which also means "inhabitants of Samaria", literally, "Samaritans". In modern English, Samaritans refer to themselves as Israelite Samaritans. That

846-749: Is a classification in Islam for the adherents of those religions that are regarded by Muslims as having received a divine revelation from Allah , generally in the form of a holy scripture . The classification chiefly refers to pre-Islamic Abrahamic religions . In the Quran , they are identified as the Jews , the Christians , the Sabians , and—according to some interpretations—the Zoroastrians . Beginning in

940-511: Is not to be interpreted as signaling a precipitous schism between the Jews and Samaritans, as the Gerizim temple was far from the only Yahwistic temple outside of Judea. According to most modern scholars, the split between the Jews and Samaritans was a gradual historical process extending over several centuries rather than a single schism at a given point in time. The Macedonian Empire conquered

1034-568: Is similar to this, but there is also a verse ( Sūrat al-Ḥajj 22:17) which lists the same groups in another context, that of how God will judge them on the Day of Resurrection , but now adding two more groups to the list: Indeed, the believers, Jews, Sabians, Christians, Magi, and the polytheists—Allah will judge between them ˹all˺ on Judgment Day. Surely Allah is a Witness over all things. The last named group, "the polytheists" (the mushrikūn , lit.   ' those who associate ' ), are

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1128-632: Is to be contracted only after permission from the Christian party, the Ashtiname of Muhammad dictates that the Muslim husband is not allowed to prevent his Christian wife from attending church for prayer and worship . More recently, the term has been reappropriated by Jews and by certain Christian denominations as a means of self-identification vis-à-vis Muslims. When used in conjunction with

1222-600: The Chief Rabbinate of Israel classifies them as ethnic Jews (i.e., Israelites ). However, Rabbinic literature rejected the Samaritans' Halakhic Jewishness because they refused to renounce their belief that Mount Gerizim was the historical holy site of the Israelites. All Samaritans in both Holon and Kiryat Luza are Israeli citizens, but those in Kiryat Luza also hold Palestinian citizenship . Around

1316-584: The Christians of Saint Catherine's Monastery , stated that if a Muslim man wished to marry a Christian woman, marriage could only occur with her consent and she must be permitted to continue attending church to pray and worship. The Ashtiname states that Christians cannot be forced to fight in wars and that Muslims should fight on their behalf; it also states that Christian churches are to be respected and forbids stealing from them. The Ashtiname forbids Muslims to remove Christians from their jobs, including those who serve as judges or monks. Muslims are bound until

1410-529: The Hebrews and Israelites of the ancient Near East . They are indigenous to Samaria , a historical region of ancient Israel and Judah that comprises the northern half of what is today referred to as the West Bank . They are adherents of Samaritanism , an Abrahamic , monotheistic , and ethnic religion that developed alongside Judaism . According to their tradition, the Samaritans are descended from

1504-486: The Indian subcontinent , amended their laws to extend the application of dhimmi status beyond the originally designated Jewish and Christian communities. In the Quran, the term is used in a variety of contexts, from religious polemics to passages emphasizing the community of faith among those who possess scriptures espousing monotheism , as opposed to polytheism or any other form of belief. The designation of People of

1598-568: The Khabur River and to the towns of the Medes . The king of the Assyrians then brought people from Babylon , Kutha , Avva , Hamath and Sepharvaim to place in Samaria. Because God sent lions among them to kill them, the king of the Assyrians sent one of the priests from Bethel to teach the new settlers about God's ordinances. The eventual result was that the new settlers worshipped both

1692-612: The Kitab al-Ta'rikh compiled by Abu'l-Fath in 1355. According to this, a text which Magnar Kartveit identifies as a "fictional" apologia drawn from earlier sources, including Josephus but perhaps also from ancient traditions, a civil war erupted among the Israelites when Eli, son of Yafni , the treasurer of the sons of Israel, sought to usurp the High Priesthood of Israel from the heirs of Phinehas . Gathering disciples and binding them by an oath of loyalty, he sacrificed on

1786-650: The Last Judgment to adhere to the treaty or "he would spoil God's covenant and disobey His Prophet." The policy of the Ottoman Sultans abided by the Ashtiname. During the second caliph Umar 's reign ( r.  634–642 ), the Christian community of Najran and the Jewish community of Khaybar were deported to the newly conquered regions of Syria and Iraq . Umar set aside the Christian ban on

1880-715: The Neo-Assyrian Empire in 720 BCE. The tensions continued in the post-exilic period. The Books of Kings is more inclusive than Ezra–Nehemiah since the ideal is of one Israel with twelve tribes, whereas the Books of Chronicles concentrate on the Kingdom of Judah and ignore the Kingdom of Israel . Accounts of Samaritan origins in respectively 2 Kings 17:6,24 and Chronicles , together with statements in both Ezra and Nehemiah differ in important degrees, suppressing or highlighting narrative details according to

1974-558: The Roza Bal shrine located in Srinagar , Kashmir as the tomb of Jesus. Drawing on Kashmiri oral traditions, as well as the Qur'an , Hadith and accounts by explorers , Mirza Ghulam Ahmad postulated that Jesus travelled to Srinagar , where he settled and married a woman called Maryam (Mary), and that Maryam bore Yuz Asaf children, before he died aged 120 years. He discusses this belief in

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2068-591: The Samaritan script . According to Samaritan tradition, the position of the community's leading Samaritan High Priest has continued without interruption over the course of the last 3600 years, beginning with the Hebrew prophet Aaron . Since 2013, the 133rd Samaritan High Priest has been Aabed-El ben Asher ben Matzliach . In censuses, Israeli law classifies the Samaritans as a distinct religious community , but

2162-626: The 11th century BCE and in accordance with Samaritan beliefs, he is accused of establishing a religious shrine in Shiloh in opposition to the establishment of the original shrine on Mount Gerizim. Once a large community, the Samaritan population shrank significantly in the wake of the Samaritan revolts , which were brutally suppressed by the Byzantine Empire in the 6th century. Their numbers were further reduced by Christianization under

2256-490: The 2nd century BCE, a series of events led to a revolution by a faction of Judeans against Antiochus IV. Anderson notes that during the reign of Antiochus IV (175–164 BCE): the Samaritan temple was renamed either Zeus Hellenios (willingly by the Samaritans according to Josephus) or, more likely, Zeus Xenios, (unwillingly in accord with 2 Macc. 6:2). Josephus quotes the Samaritans as saying: We therefore beseech thee, our benefactor and saviour, to give order to Apollonius,

2350-701: The 2nd century BCE. Overall, the Samaritans were generally more populous and wealthier than the Judeans in Palestine, until 164 BC. Antiochus IV Epiphanes was on the throne of the Seleucid Empire from 175 to 163 BCE. His policy was to Hellenize his entire kingdom and standardize religious observance. According to 1 Maccabees 1:41-50 he proclaimed himself the incarnation of the Greek god Zeus and mandated death to anyone who refused to worship him. In

2444-571: The 8th century, this recognition was extended to other groups, such as the Samaritans (who are closely related to the Jews), and, controversially, Hindus , Buddhists , Jains , and Sikhs , among others. In most applications, "People of the Book" is simply used by Muslims to refer to the followers of Judaism and Christianity , with which Islam shares many values, guidelines, and principles. Historically, in countries and regions following Islamic law ,

2538-452: The Assyrian deportations and replacement of the previous inhabitants by forced resettlement by other peoples but claims a different ethnic origin for the Samaritans. The Talmud accounts for a people called "Cuthim" on a number of occasions, mentioning their arrival by the hands of the Assyrians. According to 2 Kings 17:6, 24 and Josephus , the people of Israel were removed by the king of the Assyrians ( Sargon II ) to Halah , to Gozan on

2632-477: The Assyrian invasion, major cities such as Samaria and Megiddo remained largely intact, and other sites show a continuity of occupation. The Assyrians settled exiles from Babylonia, Elam, and Syria in places including Gezer , Hadid , and villages north of Shechem and Tirzah . However, even if the Assyrians deported 30,000 people, as they claimed, many would have remained in the area. Based on changes in material culture, Adam Zertal estimated that only 10% of

2726-506: The Assyrian invasion. This correlates with expectations from the fact that the Samaritans retained endogamous and biblical patrilineal marriage customs, and that they remained a genetically isolated population. According to Chronicles 36:22–23, the Persian emperor, Cyrus the Great (reigned 559–530 BCE), permitted the return of the exiles to their homeland and ordered the rebuilding of

2820-461: The Book are mentioned several times in the 98th chapter of the Quran, Sūrat al-Bayyina ('The Clear Proof'): [1] The disbelievers from the People of the Book and the polytheists were not going to desist from disbelief until the clear proof came to them: [2] a messenger from Allah, reciting scrolls of utmost purity, [3] containing upright commandments. [4] It was not until this clear proof came to

2914-417: The Book is also relevant to Islamic marriages : a Muslim man is only permitted to marry a non-Muslim woman if she is Jewish or Christian, and he must additionally ensure that any children produced with his Jewish or Christian wife/ wives are raised in the Muslim faith. Muslim women are not permitted to marry non-Muslim men, even if they are Jewish or Christian. In the case of a Muslim–Christian marriage, which

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3008-577: The Book living in an Islamic state . The word literally means "protected person." According to scholars, dhimmis had their rights fully protected in their communities, but as citizens in the Islamic state, had certain restrictions, and it was obligatory for them to pay the jizya tax, which complemented the zakat , or alms, paid by the Muslim subjects. Dhimmis were excluded from specific duties assigned to Muslims, and did not enjoy certain political rights reserved for Muslims, but were otherwise equal under

3102-715: The Book! You have nothing to stand on unless you observe the Torah, the Gospel, and what has been revealed to you from your Lord.” And your Lord’s revelation to you ˹O Prophet˺ will only cause many of them to increase in wickedness and disbelief. So do not grieve for the people who disbelieve. [69] Indeed, the believers, Jews, Sabians and Christians—whoever ˹truly˺ believes in Allah and the Last Day and does good, there will be no fear for them, nor will they grieve. Sūrat al-Baqara 2:62

3196-965: The Book" ( Hebrew : עם הספר, Am HaSefer ) has been reappropriated as a term to designate the Jewish people , in reference to the Torah or to the entire Hebrew Bible . Members of some Christian denominations have also embraced the term "People of the Book" in reference to themselves, foremost among them the Puritans as well as the Seventh-day Adventist Church and the Baptists . Samaritans The Samaritans ( / s ə ˈ m ær ɪ t ən z / ; Samaritan Hebrew : ࠔࠠࠌࠝࠓࠩࠉࠌ ‎ Šā̊merīm ; Hebrew : שומרונים Šōmrōnīm ; Arabic : السامريون as-Sāmiriyyūn ), often preferring to be called Israelite Samaritans , are an ethnoreligious group originating from

3290-1048: The Byzantines and later by Islamization following the Arab conquest of the Levant . In the 12th century, the Jewish explorer and writer Benjamin of Tudela estimated that only around 1,900 Samaritans remained in Palestine and Syria . As of 2024, the Samaritan community numbers around 900 people, split between Israel (some 460 in Holon ) and the West Bank (some 380 in Kiryat Luza ). The Samaritans in Kiryat Luza speak Levantine Arabic , while those in Holon primarily speak Israeli Hebrew . For liturgy, they also use Samaritan Hebrew and Samaritan Aramaic , both of which are written in

3384-713: The God of the land and their own gods from the countries from which they came. In the Chronicles , following Samaria's destruction, King Hezekiah is depicted as endeavouring to draw the Ephraimites , Zebulonites , Asherites and Manassites closer to Judah . Temple repairs at the time of Josiah were financed by money from all "the remnant of Israel" in Samaria, including from Manasseh, Ephraim, and Benjamin. Jeremiah likewise speaks of people from Shechem, Shiloh, and Samaria who brought offerings of frankincense and grain to

3478-538: The Hebrew Bible, they were temporarily united under a United Monarchy , but after the death of Solomon, the kingdom split in two, the northern Kingdom of Israel with its last capital city Samaria and the southern Kingdom of Judah with its capital, Jerusalem . The Deuteronomistic history , written in Judah, portrayed Israel as a sinful kingdom, divinely punished for its idolatry and iniquity by being destroyed by

3572-596: The Horonite , the governor of Samaria, centered around the refortification of the then-destroyed Jerusalem. Despite this political discourse, the text implies that relationships between the Jews and Samaritans were otherwise quite amicable, as intermarriage between the two seems commonplace, even to the point that the High Priest Joiada married Sanballat's daughter. Some theologians believe Nehemiah 11:3 describes other Israelite tribes returning to Judah with

3666-507: The House of YHWH. Chronicles makes no mention of an Assyrian resettlement. Yitzakh Magen argues that the version of Chronicles is perhaps closer to the historical truth and that the Assyrian settlement was unsuccessful, a notable Israelite population remained in Samaria, part of which, following the conquest of Judah, fled south and settled there as refugees. Adam Zertal dates the Assyrian onslaught at 721 BCE to 647 BCE, infers from

3760-508: The Israelite population (i.e. 40,000 Israelites) were deported to Assyria in 720 BCE. About 80,000 Israelites fled to Judah whilst between 100,000 and 230,000 Israelites remained in Samaria. The latter intermarried with the foreign settlers, thus forming the Samaritans. The religion of this remnant community is likely distorted by the account recorded in the Books of Kings, which claims that

3854-406: The Israelite population in Samaria was deported, while the number of imported settlers was likely no more than a few thousand, indicating that most Israelites continued to reside in Samaria. Gary N. Knoppers described the demography shifts in Samaria following the Assyrian conquest as: "... not the wholesale replacement of one local population by a foreign population, but rather the diminution of

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3948-763: The Israelites who, unlike the Ten Lost Tribes of the Twelve Tribes of Israel , were not subject to the Assyrian captivity after the northern Kingdom of Israel was destroyed and annexed by the Neo-Assyrian Empire around 720 BCE. Regarding the Samaritan Pentateuch as the unaltered Torah , the Samaritans view the Jews as close relatives, but claim that Judaism fundamentally alters the original Israelite religion. The most notable theological divide between Jewish and Samaritan doctrine concerns

4042-696: The Jews and allowed them to pray and reside in Jerusalem . Umar signed a pact with the Christians of Jerusalem, which granted them safety in the region. He also awarded the status of the People of the Book to the Zoroastrians, although some practices contrary to Islam were prohibited. At the beginning of the Muslim conquest of Mesopotamia in c.  640 , the leader of the Mandaeans (one of

4136-414: The Judeans. The former lived in the cities of Judah whilst the latter lived in Jerusalem. Benjamites also lived with Judeans in Jerusalem. During Achaemenid rule, material evidence suggests significant overlap between Jews and proto-Samaritans, with the two groups sharing a common language and script, eschewing the claim that the schism had taken form by this time. However, onomastic evidence suggests

4230-425: The Levant in the 330s BCE, resulting in both Samaria and Judea coming under Greek rule as the province of Coele-Syria . Samaria was by-and-large devastated by the Alexandrian conquest and subsequent colonization efforts, though its southern lands were spared the broader consequences of the invasion and continued to thrive. Matters were further complicated in 331 BCE, when the Samaritans rose up in rebellion and murdered

4324-463: The Macedonian-appointed prefect, Andromachus – resulting in a brutal reprisal by the army. Following the death of Alexander the Great , the area became part of the newly partitioned Ptolemaic Kingdom , which, in one of several wars , was eventually conquered by the neighboring Seleucid Empire . Though the temple on Mount Gerizim had existed since the 5th century BCE, evidence shows that its sacred precinct experienced an extravagant expansion during

4418-432: The Mandaeans of this period already identified themselves as Sabians or whether the claim originated with Ibn Muqla. When the Umayyad general Muhammad ibn Qasim ( c.  694 –715) conquered Brahmanabad , he is said to have granted Hindus , Buddhists , and Jains the status of People of the Book. Islamic scholars differ on whether Hindus are People of the Book. The Islamic conquest of India necessitated

4512-415: The Muslim community, such as the consumption of alcohol and pork . Historically, dhimmi status was originally applied to Jews , Christians , and Sabians . This status later also came to be applied to Zoroastrians , Hindus , Jains and Buddhists . Moderate Muslims generally reject the dhimma system as inappropriate for the age of nation-states and democracies. In Judaism , the term "People of

4606-462: The People of the Book that they became divided about his prophethood— [5] even though they were only commanded to worship Allah alone with sincere devotion to Him in all uprightness, establish prayer, and pay alms-tax. That is the upright Way. [6] Indeed, those who disbelieve from the People of the Book and the polytheists will be in the Fire of Hell, to stay there forever. They are the worst of all beings. [7] Indeed, those who believe and do good—they are

4700-473: The People of the Book were expected to be able to recognize Muhammad as a prophet, and the Quran as the final and most complete revelation. Several verses in the Quran are commonly understood as identifying the Jews , the Christians , and the Sabians as People of the Book. Thus for example Sūrat al-Māʾida 5:68–69, which mentions these groups along with the Muslims ("the believers") as being safe from fear and grief: [68] Say, ˹O Prophet,˺ “O People of

4794-579: The Samaritan diaspora in Delos , dating as early as 150–50 BCE, provide the "oldest known self-designation" for Samaritans, indicating that they called themselves "Bene Israel" in Hebrew (English: "Children of Israel", i.e. literally the descendants of the biblical prophet Israel, also known as Jacob, more commonly "Israelites"). In their own language, Samaritan Hebrew , the Samaritans call themselves "Israel", "B'nai Israel", and, alternatively, Shamerim (שַמֶרִים), meaning "Guardians/Keepers/Watchers", and in Arabic al-Sāmiriyyūn ( السامريون ). The term

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4888-433: The Samaritan tradition that they are mainly descended from the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh who remained in Israel after the Assyrian conquest. He states that the description of them at 2 Kings 17:24 as foreigners is tendentious and intended to ostracize the Samaritans from those Israelites who returned from the Babylonian exile in 520 BCE. He further states that 2 Chronicles 30:1 could be interpreted as confirming that

4982-453: The Samaritans as the Cuthaeans. In the biblical account, however, Kuthah was one of several cities from which people were brought to Samaria. The similarities between Samaritans and Jews were such that the rabbis of the Mishnah found it impossible to draw a clear distinction between the two groups. Attempts to date when the schism among Israelites took place, which engendered the division between Samaritans and Judaeans, vary greatly, from

5076-440: The Samaritans assert their distinction from the Judeans based on both race (γένος) and in customs (ἔθος). According to II Maccabees: Shortly afterwards, the Greek king sent Gerontes the Athenian to force the Jews of Israel to violate their ancestral customs and live no longer by the laws of God; and to profane the Temple in Jerusalem and dedicate it to Olympian Zeus, and the one on Mount Gerizim to Zeus, Patron of Strangers, as

5170-449: The Samaritans have long been disputed between their own tradition and that of the Jews. Ancestrally, Samaritans affirm that they descend from the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh in ancient Samaria . Samaritan tradition associates the split between them and the Judean -led southern Israelites to the time of the biblical priest Eli , described as a "false" high priest who usurped the priestly office from its occupant, Uzzi, and established

5264-435: The Samaritans mocked Jerusalem and built a temple on a high place to provoke Israel. Contemporary scholarship confirms that deportations occurred both before and after the Assyrian conquest of the Kingdom of Israel in 722–720 BCE, with varying impacts across Galilee , Transjordan , and Samaria . During the earlier Assyrian invasions, Galilee and Transjordan experienced significant deportations, with entire tribes vanishing;

5358-480: The Samaritans, which he appears to use interchangeably. Among them is a reference to Khuthaioi , a designation employed to denote peoples in Media and Persia putatively sent to Samaria to replace the exiled Israelite population. These Khouthaioi were in fact Hellenistic Phoenicians/Sidonians. Samareis (Σαμαρεῖς) may refer to inhabitants of the region of Samaria, or of the city of that name, though some texts use it to refer specifically to Samaritans. The origins of

5452-459: The Temple ( Zion ). The prophet Isaiah identified Cyrus as "the L ORD 's Messiah ". As the Babylonian captivity had primarily affected the lowlands of Judea, the Samarian populations had likely avoided the casualties of the crisis of exile, and in fact, showed signs of widespread prosperity. The books of Ezra–Nehemiah detail a lengthy political struggle between Nehemiah , governor of the new Persian province of Yehud Medinata , and Sanballat

5546-458: The ancient documents held by the current custodian of the tomb. According to Tarikh-i-Kashmir , a history of Kashmir written between 1579–1620, Yuzu Asaf was a Prophet of God who travelled to Kashmir from a foreign land. In 1747, a local Srinagar Sufi writer, Khwaja Muhammad Azam Didamari , stated that the Roza Bal is a shrine to a foreign prophet and prince, Youza Asouph. Indologist Günter Grönbold in his Jesus in Indien assesses that

5640-453: The beginning of the Babylonian captivity. In Rabbinic Judaism , for example in the Tosefta Berakhot , the Samaritans are called Cuthites or Cutheans ( Hebrew : כותים , Kutim ), referring to the ancient city of Kutha , geographically located in what is today Iraq . Josephus in both the Wars of the Jews and the Antiquities of the Jews , in writing of the destruction of the temple on Mt. Gerizim by John Hyrcanus , also refers to

5734-404: The best of all beings. [8] Their reward with their Lord will be Gardens of Eternity, under which rivers flow, to stay there for ever and ever. Allah is pleased with them and they are pleased with Him. This is only for those in awe of their Lord. According to Islamic studies scholar Yvonne Haddad , this short chapter condemns all those who reject the 'clear proof' ( bayyina ) of the Prophet to

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5828-426: The biblical story of Moses ordering Joshua to take the Twelve Tribes of Israel to the mountains by Shechem ( Nablus ) and place half of the tribes, six in number, on Mount Gerizim, the Mount of the Blessing, and the other half on Mount Ebal , the Mount of the Curse. The narratives in Genesis about the rivalries among the 12 sons of Jacob are viewed by some as describing tensions between north and south. According to

5922-615: The book Jesus in India . More recent Ahmadiyya writers assert that the tomb of Mary , the mother of Jesus is in Murree , Pakistan. Mirza Ghulam Ahmad's use of various Hindu and Islamic sources have been deemed to be misunderstandings or distortions by various scholars of Buddhism including the Swedish scholar Per Beskow in Jesus in Kashmir: Historien om en legend (1981), the German indologist Günter Grönbold , in Jesus in Indien - Das Ende einer Legende (1985) and Norbert Klatt , in Lebte Jesus in Indien?: Eine religionsgeschichtliche Klärung (1988). His views are considered heretical by

6016-419: The chronicles, and a variety of non-Samaritan materials. According to the former, the Samaritans are the direct descendants of the Joseph tribes, Ephraim and Manasseh, and until the 17th century CE they possessed a high priesthood descending directly from Aaron through Eleazar and Phinehas. They claim to have continuously occupied their ancient territory and to have been at peace with other Israelite tribes until

6110-422: The definition be revised, as most India's inhabitants were followers of the Indian religions . Many of the Muslim clergy of India considered Hindus as people of the book, and from Muhammad bin Qasim in the Umayyad era to the Mughal ruler Aurangzeb in the 17th century, Muslim rulers were willing to consider Hindus as People of the Book. Dhimmi is a historical term referring to the status accorded to People of

6204-448: The early Hellenistic era, indicating its status as the preeminent place of Samaritan worship had begun to crystallize. By the time of Antiochus III the Great , the temple "town" had reached 30 dunams in size. The presence of a flourishing cult centered around Gerizim is documented by the sudden resurgence of Yahwistic and Hebrew names in contemporary correspondence, suggesting that the Samaritan community had officially been established by

6298-426: The eternal fire of hell, whether they are People of the Book or disbelievers ( kuffār ). The People of the Book are also referenced in the jizya verse ( Q9:29 ), which has received varied interpretations . The Quran permits marriage between Muslim men and women who are People of the Book (Jews and Christians). The Ashtiname of Muhammad , a treaty purportedly made between the Muslims of Muhammad and

6392-425: The existence of a distinct northern culture. Some inhabitants of Samaria during this period identified with Israelite heritage. This connection is evidenced in two ways: first, through biblical accounts of local officials' involvement with the Jerusalem Temple, and second, through naming patterns. Many names recorded in the Wadi Daliyeh documents and on Samaritan coins feature Israelite elements. Sanballat's sons bore

6486-403: The governor of this part of the country, and to Nicanor, the procurator of thy affairs, to give us no disturbances, nor to lay to our charge what the Jews are accused for, since we are aliens from their nation and from their customs, but let our temple which at present hath no name at all, be named the Temple of Jupiter Hellenius. In the letter, defended as genuine by E. Bickerman and M. Stern ,

6580-654: The laws of property, contract, and obligation. Under sharia , the dhimmi communities were usually subjected to their own special laws, rather than some of the laws which were applicable only to the Muslim community. For example, the Jewish community in Medina was allowed to have its own Halakhic courts , and the Ottoman millet system allowed its various dhimmi communities to rule themselves under separate legal courts. These courts did not cover cases that involved religious groups outside of their own community, or capital offences. Dhimmi communities were also allowed to engage in certain practices that were usually forbidden for

6674-449: The local Israelite religion was perverted with the injection of foreign customs by Assyrian colonists. In reality, the surviving Samaritans continued to practice Yahwism . This explains why they did not resist Judean kings, such as Hezekiah and Josiah, imposing their religious reforms in Samaria. Magnar Kartveit argues that the people who later became known as Samaritans likely had diverse origins and lived in Samaria and other areas, and it

6768-524: The local population", which he attributed to deaths from war, disease and starvation, forced deportations, and migrations to other regions, particularly south to the Kingdom of Judah. The state-sponsored immigrants who had been forcibly brought into Samaria appear to have generally assimilated into the local population. Nevertheless, the Book of Chronicles records that King Hezekiah of Judah invited members of

6862-500: The majority Sunni Islamic scholars, who assert that Jesus is alive in heaven. Muslims living near the shrine believe Yuz Asaf was a Sufi saint . Ijaz, Tahir (1986). "Yuz Asaf and Jesus: The Buddhism Connection" (PDF) . The Review of Religions. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 August 2017 . Retrieved 23 May 2020 . People of the Book People of the Book , or Ahl al-Kitāb ( Arabic : أهل الكتاب ),

6956-689: The meaning of their name signifies Guardians/Keepers/Watchers [of the Law/ Samaritan Pentateuch ] , rather than being a toponym referring to the inhabitants of the region of Samaria, was remarked on by a number of Christian Church fathers, including Epiphanius of Salamis in the Panarion , Jerome and Eusebius in the Chronicon , and Origen in The Commentary on Saint John's Gospel. Josephus uses several terms for

7050-489: The nature of God and creation were in accordance with those of Islam and the other religions recognized as having received a revelation. Ultimately though, most Islamic jurists granted the Zoroastrians partial status as a People of the Book, while still disagreeing on the extent to which legal privileges such as intermarriage with Muslims should be allowed. The Quran emphasizes the community of faith between possessors of monotheistic scriptures, and occasionally pays tribute to

7144-510: The opposite of the first named, "the believers" (the Muslims). What is less clear, however, is the status of the groups mentioned in between, who now also include the "Magi" ( al-majūs ), that is to say, the Zoroastrians (who are named only once in the Quran, in this verse). This was a matter of dispute among medieval Muslim scholars, who questioned whether the Zoroastrians had a clear prophet and scripture, as well as whether their doctrines on

7238-518: The people to whom God has 'sent down' (see tanzīl ) his wisdom by means of a prophet , as an act of divine grace . However, the revelations given to the People of the Book, taking the form of the Torah ( al-Tawrāt ), the Psalms ( al-Zabūr ), and the Gospel ( al-Injīl ), were all partial, and it is precisely by already being familiar with the books ( kutub ) previously sent down that

7332-485: The religious and moral virtues of communities that have received earlier revelations, calling on Muhammad to ask them for information. More often, reflecting the refusal of Jews and Christians in Muhammad's environment to accept his message, the Quran stresses their inability to comprehend the message they possess but do not put into practice and to appreciate that Muhammad's teaching fulfills that message. The People of

7426-617: The religious communities that were recognized by Muslims as People of the Book were subject to a legal status known as dhimmi , meaning that they had the option to pay a special head tax called jizya in exchange for being granted the privilege to practice their faith and govern their community according to the rules and norms of their own religion. Jizya was levied on all mentally and physically capable adult males from these recognized non-Muslim communities. Practitioners of non-recognized religions were not always granted this privilege, although many later Islamic states , particularly those in

7520-653: The religious groups who historically claimed to be the Sabians mentioned in the Quran), Anush bar Danqa , is said to have traveled to Baghdad in order to appear before the Muslim authorities, showing them a copy of the Ginza Rabba (the Mandaean holy book), and proclaiming the chief Mandaean prophet to be John the Baptist (known to Muslims as Yahya ibn Zakariyya ). Consequently, the Muslim authorities afforded them

7614-612: The shrine was previously Hindu, before the Islamization of Kashmir and is possibly the grave of a Buddhist or Hindu saint rather than a Sufi, but, in any case, has no connection with Jesus or Christianity. Having stumbled upon research by Russian explorer Nicolas Notovitch , Mirza Ghulam Ahmad , the founder of the Ahmadiyya movement, identified Yuz Asaf as a name that Jesus of Nazareth may have assumed following his crucifixion and migration from Palestine. Ahmad further identified

7708-526: The status of People of the Book. However, this account is likely apocryphal, and if it took place at all, it must have occurred after the founding of Baghdad in 762. The earliest source to unambiguously apply the term 'Sabian' to the Mandaeans was al-Hasan ibn Bahlul ( fl.  950–1000 ) citing the Abbasid vizier Abu Ali Muhammad ibn Muqla ( c.  885 –940). However, it is not clear whether

7802-463: The stone altar, without using salt, a rite which made the then High Priest Ozzi rebuke and disown him. Eli and his acolytes revolted and shifted to Shiloh , where he built an alternative Temple and an altar, a perfect replica of the original on Mt. Gerizim. Eli's sons Hophni and Phinehas had intercourse with women and feasted on the meats of the sacrifice, inside the Tabernacle . Thereafter Israel

7896-408: The theophoric Israelite names Delaiah and Shelemiah, while the name "Jeroboam", used by northern Israelite kings during the monarchic period, also appears on Samaritan coins. The archaeological evidence can find no sign of habitation in the Assyrian and Babylonian periods at Mount Gerizim, but indicates the existence of a sacred precinct on the site in the Persian period, by the 5th century BCE. This

7990-542: The time of Ezra down to the destruction of Jerusalem (70 CE) and the Bar Kokhba revolt (132–136 CE). The emergence of a distinctive Samaritan identity, the outcome of a mutual estrangement between them and Jews, was something that developed over several centuries. Generally, a decisive rupture is believed to have taken place in the Hasmonean period . The Samaritan traditions of their history are contained in

8084-562: The time of the conquest of Samaria by Assyria (722–721 BCE). The biblical account in II Kings 17 had long been the decisive source for the formulation of historical accounts of Samaritan origins. Reconsideration of this passage, however, has led to more attention being paid to the Chronicles of the Samaritans themselves. With the publication of Chronicle II (Sefer ha-Yamim), the fullest Samaritan version of their own history became available:

8178-496: The time when Eli disrupted the Northern cult by moving from Shechem to Shiloh and attracting some northern Israelites to his new followers there. For the Samaritans, this was the "schism" par excellence. Furthermore, to this day the Samaritans claim descent from the tribe of Joseph. Josephus, a key source, has long been considered a prejudiced witness hostile to the Samaritans. He displays an ambiguous attitude, calling them both

8272-454: The tribes of Ephraim , Zebulun , Asher , Issachar and Manasseh to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover after the destruction of Israel. In light of this, it has been suggested that the bulk of those who survived the Assyrian invasions remained in the region. Per this interpretation, the Samaritan community of today is thought to be predominantly descended from those who remained. The Israeli biblical scholar Shemaryahu Talmon has supported

8366-457: The tribes of Reuben , Gad , Dan , and Naphtali are never again mentioned. Archaeological evidence from these regions shows that a large depopulation process took place there in the late 8th century BCE, with numerous sites being destroyed, abandoned, or feature a long occupation gap. In contrast, archaeological findings from Samaria—a larger and more populated area—suggest a more mixed picture. While some sites were destroyed or abandoned during

8460-489: The various intentions of their authors. The emergence of the Samaritans as an ethnic and religious community distinct from other Levant peoples appears to have occurred at some point after the Assyrian conquest of the Israelite Kingdom of Israel in approximately 721 BCE. The annals of Sargon II of Assyria indicate that he deported 27,290 inhabitants of the former kingdom. Jewish tradition affirms

8554-527: The world's holiest site, which the Jews believe is the Temple Mount in Jerusalem and which Samaritans believe is Mount Gerizim near modern Nablus and ancient Shechem . Both Jews and Samaritans assert that the Binding of Isaac occurred at their respective holy sites, identifying them as Moriah . The Samaritans attribute their schism with the Jews to Eli , who was a High Priest of Israel around

8648-459: The world, there are also significant and growing numbers of communities, families, and individuals who, despite the fact that they are not part of the Samaritan community, identify with and observe the tenets and traditions of the Samaritans' ethnic religion. The largest community outside the Levant, the "Shomrey HaTorah" of Brazil (generally known as neo-Samaritans worldwide), has approximately 3,000 members as of February 2020 . Inscriptions from

8742-439: Was split into three factions: the original Mt. Gerizim community of loyalists, the breakaway group under Eli, and heretics worshipping idols associated with the latter's sons. Judaism emerged later with those who followed the example of Eli. Mount Gerizim was the original Holy Place of the Israelites from the time that Joshua conquered Canaan and the tribes of Israel settled the land. The reference to Mount Gerizim derives from

8836-509: Was the temple project on Mount Gerizim that provided the unifying characteristic that allows them to be identified as Samaritans. Modern genetic studies support the Samaritan narrative that they descend from indigenous Israelites. Shen et al. (2004) formerly speculated that outmarriage with foreign women may have taken place. Most recently the same group came up with genetic evidence that Samaritans are closely linked to Cohanim , and therefore can be traced back to an Israelite population prior to

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