The Excess of the People of the Book in Religion

God warned the People of the Book against excess (ghuluww) in their religion: “Say, O People of the Book, do not commit excess in your religion.” What is meant by religion (dīn) is the totality of beliefs and jurisprudential, legal, ethical, and practical laws that have come in the heavenly books. The religion of all divine prophets is Islam: “Indeed, religion in the sight of God is Islam”,(133) which is based on monotheism (tawḥīd) and free from any kind of excess (ifrāṭ) and negligence (tafrīṭ).

However, the People of the Book, contrary to the teachings of the original Torah and Gospel, were people of excess and negligence: the Christians committed excess regarding Christ and called him God: “They have certainly disbelieved who say, ‘God is the Messiah, the son of Mary’”,(134) and the third of three: “They have certainly disbelieved who say, ‘God is the third of three’”,(135) and the son of God: “And the Christians say, ‘The Messiah is the son of God’.”(136) The Jews also committed negligence regarding that personage and his mother, considering him the son of an unchaste woman: “And [We cursed them] for their disbelief and their saying against Mary a great slander”,(137) just as they committed excess regarding Ezra (ʿUzayr) and considered him the son of God: “The Jews say, ‘Ezra is the son of God’.”(138)

The true and moderate position is that Jesus (a.s.), son of Mary, is a servant and messenger of God: “The Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary, was but a messenger of God and His word which He directed to Mary.”(139)

And the garment of the Lady Mary (a.s.) is also pure from contamination, and she too is God’s chosen one: “And [the example of] Mary, the daughter of ʿImrān, who guarded her chastity”;(140) “O Mary, indeed God has chosen you and purified you and chosen you above the women of the worlds.”(141)