An Inquiry on Muslim-Christian Relations in the Qur'ān

In the Qurʾān, Christians are generally referred as the “People
of the Book” in the meaning of those who believe in a divine book,
and as “Nasārā” in particular. In the verses referring to Christianity,
the good news about the birth of Jesus, his coming into the world and
his miracles are mentioned. Another view in the Qurʾān with respect
to Christianity is the rejection of Jesus’ divinity. As such, in many verses,
Christian belief of trinity is criticized; it is stated that God will not
have children, that Jesus is human and he is the servant and messenger
of God. On the other hand, there are also Qur’anic verses which
praise some amongst the Christians. In this paper, the process analysis
in the Qur’anic verses related to Christianity will be made within the
framework of Meccan and Madinan periods that are crucial in terms
of tracking the developments in the revelation process of the Qurʾān.
Besides that, the question of whether the Qurʾān sees Christians as the
“other” during its 23-year revelation period will be discussed. In addition
to this, this study will give information about Christianity in the
context of the Qur’anic revelation. It will also look into the question
of which Christian sect/school corresponds to the Christianity in the
Arabian Peninsula. However, the nature of miracles attributed to Jesus
will not be mentioned.