137. Whether the food of ‘ The people of the Book’ is permitted for Muslims’.

.In this verse (5:5) we find, the food by ‘the people of the book is permitted to be eaten by Muslims. 

Some are of the opinion that the ‘food of people of the book’ quoted here means vegetarian food and not slaughtered animals. This is wrong. 

As far as vegetarian food is concerned it is permissible even if it is from people who do not constitute part of ‘’the people of the book” Rice,dhall, and vegetables can be eaten from any house, whether from the ‘people of the book or otherwise’..

But what is discussed here is the slaughtered meat of animals used as food by Jews. Prophet Muhammad has eaten in the houses of Jews. Attempt was made by Jews to kill Prophet Muhammad by serving meat laced with poison. There are authentic hadiths regarding this.

Hadith Book Bukhari : (2617)

When there is a restriction to eat animal food only if the animal is slaughtered in the name of Allah, this shows the exemption given to slaughtered meat food from Jews. 

. We cannot assume this (condition about slaughtered meat from Jews is permissible) to have been modified ,because this is one of the verses that was delivered in the last days of Prophet Muhammadh.

(Hadith Book Nasaye 2434)

Hence we witness here, slaughtered meat food from Jews is permitted for us, and we do not have any right to ban something permitted by Allah. But there is a difference of opinion about who ‘ People of the Book’ are.

Though the direct meaning of the word ‘People of the Book’, refers to people who believe in scriptures, the Quran generally refers to Jews and Christians as ‘the people of the book.

Here it should not be taken as meaning all the Jews and Christians till today..Because Prophet Isa was sent to the tribes of Israel exclusively. Torah and Injeel were sent to the Israelites alone, hence the food referred to here is that of those Israelites and not the food of today's Christians and Jews.

Conclusively the scriptures were not revealed to Christians and Jews who were not part of ‘People of the book ‘or’ Tribes of Israel’ and thus eating the slaughtered meat food from such people is prohibited . Hence Slaughtered meat food from the original Tribes of Israel is permitted to muslims, and not ones from Jews and Christians of today. !Please refer to Explanation points 27, 138, for more clarifications.