He said: 'They observe the Sabbath.' Mujahid said: 'They are between the Jews and the Christians.' Al-Nasara [Christians].' Al-Suddi and al-Rabi' said: 'They are from the People of the Scripture.' Al-Shafi'i remained hesitant regarding their status. The correct view is that one should investigate them; if they agree with one of the two People of the Scripture in their prophet and their book, then they are of them. If they differ from them in that, then they are not of the People of the Scripture. It is reported regarding them that they say: 'The celestial sphere is a living, speaking entity, and the seven planets are deities.' If they are as such, they are like the idol worshippers. As for the people of the scrolls of Abraham, the scrolls of Seth, and the Psalms of David, the jizya is not accepted from them because they are not of the two groups, and because these scrolls did not contain laws; they were merely admonitions and parables. Thus did the Prophet (peace be upon him) describe the scrolls of Abraham and the Psalms of David in the hadith of Abu Dharr (11). As for those who have a resemblance to the People of the Scripture, they are the Magians [Zoroastrians], for it is reported that they had a book, but it was lifted, and thus they have a resemblance that necessitated the protection of their lives and the taking of the jizya from them, yet no evidence was established for the permissibility of marrying their women or consuming their slaughtered meat (13). This is the position of the majority of scholars. It is reported (14) from Abu Thawr that they are of the People of the Scripture, and that their women are lawful and their slaughtered meat is permissible, based on what was narrated from 'Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) who said: 'I am the most knowledgeable of people regarding the Magians; they had knowledge they learned and a book they studied. Their king became drunk and had intercourse with his daughter or his sister (15). Some of his subjects discovered this. When he sobered up, they came to implement the legal penalty on him, but he resisted them, called his subjects, and said: 'Do you know a religion better than the religion of Adam? For he married his sons to his daughters. I am therefore upon the religion of Adam.' He said: 'A group followed him and fought those who opposed them (16) until they killed them. Thus, they ended up with their book being taken away [into the night] and the knowledge that was in their breasts being lifted. They are people of a book, and the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and Abu Bakr—and I think he said: 'and 'Umar'—accepted the jizya from them.' Narrated by al-Shafi'i, Sa'id, and others (17). And because...