Editing People of the Book (section)

=== Rashidun Caliphate (634–661) ===
During the second caliph [[Umar]]'s reign ({{Reign|634|642}}), the [[Christian community of Najran|Christian community]] of [[Najran]] and the [[History of the Jews in Khaybar|Jewish community]] of [[Khaybar]] were deported to the newly conquered regions of [[Syria (region)|Syria]] and [[Iraq]].{{Sfn|Madelung|1997|p=74}} Umar set aside the Christian ban on the Jews and allowed them to pray and reside in [[Jerusalem]].{{sfn|Dubnov|1980|p=326}} Umar signed a [[Pact of Umar|pact]] with the Christians of Jerusalem, which granted them safety in the region.{{sfn|Meri|2005|p=205}} He also awarded the status of the People of the Book to the Zoroastrians, although some practices contrary to Islam were prohibited.{{sfn|Gordon|2005|p=28}}

At the beginning of the [[Muslim conquest of Mesopotamia]] in {{circa|640}}, the leader of the [[Mandaeans]] (one of 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 [[John the Baptist in Islam|Yahya ibn Zakariyya]]). Consequently, the Muslim authorities afforded them the status of People of the Book.{{Sfn|Buckley|2002|p=5}} However, this account is likely apocryphal, and if it took place at all, it must have occurred after the founding of Baghdad in 762.<ref>{{harvnb|Van Bladel|2017|pp=14, cf. pp. 7–15}}.</ref> The earliest source to unambiguously apply the term 'Sabian' to the Mandaeans was [[Ḥasan bar Bahlul|al-Hasan ibn Bahlul]] ({{floruit|950–1000}}) citing the Abbasid vizier [[Ibn Muqla|Abu Ali Muhammad ibn Muqla]] ({{circa|885}}–940).<ref>{{harvnb|Van Bladel|2017|p=47}}; on the identification of al-Hasan ibn Bahlul's source (named merely "Abu Ali") as Abu Ali Muhammad ibn Muqla, see p. 58.</ref> However, it is not clear whether the Mandaeans of this period already identified themselves as Sabians or whether the claim originated with Ibn Muqla.<ref>{{harvnb|Van Bladel|2017|p=54}}. On Ibn Muqla's possible motivations for applying the Quranic epithet to the Mandaeans rather than to the [[Harran]]ian pagans (who were more commonly identified as 'Sabians' in the Baghdad of his time), see p. 66.</ref>