Sabi'a (the Sabians: who they were, whether they are People of the Book, and the rulings on their land, blood money, food and marriage)

Sabi'a is the plural of sabi, one who leaves one religion for another. The Qur'an names them with the other communities in the verse of the Cow (62): those who believe, the Jews, the Christians and the Sabians, whoever believes in God and the last day and does right have their reward with their Lord. Views on who they are include: a people on the religion of Noah; a branch of the Christians more gentle in speech; a People of the Book who read the Psalms; a mixture of Judaism and Magianism, or of Judaism and Christianity, or of Christianity and Magianism; and a people who say "there is no god but God" with no deed, book or prophet. ^{1 2}

• First view: they are People of the Book, held by Abu Hanifa and in one report by Ahmad. Abu Hanifa says they read the Psalms and do not worship the stars, but honour them as Muslims honour the Ka'ba by facing it. Ahmad says in one report that they are Christians, since they follow the Gospel, and in another that they are Jews, since they keep the Sabbath.
• Second view: they are not People of the Book. Al-Qurtubi of the Malikis says they are monotheists who believe the stars act of their own power; al-Istakhri ruled them unbelievers; Abu Yusuf and Muhammad hold this, since star-worship is like idolatry.
• Third view, of the Shafi'is: al-Nawawi says that if they differ from the Christians in the root of their religion they are not of them, and otherwise they are of them; if the Jews and Christians have declared them unbelievers, they are not People of the Book.
• Fourth view: they are two distinct groups: the Harranians, who worship the seven stars, follow no prophet and hold no book, and who took the name Sabians only in the days of al-Ma'mun; and a group of the People of the Book in the region of Kaskar and the marshes, who hold to Yahya and Shith, call themselves Mandaeans, believe in God, the last day and some prophets, wash, and invoke God over slaughtered animals. Ibn Taymiyya adds a third group, monotheists before the Torah and the Gospel, meant in the verse of the Cow. Ibn al-Qayyim holds that they take what is good from the revealed religions and are in better case than the Magians. ^{2 3 4 5 6}

What applies to unbelievers in general applies to them: a Sabian may not marry a Muslim woman, their worship is not valid, and they may not live in the Arabian peninsula, by the report that the Jews and Christians will be expelled from it and that no two religions may remain there. Rulings specific to People of the Book, such as protection by tribute, lawful slaughter and marriage, are disputed according to how one conceives them. ⁶

• Residence outside Arabia: Abu Hanifa allows them to stay and pays tribute as Christians; his companions say no tribute, as star-worship is idolatry; the Malikis allow it, since tribute may be levied on every unbeliever; the Shafi'is allow tribute if they agree with the Christians in the root of their religion, while star-worshippers are not allowed to stay, and al-Istakhri and al-Mahamili advised killing them, but the caliph left them for a large sum; the Hanbalis in the preferred view take tribute, though some say not, since they are idol-worshippers. ^{6 7}
• Blood money: the Hanafis equate the dhimmi's with a Muslim's; the Shafi'is set a Sabian's at the Christian's, a third of a Muslim's; the Hanbalis set eight hundred dirhams if they are not People of the Book, and half or a third if they are; the Malikis as for the Magians, eight hundred dirhams for a man. ^{7 8}
• Food and marriage: Abu Hanifa allows eating their slaughtered animals and marrying their women; his companions say they are heretics and forbid both. The Malikis forbid their slaughter for their strong difference from the Christians. The Shafi'is forbid both if they differ from the Christians in the root of their religion and allow both if they agree, while star-worshippers are judged unbelievers. The Hanbalis have reports allowing both if they are Jews or Christians and forbidding them if they are idolaters. ^{8 9}
• Endowment: Ibn al-Humam says that if they are materialists they are heretics; if they hold the teachings of the People of the Book, their endowment for the poor is valid as a dhimmi's endowment, but not for their own sustenance. ⁹