{ Surely those who have believed, and those who are Jews, and Christians, and Sabians, those who believe in Allah and the last day, and do good – they have their reward with their Lord, and have no cause for fear, nor will they sorrow } Al-baqara 62

From Mujahid, who said: The Sabians are a people between the Magians [Majus] and the Jews and the Christians, and they do not have a religion … Abu Al-‘Aliya, Al-Rabi’ ibn Anas, Al-Suddi, Abu Al-Sha’tha Jabir ibn Zaid, Al-Dahhak, and Ishaq ibn Rahwaih said: The Sabians are a sect of the People of the Book – they read the Zabur. For this reason Abu Hanifa and Ishaq said: There is no issue with their sacrifices or with having marital relations with them. … Ziyad reported that the Sabians pray towards the qiblah, and they pray the five prayers. … Abu Ja’far Al-Razi said: It came to my knowledge that the Sabians are a people who worship the angels, and read the Zabur, and pray towards the qiblah. … Ibn Abi Al-Zinad related from his father, who said: The Sabians are a people from the area of Iraq, in Kutha, and they believe in all the prophets, and they fast every year for thirty days, and they pray five prayers a day towards Yemen. Wahb ibn Munabbih was asked about the Sabians, and he said: Those who know only Allah, and who have no prescribed law [shari’ah] that they abide by … ‘Abd Al-Rahman ibn Zaid said: The Sabians are one of the religious peoples, who were of the area of Mosul, who said “There is no god but Allah” [“La ilaha illa Allah”], who did not have a specific way of life, nor a book, nor a prophet, only the saying “There is no god but Allah”; he said: They did not believe in a messenger. For this reason the Idolaters would tell the Prophet (SAW) and His Companions that these Sabians resembled them, that is, in saying “There is no god but Allah”. Al-Khalil said: They are a people whose religion resembles the religion of the Christians, except that their qiblah faces toward where the south wind blows; they allege that they follow the religion of Nuh (peace be upon him). Al-Qurutbi narrates from Mujahid, Al-Hasan, and Ibn Najeeh that they are a people who form their religion between that of the Jews and the Magians, but their sacrifices are not eaten and no marital relations are had with their women. … Mujahid, those who follow him, and Wahn ibn Munabbih say that they are a people who do not follow the way of the Jews nor of the Christians nor of the Magians nor of the Idolaters, but rather they remain in their innate disposition [fitrah]. They have no set religion that they follow or emulate, and for this reason the Idolaters would give the nickname of “Sabian” to whoever yielded into Islam, that is, as they came out of all other religions of anyone on earth. And some of the scholars said that the Sabians are those to whom no call of any prophet ever reached. But Allah knows better.