Commentary

الَّذِينَ آتَيْنَاهُمُ الْكِتَابَ مِن قَبْلِهِ هُم بِهِ يُؤْمِنُونَ (As for those to whom We gave the Book before this, they believe in it. (Qur'an) - 28:52). In this verse those people of the book are mentioned who had faith in the prophethood of the Holy Prophet ﷺ and revelation of the Qur'an on the basis of the prophesies given by Torah and Injil, even before the coming of the Holy Prophet ﷺ and the Qur'an. Thus they converted to Islam when the Holy Prophet ﷺ announced his prophethood. Sayyidna Ibn ` Abbas ؓ has reported that forty courtiers of the king Najashi of Habshah (Ethiopia) came to Madinah when the Holy Prophet ﷺ was busy in the Battle of Khybar. They also joined the jihad, and some got wounded, but none was killed. When they noticed the economic hardship of the companions, they told the Holy Prophet ﷺ that they were, by the grace of Allah, quite wealthy, and sought his permission to bring some of it when they would come next. On this occasion this verse was revealed الَّذِينَ آتَيْنَاهُمُ الْكِتَابَ مِن قَبْلِهِ هُم بِهِ يُؤْمِنُونَ ﴿52﴾ وَإِذَا يُتْلَىٰ عَلَيْهِمْ قَالُوا آمَنَّا بِهِ إِنَّهُ الْحَقُّ مِن رَّ‌بِّنَا إِنَّا كُنَّا مِن قَبْلِهِ مُسْلِمِينَ ﴿53﴾ أُولَـٰئِكَ يُؤْتَوْنَ أَجْرَ‌هُم مَّرَّ‌تَيْنِ بِمَا صَبَرُ‌وا وَيَدْرَ‌ءُونَ بِالْحَسَنَةِ السَّيِّئَةَ وَمِمَّا رَ‌زَقْنَاهُمْ يُنفِقُونَ ﴿54﴾ (52 - 54). (Marduya, Tabrani, Mazhari)

Sayyidna Said Ibn Jubair ؓ has narrated that when Sayyidna Ja'far ؓ had gone to Habshah before the hijrah to Madinah, and presented the teachings of Islam in the court of Najashi, at that time Najashi and many of his courtiers, who were people of the book, had submitted to Islam, as Allah Ta` ala had put faith in their hearts. (Mazhari)