Nasara
Nasara is an Arabic term historically used in Islamic literature to refer to Christians. The word Nasara (النصارى) is a common designation for Christians, often rendered as “the Nazarenes” and associated with followers of Jesus, traditionally linked to Nazareth. In Qur’anic and hadith sources, Nasara denotes Christians as a distinct religious community, separate from Muslims and Jews. Christians are described within this framework as People of the Book (Ahl al-Kitāb) who possess a revealed scripture, though the nature of their relationship with Islamic polities and communities varied across periods and contexts.
Linguistically, Nasara is connected to earlier Semitic and Christian traditions and functions as a widely used
In modern usage, Nasara is largely encountered in historical or scholarly contexts. Contemporary Arabic-language references typically