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 exonym for Christians in the medieval Islamic world. The term appears in classical religious, legal, and historical writings, where it is employed to describe religious communities, their rights, and their duties in interfaith interactions, including questions of taxation and social status.

In modern usage, Nasara is largely encountered in historical or scholarly contexts. Contemporary Arabic-language references typically prefer terms such as Christians or Ahl al-Kitāb to denote Christian communities, reserving Nasara for linguistic discussion, historical texts, or theological analysis. The term remains an important historical label reflecting how early Islamic societies categorized religious communities and understood their cross-cultural contacts.