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Fatwa CenterSabeans in Verses 5:69, 2:62, 22:17
Question
Can you please explain the difference between the next 3 verses? 5:69, 2:62, 22:17. Why is the word Sabe'oun repeated as Sabe'een in the other Surahs, and what is the difference between them?
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad 
is His slave and Messenger.
The meaning of verses you want to understand are as follows:
Allah Says (what means):
• {Indeed, those who believed and those who were Jews or Christians or Sabeans [before Prophet Muhammad] - those [among them] who believed in Allah and the Last Day and did righteousness - will have their reward with their Lord, and no fear will there be concerning them, nor will they grieve.} [Quran 2:62]
• {Indeed, those who have believed [in Prophet Muhammad] and those [before Him] who were Jews or Sabeans or Christians - those [among them] who believed in Allah and the Last Day and did righteousness - no fear will there be concerning them, nor will they grieve.} [Quran 5:69]
• Allah also Says (what means): {Indeed, those who have believed and those who were Jews and the Sabeans and the Christians and the Magians and those who associated with Allah - Allah will judge between them on the Day of Resurrection. Indeed Allah is, over all things, Witness.} [Quran 22:17]
Firstly, (those who believe) means those who believed in the Prophethood of Muhammad . But, Sufyan said: “It means al-Munafiqoon (hypocrites). That is why Allah has mentioned them with Jews, Christians and as-Sabi'een (Sabeans), and then explained that those who believe in Allah and the Last Day will face neither fear nor grief.
Secondly, (those who are the Jews) means those who follow the Jewish scriptures and are named after Judah, a son of Jacob. Also it means those who repent and return to the truth.
Thirdly, (the Christians) means those who supported Jesus 
.
Fourthly, (as-Sabi'een) means a past nation used to live in Al-Mausal (Iraq) and say La Ilaaha Illa Allah and used to read the Psalms [Az-Zaboor] and they were neither Jews nor Christians.
Fifthly, (the Magis) are worshippers of fire; a very ancient cult, located in Persian and Median uplands and their religion was reformed by Zoroaster.
As for your question about (as-Sabi'een and as-Sabi'oun), it is an issue related to the branch of linguistics that deals with the grammatical arrangement of words and morphemes in sentences, in Arabic language.
For more benefit, please refer to Fatwa 90175.
Allah knows best.
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