THE AFFIRMATIVE IMAGE OF CHRISTIANS IN THE QUR

چکیده مقاله

"Christianity" is of the religions closest to Islam historically. In the Qur'an, the followers of Christ are mentioned or addressed both in specific words and also under general titles along with other religions. Due to the abundance of mention of Christians in the Qur'an, gaining accurate knowledge of this people from the perspective of the Qur'an is necessary for the Islamic society. Quran takes a realistic and friendly approach to picture the followers and disciples of Jesus which can be a model for communicating them in the present time. Putting together affirmative verses about the followers of Jesus helps to reconsider the pattern of communication with them, and from this perspective is a window to the unity of religions and world peace. This descriptive-analytical study aims to collect and systematize the Qur'anic verses about Christians in the first place, and then with the help of Quran commentators, while pointing to the reason of naming, interpretations and address of "Christians" in the Qur'an as Nasārā , to state that although the followers of Christ have been criticized and rebuked in some verses, in many cases they have been praised according to the verses of the Qur'an.