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I've searched and read a fair amount about this on the Internet, and opinions vary heavily. From "Christians and Jews go strait to hell", to "God is all-merciful and looks at the heart".
No doubt there is no consensus on that among the Muslim world, but is there a general, widely-held opinion among Islamic scholars and clergy, or any applicable opinions? Otherwise are we all completely in the dark about this?
Allah said:
”Indeed, those who believed and those who were Jews or Christians or Sabeans - those 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.” (2/62)
The Messenger of Allah said:
”By Him in Whose hand is the life of Muhammad, he who amongst the community of Jews or Christians hears about me, but does not affirm his belief in that with which I have been sent and dies in this state, he shall be but one of the denizens of Hell-Fire.”
[ Sahih Bukhari ]
The only way both of these statements can be true is is that the verse of the Qur’an is specific to the pious people of the book before the Prophet Muhammad PBUH, as the Hadith is specific to those who heard of and rejected Muhammad PBUH
