Tafsir of Al Imran 3:113

Virtues of the People of the Scriptures Who Embrace Islam Muhammad bin Ishaq and others, including Al-Awfi who reported it from Ibn Abbas, said; "These Ayat were revealed about the clergy of the People of the Scriptures who embraced the faith. For instance, there is Abdullah bin Salam, Asad bin Ubayd, Tha`labah bin Sa`yah, Usayd bin Sa`yah, and so forth. This Ayah means that those among the People of the Book whom Allah rebuked earlier are not at all the same as those among them who embraced Islam. Hence Allah's statement,

ليسوا سواء

Not all of them are alike.'' Therefore, these two types of people are not equal, and indeed, there are believers and also criminals among the People of the Book, just as Allah said,

من أهل الكتاب أمة قايمة

a party of the People of the Scripture stand for the right, for they implement the Book of Allah, adhere to His Law and follow His Prophet Muhammad. Therefore, this type is on the straight path,

يتلون آيات الله آناء الليل وهم يسجدون

they recite the verses of Allah during the hours of the night, prostrating themselves in prayer. They often stand in prayer at night for Tahajjud, and recite the Qur'an in their prayer

يومنون بالله واليوم اﻻخر ويٲمرون بالمعروف وينهون عن المنكر ويسارعون في الخيرات وأوليك من الصالحين