Is it understood from the verse: "Say, 'O People of the Scripture, you are not on anything until you uphold the Torah and the Gospel and what has been sent down to you from your Lord'" that the People of the Scripture are required to uphold the rulings of the Torah and the Gospel, even though the Qur'an abrogates what preceded it? And what is intended by the verse, and does it mean following what came in them regarding the command to believe in the Messenger Muhammad (peace be upon him) and the Qur'an?

Not all of the rulings in the Torah and the Gospel have been abrogated by the Qur'an. There is truth in them that has not been distorted, and the Qur'an came confirming that truth, as in His Almighty's saying: "And We have sent down to you, [O Muhammad], the Book in truth, confirming that which preceded it of the Scripture and as a guardian over it." (Al-Ma'idah 5:48). So the Qur'an encompasses what the previous scriptures contained and more. And His Almighty's saying to the People of the Book: "Say, 'O People of the Scripture, you are not upon anything until you uphold the Torah and the Gospel and what has been sent down to you from your Lord.'" (Al-Ma'idah 5:68) clarifies that they have what was revealed from Allah and they are commanded to uphold it. This does not mean that everything they have has not been abrogated, for what is abrogated is little compared to what the laws have agreed upon. Among that truth is the good tidings of the prophethood of Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, so their upholding what is in the Torah and the Gospel necessitates belief in him.

And the verse means that the People of the Book are not upon any religion unless they believe in and uphold what has been sent down to them from their Lord. This includes believing in what is in their books regarding the command to follow Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, and acting upon the remaining rulings of the Torah and the Gospel that have not been abrogated. Some exegetes have indicated that the command to uphold the Torah and the Gospel includes acting upon the undistorted rulings and laws, and that the Holy Qur'an is what perfected the religion. This is a challenge to them, not a testimony to the complete soundness of their books from distortion.