Seeking knowledgeFrom the masjid's own video, Jul 25, 2026.
Ahlul Kitab includes other revealed faiths
“The Vedas have more of a right to be called the kitab than the Hebrew Bible.”
In one sentence
The Quranic category of Ahlul Kitab is not limited to Jews and Christians but covers any pre-Islamic organized religion with a book or revealed way, and the early Muslims' expansive understanding of it produced an intellectual and spiritual openness to other civilizations that Muslims must revive today instead of the modern 'clash' paradigm.
The khutbah in 8 steps
- Standard Arabic opening; cites 'these are in the earlier scriptures, the scriptures of Ibrahim and Musa'
- Reframes Ahlul Kitab: all pre-Islamic revealed traditions, not only Jews and Christians; most prophets are unnamed in the Quran
- Historical example: the Sahaba and salaf extended 'the sunnah of Ahlul Kitab' to Zoroastrians, Hindus, Buddhists as Islam spread east
- The opinion that the Vedas may be the Suhuf Ibrahim; preservation through memorization
- This openness gave asymmetric returns: Abbasids absorbed Greek philosophy, Chinese Muslims used Confucian terms, Persian statecraft adopted
- Egyptian civilization and Idris as its prophet; abjad letter-number science; wisdom as the lost property of the believer
- Critique of the modern 'clash of civilizations' mindset as reverse-colonized thinking; Quranic pairs complete rather than fight each other
- Two takeaways: understand Ahlul Kitab broadly and revive/teach this openness; Prophet's mercy even toward his persecutors; dua and announcements
Try this week
Understand and internalize that Ahlul Kitab means any pre-Islamic organized religion, and adopt an open, learning posture toward other faiths and ways of thinking without compromising core belief
Revive this teaching of openness and actively teach it to others so it is not lost
Interact and dialogue with people of other religions seeking benefit (beneficial wisdom is the believer's lost property) rather than assuming hostility
Make dua for the deceased community member (brother Ishfaq Chadri), the sick, and those in need
Attend community activities announced (movie night at 8pm) and follow the masjid app/email; attend the Friday night class on Imam al-Qushayri's Risala
Sources the khateeb cited
Quran 87:18-19Opening verse establishing that the Quranic message is found in earlier scriptures, the books of Ibrahim and Musa, launching the question of where those books are
Quran 5:48Used to define the marker of an Ahlul Kitab community: having a shir'ah, a revealed way or system of conduct
Quran 3:64God addresses all People of the Book calling them to a common word, basis for dialogue rather than conflict
Quran 30:21Pairs in creation (male/female) complete one another, a paradigm of takamul (mutual completion) applied to encountering other religions
Quran 49:13'Allah created us different so that we can know one another', diversity exists for mutual learning, not conflict
Quotes
In the khateeb's words
“that we have a category in the Muslim mind called Ahlul Kitab”
“well then the vedas have more of a right to be called the kitab than the hebrew bible”
“he says when the sahaba came and they saw the pyramids they prayed by the pyramids because they saw in the pyramids one of the signs of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala”
“there's this clash of civilizations there's a war of them against us this is not our paradigm this is”
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