Question
Who are meant by “Ahl al-Kitāb” in the Qur’an?
Answer
In the Qur’an, the term Ahl al-Kitāb refers specifically to the Jews and Christians. Similarly, wherever the Qur’an mentions “those who were given the Book”, the meaning is also the Jews and Christians.
Scholarly Commentary
❀ ʿAllāmah Ibn al-Qayyim (رحمه الله, d. 751H) said:
عرف القرآن من أوله إلى آخره فى الذين أوتوا الكتاب أنهم أهل الكتابين خاصة، وعليه إجماع المفسرين، والفقهاء، وأهل الحديث
“It is known throughout the Qur’an, from beginning to end, that those who were given the Book are specifically the people of the two Scriptures (the Jews and the Christians). The consensus of the mufassirīn, fuqahāʾ, and ḥadīth scholars is upon this.”
(Aḥkām Ahl al-Dhimmah 2/813)
Qur’ānic Evidence
Allah ﷻ says:
﴿أَن تَقُولُوا إِنَّمَا أُنزِلَ الْكِتَابُ عَلَىٰ طَائِفَتَيْنِ مِن قَبْلِنَا﴾
“…lest you say, ‘The Book was only sent down to two groups before us.’”
(al-Anʿām 156)
This verse clearly points to the two groups: the Jews and the Christians.
Conclusion:The expression Ahl al-Kitāb in the Qur’an refers exclusively to the Jews and Christians, and this is affirmed by ijmāʿ of the scholars of tafsīr, fiqh, and ḥadīth.
