Ahl al-Kitab, the People of the Book, is the Quran's name for the Jews and Christians. Ahl means people or family, and al-Kitab means the Book, the scripture. They are called this because Allah sent them a revealed book through His prophets: the Tawrah (Torah) to Musa and the Injil (Gospel) to Isa. Muslims believe in those books as Allah first revealed them, and believe the Quran is the last revelation, which confirms what was true in them.
Where the word comes from
Kitab comes from the root k-t-b, to write, which also gives kataba, he wrote, and maktab, a desk or school. The Quran also calls them "those who were given the Book" (alladhina utul-kitab), as in 5:5. The phrase ahl al-kitab itself comes 31 times in the Quran, and 12 of those are a direct call: "O People of the Book".
Who is included
- Jews (al-Yahud), the followers of the Torah given to Musa.
- Christians (an-Nasara), the followers of the Gospel given to Isa. Most scholars, Hanafis included, count Christians who believe in the Trinity as People of the Book, since the Quran addresses them as People of the Book while correcting that belief (4:171).
- Zoroastrians (al-Majus) are not People of the Book in the Quran's sense. Umar took the jizya from Magians once Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf told him the Prophet ﷺ had taken it from the Magians of Hajar (Sahih al-Bukhari 3157), but most scholars do not allow their slaughter or marriage to their women.
- The Sabians (2:62) are discussed below; scholars differed over them because it was unclear what they believed.
The People of the Book in the Quran
The best-known verse is the invitation to a common word:
قُلْ يَٰٓأَهْلَ ٱلْكِتَٰبِ تَعَالَوْا۟ إِلَىٰ كَلِمَةٍۢ سَوَآءٍۭ بَيْنَنَا وَبَيْنَكُمْ أَلَّا نَعْبُدَ إِلَّا ٱللَّهَ وَلَا نُشْرِكَ بِهِۦ شَيْـًۭٔا وَلَا يَتَّخِذَ بَعْضُنَا بَعْضًا أَرْبَابًۭا مِّن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ ۚ فَإِن تَوَلَّوْا۟ فَقُولُوا۟ ٱشْهَدُوا۟ بِأَنَّا مُسْلِمُونَ ﴿٦٤﴾
Qul yaa Ahlal Kitaabi ta'aalaw ilaa Kalimatin sawaaa'im bainanaa wa bainakum allaa na'buda illal laaha wa laa nushrika bihee shai'anw wa laa yattakhiza ba'dunaa ba'dan arbaabam min doonil laah; fa in tawallaw faqoolush hadoo bi annaa muslimoon
Say, "O People of the Scripture, come to a word that is equitable between us and you - that we will not worship except Allah and not associate anything with Him and not take one another as lords instead of Allah." But if they turn away, then say, "Bear witness that we are Muslims [submitting to Him]."
Quran 3:64 · Sahih International · Read in Surah Al-Imran
The Quran is fair to them. "They are not [all] the same; among the People of the Scripture is a community standing [in obedience], reciting the verses of Allah during periods of the night and prostrating [in prayer]" (3:113). It praises those who believe "in Allah and what was revealed to you and what was revealed to them" (3:199), and tells Muslims: "do not argue with the People of the Scripture except in a way that is best" (29:46). It also corrects them where they went wrong: on Isa as the son of God (4:171), on changing the scripture (2:79), and on turning away from the clear evidence when it came to them (98:1).
In the hadith
لَا تُصَدِّقُوا أَهْلَ الْكِتَابِ وَلَا تُكَذِّبُوهُمْ، وَقُولُوا آمَنَّا بِاللَّهِ وَمَا أُنْزِلَ
"Do not believe the People of the Book and do not call them liars, but say: We believe in Allah and what has been revealed..." (to the end of the verse, 2:136)
Sahih al-Bukhari 4485, from Abu Hurayrah
That is the rule for their reports that the Quran neither confirms nor denies. The Prophet ﷺ also said that any Jew or Christian who hears of him and dies without believing in what he was sent with will be among the people of the Fire (Sahih Muslim 153). So Islam honours their prophets and books, and still calls them to the final message.
Their food and marriage
ٱلْيَوْمَ أُحِلَّ لَكُمُ ٱلطَّيِّبَٰتُ ۖ وَطَعَامُ ٱلَّذِينَ أُوتُوا۟ ٱلْكِتَٰبَ حِلٌّۭ لَّكُمْ وَطَعَامُكُمْ حِلٌّۭ لَّهُمْ ۖ وَٱلْمُحْصَنَٰتُ مِنَ ٱلْمُؤْمِنَٰتِ وَٱلْمُحْصَنَٰتُ مِنَ ٱلَّذِينَ أُوتُوا۟ ٱلْكِتَٰبَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ إِذَآ ءَاتَيْتُمُوهُنَّ أُجُورَهُنَّ مُحْصِنِينَ غَيْرَ مُسَٰفِحِينَ وَلَا مُتَّخِذِىٓ أَخْدَانٍۢ ۗ وَمَن يَكْفُرْ بِٱلْإِيمَٰنِ فَقَدْ حَبِطَ عَمَلُهُۥ وَهُوَ فِى ٱلْءَاخِرَةِ مِنَ ٱلْخَٰسِرِينَ ﴿٥﴾
Alyawma uhilla lakumut taiyibaatu wa ta'aamul lazeena ootul Kitaaba hillul lakum wa ta'aamukum hillul lahum wal muhsanaatu minal mu'minaati walmuhsanaatu minal lazeena ootul Kitaaba min qablikum izaaa aataitumoohunna ujoorahunna muhsineena ghaira musaafiheena wa laa muttakhizeee akhdaan; wa mai yakfur bil eemaani faqad habita 'amaluhoo wa huwa fil Aaakhirati minal khaasireen
This day [all] good foods have been made lawful, and the food of those who were given the Scripture is lawful for you and your food is lawful for them. And [lawful in marriage are] chaste women from among the believers and chaste women from among those who were given the Scripture before you, when you have given them their due compensation, desiring chastity, not unlawful sexual intercourse or taking [secret] lovers. And whoever denies the faith - his work has become worthless, and he, in the Hereafter, will be among the losers.
Quran 5:5 · Sahih International · Read in Surah Al-Maidah
This verse, from Surah Al-Ma'idah, gives two rulings that apply to no other non-Muslims: the food of the People of the Book, meaning the meat they slaughter, is lawful for Muslims, and a Muslim man may marry a chaste Jewish or Christian woman. Scholars set conditions on both:
Hanafi positionMeat slaughtered by a Jew or Christian is halal when the animal is slaughtered properly, by cutting the throat and the main vessels, and no name other than Allah's, such as the Messiah's, is said over it. If you hear another name said, it is not halal. A Muslim man's marriage to a chaste Jewish or Christian woman is valid but disliked (makruh), and more strongly disliked where she lives outside Muslim lands, out of concern for the children's faith. A Muslim woman may not marry a man from the People of the Book; on this all the schools agree. Abu Hanifa counted the Sabians as People of the Book, since they followed a prophet and a scripture; his students Abu Yusuf and Muhammad did not, holding that they worshipped the stars.
Other madhhabs
- Shafi'i
- Their slaughter and their chaste women are lawful. The school adds a condition about the woman's lineage in her religion, and mentioning Allah's name is a sunnah, not a condition, though meat sacrificed to other than Allah is never halal.
- Maliki
- Their slaughter is lawful, and what they slaughter for their churches or festivals is disliked. Marriage to a Jewish or Christian woman is allowed but disliked.
- Hanbali
- Their slaughter and marriage to their chaste women are lawful, as 5:5 says. In one narration from Ahmad, both of her parents must be People of the Book.
Whether the meat on sale today meets these conditions, for example with machine slaughter or stunning, is a separate question. Ask a scholar you trust where you live.
Living together
Allah says He does not forbid kindness and justice towards those who have not fought Muslims over religion (60:8). The Prophet ﷺ visited a sick Jewish boy who served him (Sahih al-Bukhari 1356), traded with Jews in Madinah, and died while his armour was held by a Jewish man as security for barley (Sahih al-Bukhari 2916). For more, read Islam and Christianity.
The rulings on this page are pending review by the scholars on our team.
Related terms
- Quran 3:64, 5:5, 3:113, 3:199, 29:46, 4:171, 2:79, 98:1, 60:8, translation by Sahih International.
- Sahih al-Bukhari 4485, 3157, 1356 and 2916.
- Sahih Muslim 153.
- Al-Marghinani, al-Hidayah, Kitab al-Nikah and Kitab al-Dhabaih; Ibn Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar. The other madhhabs' positions are summarised from their standard manuals.