Abrahamic values | Jumuah Khutbah | Shaykh Dr. Yasir Qadhi
By Shaykh Dr. Yasir Qadhi | 2026-05-26T10:58:10.159375+00:00 | Topic: Muslim Identity
Opening and Announcements
As if you're standing in prayers, move up, make space, and then I'm going to request the volunteers to bring the people in the hallways to come inside, إن شاء الله. And then once you make your space, then you can sit down, إن شاء الله.
In the name of Allah, praise be to Allah and peace be upon the Messenger of Allah. As we know, we don't have anything significant right now, but in terms of the announcements, other than the fact that we just want to let you know that الحمد لله Epic is working diligently dealing with some of the negative attention that we are getting. I'll keep you posted on that for any progress as we make the progress on that one.
But all of this, a humble request on your way out, if you can do your part of donating small donations on your way out, $20 per person, $10 per person, that will go a long way and help us out in the operations of the masjid, إن شاء الله. We also have a guest that you've noticed they're recording. إن شاء الله, they are our friends from PBS, so if you see them, greet them, meet with them, but this is not an interview. Just show them the Epic welcome, إن شاء الله. جزاكم الله خير.
Opening Praise and Declaration of Faith
الحمد لله. الحمد لله. All praises due to Allah. We praise Him and we seek His help. And we seek refuge in Allah from the evil of our souls and the consequences of our actions. Whomever Allah guides can never be misguided. And whoever is misguided cannot be guided except with Him.
I bear witness and I testify that there is no God worthy of worship other than Allah جل جلاله. And I bear witness and I testify that the Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم is his final Prophet and his most perfect worshipper.
As to what follows, know that Allah has reminded us to be conscious of Him in the Quran when He says:
The Way of Abraham
Dear Muslims, in Surah Al-Baqarah, we read that Allah says:
Other people of other civilizations, they tell us, they tell you, be a follower of Judaism, be a follower of Christianity, only then shall you be rightly guided. What is the response Allah asks of us?
Say rather, I will follow the way, the life, the methodology, the teachings, the religion, of the Prophet Abraham. I don't want these labels other than the label that the Prophet Abraham himself had. وَمَا كَانَ مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ And he was not of those who worshiped false gods.
The Power and Misuse of Labels
Labels, descriptions are very important. When applied properly, descriptions and nouns and labels, they create a sense of identity, a sense of inclusiveness, community, commonality, brotherhood, fraternity. If people apply a label and it belongs to you as well, it is easier to be accepted.
On the other hand, if labels are misapplied or used in a manner that is not conducive to public good, if false labels are created, then it is easy for a label to become divisive, for a label to be used as a weapon, to be used to divide the community, to discriminate, to exclude, to create hatred.
In fact, our Prophet Muhammad ﷺ warned us of this tactic. When he said, there shall be people in the end of times, they will drink khamr, they will drink alcoholic drinks.
(Sunan Abu Dawood, Hadith 3688)
They're gonna call them something different. They're gonna try to make it halal by using a different term. So the tactic of changing terms for an evil reason is something that we have been warned against.
The Problematic Term "Judeo-Christian"
And today, I wanted to discuss a particular term that is now common in the media, in the cultural wars that are taking place. We hear it from our politicians, we hear it from social media influencers, and that is the term Judeo-Christian. Judeo-Christian. You will hear people say, the West is a Judeo-Christian civilization. You will hear politicians say, these are Judeo-Christian values. And this term has become so common, that so many of us might even think, yes, that is something correct.
In today's sermon, I want to highlight that this invented term, this recently coined term is a term that is historically incorrect, theologically baseless, ethically unsound, and politically, it has become a tool and a weapon for a sinister agenda.
I repeat, the term Judeo-Christian is an invented term that is now being used to weaponize anti-Muslim bigotry, to exclude rather than to unite, to claim that people like us are the other, we don't belong, this is not our place, our land. And unless and until we learn the reality of this term, we will not be able to defend against the sinister connotations that this term brings.
This term is used by many politicians. Recently, the prime minister of Israel even used it, Netanyahu, the president of this country, Trump has also used it. Right-wing influencers who constantly, constantly bash against the Muslims of this country. They claim there is no place for Muslims in this land because this land is a Judeo-Christian land.
We only have a few minutes, but I want to highlight historically, theologically, ethically, and politically why this term is baseless. And I encourage all of you to do more research in this regard.
Historical Reality
As for historically, the term Judeo-Christian seems to imply that these two faith traditions have been intertwined together from the beginning of time. They have had fraternity, solidarity, they have benefited one another. But facts, history, even a basic reading of history shows that this is a completely manufactured understanding.
The fact of the matter is that Christian countries throughout much of their histories have excluded people of Jewish backgrounds. Anti-Semitism, which is a crime. Anti-Semitism is a uniquely European and Christian construct. Christian nations throughout the 13th, 14th, 15th centuries expelled people of Jewish backgrounds from England, from Spain, from multiple other lands. And even when they allowed them to live, they would have to live in what is called ghettos. They were never treated as equal citizens. Constant pogroms, which is attacks against the Jewish people, took place by medieval Christianity. And of course the Holocaust is something that happened at the hands of people who claim to be following Christianity.
Contrast this with Islam and Muslims. The fact of the matter, whenever Jewish people were expelled from Christian lands, they found open doors in Muslim lands. The Abbasids welcomed Jewish people who fled for their lives. The Umayyads had plenty of Jewish people even in their ministry. The Ottomans issued a public decree when the Spanish conquerors, when Ferdinand and Isabella expelled the Jewish people of Spain. The Ottoman Sultan gave a decree making sure that anybody who wanted to settle in Muslim lands should be treated with dignity and respect.
Muslims didn't invent anti-Semitism. There was no notion of exclusiveness against other people. So the historical reality is that Judaism and Christianity have never been intertwined. They have always had tensions. Those tensions did not exist for the bulk of Muslim history with Judaism or with Christianity.
Theological Differences
Theologically, there is no commonality between Judaism and Christianity. Theologically, each one of them has a very different conception of God, conception of prophethood, conception of hereafter. There is no commonality. The reality of Jesus Christ in both of these traditions. There are very unflattering descriptions given of Jesus in many of the textbooks of Jewish scripture. And the role of Mary, and the status of Mary between these two is radically different. There is no theological commonality between these two faith traditions.
Ethical Considerations
Ethically as well, Judaism has a strict version of laws, of rituals, of following the commandments in one's daily life. And that is absent from the teachings of Christianity. The fact of the matter is that when it comes to conceptions of worship, conceptions of loving God, Islam is closer to Christianity than Judaism is. And when it comes to laws and rituals and following the commandments, Islam is closer to Judaism than Christianity is. So once again, what is Judeo-Christian in terms of theology, in terms of ethics?
Political Origins and Weaponization
And then politically speaking, where and when was this term invented, for what purpose? The term Judeo-Christian did not exist for over 1600 years. The term Judeo-Christian was only coined yesterday, relatively speaking, in the first part of this century. In this century, of the 20th century, was when the term Judeo-Christian was first invented.
And believe it or not, if you look up the people who first invented it, actually it was Christian theologians who thought that this would be a stepping stone in order to convert the Jewish people to Christianity. You soften, you get rid of the anti-Semitism that they had. You soften the understandings, bring them closer. So politically, the term was invented in order to be a stepping stone to convert the Jewish people to Christianity. And it was invented here in America.
But after World War II, the term took on a different meaning. And it continued to evolve until in the last 20 years or so. In particular, the term has almost exclusively been used as a weaponized tool to exclude Muslims from the broader conversation. So the term itself has gone through a trajectory. And currently, when somebody says the West is a Judeo-Christian civilization, America is founded on Judeo-Christian values, 9 times out of 10, or I should say 99 times out of 100, the underlying meaning is, you guys don't belong here. This is not your land. This is not a conversation. You should be a part of.
In fact, only recently, Netanyahu himself said in parliament, and I quote, "Israel is a part of the Judeo-Christian civilization against Islam," end quote. You can't get more explicit than this. What is the term being used for? Israel and America against Islam. And you coined this term, Judeo-Christian, in order to cement this political alliance against the Palestinian people.
And this is the way that so many pastors, so many preachers who follow a version of Christianity that is not mainstream. These people, they believe that supporting the current country of Israel is something that is theologically pleasing to God. They believe that God wants them to support the country of Israel. And they will use this term Judeo-Christian to invent this alliance. People like Franklin Graham, people like Mike Huckabee, they use these terms in order to give the illusion that we've always been together against those guys, against the Muslims.
The fact of the matter is that the term Judeo-Christian is now being employed quite literally for political purposes so that people believe that it is something they should do to support foreign policy, to allow the country of Israel to get more of our aid, to overlook the genocide taking place, to dehumanize Arabs, and Muslims, and Palestinians, and say these people are not worthy of compassion and love.
Pushing Back Against False Narratives
It is high time that we push back against this narrative. There is no such thing as a Judeo-Christian civilization. The term is a figment of one's imagination. The term has no meaning historically, theologically, ethically, and politically.
And the fact of the matter is that Western civilization and America in particular is shaped by many factors, whether it is the ancient Greeks, whether it is the Romans, whether it is aspects of Christianity, whether it is deism. In fact, an argument can be made that Western thought, the Reformation, Renaissance, owes more to its interaction with the Muslim world, with Arabic texts being translated into Latin, with Muslims interacting with Europe in the 14th, 15th, 16th centuries, with the Muslim translators in Toledo, in Spain, in Sicily, who translated the works of the ancients, and who contributed medicine, Ibn Sina's books. All of this shaped Western thought more than any so-called Judeo-Christian alliance.
We have to educate ourselves of reality and then push back against this narrative. Western civilization is a complex phenomenon. And to oversimplify to the point of saying, oh, this is a Judeo-Christian civilization is in fact an oversimplification that is factually incorrect. It is not correct to call this complex phenomenon something so simplistic as Judeo-Christian.
Our Place and Contributions
And we as Muslims have been an integral part of this land. And we have been here for the last four centuries. And our contributions are well known. And to this day, Muslims form a law-abiding, thriving part of this land. We give back in every single way. 10% of the health professionals of this country are of a Muslim background. الحمد لله, we have been here for the last 400 years. And this is our land.
Unless we claim the narrative and push back against this Judeo-Christian attempt to hijack the narrative, to exclude us from the conversation, we will not have further chances to converse. Therefore, educate yourselves.
Challenging the Judeo-Christian Narrative
Push back against this simplistic narrative and understand the term Judeo-Christian should not be used by any person who knows history, by any person who understands the past. And next time it is used, you need to stand up and say, what do you mean by this term? Where is it coming from? What is the reality of this term?
In fact, we can even say as Muslims, theologically, it is as if Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala predicted something along these lines and He told us, we better be careful to not use such terms. How so? Go read Surah Al-Imran. In which Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala mentions the reality of these labels amongst Judaism, Christianity, and the Muslims. Allah says, Ya Ahlul Kitabi, O people of the book, how can you be arguing over Ibrahim (AS)? How can you be arguing over Abraham? And the Torah and the Injil were not even revealed in his time. How can you use these terms and back project onto Ibrahim (AS)?
Then Allah says, and listen to this:
Abraham was neither a Jew nor was he a Christian. These terms came after him. Abraham was neither a Jew nor was he a Christian. Rather, he was a pure monotheist who submitted to his Lord.
The True Followers of the Prophets
Terminologies are very important. And as Muslims, we consider ourselves to be the real followers of all of the Prophets. We are the ones who believe in Jesus Christ as the true Messiah, as the one whom God sent with His teachings in order that God be worshipped. We are the ones who follow Moses and the Prophet Moses. In the hadith of Sahih Bukhari, the Prophet (SAW) said:
(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 3414)
We have more right to follow Moses than they. We have more right to follow Moses than they do. We consider ourselves to be the real followers of all of the Prophets. Abraham and Moses and Jesus and all of the followers before and after the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) being the Khatimul Anbiya and the Sayyidul Mursaleen.
Abrahamic Values: The True Alternative
And if a term needs to be used, then we should start using the term Abrahamic values, Abrahamic understanding. Let us all go back to a common identity. And that is the identity of Abraham, of Ibrahim. Because Ibrahim is the most universally respected Prophet in all of mankind. Every single monotheistic faith looks up to Abraham. And Allah says in the Qur'an, how can you be arguing over Abraham? How can you be arguing over his reality? Whether he was Jewish, whether he was Christian. When the Old Testament and the New Testament were revealed after him. These terms are after him. Go back to the original. And that is belief in one God, submission to one God, loving that one God. This is the reality of the Prophet Ibrahim (AS).
Standing Against Exclusion
O Muslims, we will not be excluded from the greater conversations taking place around us. And the attempts to claim that we do not belong here, the attempts to otherize us, are attempts that will fail as it has failed in so many other civilizations and places before us. We are not the first group that people are trying to make the enemy and the other. And we're not going to be the last. But unless and until we understand we all have a role to play. And we need to push back against this agenda. And we need to stand up and educate with wisdom, with compassion. Unless we understand this, then the alternative narrative will become even more mainstream.
There is no such thing as a Judeo-Christian alliance, as a Judeo-Christian civilization, as a Judeo-Christian country. Rather, this is a country founded for all peoples of all faiths. And we are a part of this country as well. And we will be treated with the same dignity and the same respect as everybody else is. That is the reality of our existence. That is what history teaches. And most importantly, that is what God Himself wants of us.
May Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la bless me and you, witness to the Qur'an. And may He make us of those whose verses they understand, and applies halal and haram throughout our lifespan. Ask Allah's forgiveness. You as well ask Him for He is the Ghafoor and the Rahman.
Learning from Ibrahim: The Model Prophet
Alhamdulillah. All praise is due to Allah, the One and the Unique. It is He whom we worship, and it is His blessings that we seek. He is the Lord of the oppressed, and He hears the prayer of the weak.
As to what follows, if we wish to preach Abrahamic values, then we need to learn who Abraham was, and what are his values. And the Qur'an is explicit with so many wisdoms from the stories of Ibrahim (AS). In fact, out of all of the prophets, it is the Prophet Ibrahim (AS) that our Prophet Muhammad (SAW) is told to take him as a role model. To take him as the one who you study and you follow.
Ibrahim is the role model for all religious people of mankind. And our Prophet Muhammad (SAW) was the most famous, was the most faithful follower of his father Ibrahim (AS).
Values from Ibrahim's Story
And what are some of the values we can extrapolate from the stories of Ibrahim in the Quran. Of the values is preaching the truth in spite of all negativity and hostility. Go look at the story of Ibrahim. When people are spreading lies, when people are saying wrong things, Ibrahim stood up and continue to preach the truth with wisdom, with firmness, never compromising.
Of the values we learn from Ibrahim (AS): Bravery and courage. How brave was he regardless of the hatred of the people around him. They tried to kill him and yet that did not stop him from preaching the truth and standing for justice.
Of the values we learn from the Prophet Ibrahim very explicitly, when his father turned against him, his own father said to him, get out of here. His own father threatened to kill him. What was Ibrahim's response? He said, peace be unto you. I will continue to pray to God for you. To respond to vicious hatred with compassion, with understanding. To respond to irrational fear. Can you believe a father is telling his own son, get out of here. If you don't, I will kill you. This is what Ibrahim's father said to Ibrahim. And what was Ibrahim's response? Peace be unto you. Peace be unto you. This is our religion and our faith. We respond to hatred and bigotry with wisdom, kindness and compassion.
Compassion and Love for Humanity
Of the values of Ibrahim (AS) is to be full of love for all of humanity as much as you can. So much so, actually the Prophet Abraham was in a way gently reprimanded by our Lord for being too compassionate. How so? The Quran tells us that when the angels visited Abraham and the angels said that the punishment is coming upon Sodom and Gomorrah, upon the people of Lot. Abraham began to argue for compassion and mercy, for clemency. Abraham began to argue for forgiveness. His heart was so full of love and compassion. And Allah says to him, Ya Ibrahim, turn away from this. This is a bit too much. Turn away from this. But what a heart full of love and compassion wanting people to be guided, wanting people to be forgiven. This is the reality of prophetic hearts. Prophetic hearts are hearts that are full of love for mankind. And that is what the Prophet Abraham himself preached.
Living with Civility and Harmony
And of course of the wisdoms and of the moralities that we learn from Abraham is that yes, he interacted with people of many different backgrounds. He interacted with the Sabians who worship the stars. He interacted with the people of Egypt who worship false gods. He interacted with his own civilization that had his own religion. And yet, even though he preached the truth, he lived with them in civility and harmony. This is the Abrahamic value. Yes, you have your religion.
You have your religion. Others have their religion. But no religion of Abraham teaches you to hate the other, to kill the other, to exclude the other. No religion of Abraham divides people in this world creating hell on earth. That is not the message and the teachings of Abraham. You preach the truth and then you live and let live. You let people believe what they are believing and God will be their judge. This is the message of Abraham himself.
True Followers of Abraham
Therefore, the claim that people are following Abraham, the claim that they are Judeo-Christian tapping into the legacy of Abraham, it is belied by their own actions. The hatred of the very people who are dividing us. The anti-Muslim bigotry, the rhetoric and xenophobia against American Muslims cannot come from a heart that truly admires and loves Abraham. It cannot stem from somebody who wants to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ, from somebody who truly loves God. This is not the religion of Abraham. This is not what God commanded. God commands love and compassion. God commands mercy and justice.
And all Muslims, I will say this bluntly and loudly and clearly. If everybody else who claims to follow Abraham has failed in that following, we as Muslims cannot fail. We as Muslims cannot fail. We must live up to the teachings of Abraham, to the ethics of Abraham, to the compassion of Abraham, to the justice of Abraham. We are the true followers of Abraham and we will revive Abrahamic values in a society that has abandoned them. So help us God.