Shirk Of Ahl-ul-Kitab After Itmam-e-Hujjat And The Definition Of Ahl-ul-Kitab
But Ahl-ul-Kitaab, at the time of the Prophet Muhammad, couldn’t have had any excuse regarding their interpretation since they must have been through Itmam-e-Hujjat. They knew it was shirk. So they became Mushrik if after Itmam-e-Hujjat, they held on to their beliefs.
We try to make the point again. Quran calls the denominations with the titles they assume for themselves as their identity, like بنی اسرائیل، یہود۔ ھود، نصاری، مسیحی، صابی، مجوس، امیین ، قریش۔ Quran calls each denomination with the adjectival nouns as a title as a matter of fact, like al-Mushrik, al-Kafir. and Ahl e Kitab, and the addressees own them or accept them as they are. Quran does not call a denomination with a title that the denomination does not own. Therefore it did not call Ahl e Kitab Mushrik despite indicating their shirk in the case of Christians. Quran uses adjectival nouns, not as titles, for people irrespective of their denomination, like Kafireen, Munafiqeen, Fasiqeen Mukazzibeen, and Mujrimeen. The word Kafir is used both ways, as deniers of the message the prophet brought, and the deniers were ok with that, and as the deniers of truth or Haq, and this was derogative.