Saudi Arabia’s Grade 11 Islamic Studies curriculum presents the agreement reached after the Muslim conquest of Khyber as an example of peace and coexistence alongside agreements with Jews, Christians and Arab tribes, according to a newly released review of the kingdom’s education system and official documents seen by ProPakistani.
The finding appears in the Review of Saudi Textbooks 2024–2026, which examined 136 textbooks used during the 2024-25 and 2025-26 academic years.
The lesson, included in the Grade 11 Islamic Studies – Hadith (2) textbook, is titled “Islam Brings the Message of Peace” and features a section on the Prophet Muhammad’s agreements with different communities.
Among the examples listed are the Constitution of Medina, Treaty of Hudaybiyyah, Peace of Najran, Hilf al-Fudul, agreements with Banu Damra, Juhayna and Bani Madlij, the Agreement of Aqaba, and the Agreement of Khyber.
According to the textbook, these agreements were intended to strengthen cooperation among followers of different religions and cultures, promote the values of human coexistence, safeguard legal rights and liberties, protect common interests and contribute to peace and stability.
The review notes that the curriculum presents the Agreement of Khyber as a model of peacemaking despite the historical context of the military campaign against the Jewish fortress of Khyber, which included a siege before an agreement was reached.
The report says the lesson also includes a hadith stressing the importance of promoting peace among different groups in society as a foundation for social cohesion.
The Khyber lesson is part of broader curriculum revisions that place greater emphasis on dialogue, coexistence and tolerance. A Grade 10 Critical Thinking textbook teaches that peaceful coexistence is a fundamental human need and encourages students to engage with different cultures to foster mutual understanding, while another lesson urges dialogue between Saudi society and other communities by identifying shared values and common ground.
