This portion of Al-Kitab takes its name from the people to whom it was originally written—the Hebrews. A Hebrew is someone who belongs to Bani-Israel, or a Jew. Hebrew is also a language—the official language of the state of Israel today. However, the Hebrews to whom this letter was written were also followers of ‘ISA AL-MASIH. Even though most Jews had rejected Prophet ‘ISA Ibn Maryam, some believed in him and accepted the message of the Injil.
This letter was written specifically to Jews who had become followers of ‘ISA AL-MASIH. They had lived in danger and endured persecution because of their faith in ‘ISA AL-MASIH. However, in the face of such trouble, some were tempted to give up on their faith. This scripture urges them to hold on to the end and never give up their faith in ‘ISA AL-MASIH. Chapter 11 is a famous section of Hebrews. The chapter mentions the faith of well-known prophets and holy people such as Habil, Idris, Nuh, Ibrahim, Ishaq, Yaqub, Yusuf, and Musa. Their lives are held forth as examples of enduring faith in God in the face of great temptation and trouble.