Although Ahmad Khatib was an orthodox Sunni Muslim, he still hoped to reconcile the matrilineal system in Minangkabau with the laws of inheritance prescribed in the Quran. Through his Minangkabau students who studied in Mecca as well as those he taught in Indonesia, he encouraged a modified Minangkabau culture based on al-Quran and the Sunnah.
His parents were Abdullatief Khatib and Limbak Urai. In 1870 he attended a Dutch school and then continued his studies at Kweekschool in Bukittinggi, Sumatra.[3] Later, he moved to the Ottoman Empire to receive a nominal Islamic education under the guidance of the local jurists and settled in Mecca for the rest of his life.
His eldest son Abdulkareem owned a bookstore in Makkah. While his other son Abdulmalik Alkhatib was an ambassador of the Ashraf to Egypt. Another of his sons, Sheikh Abdulhameed Alkhateeb, was the first Saudi Arabian ambassador to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. His grandson, Fouad Abdulhameed Alkhateeb, was a Saudi Arabian ambassador, humanitarian, author, and businessman. In his capacity as a diplomat, he represented his homeland in Pakistan, Iraq, the United States of America, Nigeria, Turkey, Bangladesh, Nepal, and finally as Saudi ambassador to Malaysia.
Books
Arabic language:
Hasyiyah An Nafahat ‘ala Syarhil Waraqat lil Mahalli
Al Jawahirun Naqiyyah fil A’malil Jaibiyyah
Ad Da’il Masmu’ ‘ala Man Yuwarritsul Ikhwah wa Auladil Akhwan Ma’a Wujudil Ushul wal Furu’
Raudhatul Hussab
Mu’inul Jaiz fi Tahqiq Ma’nal Jaiz
As Suyuf wal Khanajir ‘ala Riqab Man Yad’u lil Kafir
Al Qaulul Mufid ‘ala Mathla’is Sa’id
An Natijah Al Mardhiyyah fi Tahqiqis Sanah Asy Syamsiyyah wal Qamariyyah
Ad Durratul Bahiyyah fi Kaifiyah Zakati Azd Dzurratil Habasyiyyah
Fathul Khabir fi Basmalatit Tafsir
Al ‘Umad fi Man’il Qashr fi Masafah Jiddah
Kasyfur Ran fi Hukmi Wadh’il Yad Ma’a Tathawuliz Zaman
Hallul ‘Uqdah fi Tashhihil ‘Umdah
Izhhar Zaghalil Kadzibin fi Tasyabbuhihim bish Shadiqin
Kasyful ‘Ain fi Istiqlal Kulli Man Qawal Jabhah wal ‘Ain
As Saifu Al Battar fi Mahq Kalimati Ba’dhil Aghrar
Al Mawa’izh Al Hasanah Liman Yarghab minal ‘Amal Ahsanah
Raf’ul Ilbas ‘an Hukmil Anwat Al Muta’amil Biha Bainan Nas
Iqna’un Nufus bi Ilhaqil Anwat bi ‘Amalatil Fulus
Tanbihul Ghafil bi Suluk Thariqatil Awail fima Yata’allaq bi Thariqah An Naqsyabandiyyah
Al Qaulul Mushaddaq bi Ilhaqil Walad bil Muthlaq
Tanbihul Anam fir Radd ‘ala Risalah Kaffil ‘Awwam,
Hasyiyah Fathul Jawwad
Fatawa Al Khathib ‘ala Ma Warada ‘Alaih minal Asilah
Al Qaulul Hashif fi Tarjamah Ahmad Khathib bin ‘Abdil Lathif
Indonesian language:
Mu’allimul Hussab fi ‘Ilmil Hisab
Ar Riyadh Al Wardiyyah fi Ushulit Tauhid wa Al Fiqh Asy Syafi’i
Al Manhajul Masyru’ fil Mawarits
Dhaus Siraj Pada Menyatakan Cerita Isra’ dan Mi’raj
Shulhul Jama’attain fi Jawaz Ta’addudil Jumu’attain
Al Jawahir Al Faridah fil Ajwibah Al Mufidah
Fathul Mubin Liman Salaka Thariqil Washilin
Al Aqwal Al Wadhihat fi Hukm Man ‘Alaih Qadhaish Shalawat
Husnud Difa’ fin Nahy ‘anil Ibtida’
Ash Sharim Al Mufri li Wasawis Kulli Kadzib Muftari
Maslakur Raghibin fi Thariqah Sayyidil Mursalin
Izhhar Zughalil Kadzibin
Al Ayat Al Bayyinat fi Raf’il Khurafat
Al Jawi fin Nahw
Sulamun Nahw
Al Khuthathul Mardhiyyah fi Hukm Talaffuzh bin Niyyah
Asy Syumus Al Lami’ah fir Rad ‘ala Ahlil Maratib As Sab’ah
