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Title of
Fatwa:
Scope of Amicable Dealings
with Non-Muslims
Dear scholars,
As-Salamu `alaykum. What are the rules that govern relations between
Muslims and non-Muslims? What are the codes of manners that should be
observed here? Content of Reply
Wa `alaykum As-Salamu wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.
In the Name of Allah,
Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are
due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
Dear questioner, we are greatly pleased to receive your question which
shows the confidence you place in us. May Allah reward you abundantly
for your interest in knowing the teachings of Islam!
In the first place, we would like to stress that Muslims should have
good relations with all people of every religion. At school, at work, in
the neighborhood, et cetera, a Muslim should be kind and courteous to
everyone. Islam teaches its adherents to interact with all people and
cooperate for the good and betterment of the whole mankind. Islam
encourages Muslims to cooperate with everyone regardless of his/her
religion or creed in all projects that are virtuous or beneficial to
humanity or other creatures of God.
Here, we’d like to furnish you with what the eminent Muslim scholar
Sheikh Al-Qaradawi, states in his well-known book 'The Lawful and
the Prohibited in Islam':
First of all, we would like to
stress that Islam does not prohibit Muslims from being kind and
generous to peoples of other religions, even if they are idolaters
and polytheists. However, Islam looks upon the People of the Book,
that is, Jews and Christians, with special regard, whether they
reside in a Muslim society or outside it.
The Qur'an never addresses the Jews and Christians without saying,
"O People of the Book" or "O You who have been given the
Book," indicating that they were originally people of a revealed
religion. For this reason there exists a relationship of mercy and
spiritual kinship between them and the Muslims, all having in common
the principles of the one true religion sent by Allah through His
Prophets (peace and blessings are upon them all): He says, (He
has ordained for (the Muslims) the same religion which He enjoined
on Noah, and that which We have revealed to thee (Muhammad) and that
which We enjoined on Abraham, Moses, and Jesus: that you should
establish the faith and make no division in it....) (Ash-Shura
42:13)
Muslims are required to believe in all the Books revealed by Allah
and in all the Prophets sent by Him, otherwise they are not
considered true believers. Allah says in the Qur'an: (Say: We
(Muslims) believe in Allah and in what He has revealed to us, and in
what He revealed to Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac and Jacob and the
tribes (of Israel), and in what was given to Moses and Jesus, and in
what was given to (all) the prophets by their Lord. We make no
distinction between any of them, and to Him do we submit.)
(Al-Baqarah 2:136) Consequently, if the People of the Book read the
Qur'an, they will find in it praise for their Books, Messengers, and
Prophets.
In having dialogue with the People of the Book, Muslims should avoid
such approaches that may cause bitterness or arouse hostility; Allah
says, (And do not dispute with the People of the Book except by
(the way) which is best, unless it be with such of them as
transgress, and say, 'We believe in what has been sent down to us
and sent down to you, and our God and your God is one, and to Him do
we submit.') (Al-`Ankabut 29:46)
We have already seen how Islam permits eating with the People of the
Book, sharing the meat they slaughter, and marrying their women,
marriage being a relationship of mutual love and mercy. Almighty
Allah says: (...The food of those who were given the Scripture
(before you) is permitted to you and your food is permitted to them.
And (lawful to you in marriage are) chaste women from among the
Believers and chaste women from among those who were given the
Scripture before you....) (Al-Ma'idah 5:5)
Non-Muslim Citizens of a Muslim State:
The above injunctions include all People of the Book wherever they
may be. However, those people who live under the protection of an
Islamic government enjoy special privileges. They are referred to as
"the Protected People" ( Ahl Adh-Dhimmah or Dhimmis),
meaning that Allah, His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him),
and the community of Muslims have made a covenant with them that
they may live in safety and security under the Islamic government.
In modern terminology, Dhimmis are "citizens" of the Muslim
state. From the earliest period of Islam to the present day, Muslims
are in unanimous agreement that Dhimmis enjoy the same rights
and carry the same responsibilities as Muslims themselves, while
being free to practice their own faiths.
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) emphasized the duties
of Muslims toward Dhimmis , threatening anyone who violates
them with the wrath and punishment of Allah. The Prophet is reported
to have said: "He who hurts a Dhimmi hurts me, and he who
hurts me annoys Allah." (Reported by At-Tabarani in Al-Awsat
with good chain of narrators.)
He also says, "Whoever hurts a
Dhimmi , I am his
adversary, and I shall be an adversary to him on the Day of
Resurrection." (Reported by Al-Khatib with authentic chain of
narrations.)
"On the Day of Judgment I will dispute with anyone who oppresses
a person from among the People of the Covenant, or infringes on his
right, or puts a responsibility on him which is beyond his strength,
or takes something from him against his will." (Reported by Abu
Dawud)
The successors of the Prophet safeguarded these rights and
sanctities of non-Muslim citizens, and the jurists of Islam, in
spite of the variation of their opinions regarding many other
matters, are unanimous in emphasizing these rights and sanctities.
The Maliki jurist, Shahab Ad-Deen Al-Qarafi states: The covenant of
protection imposes upon us certain obligations toward Ahl
Adh-Dhimmah . They are our neighbors, under our shelter and
protection upon the guarantee of Allah, His Messenger (peace and
blessings be upon him) and the religion of Islam. Whoever violates
these obligations against anyone of them, by damaging his
reputation, or by doing him some injury, has breached the Covenant
of Allah, His Messenger, and his conduct run counters to the
teachings of Islam. (Al-Furuq, by Al-Qarafi.)
And the Zahiri jurist, Ibn Hazm, says: If a
Dhimmi is
threatened by an enemy, it is our obligation to fight the enemy with
soldiers and weapons. With this, we will be honoring the Covenant of
Allah and His Messenger. To hand him over to the enemy would mean to
betrayal to the Covenant of Allah and His Messenger. (Maratib
Al-Ijma', by Ibn Hazm)
Concept of Amicable Dealings with Non-Muslims:
Now the question arises: How can we show kindness, affection, and
good treatment to non-Muslims since Allah the Almighty prohibits
Muslims to take non-believers as patrons, allies, and supporters in
such verses as the following: (O you who believe, do not take the
Jews and Christians as friends; they are the friends (only) of each
other. And whoever among you turns to them (for friendship) is
certainly one of them; indeed, Allah does not guide the people who
do wrong. Yet thou seest those in whose hearts is a disease racing
toward them...) (Al-Ma'idah 5:54-55)
The answer to this is that these verses are not unconditional, to be
applied to every Jew, Christian, or non-Muslim. Interpreting them in
this manner contradicts the injunctions of the Qur'an which enjoin
affection and kindness to the good and peace-loving peoples of every
religion, as well as the verses which permit marriage to the women
of the People of the Book, with all that Allah says concerning
marriage- (…and He has put love and mercy between you…)
(Ar-Rum 30: 21) —and the verse concerning the Christians: (...And
thou wilt find those who say, 'Surely we are Christians.' to be
nearest to them (the Muslims) in affection....) (Al-Ma'idah
5:85)
The verses that imply breaking ties with People of Book refer to
those people who were hostile to Islam and waged war against
Muslims. Accordingly, it is not permissible for Muslims to support
or assist them—that is, to be their ally—nor to entrust them with
secrets at the expense of Islam or Muslim community.
This point is explained in other verses, in which Allah Almighty
says: (They will spare nothing to ruin you; they yearn for what
makes you suffer. Hatred has been expressed by their mouths, but
what their hearts conceal is still greater. Thus have We made clear
to you the revelations (or signs), if you possess understanding. Ah!
You love them, but they do not love you....) (Aal `Imran 3:
118-119) This verse sheds light on the character of such people, who
conceal great enmity and hatred against the Muslims in their hearts
and whose tongues express some of the effects of such hostility.
Almighty Allah also says: (Thou wilt not find a people who
believe in Allah and the Last Day loving those who oppose Allah and
His Messenger, even though they may be their fathers or their sons
or their brothers or their kin...) (Al-Mujadilah 58: 22)
He Almighty also says: (O you who believe, do not take My enemy
and your enemy as friends, offering them affection, even though they
have disbelieved in what has come to you of the truth, driving out
the Messenger and yourselves because you believe in Allah, your
Lord...) (Al-Mumtahinah 60:1)
This verse was revealed in connection with the pagans of Makkah, who
declared war against Allah and His Messenger driving the Muslims out
of their homes simply because they said, "Our Lord is Allah." With
this type of people, friendship and alliance cannot be permitted.
Yet in spite of this, the Qur'an did not dismiss the hope that one
day there might be a reconciliation; it did not declare utter
disappointment in them but encouraged the Muslims to kindle the hope
of better understanding and improved relationships, for in the same
Surah Allah says: (It may be that Allah will bring about
affection between you and those who are your enemies from among
them. And Allah is All-Powerful, and Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.)
(Al-Mumtahinah 60: 7)
This Qur'anic statement gives the assurance that this bitter
hostility and deep hatred is something that may pass way, as it is
also stated in the hadith, "Hate your enemy mildly; he may
become your friend one day." (Reported by al-Tirmidhi)
The injunction against befriending enemies of Islam is even more
emphatic when they have upper hand over Muslims, crushing hopes and
generating fear in the minds of people. In such a situation, only
hypocrites and those who are sick at hearts hasten to befriend them,
giving them help today in order to benefit from them tomorrow.
Almighty Allah describes this situation as follows: (Yet thou
seest those in whose hearts is a disease racing toward them (the
enemies of Islam), saying, 'We are afraid that a change of fortune
may befall us.' But it may be that Allah will give (thee) the
victory or some decision from Himself, and then they will become
regretful for what they thought secretly within themselves.)
(Al-Ma'idah 5:52)
Allah also says: (Give to the hypocrites the tidings that they
will have a grievous punishment. Do those who take the unbelievers
as friends instead of the Believers seek honor among them? For
indeed all honor belongs to Allah alone.) (An-Nisa' 4:138-139)
In the light of the above-mentioned facts, it’s clear that there are
certain rules and criteria that govern relationship between Muslims
and non-Muslims, and this should be borne in mind when dealing with
non-Muslims. Islam does not order Muslims to show hostility to the
followers of other religions, merely for the reason that they happen
to be non-Muslims. No. This is not the message of Islam. Only those
who harbor hatred and contempt against Muslims are the ones
addressed by the verses warning Muslims from taking them as allies.
Other than those, Muslims are ordered to deal with all human beings,
without discrimination as to race, religion or sex, with love and
kindness, for they are all members of the same family of mankind.
Source : Islam-Online.net
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