Relationships with non-Muslims in Islamic Law: Difference between revisions

Relationships with non-Muslims in Islamic Law (view source)

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-The [[Quran]] and other Islamic sources prohibit certain degrees of relationship with non-Muslims, including with the "[[Islam and the People of the Book|People of the Book]]". Its stance appears to have evolved over time at various stages of Muhammad's prophetic career, occurring in a context when the believers had been driven out from Mecca and there was a degree of enmity between them, as recorded in such verses as {{Quran|60|1}}. Some contemporary views emphasize contextual issues and use particular verses and examples from Muhammad's life to argue that friendship with non-Muslims is permitted in some circumstances.
+The [[Quran]] and other Islamic sources prohibit certain degrees of relationship with disbelievers in certain circumstances, including with some of those from the "[[People of the Book|People of the Book]]". Its stance appears to have evolved over time at various stages of Muhammad's prophetic career, occurring in a context when the believers had been driven out from Mecca and there was a degree of enmity between them, as recorded in such verses as {{Quran|60|1}}. Some contemporary views emphasize contextual issues and use particular verses and examples from Muhammad's life to argue that friendship with disbelievers is not forbidden in most circumstances.
 ==Quran==
 A word common in many of these verses is awliyaa (plural of وَلِيٌّ waliyyun, from which we also have 'wali' - the male guardian of a female or orphan<ref name="wali">wali ولي - [http://www.studyquran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume8/00000314.pdf Lane's Lexicon] Suppliment pp.3060-3061 </ref>). It is often translated as guardians, friends and protectors, or allies. The phrase walīyu 'llāh (ولي الله), means 'friend of God'.<ref name="wali"></ref><ref>Ed, , “Wālī”, in: [https://referenceworks.brillonline.com/entries/encyclopaedia-of-islam-2/wali-SIM_7842 Encyclopaedia of Islam], Second Edition, Edited by: P. Bearman, Th. Bianquis, C.E. Bosworth, E. van Donzel, W.P. Heinrichs. Consulted online on 16 November 2020</ref>
-===Prohibition on taking non-Muslims as intimate friends or guardians / allies===
+===Prohibition on taking disbelievers as intimate friends or guardians / allies===
 {{Quote|{{Quran|3|28}}|Let not believers take disbelievers as allies [awliyaa] rather than believers. And whoever [of you] does that has nothing with Allah, except when taking precaution against them in prudence. And Allah warns you of Himself, and to Allah is the [final] destination.}}
 {{Quote|{{Quran|3|118}}|O ye who believe! Take not for intimates [bitanatan]<ref>bitanatan بِطَانَةً - [http://www.studyquran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume1/00000258.pdf Lane's Lexicon] p.221</ref> others than your own folk, who would spare no pains to ruin you; they love to hamper you. Hatred is revealed by (the utterance of) their mouths, but that which their breasts hide is greater. We have made plain for you the revelations if ye will understand.}}
+The prohibiton in the above verse does not apply to all people of the book, some of whom are contrasted with "those who disbelieve" in the preceding verses {{Quran-range|3|113|114}}. This may be considered alongside verses 5:51, 5:57 and 5:82 quoted below.
 {{Quote|{{Quran|4|139}}|Those who chose disbelievers for their friends [awliyaa] instead of believers! Do they look for power at their hands? Lo! all power appertaineth to Allah.}}
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 {{Quote|{{Quran|5|82}}|Thou wilt find the most vehement of mankind in hostility to those who believe (to be) the Jews and the idolaters. And thou wilt find the nearest of them in affection [mawaddatan]<ref name="mawadattan">mawaddatan مَّوَدَّةً - [http://www.studyquran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume8/00000185.pdf Lane's Lexicon] p.2931</ref>to those who believe (to be) those who say: Lo! We are Christians. That is because there are among them priests and monks, and because they are not proud}}
-The next two verses give more specific proscriptions concerning relations with non-Muslims who mock the religion or Muslims who do not take their religion seriously.
+The next two verses give more specific proscriptions concerning relations with disbelievers who mock the religion or Muslims who do not take their religion seriously.
 {{Quote|{{Quran|5|57}}|O Ye who believe! Choose not for guardians [awliyaa] such of those who received the Scripture before you, and of the disbelievers, as make a jest and sport of your religion. But keep your duty to Allah if ye are true believers.}}
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 {{Quote|{{Quran|6|70}}|Leave alone [dhari] those who take their religion to be mere play and amusement, and are deceived by the life of this world. But proclaim (to them) this (truth): that every soul delivers itself to ruin by its own acts: it will find for itself no protector or intercessor except Allah: if it offered every ransom, (or reparation), none will be accepted: such is (the end of) those who deliver themselves to ruin by their own acts: they will have for drink (only) boiling water, and for punishment, one most grievous: for they persisted in rejecting Allah.}}
-{{Quote|{{Quran|28|86}}|28:86 Thou hadst no hope that the Scripture would be inspired in thee; but it is a mercy from thy Lord, so never be a helper [thaheeran] to the disbelievers.}}
+{{Quote|{{Quran|28|86}}|Thou hadst no hope that the Scripture would be inspired in thee; but it is a mercy from thy Lord, so never be a helper [thaheeran] to the disbelievers.}}
 {{Quote|{{Quran-range|60|4-5}}|There is for you an excellent example (to follow) in Abraham and those with him, when they said to their people: "We are clear of you and of whatever ye worship besides Allah: we have rejected you, and there has arisen, between us and you, enmity and hatred for ever,- unless ye believe in Allah and Him alone": But not when Abraham said to his father: "I will pray for forgiveness for thee, though I have no power (to get) aught on thy behalf from Allah." (They prayed): "Our Lord! in Thee do we trust, and to Thee do we turn in repentance: to Thee is (our) Final Goal. "Our Lord! Make us not a (test and) trial for the Unbelievers, but forgive us, our Lord! for Thou art the Exalted in Might, the Wise."}}
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 {{Quote|{{Quran-range|60|7|9}}|It may be that Allah will ordain love [mawaddatan]<ref name="mawadattan"></ref> between you and those of them with whom ye are at enmity. Allah is Mighty, and Allah is Forgiving, Merciful. Allah forbiddeth you not those who warred not against you on account of religion and drove you not out from your homes, that ye should show them kindness and deal justly with them. Lo! Allah loveth the just dealers. Allah forbiddeth you only those who warred against you on account of religion and have driven you out from your homes and helped to drive you out, that ye make friends of them [tawallawhum]. Whosoever maketh friends of them - (All) such are wrong-doers.}}
-===Prohibition on taking non-Muslim family members as guardians / allies; believers disassociate from them and do not love them if they are enemies of Allah===
+===Prohibition on taking disbelieving family members as guardians / allies; believers disassociate from them and do not love them if they are enemies of Allah===
-Surah 9 (at-Tawbah) came later chronologically than surah 60 in the section above, after the conquest of Mecca. By this time it seems Muhammad had hardened his stance again. Now even family could not be a Muslim's awliya if they love disbelief more than faith, and a Muslim was not allowed even to have love for them if they opposed Allah and Muhammad. Presumably love was allowed if they don't oppose Allah and Muhammad, though it seems that a Muslim still was forbidden to take them as awliya either way if they were disbelievers.
-{{Quote|{{Quran|9|23}}|O ye who believe! take not for protectors [yatawallahum] your fathers and your brothers if they love infidelity [kufra] above Faith: if any of you do so, they do wrong.}}
+Surah 9 (at-Tawbah) came later chronologically than surah 60 quoted in the section above, after the conquest of Mecca. Here even family could not be a Muslim's awliya if they love disbelief more than faith, though in context and according to some commentaries this may concern those who had refused to emigrate. Believers were not allowed even to have love for their relatives if they opposed Allah and Muhammad. Presumably, these restrictions did not apply otherwise.
-{{Quote|{{Quran|9|24}}|Say: If it be that your fathers, your sons, your brothers, your mates, or your kindred; the wealth that ye have gained; the commerce in which ye fear a decline: or the dwellings in which ye delight - are dearer [ahabba] to you than Allah, or His Messenger, or the striving in His cause;- then wait until Allah brings about His decision: and Allah guides not the rebellious.}}
+{{Quote|{{Quran-range|9|23|24}}|O ye who believe! take not for protectors [yatawallahum] your fathers and your brothers if they love infidelity [kufra] above Faith: if any of you do so, they do wrong. Say: If it be that your fathers, your sons, your brothers, your mates, or your kindred; the wealth that ye have gained; the commerce in which ye fear a decline: or the dwellings in which ye delight - are dearer [ahabba] to you than Allah, or His Messenger, or the striving in His cause;- then wait until Allah brings about His decision: and Allah guides not the rebellious.}}
 {{Quote|{{Quran|9|113}}|It is not for the Prophet, and those who believe, to pray for the forgiveness of idolaters even though they may be near of kin (to them) after it hath become clear that they are people of hell-fire.}}
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 {{Quote|{{Quran|58|22}}|Thou wilt not find folk who believe in Allah and the Last Day loving [yuwaddoona]<ref name="mawadattan"></ref> those who oppose Allah and His messenger, even though they be their fathers or their sons or their brethren or their clan. As for such, He hath written faith upon their hearts and hath strengthened them with a Spirit from Him, and He will bring them into Gardens underneath which rivers flow, wherein they will abide. Allah is well pleased with them, and they are well pleased with Him. They are Allah's party. Lo! is it not Allah's party who are the successful?}}
+An earlier (Meccan) surah tells believers to accompany their disbelieving parents with kindness / fairness in this world, even if they seek to make the believer commit shirk (which should be disobeyed):
+{{Quote|{{Quran-range|31|14|15}}|And We have enjoined upon man [care] for his parents. His mother carried him, [increasing her] in weakness upon weakness, and his weaning is in two years. Be grateful to Me and to your parents; to Me is the [final] destination. But if they endeavor to make you associate with Me that of which you have no knowledge, do not obey them but accompany them in [this] world with appropriate kindness and follow the way of those who turn back to Me [in repentance]. Then to Me will be your return, and I will inform you about what you used to do.}}
 ==Hadiths==
@@ Line 114: / Line 116: @@
 ==Contemporary views==
-Some argue that friendship with non-Muslims is permitted in most situations today, appealing to verse 60:8 (see above) and certain aspects of Muhammad's life. His uncle Abu Talib was close to Muhammad and supported him throughout his life, despite remaining a polytheist. His uncle Abbas supported him in Mecca before his conversion to Islam. They also point to the non-Muslim Bedouin who Muhammah and Abu Bakr trusted to lead them through the desert when the Quraish plotted to kill Muhammad.
+Some argue that friendship with non-Muslims is permitted in most situations today, appealing to verse 60:8 (see above) and certain aspects of Muhammad's life. His uncle Abu Talib was close to Muhammad and supported him throughout his life, despite remaining a polytheist. His uncle Abbas supported him in Mecca before his conversion to Islam. They also point to the non-Muslim Bedouin who Muhammad and Abu Bakr trusted to lead them through the desert when the Quraish plotted to kill Muhammad. In terms of the hadiths quoted above, it may be relevant that modernist muslim and academic scholars typically consider hadiths to often reflect later imperial circumstances.
 ==See Also==