KHUTAB V:8. SHAYKH YŪSUF AL-QARAḌĀWĪ’S COMMENTARY ON MAKING FRIENDSHIP (ALLIANCE, LOYALTY) TO NON-MUSLIMS

8. SHAYKH YŪSUF AL-QARAḌĀWĪ’S COMMENTARY

 ON MAKING FRIENDSHIP (ALLIANCE,

 LOYALTY)  TO NON-MUSLIMS

Freedom of association in the Australian law is compatible with that in Islamic law. Man is free to join or not to join an organization or group, such as political parties, trade unions and social groups, provided it is legal. It has to be peaceful, and no damage or injury to people. In Islamic law it has to be exercised for propagation of doing virtue and righteousness, not for doing evil and mischief.

Allah in the  Qur’ān orders Muslims to help each other. He says:

...وَتَعَاوَنُوا عَلَى الْبِرِّ وَالتَّقْوَى وَلَا تَعَاوَنُوا عَلَى الْإِثْمِ وَالْعُدْوَانِ

 وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ شَدِيدُ الْعِقَابِ (المائدة:2)

…Help you one another in virtue, righteousness

and piety; but do not help one another in sin and

transgression. And fear Allah. Verily, Allah

is severe in punishment.(Q. 5:2)

Allah also says to the whole mankind:

يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنَّا خَلَقْنَاكُمْ مِنْ ذَكَرٍ وَأُنْثَى وَجَعَلْنَاكُمْ شُعُوبًا وَقَبَائِلَ لِتَعَارَفُوا

 إِنَّ أَكْرَمَكُمْ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ أَتْقَاكُمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ خَبِيرٌ (الحجرات:13)

O mankind! We created you from a single

[pair] of a male and a female, and made you

into nations and tribes, that you may know each

other (not that you may despise each other). Verily,

the most honoured of you in the sight of Allah is

(he who is) the most righteous of you. And Allah

has full knowledge and is well-acquainted

(with all things). (Q. 49:13)

To know each other implies mutual assistance. Man is a social being. Being different in gender, race, language and skin colour, is one of the signs of Allah as a Creator, and the difference makes us curious to know each other. This difference leads to mutual understanding, assistance, cooperation, and integration. This is in line with the spirit of multicultural Australia whereby people of different faiths, cultures, and background live cooperatively together. There is no superiority of one individual, race, or gender in the sight of Allah except through righteousness.

If someone says that according to the Qur’ān Muslims are not allowed to take non-Muslims as friends, it is by translating the word wali, meaning “friend” which is one of its many meanings. This meaning can be justified only if the intended verse means non-Muslims who are hostile to Muslims. The word walī  (وَلِيّ)  has many meanings, as follows: near, nearby; neighbouring, adjacent; close; (its plural: awliyā’, أَوْلِيَاء) helper, supporter, benefactor, sponsor; friend, close associate; relative; patron, protector; legal guardian, curator, tutor; a man close to God, holy man, saint; proprietor, possessor, owner. Some examples are as follows:

لَا يَتَّخِذِ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ الْكَافِرِينَ أَوْلِيَاءَ مِنْ دُونِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَمَنْ يَفْعَلْ ذَلِكَ

فَلَيْسَ مِنَ اللَّهِ فِي شَيْءٍ إِلَّا أَنْ تَتَّقُوا مِنْهُمْ تُقَاةً وَيُحَذِّرُكُمُ اللَّهُ نَفْسَهُ

وَإِلَى اللَّهِ الْمَصِيرُ ( آل عمران:28)  

Let not the believers take the disbelievers

as auliya (supporters, helpers) instead of the

believers, and whoever does that will never be

helped by Allah in any way , except if you indeed

fear a danger from them. And Allah warns you

against Himself (His punishment) and Allah

is Able to do all things (Q. 3:28)

          Here Allah warns the Muslims not to take non-believers instead of believers as supporters, unless they fear of any danger, or Allah will punish them.  This threat of punishment is repeated in another surah and verse, as follows:

يَاأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آَمَنُوا لَا تَتَّخِذُوا الْكَافِرِينَ أَوْلِيَاءَ مِنْ دُونِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ

أَتُرِيدُونَ أَنْ تَجْعَلُوا لِلَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ سُلْطَانًا مُبِينًا (النساء ٤ : ١٤٤)

O you believe! Take not for loyalty and

sincerity disbelievers instead of believers.

Do you wish to offer Allah a manifest

proof against yourselves? (Q. 4:144)

means, “proof against you that warrants receiving His torment.”

          In another verse Allah specifies the Jews and the Christians, as follows:

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آَمَنُوا لَا تَتَّخِذُوا الْيَهُودَ وَالنَّصَارَى أَوْلِيَاءَ

بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلِيَاءُ بَعْضٍ وَمَنْ يَتَوَلَّهُمْ مِنْكُمْ فَإِنَّهُ مِنْهُمْ

 إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الظَّالِمِينَ  (المائدة:51)

O you who believe! Take not the Jews and the

Christians as auliyā’ (friends, protectors, helpers)

,they are but auliya of each other. And if any amongst

you takes them as auliya, then surely he is one of them.

Verily, Allah guides not those people who are

zalimun (polytheists and wrong-doers

and unjust) (Q. 5:51)

          It means Christians help their fellow Christians, and the Jews help their fellow Jews. In the following verse even our fathers and brothers are not allowed to be taken as awliyā’.

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آَمَنُوا لَا تَتَّخِذُوا آَبَاءَكُمْ وَإِخْوَانَكُمْ أَوْلِيَاءَ إِنِ اسْتَحَبُّوا الْكُفْرَ عَلَى

الْإِيمَانِ وَمَنْ يَتَوَلَّهُمْ مِنْكُمْ فَأُولَئِكَ هُمُ الظَّالِمُونَ (التوبة:23)

O you who believe! Take not as auliyā’ (supporters, helpers)

 your fathers and your brothers if they prefer disbelief

 to belief. And whoever of you does so, then he is one

 of the wrong-doers. (Q. 9:23)

           Quoting some of the above verse, the contemporary Muslim scholar Shaykh Yūsuf al-Qaraḍāwī said that these verses and some hadiths of the Prophet are superficially understood to indicate the fanatical attitude of Islam towards the Jews, the Christians and others. After considering carefully and investigating the history, the occasion and surrounding conditions which led to the revelation of these verses he gave his commentary as follows:

1. The prohibition is taking as awliyā’  (friends, allies) are those who are different as specified groups with their own religions, beliefs, views, and characteristics, namely, characterizing them as Jews, Christians, Zoroastrians (Magians), not characterized as neighbours, colleagues, or citizens. The loyalty of Muslims is to Muslim ummah (community, nation) alone. Hence, the warning of taking them as allies is mentioned in several verses in the  Qur’ān. The verse “other than the believers” (Q. 3:28, 4: 138-139 and144) indicates that loyalty to them was at the expense of the believers; it is what is known in the political technical term “treason”.

2.  The friendship prohibited in the above verses is not friendship with those who have different religions, but friendship with those who offend the Muslims and oppose Allah and His Messenger, as Allah said:

(a)  لَا تَجِدُ قَوْمًا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآَخِرِ يُوَادُّونَ مَنْ حَادَّ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ وَلَوْ كَانُوا آَبَاءَهُمْ أَوْ أَبْنَاءَهُمْ أَوْ إِخْوَانَهُمْ أَوْ عَشِيرَتَهُمْ ... (المجادلة:22)  “You (Muhammad) will not find any people who believe in Allah and the Last Day, making friendship with those who oppose Allah and His Messenger, even though they were their fathers or their sons or their brothers or their kindred (people)…” (Q. 58:22). Opposing Allah and His Messenger is not simply denying them, but waging war on their message, standing up against it and offending the Muslims.

(b) يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آَمَنُوا لَا تَتَّخِذُوا عَدُوِّي وَعَدُوَّكُمْ أَوْلِيَاءَ تُلْقُونَ إِلَيْهِمْ بِالْمَوَدَّةِ وَقَدْ كَفَرُوا بِمَا جَاءَكُمْ مِنَ الْحَقِّ يُخْرِجُونَ الرَّسُولَ وَإِيَّاكُمْ أَنْ تُؤْمِنُوا بِاللَّهِ رَبِّكُمْ “O you who believe!  Take not My  enemies and your enemies as friends, showing affection towards them, while they have disbelieved in what has come to you of the truth, and have driven out the Messenger and yourselves (from your homeland) because you believe in Allah, your Lord!...” (Q.60:1). This verse indicates the prohibition of making friendship and showing affection to the idolater with two conditions altogether: their denial of Islam and their expelling the Messenger and the believers from their homeland without any valid justification.

(c) لَا يَنْهَاكُمُ اللَّهُ عَنِ الَّذِينَ لَمْ يُقَاتِلُوكُمْ فِي الدِّينِ وَلَمْ يُخْرِجُوكُمْ مِنْ دِيَارِكُمْ أَنْ تَبَرُّوهُمْ وَتُقْسِطُوا إِلَيْهِمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ الْمُقْسِطِينَ . إِنَّمَا يَنْهَاكُمُ اللَّهُ عَنِ الَّذِينَ قَاتَلُوكُمْ فِي الدِّينِ وَأَخْرَجُوكُمْ مِنْ دِيَارِكُمْ وَظَاهَرُوا عَلَى إِخْرَاجِكُمْ أَنْ تَوَلَّوْهُمْ وَمَنْ يَتَوَلَّهُمْ فَأُولَئِكَ هُمُ الظَّالِمُونَ (الممتحنة:8-9) “Allah does not forbid you to deal justly and kindly with those fought not against you on account of religion nor drove you out of your homes. Verily, Allah loves those who deal with equity. It is only as regards those who fought against you on account of religion, and have driven you out of your homes, and helped to drive you out, that Allah forbids you to befriend them. And whosoever will befriend them, then such are the wrongdoers.”  (Q. 60:8-9). These verses mention two groups of people: a group of people who are peaceful to the Muslims, do not fight them for their religion, and do not expel them from their homes: these people deserve kindness and equity. The other group of people is those who are hostile and oppose the Muslims through fighting them or expelling them from their homes, or help in expelling them, to them Muslims are not allowed to befriend with them. The meaning of this divine text is that the Muslims are allowed to befriend to another group (which is not hostile to the Muslims).

3.  The Muslims are allowed to marry the women of the People of the Book (Jewish and Christians). Married life has to be based on spiritual tranquillity, love, and mercy, as indicated in the Qur’ān, وَمِنْ آَيَاتِهِ أَنْ خَلَقَ لَكُمْ مِنْ أَنْفُسِكُمْ أَزْوَاجًا لِتَسْكُنُوا إِلَيْهَا وَجَعَلَ بَيْنَكُمْ مَوَدَّةً وَرَحْمَةً إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لَآَيَاتٍ لِقَوْمٍ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ (الروم:21)) “And among His Signs is that He created for you wives from among yourselves, that you may find repose in them, and He has put between you affection and mercy. Verily, in that are indeed signs for a people who reflect.” (Q. 30:21). This indicates that there is no harm in showing affection (of a Muslim) towards a non-Muslim. How could it be possible that a man does not love his Jewish or Christian wife, and for a boy not to love his (maternal) grand-parents, (maternal) uncles and aunts if his mother is a Jewess or a Christian?

4.  The undoubted truth is that Islam confirms the promotion of religious bond above any bond, either blood, territorial, race, or social class. A Muslim is a brother of another Muslim; a believer is a brother of another believer. The Muslims are one ummah (nation); they quickly protect their deprived ones. They are power over others. A Muslim is closer to another Muslim than any non-Muslim, even if he is his own father, son or brother. This, Shaykh al-Qaraḍāwī asserts, is not exclusively in Islam, but it is the nature of every religion and every belief. He claims that this view is also confirmed in the Bible.

In conclusion, Islam is always a peaceful religion in teaching, propagating and promoting peace and tranquillity in this world. It is its followers who sometimes misunderstand or are extreme in understanding of its teachings which lead them to act extremely. The proverb says: “Half knowledge is dangerous.” (CIVIC, 22.02.13).

المراجع:

تفسير أبن كثير

المازني , إبراهيم بن محمد. التعامل مع الآخر: شواهد تاريخية من الحضارة الآسلامية

 الرياض: مركز الملك عبد العزيز للحوار الوطني , 1426 هـ، ص 182-187.