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Living
with Christians
Question:
To what extent can Muslims work in a fair and friendly way
with Christians and people of other faiths who live around
them? Also, given that the Muslim minorities live amongst
a majority of Christians, is it permissible for the Muslims
to work and do business with them and to respond to their
invitations and for them to respond to our invitations? Is
it also permitted for Muslims to mix with them, whether in
order to invite them to Islaam or merely out of courtesy?
If the answer is that it is permissible, how can we reconcile
it with the fact that in some books of usool
al-fiqh it is stated that we should force them aside when
we pass on a narrow path? In addition, it is stated that we
should bring up our children to loathe, despise and avoid
them. Could you possibly throw some light on this?
Response:
Allaah (Subhaanahu
wa Ta'aala) says:
{Allaah does
not forbid you to be kind and just with those who have neither
made war on your religion nor driven you from your homes.
Allaah loves those who are just and equitable},
[Soorah
al-Mumtahinah, Aayah
8].
A person's dealings with others falls into one of three categories:
1. He deals with them fairly and justly;
2. He deals with them fairly and justly;
3. He deals with them unjustly.
Dealing with people unjustly is prohibited. Even with the
rights of non-Muslims, it is not permitted for you to deal
with them unjustly and with oppression. Ibn Qayyim (Rah) when
commenting on the words of the Prophet (sal-Allaahu
`alayhe wa sallam):
((If the people of the Book give
Salaam upon you, then answer them by saying, And upon you))
says, "This is if they say, 'As-Salaam' in a way which
is not clear and it is possible and likely that they in fact
said: "As- which means "poison". However, if
they say, "As-Salaamu 'alaykum" clearly, then you
should reply by saying, "Wa 'alaykum as-Salaam"
also in a clear manner.
Allaah
(Subhaanahu
wa Ta'aala) says:
{If you are greeted by anyone, then
reply with a better greeting or at least return the same greeting},
[ Soorah an-Nisaa, Aayah 86].
This is what justice calls for. However, the reason for the
Prophet (sal-Allaahu
`alayhe wa sallam) saying:
((If the people of the Book give
as-Salaam upon you, then answer them by saying, And upon you))
is made clear in a hadeeth narrated by ibn 'Umar. The Prophet
(sal-Allaahu
`alayhe wa sallam) said:
((The People of the Book say, "As-Saam
'alaykum" (May you be poisoned) so if the People of the
Book give as-Salaam upon you, then reply by saying, 'Wa 'alaykum))
(And upon you.). And so the Prophet (sal-Allaahu
`alayhe wa sallam) clarified the reason for this ruling.
Therefore, if they say distinctly, "As-Salaam" there
is no objection for you to reply clearly, "Wa 'alaykum
as-Salaam". If they congratulate us or give us best wishes,
we can return the greeting to them. However, to give them
best wishes on the occasion of their religious festivals is
completely forbidden. It is prohibited, for example, to give
them best wishes at Christmas or on the occasion of any other
of their festivals because to wish them well by affirming
their festivals of disbelief is to be contented and happy
that these are their festivals. In the same way that it is
prohibited to wish them good health over a drink of wine or
any other prohibited subsume, it is also forbidden to wish
them well by affirming their religious rites.
The matter of responding to their invitations is something
that needs elaboration. If there is benefit in it and it is
an opportunity to invite to Islaam, then there is no objection
to it. The Prophet (sal-Allaahu
`alayhe wa sallam) responded to an invitation of a Jew,
who gave him bread, barley and dissolved fat. It is, however,
something that we as Muslims must be very cautious about.
Friendship and love for them, inclining to them and being
content with their disbelief is not permitted because the
need to have a sound and pure heart is extremely important
for Muslims. The heart if it inclines to them or becomes content
with their disbelief is in great danger.
For this reason, Allaah (Subhaanahu
wa Ta'aala) says:
{You will not find a people who believe
in Allaah and the Last Day being friendly with those who oppose
Allaah and His Messenger, even though they are their fathers,
sons, brothers, close relatives or from their own tribe},
[Soorah
al-Mujaadalah, Aayah
8].
Shaykh
Ibn 'Uthaymeen
al-Aqalliyaat al-Muslimah - Page 81, Fatwa No.22
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