Does Islam Forbid Making Friends With Non-Muslims? Part – 2
By
Kaniz Fatma, New Age Islam
20 April
2024
In the first section, it was highlighted how
Islamophobes and hardliners frequently assert that Muslims are not allowed to
make friends with non-Muslims, despite the fact that this is a fallacy that
runs counter to both Islamic history and modern reality. It highlighted the
distinction between Muwalaat and Mua’amalat and the fact that political unrest,
not peace in order was when the ban on Muwalaat was first made known. In
addition, the second section shows that the life of the Prophet (peace be upon
him) is full of instances where excellent treatment and peaceful coexistence
with non-Muslim communities are demonstrated.
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Detergent Surf Excel's recent commercial on Holi tries to depict love
and friendship between Hindus and Muslims. Photo: YouTube
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The Prophet
Muhammad (peace be upon him) has a long history of peaceful coexistence with
people of many religious communities. In both Makkah and Madinah, he lived with
Christians and Jews. Even when there were apparent disagreements with certain
of the Jewish tribes in Madinah, the Prophet (peace be upon him) did not cut
off links with the entire Jewish community. In Madinah, the Prophet
acknowledged the Jews as one community with the Muslims.
Throughout
Islamic history, the Prophet (peace be upon him) cooperated with different
non-Muslims. For example, when he and his companion Abu Bakar left Makkah for
Madinah during the Hijrah, he relied on Abdullah bin Urayqat, a non-Muslim, to
guide and direct them. According to a hadith preserved in Sahih Bukhari, the
Prophet paid a visit to a Jewish lad who used to serve him till he became
unwell. The Prophet's kind demeanour illustrates the beauty of his teachings,
inspiring the youngster to accept the message of the Prophet. These are just a
few examples of the Holy Prophet’s remarkable interpersonal relationships with
members of various faiths. (Peace be upon him).
In addition
to his social contacts with people of different faiths, the Holy Prophet
emphasised the need of maintaining kinship ties despite religious differences.
He advised his companion, Saad bin Abi Waqas, to maintain a good connection
with his mother, despite the fact that she did not share the same faith. The
Holy Prophet emphasised that one's faith and belief should not interfere with
one's family ties. He was Abu Talib's confidant and had an excellent
relationship with him. Abu Talib was
crucial to the Prophetic message's success. He shielded the Prophet from those
who tried to stop him from carrying out his mission. The Prophet (peace be upon
him) also lavished love and respect on his uncle.
As a
result, it is perfectly acceptable for us to befriend individuals who do not
share our beliefs. We can always extend friendships to whomever we want to be
friends with and embrace friends regardless of their religious beliefs. A
friend in need is a true friend. Indeed, some of our friends share our ideals,
but we all share our humanity and, more importantly, our strong links to real
friendship.
A serious
assessment of the overall message of the Quran, as well as the Holy Prophet's
diverse deeds, would be ample grounds to reject any restricted or exclusivist
readings of these verses. Several verses in the Quran exhort us to do good to
people of other faiths and to create positive relationships with them. Allah
Azzawajal says in the Quran,
“And He does not forbid you to deal kindly and
justly with anyone who has not fought you for your faith or driven you out of
your homes; God loves the Just.” (60:8)
As Muslims,
we have a religious obligation to challenge interpretations that seek to sow
division and hatred. It is our responsibility to portray a favourable image of
our faith and to explicitly reject exclusivist interpretations of the Bible. As
taught by the Holy Prophet, we spread Rahma (mercy) to all. We must have trust
that our faith does not need us to be isolated from other communities and that
it does not create hostility in our interpersonal relationships. It is critical
that we make attempts to learn about and interact with others in order to
develop social cohesion. So, absolutely, we can make friends with our
non-Muslim acquaintances. And, certainly, we must, because the beauty of human
connections comes in their uniqueness. (Excerpts summarized from Can Muslims
Befriend Non-Muslims?)
In
conclusion, Muslims have no problem maintaining casual friendships and cordial
acquaintances with people of other faiths as long as those people do not oppose
or dislike Islam or Muslims, do not engage in or incorrectly influence Muslims
toward immoral behaviour, and are not unjust and oppressive to anyone. The
words of Allah Most High Himself demonstrate this when He says:
“Allah does not forbid you from showing
kindness and dealing justly with those who have not fought you due to your
faith or driven you out of your homes.
Allah loves those who deal justly.
Allah only forbids you from those people who fought you because of your
faith, drove you out of your homes and helped in your expulsion, that you take
them as intimate associates. And
whosoever takes them as intimate associates, then it is they who are the
wrongdoers.”
(60:8-9)
Those who
argue that Christians and Jews cannot be friends because of the apparent
command of verse 5:51 must now recognise that the Quran expressly relates to
preventing an alliance with non-Muslims who aim to harm the Muslim community.
Such verses were revealed during times of political turmoil, not during times
of peace. To grasp this concept, consider this: if friendship with the people
of the Book had been prohibited in general, Allah Almighty would not have
permitted Muslim males to marry women from Ahl-e-Kitab (the People of the
Book). What relationship could be more warm and friendly than a marriage?
Allah the
Most High says, “(Lawful to you in marriage) are chaste [Muhsan] women from
the believers and chaste women from those who were given the Scripture (Jews
and Christians) before your time” [al-Ma’idah 5:5]
The
argument is that Allah has allowed Muslim males to marry chaste women from the
People of the Book, and the Prophet's (peace and blessings of Allah be upon
him) companions did so. Hazrat 'Uthmaan, like Talhah ibn 'Ubaydullah, married a
Christian woman, while Hazrat Hudhayfah married a Jewish woman.
'Abdullah
ibn Ahmad was quoted as saying, "I questioned my father about a Muslim man
who married a Christian or Jewish woman." He said: I don't want him to do
that, but if he does, some of the Prophet's (Peace and blessings of Allah be
upon him) companions did it as well. (Ahkaam Ahl al-Dhimmah, 2/794, 795)
That Islam
permits Muslim males to marry a woman from the People of the Book provides
substantial evidence that verse 5:51 is context-sensitive and only prohibits
friendship with people who seek to undermine the Muslim community.
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First
Part of the Article: Does Islam Forbid Making Friends With Non-Muslims?
Part – 1
Kaniz Fatma is a classic Islamic scholar and a
regular columnist for New Age Islam.
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-pluralism/forbid-making-friends-non-muslims-part-2/d/132170
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Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism