Qur'an 5:51 - A Humanistic Interpretation
By
V.A. Mohamad Ashrof, New Age Islam
4 May 2022
Does The
Verse 5:51 Really Forbid Contact And
Alliance With Judeo-Christians Including The Common People In A Bid To Derive A
Humanistic Interpretation
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“O you who believe! Take not the Jews and
Christians for friends/protectors (Awliya)” (Q.5:51).
Islamophobes and Muslim extremists like Osama
bin Laden, Ayman al - Zawahiri, and Abu Bakr al - Baghdadi often quote Q.5: 51.
This small paper examines whether this verse really forbids contact and
alliance with Judeo-Christians, including the common people in a bid to derive
a humanistic interpretation.
Muslim and
Anti-Muslim extremists are abusing the Qur'anic reference to "do not make
alliance with Judeo-Christians" in the sense of "not making
friends" (Q. 5:51, 60: 1, 4: 139, 5:57, 3:28). The word “Awliya”
really means guardian, responsible manager, master, keeper, and servant. The
following verse of the Qur'an will help us to understand the more subtle
meaning of the word “Awliya”: “As for the disbelievers, they are
guardians of one another. And unless you ˹believers˺ act likewise, there will be great
oppression and corruption in the land.” (8:73). The message of the verse is that the
non-cooperation of the adherents of goodness will lead the world to disaster
because the adherents of evil are in cooperation.
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Also Read: According To Quran 5:51, Can Muslims Not Accept
Non-Muslims As Friends?
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The verse
Q.5:57 illuminates the verse Q.5:51 further: "O believers! Do not seek
the guardianship of those given the Scripture before you and the disbelievers
who have made your faith a mockery and amusement. And be mindful of Allah if
you are ˹truly˺ believers." (Q.5:57) It is only those enemies who are mocking the believers for the
sake of amusement should not be taken as allies. If one reads Q.5:51 and Q.5:57
together, she will get the following idea: do not take Jews and Christians who
are bitterly hostile to you as stewards. The basic reason is that they are
eager to ridicule and insult your faith.
Jews and
Christians are the authoritative bearers of the divine message: the command to
"ask the people of the Book" is found throughout the Qur'an (Q. 10:94;
17: 101; 25:59; 16:43; 21: 7; 43:45, 2: 211).
One verse
in the Qur'an explains the other (Q. 4:82, 2:85). It is said in one place that
God will lead astray whomever He wills (Q. 3:27); another verse clarifies that
those who ignore the signs of God are thus led astray (Q. 6:39).
The Qur'an
forbids making enemies who protect each other their guardians (Q. 8:73; 45:19).
It reminds the unbelievers that they are allies of one another and warns that
oppression and corruption will take place on earth if they are led (Q. 8:73).
Do not make allies even members of your own family if they are rivals (Q. 4:
139; 9:23).
“Children
of Adam” in Q.17:70 refer to all mankind and shows that human being is by her
very creation deserves regard and respect as a natural birth right, regardless
of which community he belongs to. Respect and justice for humankind is one of
the fundamental teachings of the Qur'an (4:135, 5:8). It instructs Muslims to
show goodness to those who do evil (41:34), to speak words of peace to those who
are hostile (25:63), to call to the way of God with wisdom and beautiful
preaching (16:125), to treat peaceful non-Muslims with the utmost kindness and
justice (60:8), to be the best of people towards other people (3:110), and to
respect freedom of consciousness and religion (2:256, 10:99).
Muslims are
commanded to protect churches and synagogues; they are holy places where God's
name is being “commemorated in abundant measure" (Q. 22:40). The Qur'an
also supports marital relations with the Judeo-Christians (Q. 5: 5). It also
describes marriage as a warm example of emotional and loving relationships (Q.
2: 187, 2: 229-237; 4:19, 4:25, 9:71; 30:21). The underlying cause of
forbiddance contained in Q.5:51 are further explained in verses Q.3:28 and 4:
139. As stated in Q. 60: 7-9, it is
clear that the Qur'an does not oppose normal and friendly relations with human
beings.
The Qur'an
predicts that Jews and Christians will be eternal enemies due to their
theological disputes (Q. 5:64). However, they can also unite for evil and
conspire against goodness: a clear example of this is the alliance between
Christian and Jewish Zionists. Christian Zionists are fundamentally
anti-Semitic; they join the Jewish Zionists for political purposes. The last
days of Christian Zionists also foretold the Holocaust: two-thirds of the
Jewish people in the land of Israel would perish. The remaining third will be
reformed and await God's deliverance at the second coming of Christ. (Walvoord,
p. 108) This is what Christian Zionism wants. The goal of the unholy
relationship without ceasing to be anti-Semitic is a really a cause of
rebellion on earth. The Qur'an commands people to help one another in good
deeds (Q. 2: 148; 2: 177; 5: 2; 60: 8-9).
According
to the Qur'an, not all the people of the Book are of the same nature; some of
them are pious (Q. 3: 113-14, 5: 82-83, 7: 159, 5:66, 3:75, 2: 121, 17:
107-108). The Qur'an is the only non-Jewish scripture in the world that honours
the Jews (Q. 2:40, 2: 47-52, 2: 57-58, 5:20, 5:44, 10:47, 10: 90-93, 14: 6, 17:
2-3, 20: 47-52, 20: 77-80, 44: 30-32, 45:16). The Qur'an praises good Jews and
promises salvation if they follow the true teachings of Moses (Q. 2: 62, 2:
121-122, 3: 113-115, 3: 199, 5:12, 5:65-66, 5:69, 29:46). Islam absolves the Jews
from the allegation of the “killers of Jesus Christ” (Q.4:157-158).
The
Qur’an’s main criticisms of the Jews include: breaking the covenant, rejecting
the clear evidence (Q. 4: 153-4), branding the Prophets as liars and killing
them unjustly (Q. 5:70), and insulting the mother of the Jesus Christ (Q. 4:
153), behaving unjustly (Q. 4: 160-1)
and taking interest and accepting bribes (Q.
5:62). Moreover, some Jews were cursed because of the claim that Ezra
was the Son of God (Q. 9:30). The Judeo-Christian scriptures and history attest
to these criticisms.
Trinity is
one of the most important criticisms of the Qur'an against Christians (Q. 2:
116; 5:73). Christians misunderstand Jesus' sonship (Q. 5:72; 9:30); Jesus is
merely a human, Messiah and a prophet. Christians err also on the issue of
Jesus' crucifixion (Q. 4: 157-158) and their understanding of the fall of
mankind; therefore, they fail to understand the righteousness of God: "He
who carries a load does not bear another's burden" (Q. 35:18, 53:38). The
Qur’an teaches that Jesus was not God incarnate, he did not die on a cross, and
he was not raised from the dead (Q.4:157; 5:116).
This does
not prevent the Quran from praising good Christians assuring them that they too
have salvation if they follow Jesus' true teachings (Q. 2: 62, 2: 121-122, 3:
113-115, 3: 199, 5: 65-66; 5:69, 5:82,
29:46). Verse Q.5:82 refers to Christians as those who are close to the
believers. The Qur'an is the only non-Christian book in the world that has
great respect for Jesus and Mary (Q. 3: 42-55, 5: 44-46, 5: 110, 43:59).
The
Qur'an's harsh words are not aimed to any religious groups, but to wrong
attitudes, wrong thinking, arrogance, and hostility to Islam. From the Qur'anic
point of view, there is no permanent enemy: "Prevent evil with the best
of good, so that he who is hostile to you will be like a close friend" (Q. 41:34). It bestows benevolent and
constructive guidance to the people of the Book (e.g. Q 3:64, 3: 113–115,
3:199; 5.69; 16.43; 29.46).
When a
Christian delegation arrived from Najran, the Prophet allowed them to worship
in his own mosque. (Guillaume, pp. 270-277)
The Quran
only objects the alliance of the evil forces for ulterior motivation and
purpose and not the alliance with any ordinary Jews and Christians (Q. 4:89, 4:
144; 5:51, 5:57). It is clear that the ill-intentioned (Q.33: 32)
Judeo-Christian Zionism and their ancestral forms are united in mutual aid for
perverse and mysterious evil purposes. Hypocrisy, deceit, perversion and
cruelty are the basic reasons; they use faith for their own political purposes
(Q. 2: 8-11, 24: 47-50 33:12, 33:60, 47:20, 47:29, 74:31).
The Qur'an
itself has made it clear that among the Jews and Christians there are people
who stand for justice (Q. 3: 113). Among them are good men who are financially
faithful (Q. 3:75). The Q. 5:51 forbids the protection of Christian-Jewish
Zionist activities. Not any of the good deeds of the Jews and Christians, which
are on the basis of the belief in monotheism and Life Hereafter, would be wasted
(Q. 5:69, 2:62, 22:17).
"If
you do deeds of charity openly, it is good; but if you bestow it upon the needy
in secret, it will be even better for you, and it will atone for some of your
bad deeds. And God is aware of all that you do" (Q.2: 271). Nowhere does the Qur’an
distinguish between believers and unbelievers, and Qaradawi quotes some of the
Prophet's disciples as aiding and abetting non - Muslim monks. (Qaradawi, p.
449) The Qur'an declares that the children of Adam have full respect (17:70), that
human beings were created superior to the angels (Q.2:34, 32: 7-9), and
therefore human life is most sacred (Q.5:32). Muslims are obliged to enlighten
the worlds with the noble ideals of goodness and piety (Q. 2: 143, 2: 177, 2:
189, 2:44, 3:92, 58: 9).
The Qur'an
refers to the addresses of the prophets, mostly enemies, as
"brothers": Brothers of Lot (Q. 50: 12-14), Noah (Q.26: 106), Hood
(Q.26: 142, 7:65), Salih (Q.26: 142, 7:73) and Shuaib (Q.26: 176, 11:84). The
true Islamic adherents can see human brotherhood in a generic sense, even
though they are not their own blood-brothers. (Ali, p.422).
References:
Ali, Yusuf, The Holy Qur’an: English
Translation Meanings & Commentary, Madina: King Fahd Holy Qur’an Printing
Complex, 1411 H
Guillaume, Alfred (tr), The Life of
Muhammad: A Translation of Ibn Ishâq’s Sîrat Rasûl Allâh, Oxford: OUP, 1968
Qaradawi, Yusuful, Fiqh alZakat (Tr.Dr.
Monzer Kahf), London: Dar alTaqwa, 1999
Walvoord, John F, Israel in Prophecy,
Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1988
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V.A.
Mohamad Ashrof is one among the Muslim scholars of Kerala who is regularly
publishing articles and papers dealing with Islam and Contemporary Affairs. He
has worked as the Executive Editor of Al-Harmony, a Quarterly Journal on Islam
and Thought and Ethics, for 10 years. He is the joint secretary of Forum for
Faith and Fraternity- a Muslim think tank based in Kochi. He is also the
Secretary of International Interfaith Dialogue India, an interfaith movement
based in Kerala.
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-pluralism/quran-5-51-humanistic-interpretation/d/126928
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