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Fairness in Dealing with Non-Muslims
By: Dr. Khalid Al-Jaber. Md.
We live in a world in which
the interests of various countries and nations have become
greatly intertwined. No country, however strong it becomes, can
be fully independent of other countries and nations or be totally
self-sufficient. The paradox is that the stronger it becomes, the
more intertwined its national interest would be with those of
other countries.
To live peacefully in this world of interrelated interests,
people of the world must learn to behave in ways that are
conducive to peaceful coexistence. Muslims have a great
contribution to make in this respect. I shall concentrate in this
article on only one such contribution - that of being fair in our
dealings with non-Muslims.
Two conditions are necessary for dealing fairly with people: to
be committed to and highly respectful of the value of justice,
and to base one's judgment and estimation of others on actual
facts and not on mere perception. The Qur'an urges Muslims to
abide by these two principles. Regarding justice and fairness
Allah warns us.
"And do not
let the hatred of a people for having obstructed you from al-Masjid
al-Haram leads you to commit aggression."
(5:2).
Commenting on this verse, Ibn Katheer, the great exegete of the
Qur'an says, "Justice is incumbent upon everyone, regarding
everyone, in every situation". There are many other verses, which
confirm what this verse states, and which thus emphasis the fact
that justice is an absolute value. It is a value, which Allah
loves, and the opposite of which he loathes even in dealing with
those who reject the truth.
Regarding facts, it tells us to be guided not only by what Allah
reveals to us about people, but also by what we come to know
about them by our own human means. One must therefore be careful
not to understand revealed statements in a way that makes them
inconsistent with reality. Strange as this might seem to some of
us, it is a well-established principle in the sciences of
Qur'anic exegeses and jurisprudence. Scholars distinguish between
rational and factual Qur'anic generalizations. While the first
are always to be taken as absolutes, the second can be qualified.
They enumerate the many ways in which this qualification can be
made. Let us concentrate here on only two of these ways, and give
examples of them that are relevant to our topic. A factual
generalization stated in one verse can be qualified by other
Qur'anic verses or by empirical facts.
1. Take the verse which is on the lips of almost every Imam of a
masjid these days,
"And never
will the Jews and the Christians approve of you until you follow
their religion."
(2:120)
This verse is wrongly understood to apply to every individual Jew
and every individual Christian. However, we know from the Qur'an
itself and from our knowledge of individual Jews and Christians
that this is not the case. The Qur'an itself tells us that some
Christian embrace Islam,
"And when
they hear what has been revealed to the Messenger, you see their
eyes overflowing with tears because of what they have recognized
of the truth." (5:83)
Our experience with Christians shows that this is still the case
with many of them. Hundreds of them continue to accept Islam, and
I have seen tears trickling down the cheeks of some of them the
first time they professed, la ilaha il-lal lah
muhammadur-rasoolul lah. The same can be said of some individual
Jews. One of the best Companions of the Prophet, one of the few
people who were given the good tidings by the Prophet, sallallahu
alayhe wa sallam, of being among the people of Paradise, Abdullah
ibn Salam was once a Jewish scholar. We know of some very good
American and European Muslims who also used to be Jewish.
2. Take another verse,
"The Jews
say, 'Ezra is the Son of Allah; and the Christians say, 'The
messiah is the Son of Allah.'"
(9:30).
At one time, I erroneously understood this verse to apply to all
the Jewish people. At that time, about thirty years ago, I wrote
a booklet in English, in which I said that the Jews believe that
Ezra is the son of God, just as the Christians believe that Jesus
is the son of Allah. I was surprised when my publishers informed
me that they had received protests from some Jews concerning my
allegations.
They demanded to know my evidence, but I had no proof other than
the Qur'an, which is not, of course, a convincing evidence for
them. A friend of mine, Dr. Ibraheem al-Hardlow, who was a
student of Hebrew, came to my rescue. He told me that his Jewish
teacher was also surprised about what the Qur'an attributed to
the Jews, and that when he checked some Jewish history books, he
did find, to his astonishment, that there was indeed a community
of Jews living in Madinah at the time of the Prophet, sallallahu
alayhe wa sallam, who believed that Ezra was the son of Allah.
When I subsequently checked the books of Tafseer, I found them to
confirm what the Jewish professor had said.
Ibn Katheer, for example, after having mentioned a long story
concerning Ezra, said, "Some of the ignorant ones among them say
that he only did (what the story attributed to them) because he
was the Son of Allah." Mohammed Tahir Bin Ashoor, the
contemporary Tunisian scholar says in his Commentary, at-Tahreer
wat-Tanweer "The ones who described him as such were a group of
rabbis in Madinah who were followed by most of the local Jewish
populace."
3. The Qur'an says about the Jews and the Christians that they
corrupted their scripture:
"Among the
Jews are those who distort words from their (proper) places
(i.e., usages)."
(4:46).
It is clear from the verse itself that this does not apply to all
Jews. How about the generations of Jews and Christians who came
after the corruption had been made, and who believed that what
they had in their hands was the true Book that Allah revealed?
Ibn Taimyyah says that they cannot be considered as corrupters.
4. What about the Christians belief that Jesus is the Son of
Allah? Even this has to be qualified by the empirical fact, which
might come as a surprise to people in the Muslim world that there
are thousands of Christians in America who do not believe that
Jesus is the son of Allah!
I am relating all this in order to emphasize the point that we
should deal with people according to what we know about them. We
should not try to impose upon them a belief, which they deny. How
should I deal with someone who claims to be a Christian, but who
tells me that he does not believe that Jesus is the Son of Allah?
Should I tell him that so long as he or she is a Christian then
they must believe that Jesus is the son of Allah because the
Qur'an says so?
What we have just said about beliefs applies also to standpoints
on issues. Because people in the West are free-as individuals and
groups to express their opinions and positions on issues, you
find so many differences among them. It is therefore not only
unfair, but also detrimental to our cause to treat them as if
they were a monolith.
I used to assume that the orthodox Jews were the staunchest
enemies of the Palestinians, and the strongest supporters of
Israel. I was really amazed when I came to know about their views
on this issue in a lecture given by one of their scholars at the
U.S.R. institute. They are against the very idea of establishing
a Jewish state; they believe this to be against their religion,
and accuse some of the founders of the Zionist movement to be
atheists masquerading as Jews. Should we deal with them on their
declared beliefs and standpoints? Or should we say to them that
we make no distinction between Jews and Zionists in the war
against the Palestinians?
Some American and European Jews and Christians support the
Palestinian rights and are against the Zionist aggressions. They
do not hide their opinions, but declare them openly in speech,
and in writing, and often take practical action. Are they not
entitled to some appreciation for their support? Should not we
repay them if we can? Is it not in our own religious and worldly
interest to increase the numbers of those who supports us?
Our Prophet was exemplary in appreciating any kind of favour
extended to Muslims by non-Muslims. He said about the idolatrous
prisoners after the Battle of Badr, "Had al Mut'im ibn Adi been
alive, and had he spoken to me on behalf of these foul people, I
would have indeed delivered them to him (without ransom)." He,
would have done that by way of repayment, because, in the words
of Ibn Hajar, "He was one of those who played a strong role in
the annulment of the document that was written by the Quraysh
against Banu Hashim (the Prophet's clan) and the Muslims who were
with them, when they shut them up in the mountain pass." He also
told the Muslims not to kill certain individuals in the ranks of
the enemy at that battle because they were opposed to the war but
were forced to take part in it.
The Qur'an tells us, in some Makkan verses, that kind and fair
treatment can turn an enemy into a close friend,
"And not
equal are the good deed and the bad. Repel (evil) by that (deed)
which is better; and thereupon, the one whom between you and him
is enmity (will become) as though he was a devoted friend."
(41:34).
This is so because, as the Prophet tells us, every person who is
born, is born in a state of Fitrah (inherent good), that is why
you find many people to be kind, generous, just and courageous in
speaking out. It is because of this that fair treatment appeals
to them and helps them to accept the truth and be close friends
of the believers. This is not to say, however, that all people
behave in accordance with that original good nature. Some of them
reject it and do not approve of those who adhere to it, as the
Qur'an tells us.
A cautionary remark is in order before we conclude. To treat
people fairly and nicely is not the same thing as compromising
the truth. We must be firm in accepting and defending the truth
that Allah revealed to his Prophet, while at the same time being
tolerant with those who reject it so long as they do not resort
to any acts of aggression against us.
"And do not
argue with the People of the Scripture except in a way that is
best, except for those who commit injustice among them."
(29:46).
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