Zinaid Abu Naser

QUESTION POSED:

When we read the ayat:

• You will not find a people who believe in Allah and the Last Day having affection for those who oppose Allah and His Messenger, even if they were their fathers or their sons or their brothers or their kindred. (58:22)
• And incline not toward those who do wrong, lest the Fire should touch you, and you have no protectors other than Allah, nor you would then be helped. (11:113)
• Surely you do not guide whomever you love, but Allah guides whomever He decides, and He knows best the ones (who are) rightly-guided. (28:56)

Do we take the general understanding of love and hate mentioned in the first two ayat? Next question is on the last ayah I mentioned where Allah affirms that there was love between the Prophet and his uncle Abu Talib, or is this abrogated. Further, Can we use this to make a general statement, a believer does not love the disbelievers.

QUESTION ANSWERED

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

الحمد لله

The short answer to your final question is, The believer can never truly and fully love the disbeliever! And this is based on their Kufr. Though the love between a Muslim child in regard to his/her non-Muslim Mother/Father still exists, and these are particular to the parents and the ties of kinship and the womb. These would fall under specific fiqhi rulings and would vary from case to case. We will expand on some of the conditions and rulings below in sha Allah. However, the question posed needs a longer reply so that our Brothers and Sisters that read this can also benefit from it, and Allah’s ﷻ Help is sought.

As for the General of Specific Ayat part of the question.

In the Qur’an Allah ﷻ gives us two types of Ayat, The 1.‘Aam (lit. ‘general’) & 2. Khaas (lit. ‘specific’),

As for: ‘Aam (lit. ‘general’), they contain words that apply to all members of a specific group, no matter how small or large that group is. Allah ﷻ says:

“Every soul shall taste death.” (Aal-Imraan 3:185)

This verse above; is applicable to every soul, be it human, animal or jinn. This is an ‘Aam (General) Ayat.

As for: Khaas (lit. ‘specific’), they contain words that are used to denote a limited number of things, including everything to which it can be applied. Allah ﷻ Says:

“And incline not toward those who do wrong, lest the Fire should touch you, and you have no protectors other than Allah, nor you would then be helped.” (11:113)

This verse above; is only applicable to those that do wrong. This is an Khaas (Specific) Ayat.

For future reference: The primary difference between ‘Aam and Khaas is that Khaas applies to a single subject or a specified number of objects; in other words, the scope of its application is limited, unlike the ‘Aam. And there are further specifications and categories, which would make this answer very long, and we ask Allah to grant us knowledge which benefits.

As for the Meaning of the Ayat you quoted from Surah Al-Mujadila

In the first two ayat that you mentioned, ayah 22 of Surah al-Mujadilah & ayah 113 of Surah Hud), we look at Ibn Kathir’s Tafsir in regards to the first of the two ayat (ayat 22 from surah Al-Mujadila), and it is plain to see that we can deduce that the ayat is ‘Aam/general, meaning it is inclusive of all the disbelievers.

Ibn Kathir says:

لَّا تَجِدُ قَوْمًا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ يُوَادُّونَ مَنْ حَادَّ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ وَلَوْ كَانُوا آبَاءَهُمْ أَوْ أَبْنَاءَهُمْ أَوْ إِخْوَانَهُمْ أَوْ عَشِيرَتَهُمْ ۚ أُولَٰئِكَ كَتَبَ فِي قُلُوبِهِمُ الْإِيمَانَ وَأَيَّدَهُم بِرُوحٍ مِّنْهُ ۖ وَيُدْخِلُهُمْ جَنَّاتٍ تَجْرِي مِن تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا ۚ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ وَرَضُوا عَنْهُ ۚ أُولَٰئِكَ حِزْبُ اللَّهِ ۚ أَلَا إِنَّ حِزْبَ اللَّهِ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ

“You will not find a people who believe in Allah and the Last Day having affection for those who oppose Allah and His Messenger, even if they were their fathers or their sons or their brothers or their kindred. Those – He has decreed within their hearts faith and supported them with spirit from Him. And We will admit them to gardens beneath which rivers flow, wherein they abide eternally. Allah is pleased with them, and they are pleased with Him – those are the party of Allah . Unquestionably, the party of Allah – they are the successful.” (Al-Mujadila 58:22)

Meaning, do not befriend the deniers, even if they are among the closest relatives. Allah ﷻ said:

﴿لاَّ يَتَّخِذِ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ الْكَـفِرِينَ أَوْلِيَآءَ مِن دُونِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَمَن يَفْعَلْ ذَلِكَ فَلَيْسَ مِنَ اللَّهِ فِي شَىْءٍ إِلاَ أَن تَتَّقُواْ مِنْهُمْ تُقَـةً وَيُحَذِّرْكُمُ اللَّهُ نَفْسَهُ﴾

(Let not the believers take the disbelievers as friends 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.) (3:28)

﴿قُلْ إِن كَانَ ءَابَاؤُكُمْ وَأَبْنَآؤُكُمْ وَإِخْوَنُكُمْ وَأَزْوَجُكُمْ وَعَشِيرَتُكُمْ وَأَمْوَلٌ اقْتَرَفْتُمُوهَا وَتِجَـرَةٌ تَخْشَوْنَ كَسَادَهَا وَمَسَـكِنُ تَرْضَوْنَهَآ أَحَبَّ إِلَيْكُمْ مِّنَ اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ وَجِهَادٍ فِي سَبِيلِهِ فَتَرَبَّصُواْ حَتَّى يَأْتِىَ اللَّهُ بِأَمْرِهِ وَاللَّهُ لاَ يَهْدِى الْقَوْمَ الْفَـسِقِينَ ﴾

(Say: If your fathers, your sons, your brothers, your wives, your kindred, the wealth that you have gained, the commerce in which you fear a decline, and the dwellings in which you delight are dearer to you than Allah and His Messenger, and striving hard and fighting in His cause, then wait until Allah brings about His decision (torment). And Allah guides not the people who are the rebellious.)(9:24)

Sa`id bin `Abdul-`Aziz and others said that this Ayah:

﴿لاَّ تَجِدُ قَوْماً يُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الاٌّخِرِ﴾

(You will not find any people who believe in Allah and the Last Day…) was revealed in the case of Abu `Ubaydah `Amir bin `Abdullah bin Al-Jarrah when he killed his disbelieving father, during the battle of Badr. This is why when `Umar bin Al-Khattab placed the matter of Khilafah in the consultation of six men after him, he said; “If Abu `Ubaydah were alive, I would have appointed him the Khalifah.” It was also said that the Ayah,

﴿وَلَوْ كَانُواْ ءَابَآءَهُمْ﴾

(even though they were their fathers), was revealed in the case of Abu `Ubaydah, when he killed his father during the battle of Badr, while the Ayah,

﴿أَوْ أَبْنَآءَهُمْ﴾

(or their sons) was revealed in the case of Abu Bakr As-Siddiq when he intended to kill his (disbelieving) son, `Abdur-Rahman, (during Badr), while the Ayah,

﴿أَوْ إِخْوَنَهُمْ﴾

(or their brothers) was revealed about the case of Mus`ab bin `Umayr, who killed his brother, `Ubayd bin `Umayr, during Badr, and that the Ayah,

﴿أَوْ عَشِيرَتَهُمْ﴾

(or their kindred) was revealed about the case of `Umar, who killed one of his relatives during Badr, and that this Ayah was revealed in the case of Hamzah, `Ali and Ubaydah bin Al-Harith. They killed their close relatives `Utbah, Shaybah and Al-Walid bin `Utbah that day. Allah knows best. A similar matter is when Allah’s Messenger consulted with his Companions about what should be done with the captives of Badr. Abu Bakr As-Siddiq thought that they should accept ransom for them so the Muslims could use the money to strengthen themselves. He mentioned the fact that the captured were the cousins and the kindred, and that they might embrace Islam later, by Allah’s ﷻ help. `Umar said, “But I have a different opinion, O Allah’s Messenger! Let me kill so-and-so, my relative, and let `Ali kill `Aqil (`Ali’s brother), and so-and-so kill so-and-so. Let us make it known to Allah that we have no mercy in our hearts for the idolators.” Allah ﷻ said,

﴿أُوْلَـئِكَ كَتَبَ فِى قُلُوبِهِمُ الإِيمَـنَ وَأَيَّدَهُمْ بِرُوحٍ مِّنْهُ﴾

(For such He has written faith in their hearts, and strengthened them with Ruh from Himself.) means, those who have the quality of not befriending those who oppose Allah ﷻ and His Messenger , even if they are their fathers or brothers, are those whom Allah ﷻ has decreed faith, meaning, happiness, in their hearts and made faith dear to their hearts and happiness reside therein. As-Suddi said that the Ayah,

﴿كَتَبَ فِى قُلُوبِهِمُ الإِيمَـنَ﴾

(He has written faith in their hearts,) means, “He has placed faith in their hearts.” Ibn `Abbas said that,

﴿وَأَيَّدَهُمْ بِرُوحٍ مِّنْهُ﴾

(and strengthened them with Ruh from Himself.) means, “He gave them strengths.” Allah’s ﷻ statement,

﴿وَيُدْخِلُهُمْ جَنَّـتٍ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهَا الاٌّنْهَـرُ خَـلِدِينَ فِيهَا رَضِىَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ وَرَضُواْ عَنْهُ﴾

(And He will admit them to Gardens under which rivers flow, to dwell therein. Allah is well pleased with them, and they are well pleased with Him.) was explained several times before. Allah’s ﷻ statement,

﴿رِّضِىَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ وَرَضُواْ عَنْهُ﴾

(Allah is well pleased with them, and they are well pleased with Him.) contains a beautiful secret. When the believers became enraged against their relatives and kindred in Allah’s cause, He compensated them by being pleased with them and making them pleased with Him from what He has granted them of eternal delight, ultimate victory and encompassing favor. Allah’s ﷻ statement,

﴿أُوْلَـئِكَ حِزْبُ اللَّهِ أَلاَ إِنَّ حِزْبَ اللَّهِ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ﴾

(They are the party of Allah. Verily, the party of Allah will be the successful.) indicates that they are the party of Allah, meaning, His servants who are worthy of earning His honor. Allah’s ﷻ statement,

﴿أَلاَ إِنَّ حِزْبَ اللَّهِ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ﴾

(Verily, the party of Allah will be the successful.) asserts their success, happiness and triumph in this life and the Hereafter, in contrast to those, who are the party of the devil,

﴿أَلاَ إِنَّ حِزْبَ الشَّيْطَـنِ هُمُ الخَـسِرُونَ﴾

(Verily, the party of Shaytan will be the losers!)

This is the end of the Tafsir of Surat Al-Mujadilah. All praise and thanks are due to Allah.

 

As for our stance towards the disbelievers, if we are told to hate their kufr?

Though we are ordered to disassociate our selves from shirk and kufr, there are guidelines that we observe, and these are found in both the Qur’an and Sunnah. We are obliged to do a number of things when it comes to non-Muslims. The duty of the Muslim towards a non-Muslim includes several things:

Firstly: Da‘wah or calling him to Allah ﷻ. We should call him to Allah ﷻ and explain to him the reality of Islam when possible, with regard to whatever issues he has knowledge about, because this is the greatest kindness that he can give to his fellow-citizens and to those whom he meets of Jews, Christians and others who may be mushrikeen (polytheists), because the Prophet ﷺ  said: “The one who guides others to goodness will have a reward like that of the one who does it.” And he ﷺ said to ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), when he sent him to Khaybar and instructed him to call the Jews to Islam: “By Allah, if Allah were to guide one man through you, that would be better for you than having red camels (the best kind).” And he ﷺ said: “Whoever calls others to right guidance will have a reward like that of those who follow him, without that detracting from their reward in the slightest.” So calling him/her (the non-Muslim) to Islam, conveying Islam to him and being sincere towards him in that are among the best means of drawing close to Allah, especially if it is your parents, or family.

Secondly: He should not wrong him, with regard to his physical wellbeing, his wealth or his honour. If he is a dhimmi (non-Muslim living under Muslim rule), musta’man (one who is granted security in a Muslim land) or mu‘aahid (one with whose country the Muslims have a peace deal), then he should give him his due rights, and not transgress against his wealth by stealing, betraying or deceiving, and he should not harm him physically by striking or killing him, because the fact that he is a mu‘aahid or dhimmi, or musta’man, means that he is protected by sharee‘ah. 

Thirdly: There is no reason why we should not interact with him, buying, selling, renting, hiring and so on. It is narrated in reports that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ  bought from kuffaar who were idol worshippers, and he bought from the Jews, and these are interactions. When he ﷺ died, his shield was being held in pledge by a Jew for some food he had bought for his family ﷺ.

Fourthly: With regard to greeting, the Muslim should not initiate the greeting, but he may return it, because the Prophet ﷺ said: “Do not initiate the greeting of salaam with the Jews or Christians.” And he ﷺ said: “If the people of the Book greet you with salaam (by saying al-salaamu ‘alaykum), say ‘Wa ‘alaykum.’” So the Muslim should not initiate the greeting to a kaafir, but if the kaafir initiates it, and the Jew or Christians etc. greets you with salaam, then you should say “wa ‘alaykum,” as the Prophet ﷺ said.  These are some of the rights between a Muslim and a kaafir.

Another right is being a good neighbour. So if he is a neighbour, be kind to him and do not annoy him; give charity to him if he is poor, give him gifts, give him beneficial advice, because these are things that will attract him to Islam and to become Muslim; and because the neighbour has rights. The Messenger ﷺ said: “Jibreel kept urging me to be kind to my neighbour until I thought that he would make him my heir.” agreed upon. If the neighbour is a kaafir, he still has the rights of a neighbour; if he is both a relative and a kaafir, then he has two rights: the rights of a neighbour and the rights of a relative.

One of the rights of the neighbour is that you should give him charity, but not zakaah, if he is poor, because Allah ﷻ says:

“Allah does not forbid you to deal justly and kindly with those who fought not against you on account of religion nor drove you out of your homes. Verily, Allaah loves those who deal with equity” [al-Mumtahanah 60:8].

According to the hadeeth narrated from Asma’ bint Abi Bakr (may Allah ﷻ be pleased with her), her mother, who was a mushrik, entered upon her during the truce between the Prophet ﷺ  and the people of Makkah, seeking help. Asma’ asked the Prophet ﷺ for permission – should she uphold ties of kinship with her? The Prophet ﷺ said: “Uphold ties of kinship with her.”

But with regard to celebrating their festivals, the Muslim should not take part in celebrating their festivals, but there is nothing wrong with offering them condolences if a loved one dies, such as saying “May Allah ﷻ compensate you in your loss” and other kind words. But he should not say “May Allah forgive him” or “May Allah have mercy on him” if the deceased was a kaafir, and he should not pray for the deceased if he was a kaafir. But he may pray for the one who is alive to be guided and to be compensated and so on. End quote. (All hadith mentioned are graded sahih)

Fataawa Noor ‘ala al-Darb, 1/289-291.

إِنَّكَ لَا تَهْدِي مَنْ أَحْبَبْتَ وَلَٰكِنَّ اللَّهَ يَهْدِي مَن يَشَاءُ ۚ وَهُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِالْمُهْتَدِينَ

“Indeed, [O Muhammad], you do not guide whom you like, but Allah guides whom He wills. And He is most knowing of the [rightly] guided.”

(Al-Qasas 28:56)

 

وبالله التوفيق وصلى الله على نبينا محمد وآله وصحبه وسلم

والله تعالى أعلم