format_quote Originally Posted by
AnonymousGender
literatley stealin, e.g. robbing houses, but not face to face
i dony actually know where they got this piece of information but i cant actually confront him about it as he doed not know i know as i fond out from a friend.
Give this to them:
Stealing From Non-Muslims in the West
It is to be stressed that what is unlawful for a Muslim is still unlawful for him/her wherever he/she goes. Unlawful behaviors remain unlawful whether in a Muslim or a non-Muslim country. Muslim scholars agree that stealing from non-Muslims is forbidden. By having citizenship, a residence permit or a visa of a non-Muslim country, a Muslim enters into a peaceful agreement with non-Muslims, and he must respect the agreements and never betray them. This is because respecting agreements and treaties and honesty are among the basic characteristics of a Muslim.
In his response to the question in point, the eminent Muslim scholar, Sheikh Muhammad Al-Hanooti, member of the North American Fiqh Council, states
A priority in a Muslim's life is to please Allah and to demonstrate the best manners of a human being. The teachings of Islam are not effective if not practiced by good Muslims. How would a Muslim make da`wah (calling to Islam) to a non-Muslim if he/she is showing him that they have double standards? All those doings you mentioned are sinful and shameful.
What is haram (unlawful) is haram for everybody, wherever they are. Categorizing certain areas to be "Dar al-Harb" or "Dar al-Islam" does not fit the realistic understanding of Islam, especially when you live in the Western countries. Al-Mawardi says, 'Wherever you practice your deen (religion), that is Dar al-Islam.'
Shedding more light on the issue of stealing from non-Muslims, Sheikh M. S. Al-Munajjid, a prominent Saudi Muslim lecturer and author, states:
No one is unaware of the fact that stealing is a major sin, for which Allah has enjoined the punishment of having the hand cut off. The Shari`ah makes no distinction between the wealth of a male and the wealth of a female, or between the wealth of a minor and the wealth of an adult, or between the wealth of a Muslim and the wealth of a non-Muslim. The only exception made by the Shari`ah is the wealth of non-Muslims who are waging war against the Muslims.
The Muslim should be a good example of trustworthiness, honoring agreements and good character. When Muslims have had such characteristics, this has been the cause of many non-Muslims entering Islam, because they saw the beauties of Islam and the good character of its people.
The Muslim who regards the non-Muslims’ wealth as permissible, whether he is in a Muslim country or in a non-Muslim country, is doing the non-Muslims a great favor and helping them to distort the image of Islam and Muslims; he is thereby helping those who are launching attacks against Islam.
When a Muslim enters a non-Muslim country, it is as if he is entering into a peaceful agreement with them – which is the visa which is given to him to enable him to enter their country – so if he takes their wealth unlawfully, then he is breaking that agreement, in addition to being a thief.
The wealth that he steals from them is haram. It was narrated that al-Mughirah ibn Shu`bah kept company with some people during the jahiliyyah (pre-Islamic period). He killed them and took their wealth, then he came and entered Islam.
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “As for your Islam, I accept it, and as for the wealth, I have nothing to do with it.” According to the version of Abu Dawud, “As for your Islam, we accept it, and as for the wealth it is obtained through treachery, and we have no need of it.”
(Reported by Al-Bukhari and Abu Dawud)
Al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar said: The phrase “and as for the wealth, I have nothing to do with it” means, I will not touch it because it was obtained through treachery. What we learn from this is that it is not permissible to take the wealth of non-Muslims by treachery when they have trusted you and granted you safety, because when people accompany one another (when traveling), they do so on the basis of mutual trust, and that trust should not be betrayed, whether the other person is a Muslim or a non-Muslim. The wealth of non-Muslims is only permissible in the case of combat and war.
(Fath al-Bari, vol. 5, p. 341)
Ash-Shafa`i (may Allah have mercy on him) said: When a Muslim enters Dar al-Harb on peaceful terms, and finds himself in a position to take something of their wealth, it is not permissible for him to take it, whether it is a little or a lot, because if he is safe from them, they should be safe from him, and because it is not permissible for him to take anything from them when they have given him safety except what it is permissible for him to take from the wealth of the Muslims and ahl adh-dhimmah (non-Muslims living under the protection of the Muslim state).
(Al-Umm, vol. 4, p. 284)
As-Sarkhasi, the famous Hanafi scholar, said: It is not right for a Muslim who is on peaceful terms with them to betray them, because betrayal is haram. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is reported to have said: “Every betrayer will have a banner by his backside on the Day of Resurrection, by which his betrayal will be known.” If he betrays them and steals their wealth, and brings it to the Muslim lands, it is not right for a Muslim to buy from him if he knows about that, because he has obtained it in an evil manner, and buying from him is encouraging him in that, which it is not right for the Muslim to do.
(Al-Mabsut, vol. 10, p. 96)
Duties of Muslims Living in the West
What a Muslim should concern himself with when dealing with such issue is the interest of Muslims, in particular, and all humans, in general. Islam, as a universal religions, pays great attention to the welfare and well-being of all humans. Its mission is meant to spread peace, tolerance, cooperation, prosperity, etc., amongst all peoples.
Therefore, the division of the world into Dar Al-Islam and Dar Al-Kufr is on the basis of Da`wah, not war. War has no place in Islam except in necessary cases such as defending the Muslim land, honor, and property against violation. In this context, we recall the following Qur’anic verses that lay down the glittering principles to be adopted by Muslims when dealing with non-Muslims:
“Allah forbiddeth you not those who warred not against you on account of religion and drove you not out from your homes, that ye should show them kindness and deal justly with them. Lo ! Allah loveth the just dealers. Allah forbiddeth you only those who warred against you on account of religion and have driven you out from your homes and helped to drive you out, that ye make friends of them. Whosoever maketh friends of them (All) such are wrong doers.”
(Al-Mumtahinah: 8-9)
Focusing more on the Question in point, Sheikh Faisal Mawlawi, Deputy Chairman of the European Council for Fatwa and Research, states:
“There is no problem as regards defining the abode of Islam (Dar Al-Islam) and that of disbelief (Dar Al-Kufr). The abode of Islam is any country in which there is a Muslim majority even if its ruler does not completely abide by Islam and even if the government there displays some sort of anti-Islam schemes or policies. In contrast, every country that has a non-Muslim majority is regarded as an abode of disbelief.
It’s noteworthy that this division has no significance save the goal of propagating Islam and spreading its message to all and sundry.
As we see in Muslim countries, Muslim Du`ah (callers to Islam) aim at reforming the systems and exhorting the government so that they will completely abide by the Islamic teachings, whereas in non-Muslim countries they aim at spreading the Islamic message among non-Muslims so as to convince them to embrace Islam.
It’s a fact that some Muslims regard every non-Muslim country as an abode of war (Dar Al-Harb), basing this on the opinions of some jurists who were greatly influenced by certain historical circumstances. In my opinion, this is not true, for the general rule regarding the abode of disbelief is that they should be regarded originally as an abode of Da`wah (calling to Islam) not of war. But they may turn into an abode of war under certain circumstances and within certain conditions.”
Duties of Muslims Living in the West
Muslims all over the world especially those living in majority non-Muslim countries in the west should try their best to give non-Muslims a positive view about Islam and the real traits of Muslims. Muslims in those parts of the world are ordered to be law-abiding citizens and they should work for the wellbeing of their respective communities.
Responding to the question, the eminent Muslim scholar, Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, states the following:
There are many religious duties for a Muslim who lives in the West. Some of those religious duties may be classified as follows:
The Duty to Keep One’s Muslim Identity:
This can be achieved by sticking to Islamic commands, trying to understand the tenets of faith, showing keenness on performing daily prayers in the masjid, cooperating with fellow Muslim brothers on that which is good and righteous, and seeking religious knowledge from reliable scholars regarding new problematic issues.
The Duty Towards One’s Family:
Although every Muslim is obliged to take care of his family, such an obligation is stressed in the West because when the Muslim lacks the watchful eye, this rings alarm for family disintegration that may ensue, in addition to children lacking the proper Islamic care.
In more than one occasion, I told brothers and sisters living in the west that if they find it extremely difficult to bring up their children Islamically, they should go back to their countries of origin, as staying in the west in this case will cause an irreparable harm to the whole family. It will be of no avail to amass worldly riches and neglect religious ordinances.
Duty of Muslims Towards One Another:
With Muslims being a minority in those non-Muslim countries, they ought to unite together as one man. Referring to this, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is reported to have said: “A believer to his fellow believing brother is like a building whose bricks cement each other.”
Hence, Muslims in those countries have to unite and to reject any form of division that is capable of turning them to an easy prey for others.
Duty of Muslims Towards the Society Where They Reside:
Muslims in the west ought to be sincere callers to their religion. They should keep in mind that calling others to Islam is not only restricted to scholars and Sheikhs, but it goes far to encompass every committed Muslim. As we see scholars and Sheikhs delivering khutbas and lectures, writing books to defend Islam, it is no wonder to find lay Muslims practicing da`wah while employing wisdom and fair exhortation.
Duty to Adopt and Champion the Rights of the Muslim Ummah:
Such kind of duty involves championing the Cause of Palestine, Iraq,Kosova, Chechnya (and other places where Muslims are facing great ordeals), with the sincere intention to return back the usurped rights to their legitimate owners.
Nowadays, we see the Jews, from the four corners of the world, championing and backing Israel, and we call on all Muslims in all parts of the world saying that it is high time to champion the rights of their Muslim Ummah.
Taken from Islamonline