Fairness in Dealing with Non-Muslims

[sonz]

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).

From: Al Jumuah Vol. 14 - Issue: