Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

The Qur’an and Exposure of the Enemies

Islam has paid due attention to the independence of the MuslimUmmah , and for this very reason it has suggested certain measures to prevent any kind, of alien interference in the internal affairs of an Islamic State on the part of the non‑Muslims . TheQur’anic imperatives are categorical in this regard.

In some of theQur’anic verses the evil designs and targets of the plotting unbelievers are fully exposed, so that Muslims should nothe deceived by their hypocritical attitude. They also suggest how this challengeshould be met . A few relevant versesare quoted here:

مَّا يَوَدُّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ وَلَا الْمُشْرِكِينَ أَن يُنَزَّلَ عَلَيْكُم مِّنْ خَيْرٍ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْۗ وَاللَّهُ يَخْتَصُّ بِرَحْمَتِهِ مَن يَشَاءُ وَاللَّهُ ذُو الْفَضْلِ الْعَظِيمِ

“The unbelievers of the People of the Book (the Jews and the Christians) and the idolaters do not like that any good should be sent down to you from your Lord, and God chooses especially whom He pleases for His mercy, and God is of bounty abounding.” (2:105)

إِن تَمْسَسْكُمْ حَسَنَةٌ تَسُؤْهُمْ وَإِن تُصِبْكُمْ سَيِّئَةٌ يَفْرَحُوا بِهَاۖ وَإِن تَصْبِرُوا وَتَتَّقُوا لَا يَضُرُّكُمْ كَيْدُهُمْ شَيْئًاۗ إِنَّ اللَّهَ بِمَا يَعْمَلُونَ مُحِيطٌ

“If you are visited with good fortune it vexes them, and if an evil afflicts you, they rejoice at it. Yet if you are patient and God‑fearing, their evil designs will not harm you in any way; God encompasses the things they do.” (3:120)

وَدَّ كَثِيرٌ مِّنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ لَوْ يَرُدُّونَكُم مِّن بَعْدِ إِيمَانِكُمْ كُفَّارًا حَسَدًا مِّنْ عِندِ أَنفُسِهِم مِّن بَعْدِ مَا تَبَيَّنَ لَهُمُ الْحَقُّۖ فَاعْفُوا وَاصْفَحُوا حَتَّىٰ يَأْتِيَ اللَّهُ بِأَمْرِهِۗ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ

“Many of the People of the Book wish that they might restore you as unbelievers, after you have believed, in the jealousy of their souls after the truth has become manifest to them; yet do you pardon and forgive, till God brings His command; truly God is powerful over everything.” (2:109)

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِن تُطِيعُوا فَرِيقًا مِّنَ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ يَرُدُّوكُم بَعْدَ إِيمَانِكُمْ كَافِرِينَ

“O believers, if you obey a sect of those who have been given the Book, they will turn you after you have believed, into unbelievers.” (3:100)

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِن تُطِيعُوا الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا يَرُدُّوكُمْ عَلَىٰ أَعْقَابِكُمْ فَتَنقَلِبُوا خَاسِرِينَ بَلِ اللَّهُ مَوْلَاكُمْۖ وَهُوَ خَيْرُ النَّاصِرِينَ

“O believers, if you obey the unbelievers they will turn you upon your heels, so that you turn back losers.No; but God is your Protector and He is the best of helpers.” (3:149‑150)

فَبِمَا نَقْضِهِم مِّيثَاقَهُمْ لَعَنَّاهُمْ وَجَعَلْنَا قُلُوبَهُمْ قَاسِيَةًۖ يُحَرِّفُونَ الْكَلِمَ عَن مَّوَاضِعِهِۙ وَنَسُوا حَظًّا مِّمَّا ذُكِّرُوا بِهِ وَلَا تَزَالُ تَطَّلِعُ عَلَىٰ خَائِنَةٍ مِّنْهُمْ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا مِّنْهُمْۖ فَاعْفُ عَنْهُمْ وَاصْفَحْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ الْمُحْسِنِينَ

“So for their breaking their covenant We cursed them and made their hearts hard; they pervert words from their meanings; and they have forgotten a portion of what they were reminded of; and you shall always discover treachery in them excepting a few of them. Yet pardon them, and forgive; surely Allah loves the good‑doers .” (5:13)

وَلَن تَرْضَىٰ عَنكَ الْيَهُودُ وَلَا النَّصَارَىٰ حَتَّىٰ تَتَّبِعَ مِلَّتَهُمْۗ قُلْ إِنَّ هُدَى اللَّهِ هُوَ الْهُدَىٰۗ وَلَئِنِ اتَّبَعْتَ أَهْوَاءَهُم بَعْدَ الَّذِي جَاءَكَ مِنَ الْعِلْمِۙ مَا لَكَ مِنَ اللَّهِ مِن وَلِيٍّ وَلَا نَصِيرٍ

“Never will the Jews be pleased with you, neither the Christians, not till you follow their religion. Say: “Surely God's guidance is the [only] true guidance.” And if you follow their caprices after the knowledge that has come to you, you shall have against God neither protector nor helper.” (2:120)

كَيْفَ وَإِن يَظْهَرُوا عَلَيْكُمْ لَا يَرْقُبُوا فِيكُمْ إِلًّا وَلَا ذِمَّةً يُرْضُونَكُم بِأَفْوَاهِهِمْ وَتَأْبَىٰ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَأَكْثَرُهُمْ فَاسِقُونَ اشْتَرَوْا بِآيَاتِ اللَّهِ ثَمَنًا قَلِيلًا فَصَدُّوا عَن سَبِيلِهِ إِنَّهُمْ سَاءَ مَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ لَا يَرْقُبُونَ فِي مُؤْمِنٍ إِلًّا وَلَا ذِمَّةً وَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْمُعْتَدُونَ

“How can it be? If they get the better of you, they will not observe towards you any bond or treaty, giving you satisfaction with their mouths while their hearts do not consent; and most of them are transgressors. They have sold the signs o f God for a small price, and have barred from His way; surely evil is that they have been doing, observing neither bond nor treaty towards a believer; they are the transgressors.” (9:8‑10)

هَا أَنتُمْ أُولَاءِ تُحِبُّونَهُمْ وَلَا يُحِبُّونَكُمْ وَتُؤْمِنُونَ بِالْكِتَابِ كُلِّهِ وَإِذَا لَقُوكُمْ قَالُوا آمَنَّا وَإِذَا خَلَوْا عَضُّوا عَلَيْكُمُ الْأَنَامِلَ مِنَ الْغَيْظِ قُلْ مُوتُوا بِغَيْظِكُمْۗ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ بِذَاتِ الصُّدُورِ

“Ha, there you are; you love them while they love you not; you believe in the Book, all of it, and when they meet you they say, `We believe,' and when they goprivily , they bite at you their fingers. Say: Die in your rage;' surely God knows what is in the hearts.” (3:119)

وَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلِيَاءُ بَعْضٍ إِلَّا تَفْعَلُوهُ تَكُن فِتْنَةٌ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَفَسَادٌ كَبِيرٌ

“As for the unbelievers, they are friends one of another. Unless you do this, there will be persecutionan the earth and great corruption.” (8:73)

These verses disclose the evil motives, secret designs, and the essential characteristics of the unbelievers, some of whichare given below:

1. If any good fortune comes to you, the unbelievers and polytheists are unhappy, for they do not like to see you benefited from anything. They are happy if some misfortune befalls you.

2. The unbelievers nurture jealousy for you and wish to turn you back from your faith.

3. If you obey the unbelievers they would make you give up your faith.

4. The unbelievers are dishonest in dealings with you, and you ought to be always aware of their evil intentions.

5. The Jews and the Christians shall never accept you unless you embrace their faith.

6. Their pacts and covenants are unreliable. If they find means of subordinating you, they will violate all the treaties and compacts that they earlier signed with you.

7. The unbelievers shall never be friendly with you, even though you treat them as friends.

8. The unbelieversare united in friendship against you and shall cooperate with one another to inflict losses on you.

God, the Almighty, has warned Muslims of the malice, enmity, dishonesty, and subversive nature of the unbelievers so that Muslims may be conscious of the fact that they can never be trusted as friends and well‑wishers. It is imperative to keep them at a distance and to strengthen yourdefences .

God places great emphasis on thedefence of the freedom and independence of Islam against the dangers posed by the evil plots of its enemies. After enumerating some of the characteristics of the unbelievers and their evil objectives, God warns Muslims of the dangers of being friendly with them, placing reliance on them, and against surrendering their resources and powers to them.

He warns them against following the unbelievers and thus directly or indirectly helping them in realizing their objectives. The Islamic State should not form friendly alliances with the unbelievers, nor are their covenants to be fully trusted. SomeQur’anic verses in this contextmay be referred to:

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تَتَّخِذُوا بِطَانَةً مِّن دُونِكُمْ لَا يَأْلُونَكُمْ خَبَالًا وَدُّوا مَا عَنِتُّمْ قَدْ بَدَتِ الْبَغْضَاءُ مِنْ أَفْوَاهِهِمْ وَمَا تُخْفِي صُدُورُهُمْ أَكْبَرُ قَدْ بَيَّنَّا لَكُمُ الْآيَاتِۖ إِن كُنتُمْ تَعْقِلُونَ

“Obelievers, take not for your intimates outside yourselves; such men spare nothing to ruin you; they yearn for you to suffer. Hatred has already shown itself of their mouths, and what their breasts conceal is yet greater. Indeed,We have made Our signs clear to you, if you understand them.” (3:118)

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تَتَّخِذُوا الْيَهُودَ وَالنَّصَارَىٰ أَوْلِيَاءَۘ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلِيَاءُ بَعْضٍ وَمَن يَتَوَلَّهُم مِّنكُمْ فَإِنَّهُ مِنْهُمْۗ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الظَّالِمِينَ

“Obelievers, do not take the Jews and Christians for friends; they are friends of each other; and whoever amongst you takes them for a friend, he is one of them. Surely God doesnotguide the evildoers.” (5:51)

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تَتَّخِذُوا الَّذِينَ اتَّخَذُوا دِينَكُمْ هُزُوًا وَلَعِبًا مِّنَ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ وَالْكُفَّارَ أَوْلِيَاءَ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ إِن كُنتُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ

“O believers, do not take for guardians those who take your religion for a mockery and a joke, from among those who were given the Book before you and the unbelievers; and fear God, if you are believers.” (5:57)

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تَتَّخِذُوا عَدُوِّي وَعَدُوَّكُمْ أَوْلِيَاءَ تُلْقُونَ إِلَيْهِم بِالْمَوَدَّةِ وَقَدْ كَفَرُوا بِمَا جَاءَكُم مِّنَ الْحَقِّ يُخْرِجُونَ الرَّسُولَ وَإِيَّاكُمْۙ أَن تُؤْمِنُوا بِاللَّهِ رَبِّكُمْ إِن كُنتُمْ خَرَجْتُمْ جِهَادًا فِي سَبِيلِي وَابْتِغَاءَ مَرْضَاتِي تُسِرُّونَ إِلَيْهِم بِالْمَوَدَّةِ وَأَنَا أَعْلَمُ بِمَا أَخْفَيْتُمْ وَمَا أَعْلَنتُمْ وَمَن يَفْعَلْهُ مِنكُمْ فَقَدْ ضَلَّ سَوَاءَ السَّبِيلِ

“Obelievers, do not take My enemy and your enemy for friends; would you offer them love while they deny what has come to you of the Truth, expelling the Apostle and yourselves because you believe in God, your Lord? If you go forth to struggle inMy path and seek My good pleasure, would you show love for them in secret? And I know what you conceal and what you manifest, and whoever of you does this, he indeed has gone astray from the straight path.” (60:1)

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تَتَّخِذُوا الْكَافِرِينَ أَوْلِيَاءَ مِن دُونِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ أَتُرِيدُونَ أَن تَجْعَلُوا لِلَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ سُلْطَانًا مُّبِينًا

“O believers, do not take the unbelievers for friends rather than the believers, do you desire that you should give to Allah a manifest proof against yourselves?” (4:144)

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تَتَوَلَّوْا قَوْمًا غَضِبَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِمْ قَدْ يَئِسُوا مِنَ الْآخِرَةِ كَمَا يَئِسَ الْكُفَّارُ مِنْ أَصْحَابِ الْقُبُورِ

“Obelievers, do not make friends with a people with whom God iswroth ; indeed they despair of the Hereafter as the unbelievers despair of those in graves.” (60:13)

لَّا يَتَّخِذِ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ الْكَافِرِينَ أَوْلِيَاءَ مِن دُونِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَۖ وَمَن يَفْعَلْ ذَٰلِكَ فَلَيْسَ مِنَ اللَّهِ فِي شَيْءٍ إِلَّا أَن تَتَّقُوا مِنْهُمْ تُقَاةًۗ وَيُحَذِّرُكُمُ اللَّهُ نَفْسَهُۗ وَإِلَى اللَّهِ الْمَصِيرُ

“Let not the believers take the unbelievers for friends rather than believers; for whoso does that belongs not to God in anything, unless you have a fear of them. God warns you that you beware of Him, and unto God is the eventual coming.” (3:28)

In addition to the traits of the unbelievers enumeratedearlier the following can also be inferred from the verses quoted above:

1. The unbelievers nurture malice towards the believers and do not spare anything for harming them in any possible way.

2. Their enmity of Muslims finds expression in what they say, but the intensity of their unexpressed enmity, hidden in their hearts, is far greater.

3. They can never accept your religion and they make fun of it.

4. They are enemies of Muslims and of God, and do not accept theQur’anic teachings.

God, after warning us of the characteristics of the unbelievers, makes it explicit that they are not well‑wishing friends of the believers and the believers should not consider them as their friends, guardians, and defenders, and should not reveal their secrets to them. They are un­trustworthy and so are their pacts and promises.

The Muslims should not allow them to plan on their behalf and to decide for them. They should not let the unbelievers take charge of their institutions and decide their policies and execute their programs, and they should not let themselvesbe deceived by their apparently well‑wishing but inwardly injurious suggestions.

This point is repeatedly stressed, and finally it is declared that a Muslim who males any pact of friendship and alliance with the unbelievers ceases to be one of the IslamicUmmah and the Party of God.

Friendship with unbelieversis considered even as a sign of disbelief

وَلَوْ كَانُوا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَالنَّبِيِّ وَمَا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْهِ مَا اتَّخَذُوهُمْ أَوْلِيَاءَ وَلَٰكِنَّ كَثِيرًا مِّنْهُمْ فَاسِقُونَ

“And had they believed in God and the Prophet (S) and what was revealed to him, they would not have taken them (the unbelievers) for friends, but most of them are transgressors.” (5:81)

لَّا تَجِدُ قَوْمًا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ يُوَادُّونَ مَنْ حَادَّ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ وَلَوْ كَانُوا آبَاءَهُمْ أَوْ أَبْنَاءَهُمْ أَوْ إِخْوَانَهُمْ أَوْ عَشِيرَتَهُمْ

“You shall not find a people who believe in Allah and the Last Day be­friending those who act in opposition to Allah and His Apostle, even though they were their [own] fathers, or their sons, or their brothers, or their kinsfolk.” (58:22)

In theseQur’anic verses the basic guide‑lines of an Islamic govern­ment's external policy in relation to the countries having no faith in God is clearly and explicitly laid down. Muslimsare categorically commanded to guard and defend their independence and freedom, and not let the unbelievers to infiltrate and interfere in their internal affairs.

Muslimsare asked to be on guard against them. All relations andpacts which would ultimately lead to the increasing influence and domination of unbelievers over the affairs of Muslims are illegitimate and must be abstained from. TheQur’anic injunction in this regard is not only clear but also categorical:

...وَلَن يَجْعَلَ اللَّهُ لِلْكَافِرِينَ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ سَبِيلًا

“... And Allah will by no means give the unbelievers a way against the believer‑s [to dominate them].” (4:141)

Friendship with Unbelievers in Case of Emergency

The Qur’an by forbidding allegiance to unbelievers aims at protecting independence of the MuslimUmmah . In accordance with this aim, if the interests of Islam and Muslims require, the Islamic government can establish friendly relations provisionally.1

For instance, if the Islamic government finds that it is unable to resist an infidel power, it can temporarily seek its friendship and conclude truce with it, in order to strengthen its position anddefences .

Similarly if the interests of Islam demand adopting a soft and liberal policy towards the unbelievers with the purpose of propagating Islam among them and converting them to Islam, the Islamic State can have friendly relations with them. The Qur’an permits Muslims to have such relations with the unbelievers in special circumstances:

لَّا يَتَّخِذِ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ الْكَافِرِينَ أَوْلِيَاءَ مِن دُونِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَۖ وَمَن يَفْعَلْ ذَٰلِكَ فَلَيْسَ مِنَ اللَّهِ فِي شَيْءٍ إِلَّا أَن تَتَّقُوا مِنْهُمْ تُقَاةًۗ وَيُحَذِّرُكُمُ اللَّهُ نَفْسَهُۗ وَإِلَى اللَّهِ الْمَصِيرُ

Let not the believers take the unbelievers for friends rather than believers; for whoso does that belongs not to God in anything, unless you have a fear of them. God warns you that you beware of Him, and unto God is the eventual coming. (3:28)

This verse forbids friendship with the unbelievers, but in exceptionalcircumstances dissimulation (taqiyyah ) is permissible. The issue of dissimulationis confirmed by many authentic traditions. Of such reliable traditions is the one quoted byTafsir al‑Safi , under the commentary on the verse 3:28, from the book al‑'Ihtijaj , that Amir al ­Mu'minin 'Ali (A)said:

وأمرك أن تستعمل التقية في دينك فإن الله يقول: لا يتخذ المؤمنون الكافرين أولياء من دون المؤمنين ومن يفعل ذلك فليس من الله في شئ إلا أن تتقوا منهم تقاة " وإياك ثم إياك أن تتعرض للهلاك وأن تترك التقية التي أمرتك بها فإنك شائط بدمك ودماء إخوانك معرض لنعمك ولنعمهم للزوال مذلهم في أيدي أعداء الله وقد امرك بإعزازهم

“God commanded you to observetaqiyyah so that you may follow this command in the matter of religion. Godsays: I commanded you to dis­simulate, so do not give it up lest your life be endangered. Giving up this practice would result in shedding ofyour and your brothers' blood and in dis­appearance of your and their fortunes, and by violating the rule of dis­simulation you will let your brothers be humiliated by the enemies of God's religion despite the fact that you are obliged to save theirhonour .”2

ImamJa'far al‑Sadiq (A) relates from Imam Muhammad al‑Baqir (A) that,

قال: كان رسول الله (ص) يقول: لا إيمان لمن لا تقية له ويقول، ويقول: قال الله (( إلا أن تتقوا منهم تقاةً )).

The Prophet (S) saidthat: “a man who does not dissimulate, has no faith (iman ), for God says, “... unless you have a fear of them ....”3

Consider the following traditions:

قال الباقر (ع): التقية في كل شيء يضطر إليه ابن آدم، فقد أحله الله له

Imam Muhammad al‑Baqir said: “Dissimulation is permissible in all the things in which a man is coerced. God has permitted it.”4

Al‑Imam al‑Hasan ibn 'Ali (A) related from the Prophet (S) that he said, “God distinguished the prophets from other beings for they showed courtesy to enemies of God's religion, andpractised dissimulation for the sake of their brothers.

قال الصادق عليه السلام في قول الله تعالى: ((وقولوا للناس حسنا)) - أي للناس كلهم مؤمنهم ومخالفهم; أما المؤمنون فيبسط لهم وجهه، وأما المخالفون فيكلمهم بالمداراة لاجتذابهم إلى الإيمان. فإنه بـأيسر من ذلك يكف شرورهم عن نفسه وعن إخوانه المؤمنين

قال الإمام عليه السلام: إن مداراة أعداء الله من أفضل صدقة المرء على نفسه وإخوانه. كان رسول الله في منزله إذ استأذن عليه عبد الله بن أبي السلول، فقال رسول الله: بئس أخو العشيرة. ائذنوا له. فلما دخل، أجلسه وبشر في وجهه. فلما خرج، قالت عائشة: يا رسول الله قلت فيه ما قلت وفعلت به من البشر ما فعلت، فقال رسول الله: يا عويش! يا حميراء! إن شر الناس عند الله يوم القيمة من يكرم اتقاء شره

ImamJa'far al‑Sadiq (A), referring to the Divine Utterance,

“... And speakgood to men ....” (2:83),

said : “[It means, speak kindly] to all people, whether believers or unbelievers; converse with the believers with warmth.and cheer and with unbelievers with courtesy so that you attract them to the Islamic faith. Or at least you can protect yourself and your fellow believers from the harm that can be caused to you by the unbelievers.”

The Imamsaid: “Showing courtesy to enemies of God is the best form of alms‑giving as it saves you and your Muslim brothers from harm. Once the Prophet (S) was at his home, `Abd Allahibn Abi Sulul came to see him. He said, `A bad one of his tribe. Let him come.' Then he received him with courtesy and asked him to sit. When he departed, `A'ishah asked, `O Prophet (S) of God, after what you said about him, whydid you show him so much courtesy?' The Prophet (S) replied, `O `Uwaysh !OHumayra '! He would be regarded as the worst man on the Day ofJudgement whom people pay respect due to the fear of his evil!”5

It is evident from the above‑quoted Qur’anic verse and traditions that in case an Islamic government realizes that courtesy, benevolence and friendly relations with the unbelievers is the best policy for the existence and independence of the MuslimUmmah , they may provisionally adopt the policy oftaqiyyah .Nevertheless the real objective, i.e. expansion, independence, and glory of Islam, should in no case be forgotten. It makes some adjustments only for protecting its position and power.

Pacts of Cooperation and Non‑aggression with Unbelievers

If unbelievers haveno dishonest intentions of plotting and aggres­sion against Muslims and are inclined to coexist with them in peace, an Islamic State, according to its diagnosis of the interests of Islam, can sign pacts of mutual coexistence with them. In the legitimate matters (permitted by theShari'ah ) that are beneficial for both the sides, they are permitted even to cooperate. The Qur’an says:

لَّا يَنْهَاكُمُ اللَّهُ عَنِ الَّذِينَ لَمْ يُقَاتِلُوكُمْ فِي الدِّينِ وَلَمْ يُخْرِجُوكُم مِّن دِيَارِكُمْ أَن تَبَرُّوهُمْ وَتُقْسِطُوا إِلَيْهِمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ الْمُقْسِطِينَ إِنَّمَا يَنْهَاكُمُ اللَّهُ عَنِ الَّذِينَ قَاتَلُوكُمْ فِي الدِّينِ وَأَخْرَجُوكُم مِّن دِيَارِكُمْ وَظَاهَرُوا عَلَىٰ إِخْرَاجِكُمْ أَن تَوَلَّوْهُمْ وَمَن يَتَوَلَّهُمْ فَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الظَّالِمُونَ

“Allah does not forbid you respecting those who have not made war against you on account of (your) religion, and have not driven you forth from your homes, that you show them kindness and deal with them justly; surely Allah loves the doers of justice. Allah only forbids you respecting those who made war upon you on account of (your) religion, and drove you out from your homes and backed up (others) in your expulsion, that you make friends with them; and whoever makes friends with them, these are the unjust.” (60:8‑9)

Some of the verses of the Qur’an direct Muslims to make peace with the unbelievers in case they are inclined to accept peace:

وَإِن جَنَحُوا لِلسَّلْمِ فَاجْنَحْ لَهَا وَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى اللَّهِ إِنَّهُ هُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ

“And if they incline to peace, then incline to it and trust in Allah; Surely He is the Hearing, the Knowing.” (8:61)

The Qur’an bears witness to the concluding of the Prophet's pacts with the unbelievers:

إِلَّا الَّذِينَ عَاهَدتُّم مِّنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ ثُمَّ لَمْ يَنقُصُوكُمْ شَيْئًا وَلَمْ يُظَاهِرُوا عَلَيْكُمْ أَحَدًا فَأَتِمُّوا إِلَيْهِمْ عَهْدَهُمْ إِلَىٰ مُدَّتِهِمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ الْمُتَّقِينَ

“Except those of the idolaters with whom you made an agreement, then they haverot failed in anything and have not backed up any one against you, so fulfill their agreement to the end of their term; surely Allah loves those who are God‑fearing.” (9:4)

If we refer to the history of Islam and the life of the Prophet (S), we see that during the period of his prophetic mission, he concluded treaties with the unbelievers and faithfully observed all the conditions agreedupon . A few instancesmay be referred to here:

A. The Pact with the Jews

When the Prophet (S) migrated to al‑Madinah , he concluded a treaty between the Jews and the Emigrants (alMuhajirun ) and the Supporters (al‑'Ansar ), whose text has been preserved in history. Some highlights of that treaty, relevant to our discussion,are given below:

(i ) Every Jew who abides by this pact would benefit from our help and friendship and there would be no discrimination between him and Muslims, and nobodywould be allowed to violate his rights and befriend.his enemy.

(ii) At the time of war the Jews would be required to pay their share of the expenses incurred in war.

(iii) The Jews are free to act upon theirfaith, and Muslims upon their faith.

(iv) Anybody who declares war against any of the parties of this treaty would be fought againstunitedly by both the Muslims and the Jews, and each of the allies would meet his part of the war expenditure.

(v) The Jews and Muslims declare to be committed to cooperate for the well‑being and welfare of each other, but not in the matters of sin and evil.

(vi) The signatories of this treaty would defend al‑Madinah unitedly .6

As wesee the Prophet (S) made three kinds of pacts with the unbelievers in the light of this treaty:

(1) A pact of mutualdefence and sharing of the war expenditure.

(2) Freedom of the performance of religious rites.

(3) Mutual cooperation in matters of welfare and good deeds.

B. The Treaty ofHudaybiyyah

The highlights of the conditions of this truce, signed by the Prophet (S) at a place called `Hudaybiyyah ', are as follows:

(i ) The Muslims and theQuraysh are bound to cease all hostilities for a period of four (or ten) years, and would not attack each other.

(ii) They would respect each other's property and would not resort to cheating or theft.

(iii) Every Muslim arriving at Mecca with the purpose of the Hajj or `Umrah , or on his way to Yemen orTa'if would be guaranteed safe passage and security by theQuraysh , and similarly every member of theQuraysh arriving at al‑Madinah on their way to Syria or the east would be guaranteed security.

(iv) Each of the two partiesare free to conclude pact with any tribe they prefer, and this pact would be respected by the other party.

(v) The Muslims and theQuraysh promise to forget all malice, enmity, and grievance against each other and would not nurture in their hearts any feeling of betrayal.

(vi) Muhammad (S) and his followers can enter Mecca to perform ceremonies offfajj the year after, provided they do not have any kind of arms and their stay at Mecca does not exceed three days.7

C. The Treaty withYuhanna , the Governor ofAylah

This assurance of securityis made on behalf of God and His Prophet (S) infavour ofYuhanna , son ofRubah , and the residents ofAylah . God and His Prophet (S) stand surety for the safety of their persons and their ships and their caravans on voyage by land or sea.Similarly the people from Syria, Yemen and Bahrain who pass through their land are promised security. The people ofAylah are bound to pay thediyah (blood money) to the heirs of any person killed by them, and are bound not to prevent anybody from making use of the waters they take possession of, and would not prevent anybody from using the land and sea routes under their control.8

D. The Treaty with the Christians ofNajran

(i ) The residents ofNajran are bound topay as taxes two thousandhullah's (certain kind of garment) to the Muslims every year in twoinstalments .

(ii) The emissaries of Muhammad (S)would be offered hospitality by them for one month or less, whereas the emissaries' stay there would not exceed one month.

(iii) In case of battle in the region of Yemen, the people ofNajrim , as a token of friendship and cooperation, would make available 30 coats of mail, 30horses and 30 camels as a guaranteed loan for the Muslim army.

(iv) The people ofNajran and their surrounding areas would be under the protection of God and His Prophet (S); their lives, property and places of worship would be also safe; and their bishops and priests would be free to continue performing their duties without any hindrance from anybody.

(v) No one is entitled to exile them from theirland or extract tithe (`ushr ) from them or launch a military attack against them.

(vi) Every person from among them who makes a legitimate claim would be treated with justice.

(vii) No person from among themwould be held responsible for the crime committed by others of his faith.

(viii) The people ofNajran promise to abstain from usury (ribd ), otherwise Muhammad (S) would revoke terms of friendship with them and would not be bound to stick to the treaty. 9

It is evident from the Prophet's (S) treaties with the unbelievers that the Islamic State, taking into consideration the interests of Islam and Muslims, can conclude treaties and pacts of friendship and cooperation with the unbelievers, polytheists and the People of the Book (Ahl al‑Kitab ) in matters of common welfare, such as exchange in spheres of science, agriculture, industry, commerce, economy and defense.

Of course, such pacts should not pave way for the influence and interference of the unbelievers in the internal affairs of a Muslim State and should not hamper its independence and security, which is tobe considered of the foremost importance at the time of concluding such pacts. In no way such pactsmay be allowed to strengthen the position of the unbelievers and to endanger independence of Muslims. Islamic government in no case should ignore the hidden and inherent enmity and evil designs of the unbelievers; laxity can result in extending their influence on the Islamic State.