Jews and christians
Mu' meneen Brothers
and Sisters,
As Salaam Aleikum wa
Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be
upon all of you)
One of our brothers has
asked us this question:
As-Salaam-Alaikum:
Thank you for your
response brother. I would like to make a point of clarification.
The Quranic verses
you used to make your point clearly states, "...The disbelievers FROM
AMONG the people of the book and the Mushriks (idol
worshipers) they
shall certainly enter hell...". My point is, Allah says that Among the
people of the book, you will find disbelievers. Meaning that their are those
who say they believe in G-d from among the Jews and Nasara but they do not
truly believe. Their were Mushriks referred to in the same ayah. Muhammed the
Prophet, peace be upon him, also had disbelievers among his following
(mushriks). So, I think that it is incorrect to say that because a person
doesn't believe in G-d the way we believe in G-d, they are going to hell. The Quran tells us that those who believe
in G-d and the last day will receive their reward from their lord. That
includes Christians, Jews and Sabiens.
Finally, I think
you misinterpret the Quran when you say that those who do not believe in the
Prophet are disbelievers. The Quran does not say what you interpret. Allah is
telling us that those who disbelieve in G-d will see the error of their ways
when the Prophet presents to them scripture that is sound and correct (98,
1-3). These ayah do not say that if you do not believe in Muhammed the Prophet,
you are a disbeliever. Why would the Prophet tell us to protect the Holy Places
of the People of the book if these people were gong to hell?
Your brother,
Answer:
In the name of Allah, We praise
Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can
misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We
bear witness that there is no one (no idol,
no person, no grave, no
prophet, no imam, no dai,
nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that
Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.
Allah says in the Holy
Quran Chapter 98 Surah Bayyinah verses 1-3: The disbelievers from among the
People of the Book and the ‘mushriks’ would not desist until the clear evidence
should come to them: A Messenger from
Allah, who should recite to them Holy Scriptures containing sound and correct
writings.
Allah says in the Holy
Quran Chapter 98 Surah Bayyinah verse 6: Those who have disbelieved from among
the People of the Book and the mushriks, they shall certainly enter Hell; and
remain in it forever. They are the
worst of all creatures!
My beloved brother in Islam, we
regret to say that you have misunderstood the above aayahs of the Holy
Quran. In the time of the Prophet
(saws) and indeed even today, there are two kinds of people that can be
classified as dis-believers. The People of the Book (Jews and Christians) and
the polytheists who do not accept Prophet Mohamed (saws) as the Last Messenger
of Allah.
The ‘Those who have disbelieved
from among the People of the Book and the Mushriks’ refers to those people who
refused to believe in the Prophethood of the Last Messenger of Allah (saws);
because there were people who were Jews, Christians, and polytheists at the
time of the Prophet (saws) who were converting to Islam, and Allah has segregated these believers
from the disbelievers. Thus the aayah
is for only those people among the People of the Book and the mushriks, who
refused to believe in the Mission of Prophet Mohamed (saws). It is these people whom Allah has termed
the disbelievers.
There are various other aayahs
in the Holy Quran, whereby Allah unequivocally declares that the only way of
life acceptable to Him is Islam.
Allah says in the Holy
Quran Chapter 5 Surah Al Maidah verse 3: Today I (Allah) have perfected your
deen for you and completed my Blessing on you and approved Islam as your way of
life.
Allah says in the Holy
Quran Chapter 3 Surah Ale-Imran verse 19: Indeed, Islam in the ONLY right way of life in the sight of Allah.
Allah says in the Holy
Quran Chapter 3 Surah Ale-Imran verse 85: And whoever adopts any other than
this way of Islam, that way shall not be accepted from him and in the
Hereafter, he shall be among the losers.
Your Statement: I think you misinterpret the Quran when you say that those who do not believe in the Prophet are disbelievers. The Quran does not say what you interpret.
There is absolutely no doubt
that Allah declares all those who do not believe in the Prophethood and Mission
of Prophet Mohamed (saws) as disbelievers.
There are several aayahs in the Holy Quran to this effect and we will
quote some of them. Here is what the
Quran says:
Allah says in the Holy
Quran Chapter 3 Surah Ale Imran verse 31-32:O Prophet, tell the people, “If you
sincerely love Allah, follow me. Then
Allah will love you and forgive you your sins, for He is All Forgiving, All
Merciful.” Also say to them, “Obey Allah
and His Messenger.” And if, in spite of
this, they do not accept your invitation, warn them that Allah does not love
the DISBELIEVERS.
Allah says in the Holy
Quran Chapter 7 Surah Aaraat verse 157: (So, now mercy has been assigned to
those) who follow this Messenger, the Gentile Prophet, whose mention they shall
find in the Torah and the Gospel with them.
He enjoins them to do good and forbids them from evil; he makes pure
things lawful for them and impure things unlawful; he relieves them of their burdens
and frees them from the shackles (of rites and rituals) that bound them. For this reason, those ALONE who believe in
him, support him, succour him, and follow the Light that has been sent down
with him, shall attain true ‘success’.
Your Question: Why would the Prophet tell us to protect the Holy Places of the People of the book if these people were gong to hell?
The duty of the Prophet of Allah
(saws) was only to present the guidance in clear terms to all who wanted to
listen to good caution. It is upto the
individual to accept or deny the guidance, and no one is allowed to force
somebody to accept Islam.
The Prophet of Allah (saws) not
only commanded the muslims to protect the Holy Places of the People of the
Book, but he commanded the muslims that no holy places, like synagogues,
churches, temples, etc. of any faith can be destroyed in an Islamic State. In an Islamic State, every person has a
right to follow whatever way or religion he chooses, and their holy places will
all be protected by the muslim rulers.
That is the basic ‘freedom of
religion’ rights given to all the non-muslim citizens of an Islamic State.
Whatever written of Truth and
benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error
is of me. Allah Alone Knows Best and He
is the Only Source of Strength.
Your brother in Islam,
