Love and Hate for the Sake of Allah Part 1

By Asrar BenHoucine

Bismillah

Relationships with our enemies from an Islamic Perspective

A lot of people come to believe that Muslims cannot be friends with non Muslims. Even our Muslim brothers and sisters find themselves confused on this matter. One must understand who are the enemies of Islam and why? Is it because of ignorance or do they know the truth but refuse to accept it? Why does Islam allow punishment? Some people tend to confuse revenge with justice or justice with revenge. So if you do something that can cause animosity then don’t you think this action will be judged as a hate crime, therefore causing people to hate you? How is one to act with those who are enemies of Islam? How should we relate to such from an Islamic perspective?

Manners of the Prophet towards his enemies

Aisha asked the Messenger of God (sal Allaahu alayhi wasallam), “Did you face a day harder and more intense than the Battle of Uhud?” He replied: “I suffered a lot from your people! The worst I suffered was on the Day of al-’Aqabah when I spoke to Ali b. Abd Yaleel b. Abd Kilaal (in order to support me) but he disappointed me and left me. I left the area while I was quite worried, and walked. When I reached an area called Qarn ath-Tha’alib, I raised my head to the sky and noticed a cloud that shaded me. Gabriel called me and said, ‘O Muhammad! God, the Exalted, has heard what your people have said to you and has sent the angel in charge of the mountains, so you can command him to do what you please.’” The Prophet (sal Allaahu alayhi wasallam) said: “The angel in charge of the mountains called me saying, ‘May God praise you and keep you safe from all evil! O Muhammad, I will do whatever you command me to do. If you like I can bring the akh-shabain mountains together and crush them all.’” The Messenger of God (sal Allaahu alayhi wasallam) said, “It may be that God raises from among them a progeny who worship God alone and associate no partners with Him.” (Bukhari #3231)

This Hadith clearly shows that Prophet Muhammad had a chance that anyone of us would have taken but did not. He was not a man of war, but one of peace, and he said Allah might raise one, just one of the people to be Muslim. Furthermore, Muhammad (sal Allaahu alayhi wasallam) conquered Mecca without any bloodshed. Many would think after gaining power and returning to the people who hurt him terribly, the Prophet would seek revenge. However, he chose to forgive those people and this act of kindness led many of them to convert to Islam. If only we can learn that peace is what wins over the heart and not anger and destruction. As Muslims, we know that Allah is All Just, and if anyone actively opposes Allah or His religion, they will answer for it either here or in the Hereafter. The only time it is acceptable for us to kill is in holy war when you are defending yourself or your home or the oppressed. Wars were always on battlefields, never did they take place on or near civilian territory.

Enemies of Islam

The enemies of Islam are those who intentionally and actively oppose Allah and the religion not out of ignorance but out of rage and anger towards Muslims and Islam. A recent example is the movie trailer that was released about a movie against Prophet Muhammad. This was done intentionally by the filmmaker and it was even stated that he knew that Muslims would become infuriated over the trailer and react in a vengeful way.

Another example is when US Troops in Afghan tried burning almost 500 copies of the Quran. According to the Washington Post, the soldiers suspected that prisoners were passing illicit notes in the margins of library books and decided to burn all suspicious books, 474 being Qurans. (Washingtonpost.com) However, this act was supposedly done out of ignorance of how valuable the Quran is to Muslims and ignorance towards the religion.

Revenge & Justice

We must understand that justice is not always served in this life. However, Allah is All Just and He will carry out complete justice on the Day of Judgment. Revenge on the other hand is taken in some cases, for example an eye for an eye. As Muslims, we know whatever happens on Earth has already been written in the Heavens first and nothing happens without the Permission of Allah subhaanahu wa ta’aala. Therefore, in all matters, we should act rationally and never behave like those who are in the wrong.

In her book, Psychology from the Islamic Perspective, Dr. Aisha Utz states, “Hatred should be for the sake of Allah only, and should not affect us in a way that allows us to act or react irrationally. The matters that necessitate hatred include disbelief (when it is not out of ignorance), hypocrisy, innovation and sin.”

In most hate crimes carried out against Muslims, it is obvious that the perpetrator committed the act out of ignorance. Most people are just misinformed about Islam, blind followers of their forefathers; these people are NOT the true haters of Islam. As stated above, this is only due to ignorance.

Watch out for Part 2 !

Posted in: Asrar BenHoucine,Justice,love and hate for the sake of Allah,Prophet's manner