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﴿ فَاسْأَلُوا أَهْلَ الذِّكْرِ إِن كُنتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ ﴾

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Dealing with the Jews and the Christians

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Question:
This questioner says: Is there any guiding word regarding dealing with both the Jews and the Christians, whether in work, or if they become neighbors of Muslims? Do we visit them, greet them, eat from them, and marry them? Please give us a ruling, may Allah reward you with good.

Answer:
The position of Muslims toward the Jews and the Christians has been clarified by Allah (Mighty and Majestic) in the Qur'an. And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) clarified it in the Sunnah. That Muslims do not love the Jews and the Christians in their hearts. They do not love them. And they do not assist them against Muslims. And they do not take them as allies.
O you who have believed, do not take the Jews and the Christians as alliesيَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تَتَّخِذُوا الْيَهُودَ وَالنَّصَارَىٰ أَوْلِيَاءَ
[Al-Ma'idah 5:51]
meaning in terms of love.
So you do not love them, and as for support, you do not support them in their disbelief, but the obligatory thing is the opposite, which is to fight them
Fight those who do not believe in Allah or in the Last Day and who do not consider unlawful what Allah and His Messenger have made unlawful and who do not adopt the religion of truth from those who were given the Scripture - [fight] until they give the jizyah willingly while they are humbled.قَاتِلُوا الَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَلَا بِالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ وَلَا يُحَرِّمُونَ مَا حَرَّمَ اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ وَلَا يَدِينُونَ دِينَ الْحَقِّ مِنَ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ حَتَّىٰ يُعْطُوا الْجِزْيَةَ عَن يَدٍ وَهُمْ صَاغِرُونَ
[At-Tawbah 9:29]
This is the position of Muslims toward the Jews and the Christians: hatred, enmity, not supporting them in their disbelief, and the obligation to fight them if the Muslims have the capability to fight them.
As for worldly dealings, buying and selling, treaties, and exchanging ambassadors, these are worldly matters, and there is no harm in them for the sake of interests. The interests of Muslims require this, that they benefit from trade. From trade with disbelievers, and treaties with disbelievers, if it is in the interest of Muslims. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) made a treaty with the Jews; he made a treaty with the Jews in Madinah and in Khaybar. And he made a treaty with the polytheists at al-Hudaybiyyah before the conquest of Makkah. So a treaty with them to cease fighting, if there is an interest for Muslims in that, there is no barrier. Especially if there is weakness among the Muslims, they make peace with the disbelievers until there is strength among the Muslims, then they fight them, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did. Likewise, trade with them, buying and selling, importing goods, importing weapons, and this is not a gift from them or from us to them, but rather we buy it for a price. We buy it with our money; their money has no favor or grace in it.
And we only buy it with our money. So this is not from taking them as allies. Rather, it is from obtaining benefits and repelling harms. This should be known. Yes.
Source قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، محاضرات في العقيدة والدعوة-23-الوسطية عند أهل السنة والجماعة|صالح الفوزان|العام|كبار العلماء — youtube.com (54:56)

The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.

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