The Decisive Statement on the Issue of Loyalty and Disavowal
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Question:
This questioner says: Among the important matters in the religion of Islam is al-wala' wa al-bara' (loyalty and disavowal). But people’s understanding of this great issue has differed. We see some of them being extremely lenient, and some being extremely strict. What is the position, or what is the decisive statement on this issue?
Answer:
This is clarified in the Book of Allah and clarified in the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). Al-wala' wa al-bara' (loyalty and disavowal) is a principle among the principles of creed, and it is necessary. It is necessary to have loyalty to the awliya (close friends of Allah) and hostility toward the enemies of Allah. But the meaning of disavowal is not aggression against the disbeliever enemy and oppressing him, and it does not mean prohibiting dealing with him in what Allah has permitted, such as buying, selling, hiring, and the like.
Some people exaggerate in disavowal to the point that they prohibit what Allah has permitted regarding dealing with disbelievers in what Allah has allowed, and they consider it to be loyalty. It is not so. It is not so. And some people are lenient in loyalty to the point that they deny the existence of al-wala' wa al-bara' (loyalty and disavowal) in the Qur'an and the Sunnah, and they say this is a matter that has ended and passed in the past, and that it is not possible now. This is aggression against the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). They are between those who exaggerate and those who neglect in al-wala' wa al-bara' (loyalty and disavowal). There are those who exaggerate and say it is not permissible to deal with disbelievers, and it is permissible to oppress them, and it is permissible to kill them, even if they are musta'min (non-Muslims granted safe conduct) or even if they are under a treaty, and they say this is disavowal. This is the exaggeration that Allah has forbidden,[Al-An'am 6:151] and the soul that Allah has forbidden is the soul of the believer, and the soul of the one under a treaty and the one granted safe conduct; Allah has forbidden killing them even if they are disbelievers. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Sunan Ibn Majah 2686Sahih (Darussalam) It is a Sunnah. Al-Bukhari narrated it. This is exaggeration in al-wala' wa al-bara' (loyalty and disavowal). Because he does not understand; he has no fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence). This is the madhhab (school of jurisprudence) of the Khawarij; this is the madhhab of the Khawarij. And some people are lenient in al-wala' wa al-bara' (loyalty and disavowal) to the point that they say people are all the same, everyone is a human being, and everyone is a son of Adam. And perhaps they say that the Jews and the Christians are believers, and that it is like Islam, that they are all Muslims. This is a waste; this is leniency and negligence, and I seek refuge in Allah. Whoever does not follow Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is a disbeliever, whether he is a Jew or a Christian or otherwise.
There is no path to Allah after the sending of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) except by following him.[Ali 'Imran 3:31] The address is to the Jews because they claimed that they love Allah. [Al-Ma'idah 5:18]. Allah (Exalted and Majestic is He) [Ali 'Imran 3:31-32]. Some of them are lenient to this extent, saying it is all the same: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, the three religions. And perhaps some of them, and I seek refuge in Allah, say these are the Abrahamic religions, making Judaism and Christianity part of the religion of Ibrahim (Abraham). And Allah (Exalted and Majestic is He) said: [Ali 'Imran 3:67-68]. The people closest to Ibrahim (Abraham) are those who followed him in the sincerity of worship to Allah and leaving the worship of anything other than Him, and this is the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) and those who followed him in that.
So they are lenient in al-wala' wa al-bara' (loyalty and disavowal) to the point that they claim there is no, no, no disavowal, and that all people are the same, and that humanity and citizenship and the like are mixed with this. And the duty is to distinguish and clarify the truth from the falsehood, and to make distinctions. And this is not possible except for the people of knowledge. It is not possible for this except for the people of knowledge who are firmly grounded in knowledge; they are the ones who distinguish in these matters. And it is not permissible for anyone to issue a fatwa (a scholarly legal ruling) in them or to enter into them without knowledge.
The presenter:
May Allah reward you
This questioner says: Among the important matters in the religion of Islam is al-wala' wa al-bara' (loyalty and disavowal). But people’s understanding of this great issue has differed. We see some of them being extremely lenient, and some being extremely strict. What is the position, or what is the decisive statement on this issue?
Answer:
This is clarified in the Book of Allah and clarified in the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). Al-wala' wa al-bara' (loyalty and disavowal) is a principle among the principles of creed, and it is necessary. It is necessary to have loyalty to the awliya (close friends of Allah) and hostility toward the enemies of Allah. But the meaning of disavowal is not aggression against the disbeliever enemy and oppressing him, and it does not mean prohibiting dealing with him in what Allah has permitted, such as buying, selling, hiring, and the like.
Some people exaggerate in disavowal to the point that they prohibit what Allah has permitted regarding dealing with disbelievers in what Allah has allowed, and they consider it to be loyalty. It is not so. It is not so. And some people are lenient in loyalty to the point that they deny the existence of al-wala' wa al-bara' (loyalty and disavowal) in the Qur'an and the Sunnah, and they say this is a matter that has ended and passed in the past, and that it is not possible now. This is aggression against the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). They are between those who exaggerate and those who neglect in al-wala' wa al-bara' (loyalty and disavowal). There are those who exaggerate and say it is not permissible to deal with disbelievers, and it is permissible to oppress them, and it is permissible to kill them, even if they are musta'min (non-Muslims granted safe conduct) or even if they are under a treaty, and they say this is disavowal. This is the exaggeration that Allah has forbidden,
And do not kill the soul which Allah has forbidden [to be killed] except by [legal] right
وَلَا تَقْتُلُوا النَّفْسَ الَّتِي حَرَّمَ اللَّهُ إِلَّا بِالْحَقِّWhoever kills a Mu'ahid, will not smell the fragrance of Paradise, even though its fragrance may be detected from a distance of forty
من قتل معاهدا لم يرح رائحة الجنة. وإن ريحها ليوجد من مسيرة أربعينThere is no path to Allah after the sending of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) except by following him.
Say, [O Muhammad], "If you should love Allah, then follow me, [so] Allah will love you and forgive you your sins
قُلْ إِن كُنتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ اللَّهَ فَاتَّبِعُونِي يُحْبِبْكُمُ اللَّهُ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْBut the Jews and the Christians say, "We are the children of Allah and His beloved."
وَقَالَتِ الْيَهُودُ وَالنَّصَارَىٰ نَحْنُ أَبْنَاءُ اللَّهِ وَأَحِبَّاؤُهُ(31) Say, [O Muhammad], "If you should love Allah, then follow me, [so] Allah will love you and forgive you your sins. And Allah is Forgiving and Merciful." (32) Say, "Obey Allah and the Messenger." But if they turn away - then indeed, Allah does not like the disbelievers.
قُلْ إِن كُنتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ اللَّهَ فَاتَّبِعُونِي يُحْبِبْكُمُ اللَّهُ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ وَاللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ قُلْ أَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَالرَّسُولَ فَإِن تَوَلَّوْا فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُحِبُّ الْكَافِرِينَ(67) Abraham was neither a Jew nor a Christian, but he was one inclining toward truth, a Muslim [submitting to Allah]. And he was not of the polytheists. (68) Indeed, the most worthy of Abraham among the people are those who followed him [in submission to Allah] and this prophet, and those who believe [in his message]. And Allah is the ally of the believers.
مَا كَانَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ يَهُودِيًّا وَلَا نَصْرَانِيًّا وَلَٰكِن كَانَ حَنِيفًا مُّسْلِمًا وَمَا كَانَ مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ إِنَّ أَوْلَى النَّاسِ بِإِبْرَاهِيمَ لَلَّذِينَ اتَّبَعُوهُ وَهَٰذَا النَّبِيُّ وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَاللَّهُ وَلِيُّ الْمُؤْمِنِينَSo they are lenient in al-wala' wa al-bara' (loyalty and disavowal) to the point that they claim there is no, no, no disavowal, and that all people are the same, and that humanity and citizenship and the like are mixed with this. And the duty is to distinguish and clarify the truth from the falsehood, and to make distinctions. And this is not possible except for the people of knowledge. It is not possible for this except for the people of knowledge who are firmly grounded in knowledge; they are the ones who distinguish in these matters. And it is not permissible for anyone to issue a fatwa (a scholarly legal ruling) in them or to enter into them without knowledge.
The presenter:
May Allah reward you
Source
الفتن وموقف المسلم منها — alfawzan.live (31:30)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.