The hostility of some Christians toward Muslims and the saying of the Exalted: “And you will find the nearest to them in affection…”
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The questioner:
Honorable Shaykh. This questioner says: It is well known that some Christians are hostile to Muslims today, so how do we reconcile this with the saying of Allah the Exalted: "You will find[Al-Ma'idah 5:82] the Christians"
The Shaykh:
Yes, complete the verse:[Al-Ma'idah 5:82] “Those who believe among them.” This refers to those who embraced Islam from them, such as the Negus, for example. He was one of the Christians. As for Abdullah ibn Salam, he was one of the Jews. Many of them embraced Islam. [Ali 'Imran 3:199] This was revealed concerning the Negus and those like him who embraced Islam from among the Christians. Therefore, those who embrace Islam from among the Christians are more numerous than those who embrace Islam from among the Jews. The Christians are closer [to the truth] than the Jews, without doubt, and they are more gentle and more merciful than the Jews. The Jews have harshness, arrogance, and haughtiness, unlike the Christians, who have gentleness and monasticism. They are closer to guidance than the Jews.
The presenter:
May Allah reward you, Honorable Shaykh.
The Shaykh:
And even if some of them harbor hatred, the majority of Christians who harbor hatred are those who have been influenced by the Jews, or who have become agents for the Jews. The Christians of today are of this type: Christians who have become agents for the Jews. The Jews exploit them for their own purposes. So they are not pure Christians; rather, they have some of the Jewishness and the creed of the Jews.
The presenter:
May Allah reward you
Honorable Shaykh. This questioner says: It is well known that some Christians are hostile to Muslims today, so how do we reconcile this with the saying of Allah the Exalted: "You will find
you will find the nearest of them in affection to the believers those who say, "We are Christians."
أَقْرَبَهُم مَّوَدَّةً لِّلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا الَّذِينَ قَالُوا إِنَّا نَصَارَىٰThe Shaykh:
Yes, complete the verse:
That is because among them are priests and monks and because they are not arrogant.
ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّ مِنْهُمْ قِسِّيسِينَ وَرُهْبَانًا وَأَنَّهُمْ لَا يَسْتَكْبِرُونَAnd indeed, among the People of the Scripture are those who believe in Allah and what was revealed to you and what was revealed to them, [being] humbly submissive to Allah.
وَإِنَّ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ لَمَن يُؤْمِنُ بِاللَّهِ وَمَا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْكُمْ وَمَا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْهِمْ خَاشِعِينَ لِلَّهِThe presenter:
May Allah reward you, Honorable Shaykh.
The Shaykh:
And even if some of them harbor hatred, the majority of Christians who harbor hatred are those who have been influenced by the Jews, or who have become agents for the Jews. The Christians of today are of this type: Christians who have become agents for the Jews. The Jews exploit them for their own purposes. So they are not pure Christians; rather, they have some of the Jewishness and the creed of the Jews.
The presenter:
May Allah reward you
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، 30/29 شرح العقيدة السفارينية / صالح الفوزان — youtube.com (41:33)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.