The Permissibility of the People of the Book Remaining on Their Religions Despite the Established Distortion and Invalidity of Those Religions
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Fatwa No. ( 6991 ):
Q: If Islam abrogates the previous heavenly religions, and the Noble Qur'an says:[Ali 'Imran 3:85], and it also clarified the disbelief of the People of the Book, namely the Jews and Christians , through many verses, why did Islam not treat them as disbelievers, but rather permitted them to remain on their religions despite the established distortion and invalidity of those religions, just as it permitted us to marry them and eat their food? And do the Christians of today fall under the description of the People of the Book, and do they have the same ruling?
A: First: The foundations of the religions brought by the Prophets are one, and that is the religion of Islam. Allah the Exalted said:[Ali 'Imran 3:19]. As for their branches, which are the legislations, they may differ, and these are what are subject to abrogation. Allah the Exalted said: [Al-Ma'idah 5:48]. It is established from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said: Sahih al-Bukhari 3443. It was narrated by Ahmad , al-Bukhari , Muslim , Abu Dawud , and others, and the wording is that of al-Bukhari. What is subject to abrogation is the branches, not the foundations. And Allah the Exalted said: [Al-Baqarah 2:130-133]
Second: Allah permitted Muslims to eat from the food of those who were given the Scripture, which is their slaughtered animals, by His saying in Surat al-Ma'idah:[Al-Ma'idah 5:5]. He made the condition for marrying women from the People of the Book that they be free and chaste, whether they are Jewish or Christian, even though Allah the Exalted informed in the same surah that the Jews and the Christians are disbelievers. He said: [Al-Ma'idah 5:17], the verse. And He said: [Al-Ma'idah 5:18]. And He said: [At-Tawbah 9:30-33]
And He said:[Al-Ma'idah 5:73], and similar to that in the same surah. Third: Allah singled out the People of the Book, the Jews and the Christians , with the eating of their slaughtered animals and the marriage of believers to the free, chaste women among them, and with the sufficiency of taking the jizyah from them, by His saying: [At-Tawbah 9:29]. He singled them out for this because they are People of the Book, and they are closer to Muslims than other disbelievers; therefore, the believers rejoiced at their victory over the Persians and their triumph over them after they had been defeated, and Allah approved of that for them. Allah the Exalted said:
[Ar-Rum 30:2-6]. And He did not permit them to remain in disbelief in Him, nor in the distortion they committed of their Scriptures, nor in their denial of the message of His Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), and He did not authorize them to do so. Rather, He legislated for us to leave off fighting them and not to take them captive if they pay the jizyah with their own hands while in a state of humiliation, and He was content with that from them, unlike the other disbelievers. This is the opinion of the majority of the scholars. And success is from Allah. And may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.
Q: If Islam abrogates the previous heavenly religions, and the Noble Qur'an says:
And whoever desires other than Islam as religion - never will it be accepted from him, and he, in the Hereafter, will be among the losers.
وَمَنْ يَبْتَغِ غَيْرَ الإِسْلامِ دِينًا فَلَنْ يُقْبَلَ مِنْهُ وَهُوَ فِي الآخِرَةِ مِنَ الْخَاسِرِينَA: First: The foundations of the religions brought by the Prophets are one, and that is the religion of Islam. Allah the Exalted said:
Indeed, the religion in the sight of Allah is Islam
إِنَّ الدِّينَ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ الإِسْلامُTo each of you We prescribed a law and a method
لِكُلٍّ جَعَلْنَا مِنْكُمْ شِرْعَةً وَمِنْهَاجًاBoth in this world and in the Hereafter, I am the nearest of all the people to Jesus, the son of Mary. The prophets are paternal brothers; their mothers are different, but their religion is one.
أنا أولى الناس بعيسى ابن مريم في الدنيا والآخرة، والأنبياء إخوة لعلات، أمهاتهم شتى ودينهم واحد(130) And who would be averse to the religion of Abraham except one who makes a fool of himself. And We had chosen him in this world, and indeed he, in the Hereafter, will be among the righteous. (131) When his Lord said to him, "Submit", he said "I have submitted [in Islam] to the Lord of the worlds." (132) And Abraham instructed his sons [to do the same] and [so did] Jacob, [saying], "O my sons, indeed Allah has chosen for you this religion, so do not die except while you are Muslims." (133) Or were you witnesses when death approached Jacob, when he said to his sons, "What will you worship after me?" They said, "We will worship your God and the God of your fathers, Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac - one God. And we are Muslims [in submission] to Him."
وَمَنْ يَرْغَبُ عَنْ مِلَّةِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ إِلا مَنْ سَفِهَ نَفْسَهُ وَلَقَدِ اصْطَفَيْنَاهُ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَإِنَّهُ فِي الآخِرَةِ لَمِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ (130) إِذْ قَالَ لَهُ رَبُّهُ أَسْلِمْ قَالَ أَسْلَمْتُ لِرَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ (131) وَوَصَّى بِهَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ بَنِيهِ وَيَعْقُوبُ يَا بَنِيَّ إِنَّ اللَّهَ اصْطَفَى لَكُمُ الدِّينَ فَلا تَمُوتُنَّ إِلا وَأَنْتُمْ مُسْلِمُونَ (132) أَمْ كُنْتُمْ شُهَدَاءَ إِذْ حَضَرَ يَعْقُوبَ الْمَوْتُ إِذْ قَالَ لِبَنِيهِ مَا تَعْبُدُونَ مِنْ بَعْدِي قَالُوا نَعْبُدُ إِلَهَكَ وَإِلَهَ آبَائِكَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَإِسْمَاعِيلَ وَإِسْحَاقَ إِلَهًا وَاحِدًا وَنَحْنُ لَهُ مُسْلِمُونَSecond: Allah permitted Muslims to eat from the food of those who were given the Scripture, which is their slaughtered animals, by His saying in Surat al-Ma'idah:
and the food of those who were given the Scripture is lawful for you and your food is lawful for them. And [lawful in marriage are] chaste women from among the believers and chaste women from among those who were given the Scripture before you, when you have given them their due compensation, desiring chastity, not unlawful sexual intercourse or taking [secret] lovers
وَطَعَامُ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ حِلٌّ لَكُمْ وَطَعَامُكُمْ حِلٌّ لَهُمْ وَالْمُحْصَنَاتُ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنَاتِ وَالْمُحْصَنَاتُ مِنَ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ إِذَا آتَيْتُمُوهُنَّ أُجُورَهُنَّ مُحْصِنِينَ غَيْرَ مُسَافِحِينَ وَلاَ مُتَّخِذِي أَخْدَانٍThey have certainly disbelieved who say that Allah is Christ, the son of Mary
لَقَدْ كَفَرَ الَّذِينَ قَالُوا إِنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ الْمَسِيحُ ابْنُ مَرْيَمَBut the Jews and the Christians say, "We are the children of Allah and His beloved."
وَقَالَتِ الْيَهُودُ وَالنَّصَارَى نَحْنُ أَبْنَاءُ اللَّهِ وَأَحِبَّاؤُهُ(30) The Jews say, "Ezra is the son of Allah "; and the Christians say, "The Messiah is the son of Allah." That is their statement from their mouths; they imitate the saying of those who disbelieved [before them]. May Allah destroy them; how are they deluded? (31) They have taken their scholars and monks as lords besides Allah, and [also] the Messiah, the son of Mary. And they were not commanded except to worship one God; there is no deity except Him. Exalted is He above whatever they associate with Him. (32) They want to extinguish the light of Allah with their mouths, but Allah refuses except to perfect His light, although the disbelievers dislike it. (33) It is He who has sent His Messenger with guidance and the religion of truth to manifest it over all religion, although they who associate others with Allah dislike it.
وَقَالَتِ الْيَهُودُ عُزَيْرٌ ابْنُ اللَّهِ وَقَالَتِ النَّصَارَى الْمَسِيحُ ابْنُ اللَّهِ ذَلِكَ قَوْلُهُمْ بِأَفْوَاهِهِمْ يُضَاهِئُونَ قَوْلَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا مِنْ قَبْلُ قَاتَلَهُمُ اللَّهُ أَنَّى يُؤْفَكُونَ (30) اتَّخَذُوا أَحْبَارَهُمْ وَرُهْبَانَهُمْ أَرْبَابًا مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ وَالْمَسِيحَ ابْنَ مَرْيَمَ وَمَا أُمِرُوا إِلا لِيَعْبُدُوا إِلَهًا وَاحِدًا لاَ إِلَهَ إِلا هُوَ سُبْحَانَهُ عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ (31) يُرِيدُونَ أَنْ يُطْفِئُوا نُورَ اللَّهِ بِأَفْوَاهِهِمْ وَيَأْبَى اللَّهُ إِلا أَنْ يُتِمَّ نُورَهُ وَلَوْ كَرِهَ الْكَافِرُونَ (32) هُوَ الَّذِي أَرْسَلَ رَسُولَهُ بِالْهُدَى وَدِينِ الْحَقِّ لِيُظْهِرَهُ عَلَى الدِّينِ كُلِّهِ وَلَوْ كَرِهَ الْمُشْرِكُونَAnd He said:
They have certainly disbelieved who say, "Allah is the third of three."
لَقَدْ كَفَرَ الَّذِينَ قَالُوا إِنَّ اللَّهَ ثَالِثُ ثَلاثَةٍFight 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 لاَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَلاَ بِالْيَوْمِ الآخِرِ وَلاَ يُحَرِّمُونَ مَا حَرَّمَ اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ وَلاَ يَدِينُونَ دِينَ الْحَقِّ مِنَ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ حَتَّى يُعْطُوا الْجِزْيَةَ عَنْ يَدٍ وَهُمْ صَاغِرُونَ(2) The Byzantines have been defeated (3) In the nearest land. But they, after their defeat, will overcome. (4) Within three to nine years. To Allah belongs the command before and after. And that day the believers will rejoice (5) In the victory of Allah. He gives victory to whom He wills, and He is the Exalted in Might, the Merciful. (6) [It is] the promise of Allah. Allah does not fail in His promise, but most of the people do not know.
غُلِبَتِ الرُّومُ (2) فِي أَدْنَى الأَرْضِ وَهُمْ مِنْ بَعْدِ غَلَبِهِمْ سَيَغْلِبُونَ (3) فِي بِضْعِ سِنِينَ لِلَّهِ الأَمْرُ مِنْ قَبْلُ وَمِنْ بَعْدُ وَيَوْمَئِذٍ يَفْرَحُ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ (4) بِنَصْرِ اللَّهِ يَنْصُرُ مَنْ يَشَاءُ وَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الرَّحِيمُ (5) وَعْدَ اللَّهِ لاَ يُخْلِفُ اللَّهُ وَعْدَهُ وَلَكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لاَ يَعْلَمُونَ
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.