The Ruling on Honoring a Christian
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
May the Shaykh be respected! A person asks and says: He got to know one of the Christians through one of his friends, and he did not know that he was a Christian, so he treated him as a Muslim treats his Muslim brother. After a while, it became clear that he was a Christian, to the extent that in some of the gatherings with him while eating and hosting him in the house, he learned that he was a Christian. This man felt uncomfortable when he learned that he was a Christian, while he had not known. Now he is confused, and this person visits him from time to time, and he cannot get rid of him. So what is the way to get rid of such situations, especially since some Muslims do not find a way to convey the correct understanding of Islam to the Christians? So give us a ruling, may Allah reward you, may Allah reward you with good!
It is obligatory for him to present Islam to him and invite him to it. If he is good at presenting Islam and inviting to it, he should do it himself. If he is not good at it, he should ask one of the students to attend his gathering with this Christian, and then present Islam to him. If they see from him a willingness to accept, that is what is required, and perhaps Allah will guide him. If they do not see from him a willingness to accept, it is obligatory for him to cut off relations with him; because honoring the Christians is forbidden for the Muslim.Therefore, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: (Do not initiate the greeting to the Jews and the Christians, and if you meet them on a road, force them to the narrowest part of it) So honoring him by receiving him, hosting him, and the like of that is forbidden, except if his Islam is expected.
The questioner: But this Christian is an Arab,And in some funny situations, he sneezed and said: Praise be to Allah, then he initiates the greeting when he enters the house, and this is one of the things that happened from him! The Shaykh: Even if he says: Praise be to Allah, as long as he has not believed in the Messenger of Allah, his praise does not benefit him.
The questioner: And the owner of the question forbade him one day from smoking -I mean: He used to smoke - so he forbade him from smoking,And it ended! The Shaykh: This is perhaps that he is close, if Allah wills.
It is obligatory for him to present Islam to him and invite him to it. If he is good at presenting Islam and inviting to it, he should do it himself. If he is not good at it, he should ask one of the students to attend his gathering with this Christian, and then present Islam to him. If they see from him a willingness to accept, that is what is required, and perhaps Allah will guide him. If they do not see from him a willingness to accept, it is obligatory for him to cut off relations with him; because honoring the Christians is forbidden for the Muslim.Therefore, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: (Do not initiate the greeting to the Jews and the Christians, and if you meet them on a road, force them to the narrowest part of it) So honoring him by receiving him, hosting him, and the like of that is forbidden, except if his Islam is expected.
The questioner: But this Christian is an Arab,And in some funny situations, he sneezed and said: Praise be to Allah, then he initiates the greeting when he enters the house, and this is one of the things that happened from him! The Shaykh: Even if he says: Praise be to Allah, as long as he has not believed in the Messenger of Allah, his praise does not benefit him.
The questioner: And the owner of the question forbade him one day from smoking -I mean: He used to smoke - so he forbade him from smoking,And it ended! The Shaykh: This is perhaps that he is close, if Allah wills.