What is the ruling on citizens calling foreign workers "O friend"?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : It is a common word on the lips of citizens, directed at foreigners, such as "O friend" or "O companion." Is there anything wrong with it?
The Shaykh : By Allah, this is a word that people have now agreed upon, not intending its meaning. You will find a man saying "O friend" when he has not seen him or knows him, or "O companion" when he has not seen him or knows him. So it has become a word now used to indicate that this person is not known to the man. Therefore, I see no harm in it, except if the man is a disbeliever, in which case it should not be said that he is a friend.
The questioner : This is used for... Is there a better alternative?
The Shaykh : No, if he is a disbeliever, it should not be said to him: "O friend" or "O companion." Why not say: "O man," "O boy," or "O this one"? If he says that in a loud voice, the person will turn around in any case and understand, and he will be safe from the word "friend," which the person addressed might be a disbeliever.
The Shaykh : By Allah, this is a word that people have now agreed upon, not intending its meaning. You will find a man saying "O friend" when he has not seen him or knows him, or "O companion" when he has not seen him or knows him. So it has become a word now used to indicate that this person is not known to the man. Therefore, I see no harm in it, except if the man is a disbeliever, in which case it should not be said that he is a friend.
The questioner : This is used for... Is there a better alternative?
The Shaykh : No, if he is a disbeliever, it should not be said to him: "O friend" or "O companion." Why not say: "O man," "O boy," or "O this one"? If he says that in a loud voice, the person will turn around in any case and understand, and he will be safe from the word "friend," which the person addressed might be a disbeliever.