Muslim Minorities:Fatawa Regarding Muslim Living as Minorities

BOOK: Muslim Minorities - Fatawa Regarding Muslims Living as Minorities

AUTHORS: Shaykh Ibn Baz & Shaykh Uthaymeen (May Allah have mercy on
them)

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The Importance of Muslim Minorities Adhering to Islam

By His Eminence Shaykh ‘Abdul Azeez ibn Baaz (may Allah have mercy on his soul):



All Praise is for Allah, Lord of the worlds, and ultimate success is for those that are dutiful to Allah. Complete and perfect prayers and peace upon His slave and messenger and the best of His creation, the one entrusted with His revelation, our Prophet and Imam, Muhammad ibn ‘Abdullah and upon his family and companions and whoever follows his path and guidance until the Day of Resurrection.



It should be stressed that one of the most important matters concerning Muslim minorities is, that they adhere to Allah’s Religion, understand it well and cling to it whatever their situation; in times of difficulty and ease, health and sickness, travel and residence. Every Muslim man and women, wherever they might be, must hold firmly to Allah’s Religion while being patient with it. This is especially so in this time of banishment and exile when Islam itself has been exiled, has many enemies, the righteous are few in number and there are not many people promoting the truth. It is, therefore, incumbent upon every Muslim, and especially Muslim minorities, to adhere and hold firmly to Allah’s Religion and to understand it well in order that they might act with knowledge, carry out what is obligatory upon them with knowledge and leave what is forbidden according to knowledge. This must also be achieved in order that they become a good model for their enemies around them and a living example of Islam in their behaviour, speech and deeds. Thus, their enemies will see them and understand from their behaviour and character the greatness and virtue of Islam and that it is the religion of truth, the religion of a person’s natural disposition, and the religion of justice, compassion, forgiveness, kindness and mercy.



{…And do good. Verily, Allah loves those that do good.} (Surah 2: Ayah 195)



And also, {Verily, Allah’s Mercy is near to those that do good.} (Surah 7: Ayah 56}

Muslim minorities should, therefore, hold firm to the religion of Islam, strive to understand it, correct themselves by it, apply it and follow all means of acquiring it, whether by travelling, reading books, attending circles of knowledge or studying. They should do all they can that will help them to understand Islam, Allah’s Book and the Sunnah of the Messenger SAAW.



The Muslim minorities should be well mannered and virtuous, expending every effort to do good, benefiting and being merciful to others. They should show to the people the generosity, kindness, mercy and virtue of Islam and that it is merciful not only to those within the faith but to others as well. Allah, the Exalted says,



{Allah does not forbid you from dealing justly with those who have neither fought you because of religion, nor driven you from or helped to drive you from your homes. Verily, Allah loves those that deal justly.} (Surah 60: Ayah 8}

This is how the Muslim minorities should be. They should be merciful and kind to their relatives who are weak or in need, even though they may be disbelievers and they should speak to them in the best possible manner unless, that is, they cause harm or are oppressive in which case they are dealt with differently. However, as long as they cause no harm and are not oppressive then it is up to Muslim minorities and Muslims in general to be merciful and kind to them and to do good to them. This is in order to make Islam acceptable and dear to them and so that they see the virtue and mercy of Islam and what it contains of abundant blessing, and that it is the religion of compassion, justice, kindness and the religion of man’s natural disposition. This is what will lead them to give importance to and embrace Islam and to prefer it to their falsehood, idolatry, Christianity and so forth.

We ask Allah by His Excellent Names and Sublime Attributes to grant us success in achieving what pleases Him and to put right out hearts, correct our actions and to guide us all to His Straight Path! We also ask Allah, the Exalted, to give success to all the Muslim minorities everywhere and to bless them with good and to help them to do good deeds. We ask Allah to enlighten them and to give them understanding of the religion! We ask Allah to grant success to the rulers of the Muslims and those ruled, to the rich and to the scholars in taking care of and being kind to their Muslim brothers who are living as Muslim minorities and in helping them with all they need. We ask Allah to make His Religion victorious and to raise His Word and to grant us all sound and beneficial knowledge and to make us firm in the truth! Certainly, He hears and is near. And prayers and peace be upon His slave and messenger our Prophet, Muhammad, and upon his family and companions and those that follow them in righteousness. Ameen.

Questions & Answers By Sh. Ibn Baz, May Allah have Mercy on his soul.



Question: Firstly, Allah is my witness that I love you for His Sake and I ask Allah that He prolongs your life (this question was asked in 1998) and that all the Muslims benefit from you. Secondly, the Muslim community at this time is in need of continual sincere actions and it is not so much in need of words and speeches. What, therefore, do you suggest are the ways and means that the various centres in western societies should adopt in order that they act according to the Quran and propagate Islam in a correct way? May Allah reward you abundantly.



Answer: Firstly, may Allah, who has given you love for us for His Sake, love you and make us all from those who love each other for His Sake. In an authentic narration the Prophet, SAAW, said, “Allah will say on the Day of Resurrection. Where are those that loved each other for My Glory? Today I shall shade them with My Shade on a Day that there is no shade but My Shade.” And in another authentic hadeeth, he, SAAW said, “Allah will shade seven on a day when there is no shade except His Shade: A just Imam, a youth raised in the worship of Allah, a man whose heart is connected to the mosque, two men who loved each other for the sake of Allah – they met for His Sake and parted for His Sake, a man who was invited by a beautiful woman of standing but who said to her, ‘Verily, I fear Allah,’ a man who gave in charity and concealed it to such an extent that his left hand was unaware of what his right hand was spending, and finally a man who remembered Allah while alone and wept.” (Narrated by both al-Bukhari and Muslim)

Concerning the second question, then action is what is needed but speeches and talks, published books and reports are all means to the action you mentioned. If a speech or good, reliable report is published, distributed or broadcast, then Allah can benefit with this whosoever He wishes. Allah prescribed sermons and speeches, books and advice in order that people might benefit from them and use them to learn the religion and in order that they are encouraged to fulfil their duties and what is required from them. What is obligatory upon the scholars, Islamic centres, Islamic charities and upon all those who have the ability to benefit the Muslims, is to apply in action and not only to utter in speech. Speech is beneficial at its right time but action is more important. Prescribed speech, such as remembrance of Allah, ordering to good and forbidding evil, asking forgiveness and supplication are all required. However, when speech is lined to action, then action, such as prayer, fasting, jihad, Hajj, zakaat and so forth, is required as a result of it. Allah, the Almighty says, {Most hateful it is in the Sight of Allah that you say that which you do not do.} [Surah as-Saff, 63: 3]

So speech must be used at its correct time and place and so must action. It is one of the attributes of a hypocrite that he says that which he does not do. That is not permitted for a Muslim. Rather, he must say and do, and he must be truthful both in his speech and in his deeds. It is also a duty of the Muslim rulers, wherever they are, to give importance to the Command of Allah. The essential benefit of governance by Muslim rulers is that they direct the Muslims to Allah’s Religion, compel them to obey His Command, help them in obedience to Allah and forbid them from what is contrary to or a variance with Allah’s Law. This is the intended purpose of government, whether it be in a kingdom with a king at its head, a republic with a president, an emirate having an ameer or is called something else. Allah’s Command should be established in His land by guiding the people to good and by compelling them to adhere to what Allah has made obligatory, by preventing them from what He has forbidden and by implementing the punishments prescribed by Allah when necessary.

This is what obligatory and my advice to all my brothers everywhere, whether in Islamic centres, Islamic organisations, institutions or in schools and whatever their work might be, is to have fear of Allah and be dutiful to Him. They must obey His Command, guide people to Allah’s Religion and be of those calling to good and to guidance. In an authentic hadeeth the Prophet SAAW said, “Whoever guides to good has a reward equal to the one who performs it.” He SAAW, also said to Alee RA, when he sent him to Khaybar to invite the Jews to Islam, “By Allah, that one person comes to guidance at your hands is better than humri na’am: Literally it refers to camels having a particularly pleasing red colour, which the Arabs take great pride in.” And Allah says in His Noble Book, {And who is better in speech than he who calls to Allah does deeds of righteousness and says: “I am one of the Muslims”.} [Surah Fussilat, 41:43]

And He, the Most High, says, {The believers, men and women, are friends and helpers to each other. They enjoin what if just and good and forbid what is evil. They establish the prayer, pay the zakaat and obey Allah and His Messenger. To these will Allah be Merciful. Verily, Allah is All-Mighty, All-Wise.} [Surah at-Tawbah, 9:71]

And He, the Almighty, says, {Let there arise out of you a community that calls to good, enjoining righteousness and forbidding evil. It is they who are the successful.} [Surah Aal-‘Imraan, 3:104]

So Allah, the Most High, restricted success to them exclusively because of the importance and worth of their work of inviting to Allah and enjoining good and forbidding evil. Allah, the Sublime, says, {You are the best of communities that has been raised up for mankind. You enjoin righteousness and forbid evil, and you believe in Allah….} [Surah Aal-‘Imraan, 3:110]

This is what is obligatory upon the Muslims. They must invite to what is good, enjoin righteousness, forbid evil and stick to the truth, wherever they are. By adhering to this noble and illustrious work the believing men and women will be from the best community. And from Allah do we seek assistance!