Does Islam declare any nation enemy in advance?

In this topic, the matter should be evaluated by examining the13th verse in the Hujuraat Surah. At this time when the world has become like a village, this verse provides us with a sound measure upon which we can base our practice.

According to this verse, the reason why the offspring of Adam and Eve separated and formed states, nations, and tribes is not for them to be enemies and to wage war against one another. On the contrary, it was for them to get to know each other and form good relations, to sell what they have to others and to buy what others have and thus to serve to each others happiness and prosperity.

Both reason and revelation acknowledge this and see such an understanding reasonable and acceptable. Muslims do not see any race or nation as enemy in advance. Islam issues such a universal invitation as to embrace all the nations and races on Earth. The ones who are seen as enemies in advance are as a result declared incapable of being the addressee of this invitation. And this contradicts with the universality of Islam. Islam does not approve of such a prejudice.

Islam commands us in the verse we mentioned to establish good relations without considering differences of race, state, and nation, to help one another and to gain trust; and contrary to the accusations, Islam views Christians and Jews as the People of the Book-who were given Books. Islam sees the People of the Book closer and proclaims that what they slaughter can be eaten and their daughters may be taken as wives. They are seen worthy of a closer rank to Muslims than atheists and idolaters.

On the other hand, there may be devout believers among the Christians who are the People of the Book. Muslims may unit with them against the ones who aim to devastate belief in God and try to protect the belief of oneness. This kind of coordination is also possible.

In this respect, Islam does not support enmity; on the contrary, recommends unity around common conciliatory values. We learn this from the verse above.

The friendship forbidden with the verse, Take not the Jews and Christians for guardians and confidants (in their Judaism and Christianity) is the friendship felt because of their religions; actually, we do not need to feel such a friendship and do not have a reason for it, either; because our religion also comprises the basic truths that both Christianity and Judaism contain. We do not have anything lacking because of which we should feel closeness to them for their religion and thus complete our shortcomings. The forbidden friendship is the friendship in this meaning. In other words, Quran has forbidden the closeness and friendship toward Jews and Christians that would result in leaving Islam.