How should the verses that Muslims should not take unbelievers as their guardians / friends be understood? If a Muslim becomes the citizen of a non-Muslim state, does it mean he took that state as his friend / guardian?

- If it is permissible, how will Muslims take unbelievers as guardians?

Dear Brother / Sister,

Waliyy: Friend, guardian, helper, he who undertakes the affairs of someone, administrator, saint.

The word waliyy is used for both Allah and other beings in the Quran. One of the beautiful names of Allah is al-Waliyy. When this word is used for Allah, it means friend, helper and disposer of affairs. The guardianship quality of Allah is mentioned in various verses. Accordingly, Allah is a friend / guardian who leads believers from the depths of darkness to light (al-Baqara, 2/257), has no partner in His dominion and is the source of: protection (al-Isra, 17/111; al-Kahf, 18/26), sends down rain and scatters His Mercy (far and wide) (ash-Shura, 42/28), is the Maker of the heavens and the earth (al-An'am, 6/14), reveals the Book, chooses and befriends the righteous (al-A'raf, 7/196) is our Protector both in this world and in the hereafter. (Yusuf, 12/101)

When the word waliyy is used for believers in the Quran, it has two meanings. The first one is that Allah disposes affairs and does not leave them to His slaves.  

"He will choose and befriend the righteous." (al-A'raf, 7/196)

The friendship in the verse above is in this sense. The other meaning is a person who undertakes the duty of worshipping and obeying Allah. In this sense, every believer and pious person is a waliyy; there is no fear and worry for them. (Yunus, 10/62-63) In another verse, the term waliyy is explained in detail:

"...It is righteousness- to believe in Allah and the Last Day, and the Angels, and the Book, and the Messengers; to spend of your substance, out of love for Him, for your kin, for orphans, for the needy, for the wayfarer, for those who ask, and for the ransom of slaves; to be steadfast in prayer, and practice regular charity; to fulfil the contracts which ye have made; and to be firm and patient, in pain (or suffering) and adversity, and throughout all periods of panic. Such are the people of truth, the Allah-fearing." (al-Baqara, 2/177).

According to the Quran, guardianship and taking somebody as a guardian determines the direction of the relationships of a believer. The real, unchanging and absolute waliyy is Allah. (Aal-i Imran, 3/68; ash-Shura, 42/9). Guardianship is peculiar to Allah only. (al-Kahf, 18/44) Only Allah is the friend of believers. (al-Maida, 5/55) Therefore, believers should take Allah as their guardian. (ash-Shura, 42/6) Believers have other guardians too. They are angels (Fussilat, 41/31), Allah’s Messenger and other believers.  (al-Maida, 5/55)

The Quran explains whom believers should not take as friends. For instance, believers do not take Satan for friends. He who takes Satan for a friend suffers a loss that is manifest. (an-Nisa, 4/119) Those who take Satan for friends cannot find a friend except him on the Day of Judgment. (an-Nahl, 16/63) Satans are friends of unbelievers. (al-A'raf, 7/27) The evil ones inspire their friends to contend with believers to drive them away from Allah, who is their real friend. (al-An'am, 6/121) Then, believers should eliminate Satan in their lives. (an-Nisa, 4/76) Believers cannot take those who indulge in unbelief friends. (Aal-i Imran, 3/28). If they do, they will fall into abasement, instead of dignity. (an-Nisa, 4/28) Jews and Christians cannot be taken as friends and protectors by believers. They make fun of the religion of the believers. (al-Maida, 5/51) If believers’ fathers and brothers love unbelief more than belief, believers cannot take them for protectors and friends. (at-Tawba, 9/23)

"Let not the believers Take for friends or helpers Unbelievers rather than believers: if any do that, in nothing will there be help from Allah: except by way of precaution, that ye may Guard yourselves from them. But Allah cautions you (To remember) Himself; for the final goal is to Allah." (Aal-i Imran, 3/28)

Various incidents about some Muslims establishing friendship with Jews and polytheists in a way that will endanger their own beings are narrated as the reason for the revelation of the verse above in tafsir books. One of them is as follows: Some Jews in Madinah sometimes contacted some Ansar secretly and tried to dissuade them from their religion. When some believers like Rifaa b. Mundhir, Abdurrahman b. Jubayr and Said b. Haythama noticed it, they warned those Muslims to be careful. They did not heed those warnings and continued their close relationship with Jews. Thereupon, that verse was sent down.

It is interpreted that those who are demanded not be taken as friends can be polytheists, hypocrites or all deniers in general acting upon the incidents mentioned as the reasons for the revelation of the verse and the usage of the word "kafirun" (deniers) in the Quran. No matter what the reason for revelation is, this verse has a statement that is valid any time.

Since the Quran was sent down gradually in about twenty-three years when they were in different relationship with the members of other religions and especially polytheists, it is natural that there are different styles and contents in the verses regarding the issue. When the verses that arrange the relationship of Muslims with non-Muslims, and the practices of the Messenger of Allah are evaluated together, it will be seen that the evidences are clear enough to prevent different views regarding two points:

a) It jeopardizes the belief of a Muslim when he finds a non-Muslim close to him in terms of belief – by making concessions to his own belief – and when he takes him as a friend in that sense no matter what the reason is.

b) It is not forbidden but encouraged for Muslims to be in good terms with non-Muslims in a way that will not harm their belief in order to display exemplary acts that will show how Islam views man, to establish law and order in the world and to maintain and develop their benefits within this framework. In parallel with this understanding, when the basic difference in the form of friendly relations and hostile relations are taken into consideration, it can be said that the attitude of Islam will be friendly in general and hostile as an exception. It is clear that this kind of relationships are not in the sense of "wala" (friendship) mentioned in the verse. When the usage of this word in other verses, especially in the verses in which it is stated that Allah is the best friend (waliyy), is taken into consideration, it will be easily understood that the friendship that is forbidden here is in the sense of loving them, trusting in them and relying on them due to having the same or similar belief with them. The severe sanction at the end of the verse, that is, the declaration that those who do not heed that warning will lose the friendship of Allah, and the reminder in the next verse that the intentions that are concealed are known by Allah show that the relationship that is forbidden is the one that endanger belief due to some personal weaknesses without regarding loyalty to Islamic belief to be superior to everything or the friendship established to harm Islam or to maintain such friendship.    

The evidences like Hz. Muhammad’s (pbuh) praising Saib b. Abdullah, his business partner before his prophethood, due to his meritorious acts in the Era of Jahiliyya, his taking part in "Hilf al-Fudul" (alliance of the virtuous), which was established with the purpose of preventing injustice in Makkah when he was young, his mentioning this initiative with gladness and praise during his prophethood, the members of the People of the Book being classified based on the criterion of “honesty” in verse 75 of the same chapter, the Messenger of Allah’s (pbuh) making written contracts with the Jews and polytheists, and last but not least, the declaration in verse 107 of the chapter of al-Anbiya that Hz. Muhammad (pbuh) was sent as “mercy” for all creatures / beings show that Islam regards contacting with the members of other religions, developing methods of living in peace and cooperating in order to accept ethical values inherent in man’s nature as a divine grace as the highest values of humanity as a part of the duty of conveying the message of Islam to whole humanity, let alone prohibiting it. Consequently, it is seen that the most successful examples of political and social relationships in the history of humanity enabling members of different religions to live in security were displayed by Muslims. 

It is understood from the admiring expressions of many Western writers who express their observations objectively that the difference Muslims displayed in this field did not only give the feeling of living in security but also formed a social structure in which members of different religions had the liberty to live based on their own faiths and in which virtues like justice, tolerance and charity were observed distinctly. Doubtlessly the two principles of "showing respect to the Creator and treating the creatures / beings well" form the basis of Islamic doctrine and the social dynamics brought about by it have a great effect on ensuring this result. It is an important example from this point of view that some scholars of Islam decreed that non-Muslims should also be among those to whom zakah and fitrah, which are financial obligations that form a part of the religious duties of a Muslim toward Allah, are given. Furthermore, it is reported that Hz. Umar interpreted the word "fuqa­ra" mentioned in verse 60 of the chapter of at-Tawba as the poor Muslims and the word "masakin" as the poor Christians and Jews and that he ordered the officials of the Treasury to act accordingly.

However, when all of those limited relationships are evaluated under the light of the other evidences in the Quran and the Sunnah, it does not mean that Muslims should approve to establish relationships that will cause their assimilation and hence losing their power of belief or should show consent to being under their domination.  To sum up, the verse reminds Muslims that they should maintain this delicate balance carefully, that they should not overstep the limits regarding the issue and that they should act prudentially by heeding the intention of the party with which they establish relationships.

In conclusion, it can be said that it is not permissible for Muslims to take a non-Muslim state’s citizenship and to establish relationship with them in a way that will harm Islam. Otherwise, it is permissible for a Muslim to work for a non-Muslim state or to take its citizenship due to legitimate reasons.

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