Who is a better friend than Allah_ _ Motivational video 2023 by Asif Ali Official
- 6 months ago
May Allah Most High reward you for seeking the meanings behind the verses of the Book of Allah, the Qur’an. Thank you also, for asking about a verse that has great implications for Muslims in the West, a verse that is often misquoted, misconstrued and misunderstood by Muslims and non-Muslims alike. In the verse, Allah says:
“Oh you who be believe! Do not take the Jews and the Christians as protecting allies [lit. awliya – plural of wali, mistranslated often here as “friends” ]! Each of them are protecting allies within their own. And the one amongst you who turns to them as protecting allies, then he is one of them. And truly, Allah does not guide the wrongdoing people.” [al-Quran, 5:51]
Right away, I’d like to establish that there is no problem with Muslims keeping casual friendships and cordial acquaintances with people of different faiths, as long as those people do not oppose or dislike Islam and Muslims, do not engage in or wrongly influence Muslims towards immoral behaviour, and are not unjust and oppressive to anyone, especially Muslims. This is established by the words of Allah Most High Himself when He says:
“Allah does not forbid you from showing kindness and dealing justly with those who have not fought you due to your faith or driven you out of your homes. Allah loves those who deal justly. Allah only forbids you from those people that fought you because of your faith, drove you out of your homes and helped in your expulsion, that you take them as intimate associates. And whosoever takes them as intimate associates, then it is they who are the wrongdoers.” [al-Quran, 60:8-9]
This should set the tone for how we see verse 5:51, which has often been misused to claim that Islam orders Muslims not to have any sort of good relations with non-Muslims at all, an interpretation which is refuted by the above. The verse in question contains the Arabic word Wali, the mistranslation of which to mean “friend” without any further qualification or nuance, is what has caused confusion here.
“Oh you who be believe! Do not take the Jews and the Christians as protecting allies [lit. awliya – plural of wali, mistranslated often here as “friends” ]! Each of them are protecting allies within their own. And the one amongst you who turns to them as protecting allies, then he is one of them. And truly, Allah does not guide the wrongdoing people.” [al-Quran, 5:51]
Right away, I’d like to establish that there is no problem with Muslims keeping casual friendships and cordial acquaintances with people of different faiths, as long as those people do not oppose or dislike Islam and Muslims, do not engage in or wrongly influence Muslims towards immoral behaviour, and are not unjust and oppressive to anyone, especially Muslims. This is established by the words of Allah Most High Himself when He says:
“Allah does not forbid you from showing kindness and dealing justly with those who have not fought you due to your faith or driven you out of your homes. Allah loves those who deal justly. Allah only forbids you from those people that fought you because of your faith, drove you out of your homes and helped in your expulsion, that you take them as intimate associates. And whosoever takes them as intimate associates, then it is they who are the wrongdoers.” [al-Quran, 60:8-9]
This should set the tone for how we see verse 5:51, which has often been misused to claim that Islam orders Muslims not to have any sort of good relations with non-Muslims at all, an interpretation which is refuted by the above. The verse in question contains the Arabic word Wali, the mistranslation of which to mean “friend” without any further qualification or nuance, is what has caused confusion here.