Relationship with People of Other Faith

    Living in a community with ethnic and cultural diversity is a fact of life today; this requires socializing and interacting with people of all sort of faith including atheists and polytheists.  Accordingly, as a true believer in God, one would like to follow God’s wish on his or her relationship with disbelievers. There are many verses in Quran which specifically instruct believers not to take God’s enemies as a political ally or a cultural guru,  the way I understand it.  In contrast, there is a common controversial interpretation of the same verses, which prohibits any friendship or any relationship at all with Jews, Christians or others.  So one would wonder what God’s command on this subject is. 

4:144 

O you who have believed, do not take the disbelievers as allies instead of the believers. Do you wish to give Allah against yourselves a clear case?

5:51

O you who have believed, do not take the Jews and the Christians as allies. They are [in fact] allies of one another. And whoever is an ally to them among you - then indeed, he is [one] of them. Indeed, Allah guides

not the wrongdoing people.

5:55

Your ally is none but Allah and [therefore] His Messenger and those who have believed - those who establish prayer and give zakah, and they bow [in worship].

5:56

And whoever is an ally of Allah and His Messenger and those who have believed - indeed, the party of Allah - they will be the predominant.

5:57

O you who have believed, take not those who have taken your religion in ridicule and amusement among the ones who were given the Scripture before you nor the disbelievers as allies. And fear Allah,

if you should [truly] be believers.

9:23

O you who have believed, do not take your fathers or your brothers as allies if they have preferred disbelief over belief. And whoever does so among you -then it is those who are the wrongdoers

60:1

O you who have believed, do not take My enemies and your enemies as allies, extending to them affection while they have disbelieved in what came to you of the truth, having driven out the Prophet and yourselves [only] because you believe in Allah , your Lord. If you have come out for jihad in My cause and seeking means to My approval, [take them not as friends]. You confide to them affection, but I am most knowing of what you have concealed and what you have declared. And whoever does it among you has certainly strayed from the soundness of the way.

60:8

Allah does not forbid you from those who do not fight you because of religion and do not expel you from your homes - from being righteous toward them and acting justly toward them. Indeed, Allah 

loves those who act justly.

60:9

Allah only forbids you from those who fight you because of religion and expel you from your homes and aid in your expulsion - [forbids] that you make allies of them. And whoever makes allies of them, and 

then it is those who are the wrongdoers.

 (Quoted from www.Quran.com with Sahih International translation)

   While the above are not all verses that address this subject, they well reflect Quran’s stand on this matter.   Evidently, the key word representing the forbidden relationship is taking someone as “Vali” or “ ولی ” in Quranic terms.  I believe the quoted translation “Sahih International” has rightfully turned “Vali” to ally with someone, which is the underlying concept as clarified in the last two verses: 60:8 & 60:9.    

   Having read the above verses, one would come to the realization that God does not want us to commit our self, neither politically nor culturally, to the front of his apparent enemies, the disbelievers or even the untrue believers who are proactively aggressive toward believing in God and toward his true believers.  That is to say, God expects us to treat our neighbors, our coworkers, our classmates, and our comrades only with mutual respect and friendship that will do justice to their friendship, as specified in last two verses again.  

   Applying these verses to our time, one may find going to watch and praise certain carnivals which promote immoral values against God’s teachings, would be taking a cultural front against God.   In political realm, you may find backing a party or an individual would be synonymous with moving a country or a community away from the right path.  It has to be emphasized that although it is true that our take on Quran is absolutely personal and relative, what matters to God is our motive and our intention of doing or not doing something (Tagva).

   On a personal level however, true love between two people, would require spiritual intimacy which essentially demands believing in the same God and the consequent life values.  This is why, it is most often, almost impossible to love someone whose understanding of world (whose culture) is too far from ours unless we have spent enough time together to unify our minds and our spirits.  In other words, we can convert our once enemy spirits into eternal mates no matter how far they are by the magic of divine love, God’s willing.  

60:7

Perhaps Allah will put, between you and those to whom you have been enemies among them, affection. And Allah is competent, and Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.

صدق الله العلي العظيم