Appendix C: Treatment of Non-Muslim Minorities
The Prophet (sws) is reported to have said:
In this regard, the Qur’an has explicitly stated the principle that Muslims while dealing with their enemies must not exceed the limits of justice, not to speak of Mu‘ahids who have accepted to live peacefully in an Islamic State:
As far as their rights are concerned, they should be given all the rights that are sanctioned by the norms of justice and fairness for people in a civilized society. For example:
In this regard, however, there exists an exception regarding the Arabian peninsula. Pre-Islamic Arabia was conquered and given in the possession of Muhammad (sws) and his Companions (rta) by the Almighty in accordance with His established scheme regarding His Messengers that has been discussed earlier in detail in the main text of this article. It is the Almighty who actually took control of matters and saw to it that the Kuffar be punished through the hands of the believers. The Messengers and their Companions (rta) act as no more than the implementers of His will. So in accordance with this law, specifically meant for the Messengers, Muhammad (sws) and his Companions (rta) were told that they would have to fight the Idolaters of Arabia until the supremacy of Islam was achieved:
This Qur'anic directive has been referred to by the Prophet in the following words:
With the implementation of this divine
scheme, Arabia was required to become a symbol of monotheism. Here every
trace of polytheism was to be uprooted. Therefore, all idols were destroyed.
Consequently, in Arabia no non-Muslim was and is allowed to build places
of worship to practice polytheism.
It is evident from this verse that the real reason of this prohibition is polytheism which has been called impure and unclean. Consequently, this prohibition stands analogously extended to people who have adopted polytheism as their religion, for example some sects of Hinduism. It cannot be extended to the adherents of such monotheistic religions as Judaism and Christianity. As has been explained earlier, though the followers of Christianity are involved in polytheistic practices, yet they never condone to polytheism as the real religion. Obviously, there is a world of difference between getting involved in polytheistic practices while considering them to be non- polytheistic and becoming followers of polytheism itself. |
47. According to Zamakhashari, this is the view of Malik and Shafi‘i. For details see Zamakhashari, Kashshaf, vol. 2 (Beirut: Daru’l-Kitab al-‘Arabi), p. 261 |