Volume 8 Surah 9 - Enjoy Islam

Al-Tawbah (The Repentance) | RELATIONS WITH OTHER RELIGIONSFirstly, the Jews claim that Ezra is the son of God, and the Christians assert thatChrist is His son. These claims echo similar ones made by the pagans of formertimes. Hence, they are to be treated on the same basis as people who do not believein God and the Last Day.Secondly, they treat their rabbis and their monks, as well as Jesus Christ, as theirLords, in place of God. This is in total conflict with the principles of the faith of truthwhich is based on total submission to God alone, who has no partners. As they makesuch claims they demonstrate that they are idolaters who do not follow the true faith.Thirdly, they try to put out the light of God’s guidance with their mouths. In otherwords, they are at war with the divine faith. No one is ever at war with the divinefaith if he truly believes in God.Fourthly, many of their monks and rabbis devour people’s property without anyjustification. They do so knowing that their claims to such property are false. Hencethey do not treat as forbidden what God and His Messenger have made forbidden,whether we take this statement as referring to the Messenger sent to them or to theProphet Muĥammad.All these characteristics were true of the Christians in Syria and the Byzantines, aswell as other Christians ever since Church Synods distorted the faith preached byJesus Christ and claimed that he was the son of God and invented the concept of theTrinity, the conflict between the different sects and churches over the concept ofTrinity notwithstanding.What we have here then is a general order stating a universal rule that applies toall those among the people of earlier revelations who share the same characteristicsas the Christians of Syria and Byzantium. This general application is not restricted bythe exceptions the Prophet made with regard to how Muslims behave in war towardswomen, children, the elderly, or monks who stay in places of worship, on account ofthe fact that these are not fighters. Islam indeed does not allow attacks against suchnon-fighters whatever their religion may be.These exceptions were not made by the Prophet because such groups did notlaunch an aggression, but rather because they do not normally launch any aggressionat all. Therefore it is not right to try to interpret this exception as restricting thegeneral order by saying that it applies only to aggressors, as done by those whoadopt an apologetic attitude in trying to defend Islam. Aggression has beencommitted in the first place, against God’s Lordship of the universe and againsthuman beings who are forced to submit to deities other than God. As Islam tries todefend God’s Lordship and human dignity, ignorance will try to stop it byaggression and war. This is the reality we have to realize.This Qur’ānic verse commands the Muslims to fight against those among the96