1.1.2
My own view is that God, be He glorified, informs us in this verse that the person who makes unbelievers his friends provokes God’s anger. In acting thus that person has indeed forwarded evil to his own account. The broader meaning of the verse is that whoever takes them as his friends is not really a believer in God or in his Prophet and what was revealed to him. For what peril could be graver than for unbelievers to gain control over the Muslims’ own administration, or that they should be entrusted with the properties that rightfully belong to the Lord of the Worlds?
1.1.3
God, be He glorified and exalted, said, «O believers, take not Jews and Christians as friends; they are friends of each other. Whoso of you makes them his friends is one of them.»7 This verse clearly demonstrates that it is reprehensible to employ them. In fact, it is even more explicit in this regard than the previous verse.
1.1.4
God, be He glorified and exalted, said, «O believers, take not my enemy and your enemy for friends, offering them love, though they have disbelieved in the truth that has come to you.»8 This statement by itself contains sufficient evidence to prove the point. Thus Muslim jurists are justified in citing these noble verses to show that it is forbidden to employ non-Muslims, according to the text of Revelation itself. I would add, too, that the introduction to the book I presented to the noble government—the one entitled The Qurʾan’s Assurance of Victory over Those Who Seek Aid from the Infidels of this Age—contains demonstration enough to this effect. There is no need to repeat it here.9
THE SECOND SECTION: THE EXAMPLE OF THE MESSENGER OF GOD
1.2.1
I would recount here how it is told that the Messenger of God, God bless and keep him, went out to fight the Battle of Badr with a very small force: three hundred and thirteen men, only two of them mounted. The infidels arrayed against them were many times their number, a great multitude of horses and men. On that day a certain polytheist followed the Prophet as he was going out to battle and said to him, “I want to follow you and raid with you.” The Prophet asked, “Do you believe in God and his Messenger?” “No,” he replied. The Prophet said, “Then go back, for I will not accept the aid of a polytheist.” The man, however, caught up to him again at another place. The Companions of the Messenger of God, God bless and keep him, saw the man and gave him encouragement, for he was powerful, full of bravery and vigor. He said to the Prophet, “Messenger of God, I have come to follow you and raid with you.” The Prophet asked, “Do you believe in God and his Messenger?” “No,” he replied. “Then go back,” the Prophet said, “for I will not accept the aid of a polytheist.” After this he caught up to him once more upon the heights of al-Baydāʾ. He said to him, as he had before, “Messenger of God, I have come to follow you and raid with you.” “Do you believe in God and his Messenger?” the Prophet asked. “Yes,” he replied. Only after he had converted did the Prophet accept his aid.10 This is strong evidence that can be relied upon to show that the aid of polytheists is not to be accepted.
THE THIRD SECTION: THE TESTIMONY OF THE ANCIENT AUTHORITIES
1.3.1
Here I would observe that people of wisdom, learning, reason, and virtue have always urged that aid be sought from friends who are sincere and honest. The same authorities have, by contrast, cautioned against trusting enemies. One after another, from age to age, they have consistently advised against accepting enemies’ aid and submitting to their power.
1.3.2
One such authority has said the following concerning this issue: “He who seeks aid from his enemy while neglecting his friend only troubles his heart and angers his Lord. His wealth is dissipated, his affairs disturbed, his future endangered, and his deeds imperiled.” A Muslim authority has said, “How astonishing it is that a believer should employ an infidel who disagrees with his views and opposes him in his religion and creed.” Another has said, “How utterly astonishing that a man should discard a believing friend who is intelligent and capable while placing boundless confidence in an infidel enemy who is ignorant.” Another has said, “Do not choose to raise up someone who disagrees with you in religion, and do not employ someone who is devoid of conviction.” A certain authority has said, “He who relies upon men skilled in wickedness will not lack for unsound advice.” Another has said, “No one astounds me more than a person who relies upon an enemy from whom no good can be hoped and no evil prevented.” Another has said, “There is no harm greater than accepting the testimony of someone who bears false witness, or more dire than trusting someone who means no good in what he devises.”11
1.3.3
A certain Muslim authority has said, “There are four kinds of people who get no justice from four others: a noble person from a lowly one; a rightly guided person from an erring one; a righteous person from a sinner; a fair person from a tyrant.” Observe that the Muslim is noble, the infidel lowly; the Muslim is rightly guided, the infidel errant; the Muslim is righteous, the infidel a sinner; the Muslim is fair, the infidel a tyrant. Another has said, “The Muslim has four traits that exist in no one else: proper integrity, abundant fairness, graciousness toward pious people, and fairness toward Muslims. The unbeliever, too, has four traits: scant devotion to religion, abundant perfidy, guile toward Muslims, and ill-treatment of pious people.”
THE FOURTH SECTION: THE EXAMPLE OF IMAM ABŪ BAKR AL-ṢIDDĪQ, GOD BE PLEASED WITH HIM
1.4.1
I would cite here the report about Imam Abū Bakr, God be pleased with him, who addressed the people, saying, “All you Muslims! God have mercy on you! Word reached me that a group of polytheists, who had entered Islam and secured employment in its administration, had gone back to their old religion. In their ignorance of God they imagined that He was heedless of what they had done when they obeyed the Devil and followed after him. Therefore I dispatched Khālid ibn al-Walīd and commanded him to fight them. He did so, and forbad their employment in the Muslims’ administration. For I do not approve of the employment of a polytheist in the administrative affairs of the Muslims.”12
THE FIFTH SECTION: THE EXAMPLE OF IMAM ʿUMAR IBN AL-KHAṬṬāB
1.5.1
Here I would tell how when one of the Emigrants came before ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb, God be pleased with him, with wealth from al-Baḥrayn, the caliph ascended the pulpit. He praised and extolled God, asked his blessing upon Muḥammad his Prophet, God bless and keep him, and said, “All you Muslims! God have mercy on you! A great sum has come to us. If you wish, we shall measure it out by volume, or by weight if you prefer that, or we could count it out.” Then a man stood up and said, “Commander of the Believers, we have observed that the Persian foreigners make records in registers.” Upon hearing this, ʿUmar commanded that registers be made for the various administrative regions. He also wrote to his agents not to employ any infidel, whether Jew or Christian.13
1.5.2
Abū Mūsā al-Ashʿarī wrote the following lines to ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb, God be pleased with him, in the year 17 of the Emigration [ca. AD 638]: “Our tax receipts have increased mightily, and no one is able to count them but the Persian foreigners.” By this last phrase he meant the dhimmis, for the Muslims would impose the poll tax upon the people in the lands they conquered. Abū Mūsā asked ʿUmar for his view on the matter. ʿUmar wrote to him, “Do not embroil your religion in this affair, and do not hand over to your enemies in religion that which God has forbidden them. Do not entrust your property to them, but instead learn to write, for writing is the glory of men.”14 ʿUmar’s central message here, God
