Surah an-Nisa' (Women ) 4 : 89

Overview (Verse 89)

Qualifications for Alliance with Believers
 
They would love to see you disbelieve as they themselves disbelieve, so that you may be all alike. Do not, therefore, take them for your allies, until they migrate for God’s cause. If they turn against you, then seize them and kill them wherever you my find them. Do not take any of them for your ally or supporter. (Verse 89)
 
This verse moves another step closer to exposing the attitude and intentions of the hypocrites. It is not only that they have chosen error in preference to Divine guidance and that their deeds and bad intentions have merited that God lets them go further astray, but they have deliberately tried to divert the believers off their right course into error: “They would love to see you disbelieve as they themselves disbelieve, so that you my be all alike.”
 
Despite the fact that they repeat the same statements as the Muslims, and they have made the same declaration of believing in the oneness of God and in the messages of Muĥammad (peace be upon him), their practical support to the enemies of Islam belie their verbal statements. Nevertheless, they are not satisfied with that. One who consciously rejects the true faith does not feel happy when faith continues to make its presence felt on earth and attracts believers. He feels that he must work hard, utilising all his devices, to turn the Muslims back to disbelief so that they are in the same position as he. This is an initial definition of the hypocrite’s real attitude. It leaves no room for a “wet” concept of faith. It makes absolutely clear that faith requires that action be consistent with verbal statements. Words have no significance if actions belie them.
 
The wording of the Qur’ānic verse sends a strong shudder into the believers’ hearts. It tells them that those hypocrites “would love to see you disbelieve as they themselves disbelieve, so that you may be all alike”. (Verse 89) They have only recently tasted the sweetness of faith after experiencing for long the bitter taste of unbelief. The great transformation which took place in their feelings, concepts and their society as a whole, as they moved from ignorance into Islam, was very real to them. It only required a light touch to arouse their hostility to anyone who wished them to revert to that low depth of ignorance from which Islam saved them and which elevated them to its sublime heights. Making use of this state of mind, the Qur’ān issues its order to them at the moment when they are most alert to the danger posed by those hypocrites: “Do not, therefore, take them for your allies, until they migrate for God’s cause. If they turn against you, then seize them and kill them wherever you my find them. Do not take any of them for your ally or supporter.” (Verse 89)
 
The clear prohibition against taking allies from among them suggests that old family and tribal ties, and probably economic interests, had left their mark in the minds of the Muslims in Madinah. The Qur’ān deals with these traces and states clearly to the Muslim community the basis of the ties it establishes with others and the principles upon which its concepts are founded. The Muslims are being taught that a united community or a nation is founded neither on family, blood relationship or tribal ties, nor on the basis of living together in one city or one geographical area, nor on the basis of commercial or economic interests. It is only founded on an ideology and the social system such an ideology produces.
 
In practical terms, this means that there could be no alliance forged between Muslims living in the land of Islam and other people living in the land of war. At that time, the land of war was Makkah, the place of origin of those early Muslims who migrated to Madinah. What this Qur’ānic verse tells us is that there may never have been any alliance with those who claimed to be Muslims until they migrated to Madinah to join the Muslim society there; that is, until they took the practical step bringing them into the Muslim community. Only in this way, was their migration manifestly genuine, motivated by their faith, undertaken in service of God’s cause, for the purpose of building the Muslim society which implements Islam. There could be no other purpose for their migration.
 
This is stated with a clarity and precision which leaves no room for any sort of ambiguity. If they comply with this requirement, moving into the land of Islam to live under the Islamic regime based on the Islamic faith and implementing Islamic law, leaving behind their families, interests and homes in the land of war, then they are part of the Muslim community and members of the Islamic society. Their refusal to migrate renders their verbal claims devoid of any substance: “If they turn against you, then seize them and kill them wherever you may find them. Do not take any of them for your ally or supporter” (Verse 89) It is this ruling which makes us more inclined to say that those hypocrites did not live in Madinah. A different policy was implemented with the hypocrites of Madinah themselves.
 
Islam is very tolerant with the followers of other faiths and ideologies. It does not force itself on anyone. Non-Muslims who live in a Muslim state under an Islamic regime may openly state their beliefs, which may be in conflict with the Islamic faith, provided that they do not try to win Muslims over to their faith and that they do not insult Islam. The Qur’ān denounces hurling abuse on Islam, as was done by the followers of earlier religions, in very clear terms. It leaves no doubt that Islam does not allow those who live under its regime to criticise its principles in abusive terms or to distort its facts. Some people in our modern times would like us to believe that they are allowed this. This is totally untrue. It is sufficient that Islam does not force itself on people and that it protects the lives and properties of those who belong to other religions and who live in an Islamic society. Islam further affords to them the same benefits of Islamic life, without any discrimination between them and Muslims, and allows them to implement the rules of their faith in all matters which have no bearing on the general system as it applies to all citizens.
 
Islam extends this attitude of tolerance to those who openly adopt a different faith, but it does not extend it to those who make a claim to be Muslims but whose actions belie that claim. Its tolerance cannot accommodate those who declare that they believe in God’s oneness, who testify that there is no deity except God, and who, at the same time, acknowledge to someone else any attribute which belongs solely to God, such as sovereignty and the authority to legislate. It describes as idolaters those of the people of earlier Scriptures who take their priests and rabbis as well as Jesus, son of Mary, as lords besides God. It is true that they did not worship those priests and rabbis, but they certainly followed their lead when they enacted for them legislation that makes certain things permissible and prohibits others.
 
Nor does Islam tolerate that some hypocrites should he described as believers, simply because they have made the verbal declaration that there is no deity other than God and that Muĥammad is His Messenger, but, at the same time, remained in the land of unfaith, giving their support to the Muslims’ enemies. Tolerance in these circumstances is, in fact, complacency. Islam is tolerant but not complacent. It is a serious concept working within a serious system. Seriousness admits tolerance but has no room for complacency.
 
These directives given to the first Muslim community are, indeed, indicative of the nature of Islam and reveal a great deal to all Muslim generations.