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Below is a reply from a famous ulama in Trinidad Shaykh Imam Hussein. This is his reply to ayat (5:51) delivered in a lecture. May it be of use to you and all our Jewish and Christian friends, neighbours, colleagues whom we cherish as much as our Muslim brothers and sisters.
"O YOU who have attained to faith! Do not take the Jews and the Christians for your allies: they are but allies of one another and whoever of you allies himself with them becomes, verily, one of them; behold, God does not guide people who are unjust. (Quran 5:51)"There are several renderings for this verse, some interpret the part “your allies” as “friends and protectors”:
“O ye who believe! take not the Jews and the Christians for your friends and protectors: They are but friends and protectors to each other. And he amongst you that turns to them (for friendship) is of them. Verily Allah guideth not a people unjust.”
In reality, both renderings are problematic as they fail to translate correctly the message of the Qur’an as revealed in Arabic. When analysing the Qur’an, we do not just take one verse about a subject in order to derive from it understanding. We must analyse the message in its entirety.
So, is Surah 5 of the Qur’an referring to all Jews and all Christians? Is it referring to these Jews and Christians too?:
Of the people of Moses there is a section who guide and do justice in the light of truth. (Quran 7:159)
Verily, those who have attained to faith [in this divine writ], as well as those who follow the Jewish faith, and the Christians, and the Sabians - all who believe in God and the Last Day and do righteous deeds-shall have their reward with their Sustainer; and no fear need they have, and neither shall they grieve. (Quran 2:62)
Not all of them are alike: Of the People of the Book are a portion that stand (For the right): They rehearse the Signs of God all night long, and they prostrate themselves in adoration. They believe in God and the Last Day; they enjoin what is right, and forbid what is wrong; and they hasten (in emulation) in (all) good works: They are in the ranks of the righteous. (Quran 3:113-114)
And there are, certainly, among the People of the Book, those who believe in God, in the revelation to you, and in the revelation to them, bowing in humility to God. They will not sell the Signs of God for a miserable gain! For them is a reward with their Lord, and God is swift in account. (Quran 3:199)
These 4 sections from the Qur’an (2:62, 3:113-114, 3:199, 7:159) all speak of Jews, Christians and indeed people of other faiths in a very good light. Add to that the fact that a Muslim man can marry a Jewish lady, or a Christian Lady.
To interpret therefore, surah 5:51 of the Qur’an, to mean that we as Muslims cannot befriend all Jews and all Christians, in the light of the evidences presented, is incorrect. The ayah, when analysed in Arabic, tells us that there is a specific category of Jews and Christians with whom friendly ties and alliances, is strictly forbidden – and this is where a great miracle of the Qur’an is prevalent.
When analysed in Arabic, ayah 5:51 of the Quran qualifies and outlines the category from amongst the Jews and Christians with whom it has been made Haraam for Muslims to form alliances – and they are “such Jews and Such Christians who are allies of one another”.
Throughout history, the Jews and the Christians have been at loggerheads, especially during the era of Qur’anic revelation. The Jews accused Hazrat Mary of being unchaste (nauzabullah) and the Christians accused the Jews of killing Jesus (upon him be peace) himself.
The hatred between the Jews and the Christians was so prevalent, that upon the Christian conquest of Muslim Spain, the Christians issued a decree (Alhambra decree) demanding the expulsion of Jews from Christian territories.
For the Qur’an therefore, to predict a time where the Jews and Christians would form alliances is truly remarkable. The Christian-Zionist and Jewish-Zionist movements are a recent phenomena, and we as Muslims are forbidden to form alliances with such Jews and Such Christians.
The Qur’an sums it up in the following verse:
God only forbids you to turn in friendship towards such as fight against you because of [your] faith, and drive you forth from your homelands, or aid [others] in driving you forth: and as for those [from among you] who turn towards them in friendship; it is they, they who are truly wrongdoers! (Quran 60:9)
We as Muslims can never be friends with, for example, Israel. we are one ummah.
However, we can befriend those who do not oppress the Muslims:
As for such [of the unbelievers] as do not fight against you on account of [your] faith, and neither drive you forth from your homelands, God does not forbid you to show them kindness and to behave towards them with full equity: for, verily, God loves those who act equitably. (Quran 60:8)
Ok, so allow me (Kamal) to conclude:
1) Understanding Arabic is important for us to truly understand the subtle nuances in grammar, syntax and the use of the language to really understand its message and who actually is being referred to in the nouns as expounded in the Quran.
2) Understanding the Quran in its entirety and not take any verse out of context.
We need to firmly grasp the meaning, context, period of time the ayah was delivered to our prophet, pre-existing Arabian's socio-poltico, cultural makeup from 670AD onwards till the last date of the divine revelations as revealed to our prophet, and juxtaposing all of that to our own awareness of our faith, 'ilm' that we have and not jump to literal conclusions. Or to believe in any one ustaz or ustazah (taqsub), but to search for the truth for only the truth will set all of us free.
3) In the tradition of interpretation of the Quran, verses are interlinked and has to be cross-referenced to check upon for its consistencies. If 5:51 is polar opposite to other ayahs (2:62, 3:113-114, 3:199, 7:159) and even more ayahs that speak well of the people of the book (Jews and Christians), how can we logically accept the literal translation? The truth then is embedded in the Arabic syntax and through the millenia, great ulamas have given very good interpretation of this ayah and they all stress upon peaceful coexistence and the responsibility of Muslim rulers to their non Muslim subjects.
4) Last and not least, we are the 'khairatti ummati" and divinely protected and sent to this earth to do good and to be a shining example to others. In the tradition of our blessed prophet, we need to carry out this duty religiously and consciously. Unlike those who hijacked our faith to serve their political ends and choose a path of not only self destruction but tarnishing the image of our ummah, I do hope they find their peace. For me and many others like me, thinking, behaving responsibly and looking at the future optimistically for my family and deepening my understanding of Islam and Arabic is a lifelong quest. Allow me to end with one of my favourite ayah in the Quran (2:285-286). I read this every morning during subh with faiz and our kids as our supplications;
غُفۡرَانَكَ رَبَّنَا وَإِلَيۡكَ ٱلۡمَصِيرُ (٢٨٥) لَا يُكَلِّفُ ٱللَّهُ نَفۡسًا إِلَّا وُسۡعَهَاۚ لَهَا مَا كَسَبَتۡ وَعَلَيۡہَا مَا ٱكۡتَسَبَتۡۗ رَبَّنَا لَا تُؤَاخِذۡنَآ إِن نَّسِينَآ أَوۡ أَخۡطَأۡنَاۚ رَبَّنَا وَلَا تَحۡمِلۡ عَلَيۡنَآ إِصۡرً۬ا كَمَا حَمَلۡتَهُ ۥ عَلَى ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبۡلِنَاۚ رَبَّنَا وَلَا تُحَمِّلۡنَا مَا لَا طَاقَةَ لَنَا بِهِۦۖ وَٱعۡفُ عَنَّا وَٱغۡفِرۡ لَنَا وَٱرۡحَمۡنَآۚ أَنتَ مَوۡلَٮٰنَا فَٱنصُرۡنَا عَلَى ٱلۡقَوۡمِ ٱلۡڪَـٰفِرِينَ (٢٨٦)
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