Chapter 12

Ninth Topic: The Relationship of Mudahanah (Flattery/Compromise) and Mudarah (Diplomatic Courtesy) to Muwalat (Alliance) and Mu'adat (Enmity) ¶

Many people confuse the concepts of mudahanah and mudarah, and some use the concept of one to justify the other, despite there being a clear distinction between them that is not hidden from those who are knowledgeable. Therefore, in this section, we intend to clarify—to the best of our limited knowledge—the difference between these two concepts, which cause confusion for many people. We state that this section contains two demands: Demand One: The definition of mudahanah and its ruling. Demand Two: The definition of mudarah, its ruling, and its difference from mudahanah. ¶

Demand One Mudahanah and its Ruling ¶

Mudahanah: It is the abandoning of what is obligatory for the sake of Allah—such as religious zeal (ghirah), enjoining good and forbidding evil—and choosing to overlook these duties for a worldly purpose or a personal desire. ¶

Their livelihood cannot be sustained otherwise. Thus, 'mudahanah' (cajolery/obsequiousness) refers to socializing and maintaining friendly relations while evil is present and one has the capacity to denounce it. Mudahanah is forbidden, and it is a type of 'muwalat' (allegiance/loyalty) to the disbelievers. Whoever engages in mudahanah with the people of disbelief, injustice, and immorality, despite being capable of denouncing them, has contradicted the methodology of the Messengers, the Prophets, and their followers, and has deviated from their path and way. Those who practice mudahanah with the disbelievers consider it wise to please people despite their varying inclinations and beliefs, regardless of who is on the side of truth and who is on the side of falsehood. They seek peace with everyone and solicit their affection and friendship, prioritizing worldly gains, a love for ease and comfort, and a desire for immediate safety, while abandoning enmity for the sake of Allah, loyalty for the sake of Allah, and enduring hardship in His path. This belief and practice is a source of destruction in this world and the Hereafter, as mudahanah, with this description, contradicts the verses commanding the promotion of virtue and the prevention of vice. Allah the Almighty says: 'O my son, establish prayer, enjoin what is right, forbid what is wrong, and be patient over what befalls you. Indeed, that is of the matters [requiring] determination.' Furthermore, the person who engages in mudahanah, in addition to abandoning the obligation of enjoining good and forbidding evil, incurs a new sin: spreading indecency and evil in society. This is because when the wicked and the tyrants feel secure from the consequences of being denounced, they increase in their immorality and tyranny, seeing that everyone knows of their wickedness yet remains silent and engages in mudahanah. Thus, mudahanah is complicity in the crime of committing evil and remaining silent about it in this world. Consequently, the one who does this deserves to be cursed and expelled from the mercy of Allah, as Allah the Almighty mentioned regarding the Children of Israel, saying: 'Cursed were those...' ¶

Those among the Children of Israel who disbelieved were cursed by the tongue of David and Jesus, son of Mary. That is because they disobeyed and used to transgress. They would not prevent one another from wrongdoing that they did. How wretched was that which they were doing. (1) ¶

It is therefore not permissible for one who witnesses a Munkar (evil/reprehensible deed) to refrain from opposing it. He who remains silent about opposing evil out of fear or awe of anyone is committing Mudahanah (comprehensive compromise/flattery) in the religion of Allah, and Allah the Almighty has forbidden this in His saying: 'They wish that you might soften [in courtesy], so they would soften [toward you].' (2) ¶

So, whoever sees a Munkar should oppose it to the doer with wisdom and good counsel, which he deems appropriate for such a situation. If an evil is hidden, it harms only its perpetrator, but if it spreads and is not opposed, it harms the entire community. (3) ¶

It is stated in the Hadith that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'When a sin is committed on earth, he who witnesses it and dislikes it' — and once he said: '...and opposes it, he is like the one who was absent from it. And he who was absent from it but consented to it, he is like the one who witnessed it.' (4) Therefore, maintaining companionship and social relations upon witnessing evil while having the ability to oppose it is the very essence of Mudahanah. (5) Whoever does not love for the sake of Allah and hate for the sake of Allah has not tasted the sweetness of faith. True wisdom is that which leads to the pleasure of Allah and His Messenger, and this is only attained by opposing the enemies of Allah, preferring His pleasure over theirs, and feeling anger when His sanctities are violated. ¶

Anger arises from the life of the heart, its jealousy (Ghayrah), and its reverence for Allah. When life is extinguished in the heart, it is followed by the extinction of jealousy, reverence, and anger for the sake of Allah. Consequently, for such people, the wicked and the pure become equal in dealing, alliance, and enmity. What goodness remains in a heart like that? ¶

(1) Surah Al-Ma'idah, verse (79). (2) Surah Al-Qalam, verse (9). (3) See: Al-Durar al-Saniyyah, Vol. 11, p. 4. (4) See: Sunan Abi Dawud, Vol. 4, p. 124, Hadith No. (4345), Kitab al-Malahim. (5) See: Al-Durar al-Saniyyah, Vol. 7, pp. 35-36. ¶

The one who resorts to hypocrisy (mudahanah) to seek the pleasure of creation is in a worse state than the adulterer, the thief, and the wine-drinker. Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 'Religion is not merely abstaining from apparent prohibitions; rather, it consists of performing those affairs that are beloved to Allah as well. Most of those who claim an affiliation with religion do not care for these [obligatory] matters, except for those in which the common people also participate. As for enjoining good, forbidding evil, offering sincere counsel for the sake of Allah, His Messenger, and His believing servants, supporting them, and engaging in jihad with them—this does not even cross the minds of many who claim Islam, let alone them intending to do it or actually performing it. The person with the least amount of religion and the furthest from Allah is the one who abandons these obligations, even if he were to renounce the entire world. It is rare among such people to see their faces flush or to see them agitated in anger for the sake of Allah when His sanctities are violated. They do not sacrifice their lives and wealth for the victory of the truth and the suppression of falsehood. Thus, those who commit major sins are in a better state before Allah than these people.' Sheikh Hamad bin Atiq, commenting on the words of Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on both), says: 'If we were to imagine a man who fasts during the day and stands in prayer at night, and remains ascetic regarding the entire world, yet at the same time, he does not become angry and his face does not flush in anger for the sake of Allah when he sees evil and those who commit it, then this person is among the most hateful of people to Allah and the lowest in status, due to his inability to endure hardship in the path of calling others to Allah.' ¶

The Sheikh said, 'I say that they are *fawannin* (corrupt and misguided people).' The listener replied, 'I do not have the strength to say that they are *fawannin*.' Upon this, the Sheikh said, 'I say that they are among the deaf and the dumb.' ¶

This is supported by what has been narrated from some of the Salaf (predecessors): 'He who is silent regarding the truth is a mute devil, and he who speaks falsehood is a speaking devil.' If the sycophantic person who remains silent knew that he is, in that state, among the most detested of creation to Allah, he would certainly have spoken the good and proclaimed the truth. And if he who seeks the pleasure of the creation by refraining from forbidding evil knew that he would gain nothing from it except the wrath of Allah—and whoever Allah is wrathful towards, the people will also be wrathful towards him—as mentioned in the Hadith narrated from Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'Whoever seeks the pleasure of Allah while displeasing the people, Allah will be pleased with him and will make the people pleased with him. And whoever seeks the pleasure of the people while displeasing Allah, Allah will be wrathful towards him and will make the people wrathful towards him.' ¶

Thus, *mudahanah* (sycophancy or compromising on faith to please others) is a cause of wrath and punishment in this world and the Hereafter. The poet says: 'Had Thamud not compromised in the matter of their Lord, their she-camel would not have perished by the sword of Qudar.' ¶

Based on this, it is incumbent upon the Muslim ruler to show allegiance to and support the people of faith, and to suppress the people of falsehood, transgression, and corruption, and break their power. This principle was adopted by Abdullah bin Saud bin Abdulaziz in a letter he sent to the governors of some of the regions under his authority. He stated therein: 'News has reached us that some governors are lording over the people of religion with matters whose outward appearance is truth, but whose inward nature is falsehood and deception. No governor does this with...' ¶

people of religion; do not leave him in charge for even a single day, for everyone will become cautious and alter their previous conduct, and sufficient time has passed (1). End quote. ¶

From the above, it is clear that 'mudahanah' (compromising one's religion or values) is blameworthy and our Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) has forbidden it. Allah the Almighty says: 'They wish that you should compromise (in religion out of courtesy), so they (too) would compromise' (2). ¶

Mudahanah is blameworthy because it is a means to embellish the ugly, validate falsehood, and remain silent on evil; thus, it is a form of forbidden allegiance (muwalat) (3). O Allah, we seek refuge in You from every deed that brings Your wrath upon us, and from every trait that draws us near to resembling the devils—those who are silent and those who speak—or that we might compromise our religion with the people of doubt, desire, hypocrisy, and disbelief. You are sufficient for us, and You are the best Disposer of affairs. ¶

Second Topic 'Madarat' (Tactful conciliation), its Ruling, and the Distinction between it and 'Mudahanah' ¶

Madarat: It is the averting of corruptive evil through gentle speech, abandoning harshness, or avoiding the person if a greater or equal evil is feared (4). ¶

The Ruling on Madarat with people of evil and immorality: It is permissible to exercise madarat with people of evil and immorality in matters that do not result in disparaging the foundations of Islam or its obligations. This form of madarat does not fall under the concept of forbidden allegiance (5), as the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to practice madarat with the immoral and the corrupt. Al-Bukhari reported with a broken chain of narration, and it is mentioned from Abu al-Darda: 'We smile in the faces of some people, even though our hearts are cursing them.' ¶

Footnotes: (1) See: Al-Durar al-Saniyyah, Vol. 11, p. 85. (2) Surah Al-Qalam, verse 9. (3) See: Fath al-Bari bi-Sharh Sahih al-Bukhari, Vol. 13, pp. 52-53. (4) See: Al-Durar al-Saniyyah, Vol. 11, p. 85, and Vol. 7, p. 36. (5) Ibid., same location. ¶

...to people's faces, while our hearts are cursing them (1)." In another hadith, 'Urwah ibn al-Zubayr narrates from Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) that she informed him that a man sought permission to see the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) (2). He said, "Give him permission, he is the worst of his clan - or he is the worst brother of his clan." When he entered, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) spoke to him gently. I said, "O Messenger of Allah, you said what you said, then you spoke to him gently?" He replied, "O Aisha, the person who holds the worst position in the sight of Allah is the one whom people avoid - or shun - out of fear of his wickedness (3)." ¶

Some scholars state that 'mudarat' (gentleness/courtesy) is permissible as long as it does not lead to harm against others. However, if such gentleness occurs in matters that contradict the principles of the religion, it is 'mudahanah' (unprincipled compromise) rather than 'mudarat'. Therefore, it is not permissible to be 'courteous' towards people regarding their transgressions, such as murder, theft of property, violation of honor, false testimony, or other forbidden acts (4). ¶

Ibn Battal (5) states: "Mudarat is among the character traits of the believers. It is to be humble..." ¶

(1) See Fath al-Bari, Vol. 10, p. 527. Al-Albani declared this hadith weak in his book Silsilat al-Ahadith al-Da'ifah, Vol. 1, p. 252, no. (216). (2) This was 'Uyaynah ibn Hisn. He had not embraced Islam at that time, though he displayed it. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) wanted to reveal his true state so that people would know him and not be deceived by him. Al-Qadi (Iyad) said: His behavior during the life of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and after showed the weakness of his faith, and he apostatized with the apostates. He was brought as a captive to Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him). The Prophet's description of him as the "worst brother of his clan" is a sign of his prophethood, for he turned out to be exactly as described. The reason he spoke gently to him was to reconcile his heart and those like him to Islam. 'Ashirah' refers to his tribe, meaning this man is a bad individual from it. See Sahih Muslim, Vol. 4, p. 2002 (Kitab al-Birr wa al-Silah). (3) See Fath al-Bari, Vol. 10, p. 528. (4) See Rawa'i' al-Bayan fi Tafsir Ayat al-Ahkam, Vol. 1, p. 404, by Muhammad Ali al-Sabuni. (5) He is Ali ibn Khalaf ibn 'Abd al-Malik ibn Battal al-Bakri, al-Qurtubi, al-Maliki, known as Ibn al-Lajam (Abu al-Hasan). He was a muhaddith and faqih who served as a judge in Hisn al-Waraqah and died on the last day of Safar, 449 AH. Among his works: Sharh al-Jami' al-Sahih lil-Bukhari (in several volumes) and al-I'tisam fi al-Hadith. See Mu'jam al-Mu'allifin, 'Umar Rida Kahhalah, Vol. 7, p. 87. ¶

Extending one’s wings to people, gentle speech, and refraining from harshness in word and deed towards them is among the strongest causes of affection. (Fath al-Bari, 10/528) ¶

As for mudahanah (flattery/complicity), it is derived from 'dihan' (oil/covering), meaning that which appears on the surface while concealing what is within. Scholars defined it as associating with a corrupt person (fasiq) and expressing satisfaction with his state without forbidding his evil. ¶

As for mudarat (tactful social management/conciliation), it means being gentle with the ignorant when teaching them, and with the corrupt when forbidding their deeds, refraining from harshness towards them so that they do not reveal their true nature, and rebuking them with gentle speech and action, especially when it is necessary to incline them towards goodness and prevent the evil that might arise from them. (Fath al-Bari, 10/528-529) ¶

Abu Nu'aym narrates in al-Hilyah from Safwan bin 'Assal (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: We were with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) on a journey when a man approached. When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) saw him, he said: 'What an evil brother of the tribe and what an evil man!' When the man drew near, he sat him close to him. When the man stood up and left, they said: 'O Messenger of Allah! When you saw him, you said he was an evil brother of the tribe and an evil man, yet you sat him close to you?' The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) replied: 'He is a hypocrite, and I am practicing mudarat with him regarding his hypocrisy, for I fear he might corrupt others against me.' Abu Nu'aym said this is a gharib (rare) hadith. (Al-Hilyah, 4/191) ¶

From this, we conclude that mudarat is permissible in matters that do not lead to harm towards others in their persons, wealth, or honor, and in matters that do not contradict any of the fundamental principles or obligations of Islam. Practicing mudarat with the corrupt and the wicked is not an absolute rule to be applied at all times and circumstances; rather, it is only permissible to act upon it if one fears a greater or equal evil, and the one practicing it is unable to otherwise prevent that evil. ¶

Whether by word or deed, it is permissible for him to ward off evil with gentle speech, or to turn away from it for these reasons. However, if the reasons necessitating 'mudara'at' (diplomatic conciliation) cease to exist, or if this conciliation leads to harm for others or to the violation of a fundamental principle or obligation of Islam, then such conciliation is neither correct nor permissible. This is because it has shifted from being 'mudara'at' (permissible conciliation) to being 'mudahanah' (compromising principles/hypocritical appeasement), and 'mudahanah' is forbidden in Islam, as previously explained.(1) (1) See pages 204–208 of this treatise. ¶

Tenth Discussion: Changing Names Does Not Alter the Reality or Ruling of the Named Entity. The Holy Quran expresses the concept of betrayal through terms implying allegiance to the enemies and inclining towards them. This is evident and clear in the verses of the Holy Quran addressing this subject, as it applies this term to those who betrayed Allah, His Messenger, and the believers, prioritizing the enemy's satisfaction and efforts to please them over the pleasure of Allah, His Messenger, and the community of Muslims, and preferring the service of the disbelieving enemy over the service of the religion of Islam and its noble principles. Allah the Almighty says: 'O you who have believed, do not betray Allah and the Messenger or betray your trusts while you know [the consequence].' It is said that this was revealed regarding Abu Lubaba (may Allah be pleased with him) when he signaled to Banu Qurayza not to submit to the judgment of Sa’d ibn Mu’adh (may Allah be pleased with him), saying, 'Do not do it, for it is slaughter,' while gesturing to his throat. It is also said that it was revealed regarding people who would hear something from the Prophet (peace be upon him) and then pass it on to the polytheists and disclose it. ¶

In the concept of Islam and the Muslims, treachery (khiyana) means befriending the enemy and taking them as allies, and betraying all the virtues and principles that Islam brought. It is natural for people who have drifted away from the Islamic concept to avoid using Qur'anic terminology in their words and deeds, because they know that Qur'anic expressions contain concepts that contradict their practical behavior in real life. ¶

Therefore, they describe their befriending of the enemies, and their betrayal of Allah, His Messenger, and the believers, with terms of 'righteousness' and 'reform.' In reality, they are merely clothing their falsehood in the garb of truth, and executing their conspiracies and betrayals with the enemies of Islam under these hollow covers. They have killed Muslims who were zealous for their religion in the name of 'preserving the nation's interests and security,' while they are the first to sell out the interests of the nation under the banner of 'joint cooperation and common interests.' They sold the lands of the Muslims, along with the Muslims living in them, under the slogan of 'national interests of the Arab nation,' and so on, down to the last word of deception and misleading contained in the dictionary of those treacherous, despicable people. In this approach, they have brought nothing new; they are simply following the path of their predecessors among the tyrants and criminals of the earth. Pharaoh, as mentioned in the Holy Qur'an, preceded them in this style of distortion and falsification. Allah the Almighty says: 'And Pharaoh said, "Let me kill Moses and let him call upon his Lord. Indeed, I fear that he will change your religion or that he will cause corruption in the land."' Is there anything more ironic than the misguided, pagan Pharaoh saying of Moses, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), 'I fear that he will change your religion or cause corruption in the land'? ¶

Is this not the very same phrase of every corrupt tyrant against every reforming caller? Is it not the very same phrase of the ugly face of falsehood against the beautiful face of truth? Is it not the very same word of deception and cunning misguidance to incite the masses? ¶

against the Truth and its people, throughout time and space? This recurs whenever Truth encounters falsehood and faith encounters disbelief. (1) ¶

Then, Allah the Almighty says about Pharaoh in another place: {Pharaoh said, 'I do not show you except what I see, and I do not guide you except to the way of rectitude.'} (2). ¶

See how we find Pharaoh speaking about himself as if he were sincere to his people, striving for their benefit, saying: 'I only suggest to you what I see as correct and believe to be beneficial.' Do tyrants ever see their actions as anything other than good and right? In the concept of these criminals, 'good and rectitude' means attaining their desires and pleasures completely without shortage, even if the entire nation were to perish. If they were truly striving for the nation's interest as they claim, they would allow the nation to tell them, 'You are mistaken, and you are not fit for leadership, so step aside and leave the affairs to those who are capable.' However, the reality of tyrants, from the Pharaoh of the past to the Pharaohs of the present age, is that they do not allow anyone to hold an opinion contrary to theirs, or to say anything that opposes their intent. If they were not characterized by this, they would not be despotic tyrants and criminal Pharaohs. (3) ¶

Allah the Almighty said: {Unquestionably, it is they who are the corrupters, but they perceive [it] not.} (4). ¶

So, in the name of reform and protecting the rights of the nation, they ally with the disbelievers, spread their disbelief, fight the believers, try to extinguish the light of Allah with their mouths, and spread corruption on earth. And if any Muslim questions their crime, {they say, 'We are but reformers.'} They are as the poet says: ¶

How many nations they destroyed in the name of nations, Crushed by reckless conspiracies. And they exterminated men of great stature, Who will never die, for they are martyrs. (5) ¶

If they are challenged on this matter, they say: 'We want to fulfill the desires of the nation, look after its interests, and please everyone within it, regardless of their types, whether they are disbelievers or Muslims; we give every group what it desires without limits or restrictions.' They realize that this claim is merely a pretext by which they justify their falsehood, yet they view this falsehood—within their erroneous perception—as correct to some extent. Therefore, they attempt to reconcile contradictions and harmonize opposites, which is an impossibility both rationally and according to Shariah. For this reason, Allah the Almighty clarifies that this action of theirs is the pinnacle of corruption and the depths of misguidance, as if there were no other corrupters in existence besides them, for the Almighty stated regarding them: 'Beware! It is they who are the corrupters.' Thus, what they claim to be reformation is the very essence of corruption, but due to their profound ignorance and extreme deviation, they do not realize that this action of theirs is indeed corruption. ¶

According to their perspective, 'causing corruption on earth' means calling to Allah and implementing His Shariah, because this automatically results in the invalidation of the rule of the Pharaohs and the collapse of their entire system. This is because the system of tyrants is based fundamentally on the enslavement of humans by humans, or more precisely, on the foundation of the Pharaohs' lordship over those they have enslaved. Therefore, they equate causing corruption on earth with the dismantling of the roots upon which they stand, for the destruction of those roots is their own destruction—even if, in that destruction, lies the reformation of all societies and their liberation from their oppressive slavery and lethal tyranny. ¶

Similar to this is what Nimrod and his people said to Ibrahim (peace be upon him) when he broke their idols, as Allah mentioned regarding them: 'They said, "Who has done this to our gods? Indeed, he is among the wrongdoers."' They applied the label of 'wrongdoing' to Ibrahim, while the true wrongdoing lay in their worship of Nimrod and his idols, and their war against the religion of Allah and His messengers. ¶

However, it would not have been possible for Nimrod and the Pharaohs after him to do what they did had it not been for the existence of the 'lesser Pharaohs,' who supported them in falsehood and made the persecution of the believers seem appealing to them. Thus, one Pharaoh is advised by his people to pursue Moses and those with him, under the pretext that they might cause corruption in the land—and corruption in the land, in the eyes of these people, was the same as it was in the eyes of the 'great Pharaohs.' Allah the Almighty said: 'And the eminent among the people of Pharaoh said, "Will you leave Moses and his people to cause corruption in the land and abandon you and your gods?" [Pharaoh] said, "We will kill their sons and keep their women alive; and indeed, we are subjugators over them."' (Surah Al-A'raf: 127). ¶

How similar is today to yesterday! A person's limbs go numb and his body shudders when he hears the account of an innocent person tortured at the hands of the tyrant's executioners and their criminal henchmen, to the point that one can hardly believe that those who commit such acts against people are human beings. One of the victims of the 'lesser Pharaohs' describes the prison and some of what he endured there in a poem of over two hundred and ninety verses. We select from it the following as evidence for what we say: ¶

Therein are henchmen prepared for harm, specialized in its cursed craft. They are callous... their minds are in their hands, and their hands have a yearning for evil. There is no difference between them and their whips; every tool is in the hand of a fool. They pounce on the newcomers as if they had found a precious treasure. With boots, whips, hands, sticks, and every vile and base method. They do not value a thinker, even if he possessed the intellect of Socrates or Plato. They do not care for a righteous man, even if he possessed the asceticism of Jesus or the piety of Aaron. They do not show mercy to the elderly, though he is broken and his back is bent like a date-palm stalk. Do you think they belong to Adam? Or are they the accursed of the accursed? Do not count them as Muslims just because of their names; there is no religion in them except cursing the religion! ¶

These criminals and their ilk are the ones who acted as support for the tyrants in their war against the believers. There is no doubt that they will be held accountable for their actions. Whoever offers the excuse on their behalf that they were merely tools and instruments in the hands of the ruler has failed to understand what Allah said about them in His saying: 'Indeed, Pharaoh, Haman, and their soldiers were wrongdoers.' Allah linked their soldiers with them because of their participation in oppression, misguidance, and turning away from the truth. Allah also says: 'So We took him and his soldiers and cast them into the sea; so see how was the end of the wrongdoers.' And He says: 'And certainly We sent Moses with Our signs and a clear authority to Pharaoh and his establishment, but they followed the command of Pharaoh, and the command of Pharaoh was not rightly guided. He will precede his people on the Day of Resurrection and lead them into the Fire; and wretched is the place to which they are led.' Thus, Allah mentioned that they are all wrongdoers, and they are all heading to the Fire equally, with no distinction between them and their leader, Pharaoh. From the above, it is clear that the Pharaohs and their aides mislabel things to deceive and mislead people. However, their deception and cunning do not remain hidden from those to whom Allah has granted understanding, knowledge, and righteous action. In our present era, verbal terminologies have emerged that carry the meaning of allegiance to the disbelievers but use terms other than those used in the Quranic language. They label the appeasement of disbelievers and reliance upon them as 'friendship' and 'cooperation.' They label the filling of Islamic lands with spies—Jews, Christians, polytheists, and those who practice takfir (labeling as infidels) against Muslims—as 'politics' and 'openness to the world.' Likewise, they send tens of thousands of children and teenagers to the enemies, so that they may raise and prepare them according to their own special methods under the guise of 'education.' ¶

Similarly, they refer to exchanging visits with the disbelievers, welcoming them with embraces, socializing with them, mentioning their veneration, and smiling in their faces under the pretext of tolerance and consideration for human feelings, by various names. We say to these people and those who share their mindset: 'Muwalah' (allegiance/loyalty) towards the disbelievers means loving them and manifesting affection towards them in speech, action, and intention. Regardless of the names applied to this concept, they do not remove it from being 'Muwalah' of the disbelievers, and whoever does so deserves the warnings mentioned regarding those who befriend or take the disbelievers as allies. The legal ruling depends on the reality, not merely on the terminology. If adultery (zina) were called 'mut'ah', it would not remove it from its shari'i definition; if alcohol were called a 'spiritual drink', it would not stop it from being alcohol; and if usury (riba) were called 'commission', 'loan with interest', or 'economic cooperation', it would not remove it from being usury. ¶

It is narrated in a Hadith from the Prophet (ﷺ) that he said: 'A group from my Ummah will surely treat alcohol as lawful, calling it by other than its name.' ¶

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) says: 'Whoever manifests wilayah (allegiance) to Allah while not performing the obligatory duties, nor avoiding the prohibited, but rather commits acts that contradict that, no one is permitted to say that this person is a wali (ally/saint) of Allah.' ¶

People in this era have become accustomed to applying Islamic titles, such as 'shaheed' (martyr) and 'mujahid' (warrior), to people who are more severe in their disbelief than the Jews and Christians. This is because they are apostates (murtaddun) in the definition of Islam, and the apostate is more severe in disbelief than one who never knew Islam in the first place, for the apostate knew the truth and turned away from it toward falsehood. ¶

Likewise, there are false and oppressive labels applied to the people of Tawhid and the men of Islam by the enemies of Islam, such as the terms 'traitors', 'agents', and 'extremists'. ¶

And 'extremists', and 'detainers', and other such terms intended to mislead and divert people from the truth toward falsehood. In this, they have brought nothing new; rather, they are reviving the tradition of Pharaoh, who said regarding Moses and his companions—as Allah the Almighty narrated—: 'Indeed, these are but a small band, and indeed, they are enraging us, and indeed, we are a wary, united force.' Therefore, a Muslim must recognize the Pharaohs of every time and place. He must distinguish between the dross and the pure among such statements, and must discern truth from falsehood based on established facts, not on misleading propaganda. He should not be an echo for hired trumpets, repeating without awareness or comprehension what the enemies say. Regarding this meaning, the poet Abd al-Mun'im al-Hashimi says: ¶

They adorned falsehood until they clothed it in the garment of truth to deceive us, And they accused the truth until they clothed it in the garment of malicious falsehood. ¶

And regarding this meaning, the poet Sulayman bin Sahman al-Dawseri says: ¶

In the claim of this foolish, base man, he and his companions are the people of guidance, While the people of Islam are people of misguidance and innovation. How evil is what he said when he threw his arrows! Is one who is a mushrik (polytheist) to be described as adhering to Islam, while one who is a Muslim is described as committing shirk? By my life, you have brought forth a statement that is abominable, a lie, a slander, and a forbidden matter. ¶

In summary, the conclusion regarding this issue is that a Muslim must verify what he accepts and rejects from the words and actions of people. Allah the Almighty says: 'O you who have believed, if there comes to you a disobedient one with information, investigate, lest you harm a people out of ignorance and become, over what you have done, regretful.' ¶

It is not permissible for a Muslim to extend loyalty (wala') to a people based on what is parroted by media outlets directed toward serving specific agendas, or based on the rhetoric of the masses who lack knowledge and possess no religion accompanied by both understanding and practice. Likewise, it is not permissible for him to show hostility ('ada') toward a people just because those outlets or segments of the population show them hostility, unless the facts have become clear to him through confirmed, secure, and reliable sources in their reporting and judgment of matters, and which view affairs from a correct Islamic perspective. Only then should he ally himself with the people of truth and show hostility toward the people of falsehood, as Allah has legislated and commanded His believing servants to do, in accordance with the established rulings of the Book and the Sunnah. ¶

Chapter Two: The Practical Application of Loyalty (Muwala) and Disavowal (Mu'ada) in Islamic Sharia. Under this chapter, there are five sections: Section One: The causes for realizing loyalty for the sake of Allah. Section Two: The rights required by loyalty for the sake of Allah. Section Three: The rights of Islamic minorities. Section Four: The causes for realizing disavowal for the sake of Allah. Section Five: Examples of loyalty and disavowal for the sake of Allah. ¶

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