Protecting Non-Muslims

14 Quotes: Protected Non-Muslims – (المعاهد) & (المستأمن)

The peaceful non-Muslims like TOURISTS, TRADERS, ENGINEERS, DOCTORS and other peaceful non-Muslim CITIZENS of Muslim lands, are protected by Islamic Law in terms of their lives and wealth.

They fall under the categories of: (المعاهد) & (المستأمن) i.e. someone who had a mutual peace agreement with the Muslims – whether that is by them entering our lands with a VISA/Passport or even if it was just verbal non-written agreement with a random Muslim – mutually understood to be a safe passage.

Even if they are not ahl al-Dhimmah (أهل الذمة) paying Jiziyah (جزية) – but are just granted a safe passage by any random Muslim – the entire Muslim Ummah – from East to West – has to honour it.

It is not allowed to harm them, betray them, or take their wealth.

Islam explicitly protected these rights 1400 years ago:

1- The Prophet said:

أَلاَ مَنْ ظَلَمَ مُعَاهِدًا أَوِ انْتَقَصَهُ أَوْ كَلَّفَهُ فَوْقَ طَاقَتِهِ أَوْ أَخَذَ مِنْهُ شَيْئًا بِغَيْرِ طِيبِ نَفْسٍ فَأَنَا حَجِيجُهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ

“Beware, if anyone wrongs a non-Muslim that had a peace agreement with the Muslims (معاهد),
or diminishes his right,
or forces him to work beyond his capacity,
or takes from him anything without his consent,
I shall plead for him [the non-muslim mu’ahad] on the Day of Judgment.”

[“Abu Dawud”, 3052 – authentic صحيح ].

2- The Prophet said:

أيُّما رجُلٍ أمَّن رجُلًا على دمِه ثمَّ قتَله فأنا مِن القاتلِ بريءٌ وإنْ كان المقتولُ كافرًا
“Whoever assures a person about the safety of his (or her) life and then murders him, then beware, the murderer has no relation with me! Even if the victim is a disbeliever.”

[“Sahih Ibn Hiban”, 5982 – سنده حسن].

3- The Prophet said:

مَنْ قَتَلَ مُعَاهَدًا لَمْ يَرَحْ رَائِحَةَ الْجَنَّةِ، وَإِنَّ رِيحَهَا تُوجَدُ مِنْ مَسِيرَةِ أَرْبَعِينَ عَامًا
“If anyone kills a non-Muslim that had a peace agreement with the Muslims (معاهد), he [the killer] shall not even smell the fragrance of Paradise though its smell is perceived from a distance of 40 years.”

[“Sahih Bukhari”, 3166].

4- The Prophet said:

مَنْ قَتَلَ مُعَاهِدًا فِي غَيْرِ كُنْهِهِ حَرَّمَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ الْجَنَّةَ
“If anyone kills a non-Muslim that had a peace agreement with the Muslims (معاهد) without right, God will forbid him [the killer] from entering Paradise.”

[“Abu Dawud”, 2760 – صحيح].

5- The Prophet said:

وَذِمَّةُ الْمُسْلِمِينَ وَاحِدَةٌ يَسْعَى بِهَا أَدْنَاهُمْ‏.‏ فَمَنْ أَخْفَرَ مُسْلِمًا فَعَلَيْهِ لَعْنَةُ اللَّهِ وَالْمَلاَئِكَةِ وَالنَّاسِ أَجْمَعِينَ، لاَ يُقْبَلُ مِنْهُ صَرْفٌ وَلاَ عَدْلٌ

“And the asylum granted by ANY Muslim Is to be secured by ALL the Muslims even if it is granted by one of the lowest social status among them. And whoever betrays a Muslim in this respect will incur the Curse of God, the angels and all the people, and his compulsory and optional good deeds of worship will not be accepted.”

[“Sahih Bukhari”, 3179].

6- The Qur’an says:

وَأَوْفُوا بِالْعَهْدِ إِنَّ الْعَهْدَ كَانَ مَسْئُولً

“Honor your pacts! Surely you will be held accountable for your pacts.” [Qur’an 17:36].

7- It has been narrated:

قُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ زَعَمَ ابْنُ أُمِّي أَنَّهُ قَاتِلٌ رَجُلاً قَدْ أَجَرْتُهُ فُلاَنُ بْنُ هُبَيْرَةَ‏.‏ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏”‏ قَدْ أَجَرْنَا مَنْ أَجَرْتِ يَا أُمَّ هَانِئٍ ‏”‏‏

Umm Hani said: “O messenger of God! My maternal brother claims that he will kill a man whom I have given shelter, i.e., so-and-so bin Hubaira.”

The Prophet said to her: “O Um Hani! We shelter him whom you have sheltered.”

[“Sahih Bukhari”, 6228].

8- Ibn Hajar al-Shafi’ii explains in “Fath Al-Bari”, (12/259:

وَالْمُرَاد بِهِ مَنْ لَهُ عَهْد مَعَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ سَوَاء كَانَ بِعَقْدِ جِزْيَة أَوْ هُدْنَة مِنْ سُلْطَان أَوْ أَمَان مِنْ مُسْلِم

“What is meant by [معاهد] is a [non-Muslim] person who had any sort of agreement with the Muslims, whether it was by paying tax or by a security agreement with the ruler or simply asylum granted by any random Muslim.”

9- Imam al-Shawkani says in ‘Nayl al-Awthar’, (7/155):

المعاهد: هو الرجل من أهل الحرب يدخل دار الإسلام بأمان

“The mu’aahad (المعاهد) is a person from the land of war, who enters the land of Islam with peace [covenant].”

10- Al-Shaibani Hanafi writes in “Siyar al-Kabir”, (1/175):

أمان الرجل الحر المسلم جائز على أهل الإسلام كلهم عدلاً كان أو فاسقاً لقوله عليه السلام‏:‏ ‏”‏ المسلمون تتكافأ دماؤهم وهم يد على من سواهم يسعى بذمتهم أدناهم والمراد بالذمة العهد مؤقتاً كان أو مؤبداً

“The security covenants that a free Muslim man, whether virtuous or immoral, gives are binding to all the other Muslims because of the hadeeth, “Muslims are equal in respect of blood. They are like one hand over against all those who are outside the community. The lowest of them is entitled to give protection on their behalf.” The meaning of “protection” is the security covenant whether it is temporary or permanent.”

11- Ibn Battal al-Maliki quotes in his Sharh of Bukhari (5/351):

إن كل من أمن أحد من الحربيين جاز أمانه على جميع المسلمين دنيا كان أو شريفا ، حرا كان أو عبداً ، رجلا أو امرأة ، وليس لهم أن يخفروه

“The asylum granted by any Muslim is binding upon the entire Muslim community, whether he is of a lower rank or higher rank, free or slave, man or woman. Nobody is allowed to betray it.”

12- Imam al-Zarkashi in his ‘Sharh’ (6/184):

يصح إعطاء الأمان للكفار في الجملة بالإجماع، فيحرم قتلهم ومالهم والتعرض لهم

“Generally speaking, the asylum granted to a disbeliever is correct, by agreement of all scholars. It becomes forbidden to kill him, take his wealth or inflict any harm on him.”

13- Ibn Qudamah Hanbali writes in “Al-Mughni”, (9/195-199):

وجملته أن الأمان إذا أعطي أهل الحرب، حرم قتلهم ومالهم والتعرض لهم، ويصح من كل مسلم بالغ عاقل مختار، ذكراًَ كان أو أنثى، حراً كان أو عبداً
إذا دخل حربي دار الإسلام بغير أمان نظرت، فإن كان معه متاع يبيعه في دار الإسلام، وقد جرت العادة بدخولهم إلينا تجاراً بغير أمان، لم يعرض لهم،
وقال أحمد: إذا ركب القوم في البحر، فاستقبلهم فيه تجار مشركون من أرض العدو يريدون بلاد الإسلام، لم يعرضوا لهم ولم يقاتلوهم، وكل من دخل بلاد المسلمين من أهل الحرب بتجارة، بويع ولم يسأل عن شيء

“Basically, if security is granted to a combatant disbeliever, it is unlawful (HARAM) to kill them, seize their money, or harm them. This security and protection can be granted to disbeliever by any adult, sane, and willing Muslim, a male or a female, free or slave …

“… If a combatant disbeliever enters the lands of Islam WITHOUT a security covenant, then we investigate. If he has something to sell in the lands of Islam, and it has been the convention that people like them enter to our lands as merchants without a security covenant, no one is allowed to harm them.

Ahmad [Ibn Hanbal] said: “If some Muslims were sailing in the sea and then come across some merchants who are from the pagans, and they are heading to the lands of Islam, the Muslims are not allowed to harm or fight them.

And anyone from among the combatant disbelievers who enters the lands of Islam for business purposes, he is to be dealt with, and none can question him about anything.”

14- Ibn Muflih al-Hanbali also highlighted this in ‘Al-mubdi’ fi sharh al-muqni’, (3/294):

(ومن دخل دار الإسلام بغير أمان، فادعى أنه رسول، أو تاجر ومعه متاع يبيعه، قبل منه)لأن ما ادعاه ممكن، فيكون شبهة في درء القتل، ولأنه يتعذر إقامة البينة على ذلك. وفيه دلالة على أنه لا يتعرض إليه

“Whoever enters the lands of Muslims WITHOUT establishing a covenant but claiming to be an envoy or a merchant with some goods to sell, his claim must be accepted because it is possible that he is as he claims. This uncertainty removed the permission to kill him and also because it is hard to verify his claim. Therefore, this acceptance protects him against getting killed or meddled with.”

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These Ahadith refute two extremist groups:

1) Firstly: It refutes Islamophobes who claim that Islam is a blood-thirsty ideology that calls for the death and destruction of all non-Muslims, even peaceful civilians. Islam condemns this and it emphasizes respect for their rights. It also forbids any kind of injustice and harm against them. No other religion explicitly emphasizes the rights of non-believers and no other religion calls for their protection with this emphasis – except Islam. That’s why the persecuted non-Muslims used to flock to Muslim lands in the past.

2) Secondly: It refutes the extremists and terrorist groups that kidnap and kill peaceful non-Muslims like tourists – in the name of Jihad. The Prophet warned that anyone who kills a mu’ahad non-Muslim will not even smell the fragrance of Paradise.

We are not ASHAMED of our religion.

We do not say this to please anyone – but to clarify the truth and to clear the name of our religion from distortion.

وما علينا إلا البلاغ المبين!