Relations with non-Muslims (Quran 5:51)

Comment

Here is the question that I have and I would appreciate a well balanced answer to this. Question comes from the verse 5:51 of Quran (surah 5, ayat 51). My knowledge of the Quran is very limited, and I have not explored the context of the verse either. However ...

As a human being I know there are good muslims and bad muslims, similiarly, good jews and bad jews, so on and so forth. The verse 5:51 seems like a blanket statement which tells me not to be friends with ANY Jew no matter what. This seems to go against reason for definitely there are Jews who are good and pious people.

I would appreciate it if you could explain the real position of the Quran on the matter.

Response

Before we understand the verse under discussion it is important to understand the context of this Surah and the situation under which this verse was revealed.

In the last stages of prophetic mission in Medinah, Muslims had emerged as a dominant power and had set up a society of their own. At the same time, the polytheists of Makkah as well as Jews and Christians had also established setups and in case of an armed conflict, it seemed that any of them could have emerged as victorious. In such an environment the hypocrites amongst Muslims maintained ties with Jews and Christians and supported them in secret. Their support was in order to safeguard their interests with whoever the victorious party would be. In addition, the hypocrites obviously had not accepted Islam from within their hearts and their conversion to Islam had not affected their ties with Muslims' opponents.

It is in this context that Quran revealed the following verses specifically admonishing these hypocrites amongst Muslims:

"O believers, do not take the Jews and the Christians as your friends and protectors, they are friends of each other. And whoever makes them a friend then he is from amongst them. Verily God does not guide the unjust people. And you will see that those (Muslims) in whose hearts is a disease run towards them saying 'We fear that a calamity may befall us.' So God will soon bring victory or a decision from Him, causing them regret on account of the thoughts they harbored in their hearts." (Quran 5:51-52)

The explanation above should depict the correct meaning of the verses under discussion.

In addition to the general context, it should also be noted that Quran has used the words 'the Jews' and 'the Christians' making it very clear that it is a specific group of Jews and Christians and this verse is not a general prescription. The attitude of these people has been explained further in the following verses for instance:

"O you who believe! do not take for friends and protectors those who take your religion for a mockery and a joke, from among those who were given the Book before you and the unbelievers; and be careful of (your duty to) Allah if you are believers. And when you call to prayer they make it a mockery and a joke; this is because they are a people who do not understand." (Quran 5:57-58)

As it can be clearly seen, the Jews and Christians mentioned above are those 'who take your religion for a mockery and a joke.'

In view of the above explanation, I believe these verses should not be taken to be a general directive of our relationship with Jews and Christians. Instead our relationship with the people of other faiths should only be avoided when it becomes harmful for Muslims, and otherwise we should feel free to enjoy a comfortable relationship with our Jew and Christian brothers and sisters.