CAIRO – Muslims are expected to be friendly towards Christian and Jewish minorities in their countries, reciprocating any goodwill and festival greetings, and treating them on equal terms as citizens, prominent scholar Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi has said.
| “Greeting Christians and Jews in their festive days is permissible if they are at good terms with Muslims, particularly those close like relatives, neighbors, work or education colleagues,” Qaradawi, the president of the International Union for Muslim Scholars (IUMS), wrote in an article published on his website.
Qaradawi said the Noble Qur’an encourages Muslims to greet others quite affably. “Allah Almighty says: “When you are greeted with a greeting, greet in return with what is better than it, or at least return it equally…) (An-Nisa’ 4: 86) “And: “Verily, Allah loves those who deal with equity,” (Al-Mumtahinah 60: 8), Qaradawi added. Christians worldwide are celebrating nowadays Christmas or the birth of Jesus Christ. In a goodwill gesture, 138 Muslim scholars signed last week a Christmas message to the Christian clergy worldwide, including Pope Benedict XVI. Citizens |
The renowned Muslim scholar has also urged Muslims to refer to Christians in Muslim countries as “citizens” in lieu of “Ahl Adh-Dhimmah” — a term used in early Islam to describe Christians and Jews living under the protection of the Islamic state.
He said Muslim scholars have reached a consensus that Christians living in Muslim countries should enjoy citizenship rights.
“They (Christians) live in this or that (Muslim) country; so why don’t we drop Ahl Adh-Dhimmah which offends them and use ‘citizens’ instead? Qaradawi wondered.
Qaradawi said Muslims should live in today’s world and be realistic.
“Many sheikhs and scholars live in their books not in our world,” he said.
“They have not read yet the book of life as they read the books of early Muslim scholars. Their fatwas then sound out-of-date.”
Posted by: Br. Sofian Abdelaziz Zakkout, info@al-amana.org
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