Approaching Non Moslems: Fatwa: islamonline.net

Approaching non-Muslims has to be in a courteous and delicate way; firstly to attract them and secondly to set a good example for Muslims. Moreover, the one who intends to argue with them has to be well-knowledgeable, otherwise he will fail in convincing them and will give a distorted image about Islam.

In his response to this question, Dr. Main Khalid Al-Qudah, a member of the Permanent Fatwa Committee and the Assembly of Muslim Jurists in America, said:

The best way to approach non-Muslims is to call them to the oneness of Allah (Exalted be He) and disclaim polytheism, and not to have partners with Him.

Allah Almighty says: (Say: O People of the Scripture!, Jews and Christians, come now to a word agreed upon between us and you, and it is, that we worship none but God and that we do not associate anything with Him, and do not take each other for lords, beside God and if they turn their backs, in rejection of God's Oneness, say, you to them: 'Bear witness that we have submitted?) (Al `Imran 3: 64)

Also, when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sent Mu`adh ibn Jabal to Yemen, he advised him saying: You will approach the people of the Scriptures, and that the first thing to start with is to call them to believe in the oneness of Allah, and that Muhammad is His servant and His Prophet.

As of the infidels (those who do not attribute themselves to any of the Divine Religions) and atheists (those who deny the existence of God); introducing Allah to them as the only creator, maintainer, and sustainer of the whole universe is the best approach. This could be done by emphasizing the perfection of creating the heavens and the earth, the variety in all creatures, the diversity of human beings, etc. Once they recognize His ultimate power and the perfection of His creation, the next step is to call them for worshipping Him alone because He is the only One worthy of worship because of the aforementioned facts. A part of that is to believe in all the prophets and messengers He sent to guide humanity to the right path, including Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him).

In case the above did not work out, especially with the people of the Scriptures because they follow what is written in their Scriptures, then arguing with them in a good way is the second step. Almighty Allah says: (And do not dispute with the People of the Scripture but in the most virtuous way, except for the aggressive people amongst them, and say; we believe in what has been revealed to us and revealed to you. Our God and your God is the same, and to Him we submit?) (Al-`Ankabut 29:46)

Argument should focus on discussing the authenticity of the current Scriptures they already have because of the long period of time between the revelation of these Scriptures and the beginning of their documentation, consequently, questioning the genuineness of what is written therein.

In addition, the fact that current Christians have more than one Bible, although what was reveled to Jesus (peace and blessings be upon him) was only one Bible, should be highlighted. The original language of the Scriptures was not Arabic or English. So, the possibility of changing the meaning is highly expected, leave a side the accuracy of the translation itself.

You may refer to the great effort of Sheikh Ahmad Dedat (may Allah have mercy on his soul) in this field. Another expert in interfaith dialogue and comparative Religions studies is Dr. Jamal Badawi, may Allah bless him and his effort. You may benefit from his books too.

What Nullifies Ones Faith? Fatwa: Islamonline.net

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All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.

Dear brother in Islam, thanks for your question. May Allah safeguard us against the nullifiers of faith.

Beliefs dwell in the heart, but undeniably appear in one's practices. Thus, Iman (the Islamic faith) manifests itself in the Muslim's practices which usually reveal the degree of his faith. There are many inward and outward factors that contribute to its increase or decrease. Certain beliefs and acts contradict Islamic faith and thus a Muslim has to be aware of and totally estrange himself from being involved in them.

Responding to this question, AMJA online Jurisprudence Section, stated:

The nullifiers of faith (nawaqid al-iman) are those things that invalidate, falsify and negate it. Apostasy nullifies faith just as ablution (wudu') is nullified by ritual impurity.

The most important nullifiers of faith are:

1 – Associating partners with Allah in Lordship

2 – Associating partners with Allah in worship

3 – Associating partners with Allah in His Divine Names & Attributes

4 – Objecting to, looking down to or denial, rejection or making mockery of the rules of Shari`ah.

A person who nullifies his faith exits the fold of Islam, if he insists on his attitude after being informed and after the proof has been made clear to him.

Consequently, his marriage contract becomes annulled, and therefore, his wife becomes no longer lawful for him after his apostasy. If he dies on disbelief, all his deeds will be in vain as Allah the Most High said, (And whosoever of you turns back from his religion and dies as a disbeliever, the deeds of these people will be lost in this life and in the Hereafter, and they will be the dwellers of the Fire; they will abide therein forever.)(Al-Baqarah 2:217)

Moreover, his repentance will not be accepted once death has approached him, as Allah the Most High said, (Verily, for those who disbelieved after their belief, and then went on increasing in their disbelief – never will their repentance be accepted [because they repent only with their tongues, not with their hearts]. And they are those who are astray.)(Aal-Imran 3:90)

Furthermore, there is no inheritance between such a person and his Muslim family and relatives as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said; "A Muslim does not inherit from a disbeliever, nor does a disbeliever inherit from a Muslim." (Bukhari and Muslim) He also deserves the Divinely-ordained punishment for the apostate if there is a Muslim state that applies such penalty.

The Prayer of the one who has nullified his faith is also invalid for the same reasons.

However, these aforementioned rules and consequences of nullifying the faith do not apply – as we have said – until the textual proofs has been made clear to the apostate, he has been asked to repent, the misconceptions which have driven him to nullify his faith have been removed, it has been checked that the conditions are applicable and there is absolutely nothing to prevent this specific person from being declared a disbeliever.

The factors preventing a specific Muslim from being declared a disbeliever are many. Among them are: ignorance, falling under compulsion, holding improper interpretation, error and lack of intent.

Furthermore, establishing the proof against him is quite relative. The proof may be established against one person but not against the other. It may be established by one person and not by the other. It is not necessary when the proof has been established against a particular person that it will automatically be established against each and every Muslim in the world.

The basic rule in terms of establishing the proof is that this should be done by someone in authority, such as a scholar qualified to make ijtihad, or an a Muslim ruler, such as a Shari`ah judge in Islamic societies, and the like.

It is necessary to be highly careful in this respect, for it is less serious for a Muslim to err in judging an apostate to be a Muslim than to err in expelling a Muslim from the fold of Islam.