NY Cleric Muhammad Ibn Muneer: Muslims Should Hate Non-Muslims, Can Only Maintain Relations With Them To Call Them To Islam

In a Q&A session uploaded to the Hadith Disciple YouTube channel on January 31, 2018, New York cleric Mufti Muhammad Ibn Muneer said that there are different ways of dealing with different types of Jews. He cited the Islamic principle of Al-Bara Wal-Wala (disavowal and loyalty), which he says is, as "explained by Ibn Al-Qayyim and many others... simply summed up as loving the Muslims and hating the non-Muslims... Buddhist, Hindu, this, that, so on and so forth." He underlined that if his Jewish neighbor is "trying to do me physical harm... I have the right to defend myself." He continued: "Look at history" when Jews and Muslims lived together and "the Muslims ran the country [and] the Jews were the minority.... The moment there is oppression" – that's "a whole different story."

In a Q&A session uploaded a year later, on January 31, 2019, he expanded on the subject, saying that a Muslim cannot maintain a close relationship with infidels with whom he had been friends prior to accepting Islam and that Muslims cannot treat non-Muslim as friends. They may be treated with respect and friendliness in order to invite them to Islam, he said, but only a pious Muslim is worthy of a close, trusting friendship. He added that it may be Islamically impermissible to wear soccer jerseys that have the names of non-Muslims or that contain symbols of something other than Islam, and that buying designer clothing might be supporting homosexuals or people who are bombing Muslims in Palestine.

Following are excerpts:

Muhammad Ibn Muneer (on January 31, 2018): The question says, from Ft. Worth, TX: "What should our relationship with the Jews be in this day and age?" That's a very long and detailed discussion. Before we can shed any light on the issue, we have to know that Jews are of different types.

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So, obviously, if there are different types – both religious and ethnically, and so on and so forth – then, obviously, dealing with them is going to vary as well.

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The general principle in Islam of Al-Bara Wal-Wala [disavowal and loyalty] as explained by Ibn Al-Qayyim and many others is to love and to hate for the sake of Allah, which is simply summed up as loving the Muslims and hating the non-Muslims. Being loyal to the Muslims, and not being loyal to the non-Muslims. Supporting the Muslims and not supporting polytheism and disbelief, et cetera, regardless of the different types of polytheism and disbelief – Buddhist, Hindu, this, that, so on and so forth.

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It is going to vary from time to time, from person to person, from place to place. If I have a neighbor who is a Jew… That's my neighbor; I have to look after him and his property. I can't lust after his wife, disrespect his property, allow someone to do something bad to his… He's my neighbor even if he's a Jew. [But if] he's trying to do me physical harm and cause me harm, I have the right to defend myself.

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The same applies to overseas. Look at history. When the Jews and the Muslims, they lived… The Muslims ran this country, the Jews were the minority, whatever the case is… The moment there is oppression – the moment there is plunder, and rape, and murder… The moment [he] is swindling [Muslims] out of [their] rights, [their] land, [their] honor, killing [them], blowing [them] up – that's a whole different story.

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On January 31, 2019: With regards to taking the disbelievers as friends and intimate companions – can a person keep a close relationship with his previous friends and colleagues before he accepted Islam, from school, et cetera? No and yes. No, they are not your friends, and they are not allowed to be treated as your friends. The yes part – you keeping relations with them to call them to Islam and to invite them to your way of life. You keeping relations with them because you may owe them something, they did a lot of things for you back in the day and took care of you, and looked after you – you pay back the basic good treatment. But them being your buddies and your friends, and they feel that this person is their close, close, close buddy – that's problematic.

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They can't be your close friends. You [can] see them and talk to them, and say: "Hey, what's up, what's going on, alright…" You bust it up.

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But someone being your close friend – entering your home, eating your food, you tell them secrets, they tell you secrets, you trust them, you rely upon them, things like this – that's only befitting of a pious Muslim. That's only befitting of a pious Muslim. So oftentimes it's a word game, we say "friends" or "close friends" but it's nothing more than an associate.

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But that doesn't mean that you see a non-Muslim from the days before you were Muslim and you have to spit in their face and curse them and doom them to the fire of Hell. You speak to them [and say]: "Hey, how are you doing?" You never know when a person may become a Muslim. You never know.

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Question comes from the U.K. on supporting football matches, soccer matches, things like this – buying their jerseys, going to games, et cetera. As far as buying the jersey, some of the people of knowledge have given rulings that you are not allowed to wear the jerseys upon which are the names of infidels and/or upon which are the names of sinful Muslims.

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So many scholars, some scholars, have passed rulings regarding this as impermissible, and as a means of showing loyalty to them, loving them, imitating them, and being soft towards them. Let alone [the fact that] some of the jerseys may include symbols and icons, regardless of whether it's a symbol of religion or not, but it's a symbol or icon of other than Islam.

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I was going to visit a sheikh one day, and as I was crossing the street a bunch of kids were laughing at me and making fun of me from across the street. Some Saudi kids.

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So I greeted them and said: "What are you guys laughing at, what's so funny?" They said: "Look at your thawb! Where's the rest of your thawb? Why is your thawb so short?" So I pointed to one of them who had on a soccer jersey. I said: "You've got a cross on your shirt. You have a crucifix – are you a Christian?" [They responded:] "Allah forbid, forgiveness from Allah…" [I said:] "So you're laughing at me for implementing the Sunnah, and you're wearing a symbol of Christians who hate Muslims and who hate everything about you, your life, your culture, your background, your lineage, and your country."

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If it doesn't have  a symbol of disbelief and doesn't have the names of a non-Muslim, then perhaps it is permissible to wear it, whereas if you buy other clothes [such as] designer clothes, you may be supporting homosexuals, as we've said, or you may be supporting people that bomb our brothers in Palestine.