Koran prohibits friendship between Muslims and Non Muslims; And Taqiyya

Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, a 23 year old teenager, who unsuccessfully attempted to detonate a PETN explosive on Christmas day on the Detroit bound plane, is a son of wealthy former banker. Subsequently upon his arrest and investigation, it is reported by many News Papers that he under the id farouk1986 posted his thoughts in facebook and in an Islamic website. Here, though not all postings are completely relevant to this main article but it is worth to have a look, are those postings.

The posts were made on an Islamic bulletin board called Gawaher, which literally translates from Arabic as ‘gems’ or ‘jewels,’ but can also be read as ‘essence’ or ‘spirit’.  While at a prestigious British boarding school in Togo, he wrote:

‘First of all, I have no friends.' ‘Not because I do not socialise, etc but because either people do not want to get too close to me as they go partying and stuff while I don’t, or they are bad people who befriend me and influence me to do bad things.

‘Hence I am in a situation where I do not have a friend, I have no one to speak too, no one to consult, no one to support me and I feel depressed and lonely. I do not know what to do.’

In December 2005, Farouk1986 wrote that his parents were visiting him in London and that he was torn about whether he could eat meat with them:

‘I am of the view meat not slaughtered by Muslims … is haram [forbidden] for consumption unless necessary,’ he wrote.

‘My parents are of the view as foreigners, we are allowed to … eat any meat.

‘It occured [sic] to me I should not be eating with my parents as they use meat I consider haram. But I fear this might cause division and other complicated family problems.’

He also  faced conflicts in observing religious tenets and also fantasized:

'I won’t go into too much details about my fantasy, but basically they are Jihad fantasies. I imagine how the great jihad will take place, how the Muslims will win (Allah willing) and rule the whole world, and establish the greatest empire once again.’ (in tune with these verses: 9:33, 61:09, 48:28)

‘I want to talk about my dilemma between liberalism and extremism,’. ‘The Prophet (S) said religion is easy and anyone who tries to overburden themselves will find it hard and will not be able to continue.' ‘So anytime I relax, I deviate sometimes and then when I strive hard, I get tired of what I am doing i.e. memorising the quran, etc. How should one put the balance right?’.

And of course, sexual desire also drove him nuts:

‘And then I think this loneliness leads me to other problems’. ‘As I get lonely, the natural sexual drive awakens and I struggle to control it, sometimes leading to minor sinful activities like not lowering the gaze.

‘And this problem makes me want to get married to avoid getting aroused.'

‘The Prophet (S) advised young men to fast if they can’t get married but it has not been helping me much and I seriously don’t want to wait for years before I get married.’

But one should ask why is he so lonely? News paper reports:

He also told members of an online forum that he was lonely at a British boarding school in the West African nation of Togo because few of his classmates were Muslims.

"i get lonely sometimes because i have never found a true muslim friend," Abdulmutallab wrote. I'm active, I socialise with everybody around me, no conflicts, I laugh and joke but not excessively.

He was lonely because he was searching for friends among Muslims; probably a Muslim who would equally share his Islamic feelings. Any way, finally he is able to set the balance by agreeing to do the work of Al-Qaeda. And he was searching for friends among Muslims because Koran teaches Muslims to avoid friendship with Non Muslims as the following verses reveal:

• O ye who believe! take not the Jews and the Christians for your friends and protectors: They are but friends and protectors to each other. And he amongst you that turns to them (for friendship) is of them. Verily Allah guideth not a people unjust. (005.051,YUSUF ALI)

• Thou seest many of them turning in friendship to the Unbelievers. Evil indeed are (the works) which their souls have sent forward before them (with the result), that Allah's wrath is on them, and in torment will they abide. (005.080,YUSUF ALI)

• Let not the believers Take for friends or helpers Unbelievers rather than believers: if any do that, in nothing will there be help from Allah: except by way of precaution, that ye may Guard yourselves from them. But Allah cautions you (To remember) Himself; for the final goal is to Allah. (003.028,YUSUF ALI)

• O ye who believe! Take not into your intimacy those outside your ranks: They will not fail to corrupt you. They only desire your ruin: Rank hatred has already appeared from their mouths: What their hearts conceal is far worse. We have made plain to you the Signs, if ye have wisdom. (003.118,YUSUF ALI)

• When ye travel through the earth, there is no blame on you if ye shorten your prayers, for fear the Unbelievers May attack you: For the Unbelievers are unto you open enemies. (004.101,YUSUF ALI) 
• O ye who believe! Take not for friends unbelievers rather than believers: Do ye wish to offer Allah an open proof against yourselves. (004.144,YUSUF ALI)

• And you did not expect that the Book would be inspired to you, but it is a mercy from your Lord, therefore be not a backer-up of the unbelievers.(28:86, Shakir)

• O ye who believe! Turn not (for friendship) to people on whom is the Wrath of Allah, of the Hereafter they are already in despair, just as the Unbelievers are in despair about those (buried) in graves.(60:13, YUSUF ALI)

• O ye who believe! take not for protectors your fathers and your brothers if they love infidelity above Faith: if any of you do so, they do wrong. (YUSUF ALI, 9:23)

• Say: If your fathers and your sons and your brethren and your mates and your kinsfolk and property which you have acquired, and the slackness of trade which you fear and dwellings which you like, are dearer to you than Allah and His Messenger and striving in His way, then wait till Allah brings about His command: and Allah does not guide the transgressing people. (Shakir, 9:24)

• O you who believe! do not take My enemy and your enemy for friends: would you offer them love while they deny what has come to you of the truth, driving out the Messenger and yourselves because you believe in Allah, your Lord? If you go forth struggling hard in My path and seeking My pleasure, would you manifest love to them? And I know what you conceal and what you manifest; and whoever of you does this, he indeed has gone astray from the straight path. (060.001,SHAKIR)

Disbelievers (Non Muslims) are enemies of Allah and are followers of satan, Koran makes this kind of statements in many more verses. Totalitarianism and closed systems are know to practice this kind of laws e.g. Communist Govt. in former soviet union made it very difficult for its citizens to meet others outside their ideology. And also some murderous sects which have been founded and busted in the last 50 years. Ideologies which do not want any internal criticism and self assessment make such demands from their followers for the fear that they start asking questions after learning new ideas from outsiders; questioning is the first requirement for any free inquiry or thought. Koran in the verse 5:101 explicitly tells Muslims not to ask too many questions because they may lose their faith.

• O ye who believe! Ask not questions about things which, if made plain to you, may cause you trouble. But if ye ask about things when the Qur'an is being revealed, they will be made plain to you, Allah will forgive those: for Allah is Oft-forgiving, Most Forbearing. (5:101, YUSUF ALI)

• Some people before you did ask such questions, and on that account lost their faith. (5:102, YUSUF ALI)

This also explains why Muslims behave so murderously while reacting to perceived insults to their religion; it is part of an effort to shut down critical analysis or thinking. This might appear strange to many people but Muslims have abandoned reason altogether. Their position is that Allah has more wisdom and people are not wise enough to understand his laws; so what is in Koran has to be accepted with out any criticism or thinking. Allah alone understands and his will is not bound by any of our principles.

But of all the verses above, it is from 3.28 that doctrine of Taqiyya has come up in Islam which explicitly gives permission to lie to disbelievers if they feel it advances the cause of Allah or if a Muslim feels threatened or unsafe in the presence of disbelievers. (NOTE: Ibn Kathir, in his tafsir, writes that such believers, who fear for their safety from disbelievers, are allowed to show friendship to the disbelievers outwardly, but never inwardly. For instance, Al-Bukhari recorded that Abu Ad-Darda' said, "We smile in the face of some people although our hearts curse them.'' Al-Bukhari said that Al-Hasan said, "The Tuqyah [taqiyya] is allowed until the Day of Resurrection.”)

While many Muslim spokesmen today maintain that taqiyya is solely a Shi’ite doctrine, shunned by Sunnis, an Islamic scholar, Ignaz Goldziher, points out that while it was formulated by Shi’ites, “it is accepted as legitimate by other Muslims as well, on the authority of Qur’an 3:28.” The Sunnis of Al-Qaeda practice it today.

So is lying allowed in Islam? This is what Imam Ghazali (some say he is the greatest of all Islamic scholars) says, "Speaking is a means to achieve objectives. If a praise worthy aim is attainable through both telling the truth and lying, it is unlawful to accomplish through lying because there is no need for it. When it is possible to achieve such an aim by lying but not by telling the truth, it is permissible to lie if attaining the goal is permissible"  ( Reliance of the Traveller and section r8.2).

What is a praise worthy aim according to Ghazali? Establishing Allah's law is more than a worthy aim, so if Muslims can lie for converting others to Islam, there is nothing wrong in it; rather it is appreciated.