“Deeply Loathed by Allah: The Qur’an on Unbelievers - Non-Muslims who encounter the Qur’an for the first time are often deeply shocked by the level of invective heaped on those who reject its message and its transmitter (Muhammad). Yes, it certainly also contains positive injunctions towards charity, prayer and devotion to Allah, but hardly a chapter goes by without unbelievers being taken to task in the most blistering of terms. This is probably not the place to attempt to psychoanalyze Muhammad, but I think it is fair to say that he did not deal well with rejection. Those who reject his message are often called (supposedly by Allah on behalf of his prophet) kufar (unbelievers) and are at the receiving end of a constant stream of insults that drip with hatred and disgust. You may think that being called an unbeliever is perhaps not such a bad thing. On some level, it is obviously just a statement of fact (i.e., this person has not submitted to Islam). When, however, you stop to read the Qur’an’s descriptions of unbelievers, it is clear that Allah despises them and that he often counsels his followers to do the same. Here are just a few examples of the scorn that the Qur’an pours on those who do not follow Islam (or who merely pretend to). According to the Qur’an, unbelievers are: • Diseased: “In their hearts is a disease; and Allah has increased their disease: And grievous is the penalty they [incur], because they are false [to themselves]” (Qur’an 2: 10) 32. • Perverse: “We have sent down to thee Manifest Signs (ayat); and none reject them but those who are perverse” (Qur’an 2: 99) 33. • Stupid: “The parable of those who reject Faith is as if one were to shout Like a goat-herd, to things that listen to nothing but calls and cries: Deaf, dumb, and blind, they are void of wisdom” (Qur’an 2: 171) 34. • Untruthful (and should, therefore, never be believed): “And believe no one unless he follows your religion” (Qur’an 3: 73) 35. • Open Enemies: “For the Unbelievers are unto you open enemies” (Qur’an 4: 101) 36. Because of this, unbelievers must never be befriended by Muslims: “Let not the believers take for friends or helpers unbelievers rather than believers” (Qur’an 3: 28) 37. • To be avoided: “Follow what thou art taught by inspiration from thy Lord: there is no god but He: and turn aside from those who join gods with Allah” (Qur’an 6: 106) 38. • Beasts in the sight of Allah (i.e., like animals): “For the worst of beasts in the sight of Allah are those who reject Him: They will not believe” (Qur’an 8: 55) 39. • Polluted: “O ye who believe! Truly the Pagans are unclean” (Qur’an 9: 28) 40. • Not worthy of mercy: “Muhammad is the messenger of Allah. And those with him are hard [ruthless] against the disbelievers and merciful among themselves” (Qur’an 48: 29) 41. It should be stressed that this is just a small sample of the verses of the Qur’an that express a loathing of unbelievers and speak of them in the most insulting ways possible. It is also important to note that many of these verses speak of unbelievers in general and not only of the particular unbelievers the Muslims happened to be fighting at the time. They, therefore, continue to influence the attitudes of Muslims to this day. So, despite its much vaunted tolerance, it can be stated without fear of contradiction that Islam takes an extremely dim view of those who have not submitted to it. This hatred is especially apparent in the chronologically later chapters of the Qur’an and also in many hadiths. Unfortunately, for the non-Muslims of the world, the later parts of the Qur’an carry more theological weight than earlier revelations because of the Islamic “Law of Abrogation” (naskh) which teaches that later revelations supersede earlier ones. In addition to all of the insults heaped onto non-Muslims, the Qur’an constantly reminds unbelievers that they will experience an eternity of terrible tortures in hell. For example: “But as for those who disbelieve, garments of fire will be cut out for them; boiling fluid will be poured down on their heads; Whereby that which is in their bellies, and their skins too, will be melted; And for them are hooked rods of iron” (Qur’an 22: 19-21) 42. It is no exaggeration to state that this is one of the major themes of the Qur’an. The fate of unbelievers in hell is discussed in more than 500 verses in 87 chapters (out of 114). Believing that the non-Muslims you have contact with have been created to fuel the fires of hell will probably not raise them to a position of esteem in the eyes of most Muslims. It could, in fact, be argued that the threat of hell is used as a political mechanism in the Qur’an in the sense that the enmity of the Muslims towards the unbelievers is “justified” by oft-repeated statements that they are headed for the fire. It is not surprising to learn that the descriptions of unbelievers as vile in the extreme and headed for eternal damnation has led to the Qur’anic teaching that Muslims are inherently superior to all other people: “Ye are the best of peoples, evolved for mankind” (Qur’an 3: 110) 43. The flip side of this is that non-Muslims should be actively despised and opposed because, in doing so, Muslim believers will be expressing their love for Allah by hating what he does (i.e., the unbelievers). This is based on Qur’an 3: 31-32 and similar verses: “Say: ‘If ye do love Allah, Follow me: Allah will love you and forgive you your sins: For Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful’. Say: ‘Obey Allah and His Messenger’: But if they turn back, Allah loveth not those who reject Faith” 44 “Hating what Allah hates” was formalized in the doctrine of Al-Wala Wal-Bara (Love and Hate for the Sake of Allah) which states that Allah’s followers should share his hatred and disdain for those who do not believe in him. In fact, one of the most influential interpreters of the Qur’an, Ibn Taymiyya (1263-1328 CE), stated that it is impossible to truly follow Islam if you do not hate for the sake of Allah as commanded: “Whoever loves for the sake of Allah, and hates for the sake of Allah, and whoever seals a friendship for His sake, or declares an enmity for His sake, will receive the protection of Allah. No one may taste true faith except by this even if his prayers and fasts are many” 45. It must be emphasized that hatred towards unbelievers is not merely a theoretical concept with no real-world implications in Islam. The Qur’an contains many incitements to violence against non-Muslims. For example: “I will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieved, so strike [them] upon the necks and strike from them every fingertip” (Qur’an 8: 12) 46 It also calls for their subjugation: “Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, nor acknowledge the religion of Truth, [even if they are] of the People of the Book, until they pay the Jizya with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued” (Qur’an 9: 29) 47. Can it be any wonder that many informed non-Muslims have come to the conclusion that the Qur’an represents a form of extreme hate speech directed at those who reject the message of Islam? Some readers may respond to the proof of Islam’s deep revulsion towards unbelievers as highlighted in this chapter by stating that they have Muslim friends who treat them with respect and courtesy. This may indeed be the case, but the reason behind the friendship of these Muslim people is probably the fact that they choose to act on natural human instincts and ignore this aspect of Islamic teaching. However, the attitudes and actions of individual Muslims do not, for one moment, take away the existence of the verses listed above. They are there in the heart of the Qur’an, ready to be discovered by any Muslim who may ask whether the way he or she thinks about non-Muslims and interacts with them is pleasing to Allah. Deeply embarrassed by the Qur’an’s descriptions of unbelievers, some Muslims attempt to claim that the term kufar (infidel or unbeliever) does not apply to Jews and Christians as they are part of a special category (“ People of the Book”). This does not hold water as many of the descriptions of the kufar are very general and include everyone who rejected Muhammad’s message, something that the Jews and Christians certainly did. It should also be noted that being called “People of the Book” was in many ways a mixed blessing. This will become apparent in the next section.”
— Nothing to do with Islam?: Investigating the West's Most Dangerous Blind Spot by Peter Townsend
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