WALA AND BARA So called Islamic preachers and writers often portray Islam as a religion of peace that teaches Muslims to live with kuffar in peace. Deluded by the open-ended concept of “tolerance,” they cite numerous āyah and ahādīth that – rightfully so – serve to demonstrate that racial hatred has no place in Islam, but they do so for the purpose of advancing an agenda that attempts to “Islamize” more “liberal” concepts that the kuffār apply across the board for achieving evil, such as political pluralism, freedom of religion, and acceptance of sodomites. Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says: Let not the believers take the disbelievers as Auliya (supporters, helpers) instead of the believers, and whoever does that will never be helped by Allah in any way, except if you indeed fear a danger from them. And Allah warns you against Himself (His punishment), and to Allah is the final return. (Surah Al Imran 3:28) In doing so, these “du’āt” seek to encourage the kāfir societies they live in to be more accepting of them, rather than meeting the enmity of the mushrikīn with hatred and disavowal. Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says: O you who believe! Take not as your advisors, consultants, protectors, helpers, friends those outside your religion since they will not fail to do their best to corrupt you. They desire to harm you severely. Hatred has already appeared from their mouths, but what their breasts conceal is far worse. Indeed, We have made plain to you the verses if you understand (Surah Al Imran 3:118) These “du’āt” ignore misuse the concept of walā’ and barā’ (loyalty and disavowal for the cause of Allah), not bothering to educate their readers of the Muslim’s obligation to reject kufr, separate himself from the kuffār, abandon their lands, harbor enmity and hatred towards them, and wage war against them until they submit to the truth. Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says: There has already been for you an excellent pattern in Ibrahim and those with him, when they said to their people, “Indeed, we are disassociated from you and from whatever you worship other than Allah. We have denied you, and there has appeared between us and you animosity and hatred forever until you believe in Allah alone” (Surah Al Mumtahanah 60:4) The example of Ibrahim (عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَام) and those with him – meaning the prophets of Allah, as mentioned by the scholars of tafsīr – which was praised by Allah as being an excellent example for us to follow, is for one to be prepared to reject his own people when they fall into kufr and shirk, and not to remain attached to them on account of tribal or blood ties. If this is the case with one’s own people with whom a common lineage is shared, how much more so in the case of those with whom one shares nothing more than a superficial characteristic such as skin color! Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says: O you who believe! Take not as Auliya' (supporters and helpers) your fathers and your brothers if they prefer disbelief to Belief. And whoever of you does so, then he is one of the Zalimun (wrong-doers) (Surah At Tawbah 9:23) Islamic perspective is to show the importance and significance of walā’ and barā’, and to state in clear and certain way that those who wage war against Islam and the Muslims will not be spared on account of their skin color or ethnicity. Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says: Those who take disbelievers as allies instead of the believers. Do they seek with them honor [through power]? But indeed, honor belongs to Allah entirely (Surah An Nisa 4:139) The fate of a kāfir waging war against the Muslims is one and the same across the entire racial spectrum – slaughter. The reason for this is simple: A Muslim’s loyalty is determined, not by his skin color, his tribal affiliation, or his last name, but by his faith. He loves those whom Allah loves and hates those whom Allah hates. He forges alliances for the cause of Allah and breaks relations for the cause of Allah. Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says: O you who believe! Take not My enemies and your enemies as friends, showing affection towards them, while they have disbelieved in what has come to you of the truth, and have driven out the Messenger and yourselves (from your homeland) because you believe in Allah your Lord! If you have come forth to strive in My Cause and to seek My Good Pleasure, (then take not these disbelievers and polytheists as your friends). You show friendship to them in secret, while I am All-Aware of what you conceal and what you reveal. And whosoever of you (Muslims) does that, then indeed he has gone (far) astray from the Straight Path (Surah Al Mumtahana 60:1) The mufassir of the Ummah, ‘Abdullāh Ibn ‘Abbās (رضي الله عنه) said, “Love for the sake of Allah, hate for the sake of Allah, make allegiance for the sake of Allah, and make enemies for the sake of Allah, for the wilāyah (loving guardianship) of Allah is not attained except by this.