Alliance, disavowal and dissimulation: Interpretation of the Koranic verses 3:28-29 through the centuries - Paperback

by Sami a. Aldeeb Abu-Sahlieh (Author)

In the present study, we present the position of Muslim scholars on verses 28 and 29 of the third chapter of the Koran, which say: The believers should not take the disbelievers for allies besides the believers. Whoever does that is not from [the allies] of God, unless you fear them. God warns you [of his punishment]. To God is the destination. Say: Whether you hide what is in your chests, or you show it, God knows it. He knows what is in the heavens and in the earth. God is powerful over everything.These two verses establish the general rule of mistrust towards non-Muslims, forbidding Muslims to take them as allies unless they fear them. And in this case they can resort to dissimulation, which consists in saying, even doing something without internally adhering to it, until the situation changes in favour of the Muslims. This rule of mistrust is doubled by discrimination against non-Muslims

Author Biography

Author: Sami Awad ALDEEB ABU-SAHLIEH Christian of Palestinian origin. Swiss citizen. Graduate and Doctor in law (Fribourg). Graduate in political sciences (Geneva). Habilitated to direct researches (HDR, Bordeaux 3). Professor of universities (CNU-France). Responsible for Arab and Islamic Law at the Swiss Institute of Comparative Law (1980-2009). Visiting professor in different French, Italian and Swiss universities. Director of the Centre of Arab and Islamic Law. Author of many books. Translated the Koran into French, English and Italian and proposed an annotated Arabic edition. See his website: www.sami-aldeeb.com.