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How should Muslims treat non-Muslims?

The Prophet ﷺ stood when a Jewish funeral passed and answered to a companion who questioned it: "Was it not a soul?" The classical tradition is explicit: Islam's ethics of justice and kindness do not end at confession of faith.

10 passages from 6 books in the library

The classical tradition holds that Islam's ethics of justice and kindness do not end at the boundary of faith. The Prophet ﷺ stood for a passing Jewish funeral, answering a companion's question with "Was it not a soul?" In his books al-Ghazali states plainly that it is not permissible to harm a dhimmi — a non-Muslim living under Islamic rule — and condemns taxing non-Muslims through any form of injustice. Ibn Battuta, traveling widely, even records being struck by the courtesy of non-Muslims he met. Dignity and fair dealing are owed across the lines of belief.

Drawn from the classical sources below — in the scholars' own words.

Where the answer comes from

The classical approach.

These passages are drawn from 6 books by Imam al-Ghazali, Ibn al-Qayyim, and Ibn Battuta — part of the classical Sunni tradition that carries over a thousand years of reflection on the Qurʾān, the authentic Sunnah, and the consensus of the early community. Nothing below is a paraphrase. The words are the scholars' own, translated from the original Arabic manuscripts.

Read them closely. If a passage doesn't sit right, open the full book in the library and listen to the chapter around it. Context in the classical tradition is everything.

Cover of Book 19: The Book of Commanding Good and Forbidding Evil
Book 19: The Book of Commanding Good and Forbidding Evil
Imam al-Ghazali · Ihya' 'Ulum al-Din

11th–12th century · Ṭūs, Khurāsān
Reviving the inner life of Islam through the Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn — one of the most influential works ever written in any religious tradition.
More on Imam al-Ghazali → · Provenance →

  1. "Further, saying, "Be ashamed before Me," does not prohibit advising others but means to prioritize what is significant, as in honoring your father before your neighbor. If it is suggested that a non-Muslim dhimmi should be allowed to enjoin good upon a Muslim if they see them committing adultery, because saying, "Do not commit adultery," is inherently right, we respond: If the non-Muslim acts to prevent the Muslim, it is an exercise of power and is therefore prevented, as God has not allowed non-Muslims to have authority over believers."

Cover of Volume One
Volume One
Ibn al-Qayyim · Madārij al-Sālikīn

14th century · Damascus, Syria
Madārij al-Sālikīn — the classical map of the spiritual journey — and a vast body of work on the soul, love, the traps of the ego, and the nature of the heart.
More on Ibn al-Qayyim → · Provenance →

  1. "Similarly, if someone seizes wine from a dhimmi and drinks it, he is liable for the punishment as a right of اللّٰه, and according to you, he is liable for its compensation to the dhimmi. However, according to the majority, he is not liable for compensation because it is not considered property, and thus not liable for destruction like a carcass."

  2. "This is a shared witnessing of a matter acknowledged by idol worshippers and people of other religions, that there is no creator but God. As اللّٰه says in سُورَة لُقْمَان: "And if you ask them who created the heavens and the earth, they will surely say, 'اللّٰه.'" And in سُورَة الزُّخْرُف: "And if you ask them who created them, they will surely say, 'اللّٰه.'" Immersion and vanishing in witnessing this extent is the ultimate realization of the oneness of lordship, which the polytheists acknowledged, but they did not enter الإِسْلَام through it."

Cover of Volume Two: From India to the Lands of the West
Volume Two: From India to the Lands of the West
Ibn Battuta · Rihla — The Travels of Ibn Battuta

14th century · Tangier, Morocco
The Riḥlah — a 30-year, 75,000-mile journey across three continents, and the most important travel account of the pre-modern world.
More on Ibn Battuta → · Provenance →

  1. "the vizier position and grew envious and anxious. The lands of Kanbaya and Gujarat had previously been under the vizier's authority, whose people were aligned with him, and most were non-Muslims, some rebels fortified in the mountains. The vizier secretly instigated them to attack the merchant king on his way to the court. As they traveled with the treasures and Shihab al-Din's gift, they stopped by mid-morning according to their usual routine. The armies dispersed and most of them fell asleep. The idolaters attacked them with a great force, killing the merchant king and looting the money and treasures, including Shihab al-Din's gift. Shihab al-Din escaped with his life."

  2. "travels to Bengal. The land of the Liknodi is adorned with water wheels, gardens and villages on both the left and right sides, similar to the Nile of Egypt. Its inhabitants are non-Muslims under a treaty, from whom half of their agricultural produce is taken, in addition to other duties. We traveled along this river for fifteen days amid villages and gardens, navigating through bustling markets filled with innumerable boats. Each boat had a drum. When two boats met, each beat its drum, and the occupants greeted one another. Sultan Fakhruddin ordered that no tolls be taken from the poor traveling on this river, and that provisions be given"

  3. "an alif, a dhamma on the ba, a waw, and a rah. It is a small city with a majority non-Muslim population under dhimmi status. A day's journey from it is a non-Muslim ruler named Khatam, pronounced with a fatha on the khaf, and a raised ta. He is the sultan of Janbail, pronounced with a fatha on the jim, a silent noon, a khasra on the ba, a long ya, and lam, who laid siege to the city of Kilir and was later killed. This non-Muslim sultan had besieged the city of Rabri, located on the Lajan River, rich with villages and farms. Its governor was Khatab al-Afghani, known for his bravery. The non-Muslim sultan sought assistance from"

  4. "with thirteen dates remaining. We then travelled to the city of Mar, pronounced with a fatha, a silent rah, and a ha. It is a large city, mostly inhabited by infidels under dhimmi status and is fortified. It is known for its excellent wheat, unmatched elsewhere. This wheat is transported to Delhi, and its grains are long, deeply yellow, and thick. I have only seen similar wheat in the land of China. This city is associated with Malwa, a tribe of Indians who are large in build, grand in appearance, with exceptionally beautiful women."

Cover of Volume One: From Tangier to the Lands of the East
Volume One: From Tangier to the Lands of the East
Ibn Battuta · Rihla — The Travels of Ibn Battuta

14th century · Tangier, Morocco
The Riḥlah — a 30-year, 75,000-mile journey across three continents, and the most important travel account of the pre-modern world.
More on Ibn Battuta → · Provenance →

  1. "infidels. Upon bringing them to Khorasan, Nizamuddin would free the Muslim women from Turk captors. Muslim women in India customarily did not pierce their ears, unlike non-Muslims whose ears were pierced. Once, a Turkish prince named Timur Aladi captured a woman he strongly desired, claiming she was Muslim. The jurists took her from him. This enraged the Turk so much that he mounted an attack with thousands of his men on the horses grazing in the Murgis Desert and carried them off. The people of Herat were left without any mounts or milk- producing animals, retreating with them to a nearby mountain where they could"

Cover of Book 15: Friendship and Brotherhood
Book 15: Friendship and Brotherhood
Imam al-Ghazali · Ihya’ ‘Ulum al-Din

11th–12th century · Ṭūs, Khurāsān
Reviving the inner life of Islam through the Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn — one of the most influential works ever written in any religious tradition.
More on Imam al-Ghazali → · Provenance →

  1. "The second type is the heretic who calls to his heresy. If the heresy reaches the level of disbelief, his case is worse than that of the dhimmi, for he is not granted protection by jizya or a contract of protection. If he is of those whose heresy does not amount to disbelief, his matter with God is lighter than that of a disbeliever without doubt, but the obligation to denounce him is greater than that for a disbeliever because a disbeliever’s harm does not extend beyond himself."

Cover of Book 13: Etiquettes of Earning and Living
Book 13: Etiquettes of Earning and Living
Imam al-Ghazali · Ihya’ ‘Ulum al-Din

11th–12th century · Ṭūs, Khurāsān
Reviving the inner life of Islam through the Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn — one of the most influential works ever written in any religious tradition.
More on Imam al-Ghazali → · Provenance →

  1. "Some scholars even consider missing the congregation as sinful. In earlier times, people would quickly respond to the call to prayer, leaving their market stalls to children and non-Muslims. They would hire wardens to guard their shops during prayer times, providing a livelihood for these wardens. Regarding the verse, "Neither trade nor sale distracts them from the remembrance of Allah," it is explained that these were blacksmiths and leather workers."

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