al-Wala wal-Bara fi al-Islam
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- Dār al-Waṭan lil-Nashr
al-Walāʾ wa-l-Barāʾ fī al-Islām (Loyalty and Disavowal in Islam) is a creedal treatise written by the Saudi scholar Ṣāliḥ al-Fawzān examining the theological doctrine of loving and supporting believers while disassociating from disbelief and its adherents .
Subject and Core Arguments
The treatise establishes that following the love of God and His Messenger, it is an essential principle of Islamic creed for every Muslim to love and align with the people of monotheism (tawḥīd) and sincerity, while detesting and opposing polytheism and its adherents . Al-Fawzān grounds this principle in the model of Abraham and the teachings of Muḥammad ﷺ, citing Quranic verses that prohibit taking disbelievers and the People of the Book as allies, such as قد كانت لكم أسوة حسنة في إبراهيم والذين معه ("There has already been for you an excellent pattern in Abraham and those with him") and يا أيها الذين آمنوا لا تتخذوا اليهود والنصارى أولياء ("O you who have believed, do not take the Jews and the Christians as allies") .
Key Themes and Structure
Al-Fawzān outlines specific manifestations of prohibited allegiance (muwālāh) to disbelievers, including:
- Imitating them in dress, speech, and appearance .
- Aiding or supporting them against Muslims, praising them, or defending their causes .
- Entrusting them with confidential Muslim affairs, relying on them, or appointing them as advisors and consultants .
- Participating in their religious festivals, assisting in hosting them, or congratulating them on such occasions .
- Adopting their distinctive names, as well as supplicating for their forgiveness or mercy .
In contrast, the author distinguishes prohibited religious allegiance from permissible worldly interactions, noting that Muslims are allowed to engage with non-Muslims in permissible trade, import goods, exchange practical benefits, and hire non-Muslims for professional and technical expertise, such as engineering, provided Muslims safeguard their interests against deceit .
Al-Fawzān also divides humanity into three categories regarding their entitlement to allegiance and disavowal:
- Those deserving pure love and allegiance without enmity, comprising sincere believers—led by the Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ, his wives, the Ahl al-Bayt, the Companions, the early generations, and the scholars of the community .
- Those deserving absolute hatred and enmity, comprising disbelievers and polytheists .
- Those loved from one perspective and disliked from another, comprising disobedient Muslims who are loved for their faith but censured for their sins .
Publication History
The work was initially published as an article in Majallat al-Buḥūth al-Islāmiyyah (Issue 25, Rajab–Shawwāl 1409 AH, pp. 115–128) . It was subsequently printed as an independent treatise by several publishers, including the Saudi General Directorate of Publications (1410 AH), Dār al-Waṭan in Riyadh (1411 AH), and Dār al-ʿĀṣimah in Riyadh .
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