Qur'an & Hadith

Ibn Taymiyya (a) wrote about this ayah: “The verse ‘You have our religion and I have mine’ certainly designates a separation of the two things; that is to say ‘Your religion is your affair and I have nothing to do with it at all, my religion is my affair and you have nothing to do with it either.’ This is the same as the statement in the verse, ‘I have my deeds and you have yours’ [http://alim.org/library/quran/ayah/compare/28/55/Al-Qasas]. There is no basis here for the assumption that the Prophet (s) was somehow approving of the religion of these pagans; neither with that of the Jews, Christians nor other People of the Book, as some of the secular-minded people have suggested. By the same token, it does not imply prohibition against fighting them, as some have wrongfully asserted, before saying that it was also abrogated. Rather, it disassociates the Prophet (s) from their religion, and disassociates them from his religion. Likewise their deeds will not reflect upon him, and his deeds will not profit them nor benefit them in any way. The parts of the revelation which have established fundamental points of doctrine were not subject to abrogation; the Prophet (s) never expressed approval of their religion, nor that of the People of the Book. But some people still insist that this was so, and persist in their arguments over this surah. They insist this means that the Prophet (s) approved of the religion of the pagans, and that the verse was later abrogated, yet the Prophet (s) had approved of them before. But this exposes them as liars who put words into the mouth of Muhammad (s) for he was never satisfied at all with any religion other than the one he was sent with, which was revealed with His book. This is clear from the verse, ‘I have my deeds and you have yours, you are not responsible for what I do and I am not responsible for what you do’ [ http://alim.org/library/quran/ayah/compare/10/41/Yunus ]. And also in the verse, ‘So unto this (religion) call others and be upright as you have commanded. Do not follow their desires but say, ‘I believe in the books which Allah has revealed and I stand commanded to establish justice among you. Allah is our lord and your lord. To us our deeds and to you yours’.’ [ http://alim.org/library/quran/ayah/compare/42/15/ash-shura ]. And He said, “And take those of the believers who follow you under your wing, but if they are disobedient then tell them, ‘I am free of what you do’’ [ http://alim.org/library/quran/ayah/compare/26/216/ash-shuaraa ]. So the Prophet (s) disassociates himself from the action of whoever is disobedient from among the believers, how then would he not disassociate himself from the disbelievers who are much worse in their disobedience and deviance?” (Al-Jawab as-Sahih li man Baddala Deen al-Masih, 2/30-32 translated by Muhammad Saeed al-Qahtani in Al-Wala’ Wa’l-Bara’)

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