Donations For Churches?
American Muslims are concerned over the Counclil on Islamic American Relations (CAIR) asking Muslims for donations to repair or rebuild churches in Malaysia. These churches were attacked following the removal of a ban on Christian Churches using the word "Allah" for "God".
Muslims ask about it being a major sin or even going out of Islam (disbelief or kufr). What is the answer?
Good Question - Allahu 'Alim (Allah is the All-Knower)
First, we quote the concerns of a few Muslims sent to us in emails:
1. "NOW CAIRs’ spending Muslim money to repair CHURCHES?"
2. "Is this a joke?" (Muslims being asked for donations for churches)
3. "...is this a PSYOPS harassment operation against Muslims?"
4. "I want to know - Is CAIR doing something out-of-Islam, and calling Muslims to support it?"
5. "What is the ruling for Muslims building churches or rebuilding churches?"
Let's begin with facts. Here is what we find from C.A.I.R. on the subject (if there is anything different than this, please notify us at once):
Video: CAIR Director Discusses Airport Profiling (C-SPAN)
CAIR-OK to Host Town Hall on Profiling of Muslims at Airports
CAIR San Diego: Profiling Encourages Anti-Muslim Hysteria
CAIR-LA: Muslims Must Become Proactive to Hate Crimes (OC Register)
CAIR ACTION ALERT #598:
Action: U.S. Muslims Asked to Help Repair Malaysian Churches
Islam mandates that churches, other houses of worship be protected
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 1/12/2010) - CAIR is calling on American Muslims and other people of conscience to help fund repairs to Malaysian churches damaged by vandals. The attacks on the churches came following a court ruling that overturned a ban on the use of the word “Allah” by Christians in that nation.
SEE: Ninth Church Vandalized in Malaysia (NY Times)
CAIR said Islam mandates that churches, synagogues and other houses of worship must be protected and noted that Arabic-speaking Christians universally refer to God as “Allah.”
SEE: Allah - the Word (NY Times)
Malaysian Muslim and ethnic Malay leaders have criticized the church attacks, saying they are contrary to the teachings of Islam.
Donations to the “CAIR Spirit of Islam Fund” (SEE: www.cair.com) will be given to the Malaysian embassy in Washington, D.C., for delivery to the churches.
“Muslims in America, Malaysia and worldwide must help protect all houses of worship, and thereby show the true spirit of Islam,” said CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad. “American Muslims, as a symbol of their commitment to interfaith understanding and peaceful coexistence, will take the lead in helping to restore the damaged churches.”
Awad added: “Muslims cannot remain silent in the face of attacks on any houses of worship. Our community needs to take serious and prompt measures to reclaim the moral high ground established by Islamic principles.”
He noted that CAIR has taken action to defend the American Muslim community from similar hate crimes, including acts of vandalism at mosques nationwide.
SEE: CAIR Asks President to Address Rise in Anti-Islam Hate
Awad cited verses from the Quran and Islamic traditions mandating both respect for other faiths and the sanctity of houses of worship.
According to the Quran, Muslims are asked to maintain good relations with people of other faiths and to engage in constructive dialogue. “And dispute not with the People of the Book (Christians and Jews) except with means better (than mere disputation)…but say, 'We believe in the Revelation that has come down to us and in that which came down to you.’” (29:46)
Awad said Muslims are proud of the story of the Caliph Umar who received the keys to Jerusalem from the Christian patriarch Sophronius in the 7th century. When the Caliph was asked to pray in a Jerusalem church, he declined saying he did not want to provide a pretext for Muslims to appropriate a Christian holy site.
He noted that the early Muslims sought refuge with the Christian ruler of Abyssinia and that Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) drafted a constitution for the city of Medinah in which all groups were granted equal rights and freedom of religion.
In 2006, CAIR asked for similar donations to help repair Palestinian churches damaged following remarks by Pope Benedict XVI perceived as critical of Islam and the Prophet Muhammad.
IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUESTED:
Demonstrate your desire to reclaim Islamic values and to promote the true spirit of Islam by protecting all houses of worship.
Go to www.cair.com to donate securely to the "CAIR Spirit of Islam Fund." One hundred percent of the donations will be turned over to the Malaysian embassy for use in repairing the churches.
Checks may be made payable to "CAIR" and mailed to:
CAIR Spirit of Islam Fund
453 New Jersey Avenue SE
Washington, D.C. 20003
(Put "Spirit of Islam Fund" in the memo area of the check.)
Here please click on link below and read:
http://www.islamqa.com/en/ref/130747
Some Excerpts provided below:
Ruling on a Muslim bequeathing money (that’s similar to repairs, see end of excerpts for more) for building a church
Question: I heard a fatwa from one of the shaykhs saying that it is permissible for a Muslim to leave instructions in his will that a church be built with his money after he dies and that this is not a sin. Is this correct?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Answer: We cannot imagine that any Muslim of sound mind who has knowledge of sharee’ah could issue a fatwa like this. There may have been a mistake in reporting it from him or in understanding what he said and so on.
But we will answer on the basis of what is mentioned in the question.
There is no difference of opinion among the Muslims that leaving a will to help people of sin is not permissible, because Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“…but do not help one another in sin and transgression. And fear Allaah…”
[al-Maa’idah 5:2]
We do not need to prove that houses of worship in which people other than Muslims worship are houses of sin because others are associated with Allah in them and His Prophets are reviled and disbelieved, and the Qur'aan is reviled and mocked; Tawheed is opposed and shirk is supported and promoted; conspiracies are drawn up there against the believers in the Oneness of Allah. Haraam festivals are also held there, and alcohol is drunk, and immoral actions are sometimes committed. These matters are well known.
....
Some of the scholars narrated that there was consensus on this point.
Taqiy al-Deen al-Subki al-Shaafa’i (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
Building a church is haraam according to consensus and the same applies to renovating it. This is what the fuqaha’ said: If a bequest is made to build a church, that bequest is invalid, because building a church is a sin, as is renovating it. It makes no difference whether the one leaving the bequest is a Muslim or a kaafir. End quote.
Fataawa al-Subki, 2/396
Rather the matter is more serious than being a sin; building a place of worship for non-Muslims -- whether this is a church or anything else – implies love of kufr and spreading it, and fighting Tawheed, and encouraging disbelief in the Lord of the Worlds, and this may lead the one who does that to kufr.
Imam Abu’l-Hasan al-Ash’ari (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
Approving of kufr is kufr, and building a church in which Allah is disbelieved is kufr, because it is approving of kufr. End quote.
Al-Furooq by al-Quraafi, 4/124
After that, how can it be said that it is permissible for a Muslim to bequeath any of his wealth to build a church and that this is not a sin? “Glory be to You (O Allaah)! This is a great lie” [al-Noor 24:16].
We ask Allah, may He be exalted, to make Islam and the Muslims prevail and to bring the Muslims back to their religion.
And Allah knows best.
