Disavowal of Disbelievers And Need for Safeguarding Religion
But why should the Islamic society disassociate from disbelievers?
This is what Hani Chitchian, a member of the Quran and Etrat School of the University of Tehran, discussed in the eighth session in a series on Surah At-Tawbah. Following are excerpts from his remarks in the session:
Bar’aat means staying away, being free from, and disassociating from disbelievers. It is a major principle in different Fiqhi (jurisprudential) schools. What should the Islamic society seek Bara’at? It is because the Islamic society wants to confront Shirk (polytheism).
The historical background of Surah At-Tawbah is this: The Conquest of Mecca has taken place with Islam having conquered the center of Kufr (disbelief) without shedding any blood. Because the religion does not want to force people to become Muslim, it allows the disbelievers to continue living their life provided that they obey the laws of the Islamic society.
The Islamic society seeks to pave the way for guidance and if it has conquered Mecca, it is with the aim of guiding people.
One of the reasons for Bara’at is that according to the law of Islam, pilgrims were required to do the Tawaf (circumambulating the Ka’aba) with Hijab but the disbelievers broke their promise and did not follow this rule. Hence the order of Bara’at was sent: “An acquittal from Allah and His Messenger to the idolaters with whom you have made agreements.” (Verse 1)
But what happened that they failed to act on their promise? The declaration of Bara’at could have been made at the beginning. Why did it happen after two years? Because Islam did not want to force them out of town right away. The appearances of the Islamic society should be protected. It is not acceptable that the Islamic society gets harmed because the disbelievers do not want to fulfil their promise. So there is no other option than Bara’at.
In the Islamic society, behaviors that run counter to divine orders should not be normalized. The religious government has no other objective than guidance. And this guidance is not with compulsion but should be through the choice of heart. The free will and freedom of nations are not things that governments can give people but they are people’s rights.
The order of Bara’at is for those who do not want to respect the laws of the Islamic society. When the Islamic society is formed, it is upon the Islamic government to protect all laws.
