Ruling on Muslim and Christian students coming together and reciting from the Qur’an and the distorted Gospel, then saying “ameen” to one another’s recitation

It is essential for us to understand that differing from the Jews and Christians, casting away their false beliefs, opposing them for the sake of Allah, and not taking them as close friends are among the basic principles of our religion and important elements of our beliefs. 

Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):

“O you who believe! If you obey a group of those who were given the Scripture (Jews and Christians), they would (indeed) render you disbelievers after you have believed!” [Aal ‘Imraan 3:100]

“O you who believe! Take not the Jews and the Christians as Awliya (friends, protectors, helpers, etc.), they are but Awliya to one another. And if any amongst you takes them as Awliya, then surely he is one of them. Verily, Allah guides not those people who are the Zalimoon (polytheists and wrongdoers and unjust)” [al-Maa’idah 5:51]

“O you who believe! Take not for Awliya (protectors and helpers) those who take your religion for a mockery and fun from among those who received the Scripture (Jews and Christians) before you, nor from among the disbelievers; and fear Allah if you indeed are true believers” [al-Maa’idah 5:57]. 

They wish that we would leave our religion and believe in theirs, and they would not be pleased with anything less than that. 

Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Many of the people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians) wish that if they could turn you away as disbelievers after you have believed, out of envy from their ownselves, even, after the truth (that Muhammad Peace be upon him is Allah’s Messenger) has become manifest unto them” [al-Baqarah 2:109]

“Never will the Jews nor the Christians be pleased with you (O Muhammad Peace be upon him ) till you follow their religion” [al-Baqarah 2:120]. 

Hence Allah has commanded us to differ from them, oppose them and not take them as close friends; indeed He has commanded us to fight them and strive against them until they believe in Allah alone, and give up what they are following of disbelief and misguidance, or pay the jizyah with willing submission. Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Fight against those who believe not in Allah, nor in the Last Day, nor forbid that which has been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, and those who acknowledge not the religion of truth (i.e. Islam) among the people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians), until they pay the Jizyah with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued”

[at-Tawbah 9:29].

“Verily, those who divide their religion and break up into sects (all kinds of religious sects), you (O Muhammad SAW) have no concern in them in the least” [al-An‘aam 6:159]. 

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said: This means that we should disavow them in all things; the one who follows someone else in some of his affairs is like him in that regard. When you say to someone, “You have no concern in that person in the least,” what it means is: you have nothing in common with him at all; rather you disavow him in all his affairs. 

Allah has disavowed His Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) of all their affairs. Therefore whoever truly follows the Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) should also disavow them as he (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) did; and whoever goes along with them is going against the Messenger insofar as he goes along with them.

End quote from Iqtida’ as-Siraat (p. 46-47) 

As part of their false methods and devilish tricks they strive to misguide the children of the Muslims by setting up these missionary schools that they open their own countries or in Muslim countries, and encourage the Muslims to send their children to them, then they target [?] their beliefs and try to turn them away from them, and teach them that they are all people of heavenly books, or that Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) brought the Qur’an and Islam, and ‘Eesa (Jesus – peace be upon him) brought the Gospel and Christianity; so just as there is no difference between Muhammad and ‘Eesa, there is no difference between the followers of the former and the followers of the latter. 

The scholars of the Committee said: 

One of the methods of the Christian missionaries is to Christianize by way of education. They do this either by setting up schools and universities that are openly Christian, or by opening schools that appear to be purely educational from the outside but in fact are a hidden Christian scheme. Many Muslims send their children to those schools, because they want them to learn a foreign language or certain other subjects; after that do not ask about the extent of the opportunity that the Muslims give to the Christians when they give their beloved children to them in childhood or when they are adolescents, when they are most open and receptive to learning, regardless of what is being taught and who is teaching it. 

Experience has shown that health and education in particular are two of the most significant areas through which the Christians reach people’s hearts and minds.

End quote from Fataawa al-Lajnah ad-Daa’imah, 12/302-305 

Allah has forbidden us to sit with the disbelievers who disbelieve in the proof and signs of Allah and make fun of them, until they turn to some other talk. He, may He be glorified, says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And it has already been revealed to you in the Book (this Quran) that when you hear the Verses of Allah being denied and mocked at, then sit not with them, until they engage in a talk other than that; (but if you stayed with them) certainly in that case you would be like them. Surely, Allah will collect the hypocrites and disbelievers all together in Hell” [an-Nisa’ 4:140].

“And when you (Muhammad SAW) see those who engage in a false conversation about Our Verses (of the Quran) by mocking at them, stay away from them till they turn to another topic. And if Shaitan (Satan) causes you to forget, then after the remembrance sit not you in the company of those people who are the Zalimoon (polytheists and wrongdoers, etc.)” [al-An‘aam 6:68]. 

When the Muslim students sit with the Christian students, and the Christians read from their distorted and altered book which contains disbelief and misguidance, and the Muslims listen to them and say ameen to what they say, and accept listening to it and do not object to it, this is one of the worst kinds of misguidance and comes under the heading of approving of disbelief and not condemning it. 

It is essential to inform the guardians of the Muslim students that these missionary schools pose the greatest danger to the belief (‘aqeedah) of their children, because these schools were only established to combat Islam and try to misguide the children of the Muslims. These schools use all kinds of tricks and schemes against the beliefs of the Muslims. Among the things they do are the following:

– Teaching the student to love Christianity and to believe that it is a sound, divinely revealed religion like Islam

– Destroying the belief in al-wala’ wa’l-bara’ (loyalty and friendship vs. disavowal and enmity) in the hearts of Muslim children, and teaching them that Muslims and Christians are brothers, with no differences or enmity between them

– Teaching the students that the Qur’an and the distorted, altered Gospel are both books from Allah; the Qur’an was sent down to the Prophet Muhammad and the Gospel was sent down to his brother ‘Eesa.

– Casting aspersions on the verses of the Qur’an and distorting their meanings, and interpreting the words of Allah falsely.

– Dismantling the barriers between Muslims and Christians, by saying that all are brothers and that differences in religion do not contradict this brotherhood; rather they strengthen it.

– Casting aspersions on the Sunnah and Prophet’s biography (seerah), and upon what is mentioned in them

– Killing the spirit of jihad in the hearts of Muslim children and destroying it altogether.

– Working to weaken the ties between one Muslim and another, and to make the ties between Muslim and Christian stronger.

– Striving to mix pure monotheistic Islamic beliefs with the polytheistic Christian beliefs.

– Striving to change the rulings and laws of Allah, (by saying that) there is nothing wrong with a Christian man marrying a Muslim woman, and there is nothing wrong with changing the religion or apostatising from Islam, and that the Muslim children have nothing to fear from their Christian brothers.

– Depicting Ahl as-Sunnah (Sunnis) who adhere to the religion of Islam as terrorists, butchers and killers who are striving to destroy the country and kill people. 

What we must do is be aware of these Christian institutions and not let Muslim children join them. 

To sum up: 

What is mentioned in the question is reprehensible and contrary to Muslim beliefs, whether the Muslims say ameen to the Christian Gospel or the Christians say ameen to the Qur’an of the Muslims, because this gathering together and saying ameen is done to show that there is no difference between Islam and Christianity, and that the Muslims and Christians are brothers who love one another. This is the essence of syncretism and bringing religions together, and this is what the West has been trying to instil in Muslim hearts and minds for some time, so as to make them give up their religion and their beliefs, and to leave them with nothing to cling to. 

See also the answer to question no. 10213, and 10232 . 

And Allah knows best.