'Ali al-Timimi
Indeed, the Prophet sallallaahu `alaihi wa sallam told us in a hadeth in Saheeh Muslim, as reported by Abu Huraira, there is not a single Jew or Christian from this Ummah, meaning from those ppl the Prophet sallallaahu `alaihi wa sallam was sent to and, as we all know, the Prophet sallallaahu `alaihi wa sallam ws sent to all of humanity and indeed the jinns from his time until the last day because there is no Prophet after him. This is all the Prophet’s sallallaahu `alaihi wa sallam Ummah.
Every single human being whether he is an Arab or a non-Arab, whether he is black or white, indeed the jinns who are not human beings, are another species that Allaah created, we are all part of the ummah of the Prophet Muhammad sallallaahu `alaihi wa sallam in the sense we are ummah of his da`wah, who he should give da`wah to.
Those who accept the call, those who say "laa ilaaha ill Allaah Muhammadur-Rasoolullaah" are the ummah of response. So when the title of the conference says "one Ummah", it doesn’t mean unifying the ummah of the da`wah, it means unifying the ummah who responded to the call. But in this hadeeth the Prophet sallallaahu `alaihi wa sallam is talking about which ummah? Ummah of da`wah, and that is why he said in the hadeeth, "there is not a single Jew or Christian from this ummah." Jews and Christians haven’t responded to the call, that is why they are Jews and Christians.
What did the Prophet sallallaahu `alaihi wa sallam say? "Who hears about me and does not believe in what I have been sent with, except he will be from the inhabitants of the Hellfire." This is a very strong hadeth because it shows that these Jews and Christians even if you were to imagine that they were upon the true religion that Allaah sent to the Prophet Moses and upon the true religion that Allaah sent to the Prophet `Eesaa, `alayhimas salam, that they had in their hands the true copy of Torah or the true copy of Injeel (Gospel), they would not enter in the Paradise if they heard about Muhammad sallallaahu `alaihi wa sallam until they believe in him because he is their Prophet.
So therefore a Christian who comes and says, well, I dont believe in trinity and I recognize the Gospel has been perverted, but I dont want to belive in Muhammad, will that benefit him anything? No, it won’t benefit him anything. And likewise the Jew who says i believe in jesus that he was truly the Messiah and I recognize that the Old and the New Testament have been corrupted and I only worship One God, I don’t make shirk. Will that benefit him anything, if he has heard about the Prophet Muhammad sallallaahu `alaihi wa sallam? No, because as we mentioned in the beginning, faith must be in all the Messengers and faith must be in all the Scriptures.
Look what the Prophet sallallaahu `alaihi wa sallam said, "if he heard about me", meaning that Jew or Christian who is upon his true religion and has never heard of the Prophet Muhammad sallallaahu `alaihi wa sallam, Allaah is not going to hold a preson responsible for what he cannot be capable of, but those Jews and Christians who heard about the prophet Muhammd sallallaahu `alaihi wa sallam and remained upon these perverted religions, they are perverted by their own hands. Because when Allaah sent it down from the Heavens it was pure. It will not be accepted of him and they’ll be inhabitants in the Hellfire.
So this a very serious hadeeth and that is why the Prophet sallallaahu `alaihi wa sallam was commanded to fight all of mankind, as reported in the hadeeth of Saheeh al-Bukhaaree and Saheeh Muslim, until they testify that there is none worthy of worship but Allaah, and they believe in what he came with. And the Prophet Muhammad sallallaahu `alaihi wa sallam described his message saying that he was sent before the hands of the hour with a sword in his hand [as reported in Musnad Ahmad and others, upon Ibn `Umar]. A sword in his hand why?
To worship Allaah alone. And Allaah subhaanahu wa ta`aalaa gave him his sustenance from the shadow cast by his spear [as reported in the same hadeeth]. In other words, when the disbeliever see him this is by his spear, they run and they leave their possessions and this is his, for the Prophet sallallaahu `alaihi wa sallam to distribute. This is known as al-fai’ in the Islaamic terminology, what they have left behind. And likewise that whoever goes against his command will be humiliated and the hadeeth continues and whoever resembles people is from them [the same hadeeth].
So the point is that part of our faith is that Jews and Christians are disbelievers and that is why Allaah subhaanahu wa ta`aalaa says in soorat at-Taubah, the ninth soorah,
"Fight those [this verse is directedy basily against the Christians] of the People of the Scripture who do not belive in Allaah and the Last Day and do not forbid what Allaah has forbidden and they do not follow the true religion from those given of the scripture, until they give jizya [i.e. until they are willing to sumbit to the Islaamic state] and they are in a state of humiliation" [see 9:29].
What does this verse mean? Allaah says fight those who do not believe in Allaah, in the sense that they do no longer believe in Allaah’s tauheed and no one can say now that the Christian believes in Allaah's tauheed when he says there is a trinity. How can he believe in Allaah’s tauheed? And Allaah in the Quran has said, they have disbelieved because they said the Messiah is a son of Allaah and they have disbelieved because they said Allaah is one of three so they dont believe in Allaah.
