The Effects of Islamic Religion on Maintaining the Territorial Integrity
(Part 64)
The continuation of the Matter:
Patriotism is Not a Cause for Division
A true believer in Islam is someone who values his homeland and is dependent on it, and it is not allowable to neglect it without excuse. A person, by living in the homeland in which he belongs to, defends it and maintains his citizenship, adheres to the duties assigned for him, and demands his legitimate rights from its rulers. Anyone who claims to belong to the homeland and loves it, must do good deeds for it, strive for its security, economy, growth, and prosperity, and cooperate with its authorities. Patriots of any religion are considered fellow citizens as long as they are not hostile to Islam, and their protection is the duty of the state and the nation, because God, the Almighty forbids believers from fighting those who do not fight them for the sake of religion.
Every person who chooses religion and becomes a Muslim must obey and act on the commands of God, the Almighty and His Messenger – may God bless him and grant him peace. In many hadiths from the Prophet (may God bless him and grant him peace), certain characteristics are attributed to non-believers, some of which are as follows: “He who does not care about Muslims living affairs, does not belong to them, he who deceives or harms a Muslim is not one of us, he who does not show mercy to our young and does not respect the rights of our elders is not one of us, he who calls for fanaticism is not one of us, and he who sleeps full(lives in prosperity) while his neighbor is hungry and knows it, is not one of us.” All of those humanizing words of the Prophet of Islam (may God bless him and grant him peace) are a sign of patriotism and a safe return to the Islamic society. Those who do not observe those issues in society mean that they do not care about their homeland and society, and are considered outside the circles of Muslims and deliberately disrupting the order of society.
It should be noted that love for the homeland should not be incompatible or contrast with worship of God and the spread of religion, because love for the homeland is innate and it is difficult for a person to leave it. God has promised a great reward to someone who has left the homeland for the sake of religion. We must distinguish between true and false affiliations, to religion or nation, and bigotry is one of the most obvious characteristics of false affiliation, whether it is related to race, color, land or nation.