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Is it permissible for a Muslim or any person to show enmity towards a disbeliever or an atheist, taking into account that every human being has freedom of thought and worship as long as they do not harm or infringe upon the rights of others or the Abrahamic religions?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Islam affirms the rights of non-Muslims. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "Beware! Whoever wrongs a mu'ahid (a non-Muslim living under Muslim protection), or diminishes his rights, or burdens him beyond his capacity, or takes anything from him against his will, then I shall be his adversary on the Day of Resurrection." Among these rights is freedom of religion without compulsion. This does not contradict the doctrine of love for the sake of Allah and hate for the sake of Allah, for a Muslim loves those whom Allah loves and hates those whom He hates. The animosity here is in the sense of hatred for the sake of Allah, and its degrees vary according to the type of disbelief. Some are belligerent, and some are peaceful, whose animosity does not exceed the confines of the heart. This hatred does not prevent justice and righteousness towards them, as Allah Almighty says: "Allah does not forbid you from those who do not fight you because of religion and do not expel you from your homes - from being righteous toward them and acting justly toward them. Indeed, Allah loves those who act justly."

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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