The Sword of Ambition. 'Uthman ibn Ibrahim al-Nabulusi

thirteenth section: a calculated stratagem carried out by a Christian against his Jewish associate, a shocking act that only someone belonging to that accursed community would dare to commit;

      The fourteenth section: the disgraceful things they did in the days of al-ʿĀḍid, when al-Malik al-Ṣāliḥ Ṭalāʾiʿ ibn Ruzzīk was sultan;

      The fifteenth section: why it is that, when one of them converts to Islam due to some predicament or calamity, he becomes even more miserable and duplicitous than before, less trustworthy and more insolent.

      0.5

      The third chapter, a description of secretaries and their art, in three sections:

      The first section: a description of the secretarial art, with an account of certain unworthy men who have pretended to it and thereby occupied themselves with its sublime offices;

      The second section: an account of those men who may properly be called secretaries, along with some of their achievements and examples of their prose, though it be but a single phrase to demonstrate the excellence of each one;

      The third section: examples of the poetry produced by the most excellent secretaries, though it be but a single line.

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      The fourth chapter, an account of the ignorant men who have unworthily donned the garments of the secretaries, in three sections:

      The first section: poetry composed about such men in former and more recent times;

      The second section: concerning the vulgarity of their expression and their ignorance;

      The third section, from which the book gets its title: what should be done with them, namely, taking back the wealth that they have skimmed for themselves from public funds properly belonging to the Muslims.

      THE FIRST CHAPTER, ON THE REPREHENSIBILITY OF EMPLOYING DHIMMIS FOR THE MUSLIMS’ JOBS, IN FIFTEEN SECTIONS

THE FIRST SECTION: THE TESTIMONY OF THE ILLUSTRIOUS BOOK

      1.1.1

      God, be He glorified and exalted, said in his Illustrious Book—«falsehood comes not to it from before it nor from behind it»⁵—«Thou seest many of them making unbelievers their friends. Evil is what they have forwarded to their own account, that God is angered against them, and in the chastisement they shall dwell forever. Yet had they believed in God and the Prophet and what has been sent down to him, they would not have taken them as friends.»⁶

      1.1.2

      My own view is that God, be He glorified, informs us in this verse that the person who makes unbelievers his friends provokes God’s anger. In acting thus that person has indeed forwarded evil to his own account. The broader meaning of the verse is that whoever takes them as his friends is not really a believer in God or in his Prophet and what was revealed to him. For what peril could be graver than for unbelievers to gain control over the Muslims’ own administration, or that they should be entrusted with the properties that rightfully belong to the Lord of the Worlds?

      1.1.3

      God, be He glorified and exalted, said, «O believers, take not Jews and Christians as friends; they are friends of each other. Whoso of you makes them his friends is one of them.»⁷ This verse clearly demonstrates that it is reprehensible to employ them. In fact, it is even more explicit in this regard than the previous verse.

      1.1.4

      God, be He glorified and exalted, said, «O believers, take not my enemy and your enemy for friends, offering them love, though they have disbelieved in the truth that has come to you.»⁸ This statement by itself contains sufficient evidence to prove the point. Thus Muslim jurists are justified in citing these noble verses to show that it is forbidden to employ non-Muslims, according to the text of Revelation itself. I would add, too, that the introduction to the book I presented to the noble government—the one entitled The Qurʾan’s Assurance of Victory over Those Who Seek Aid from the Infidels of this Age—contains demonstration enough to this effect. There is no need to repeat it here.⁹

THE SECOND SECTION: THE EXAMPLE OF THE MESSENGER OF GOD

      1.2.1

      I would recount here how it is told that the Messenger of God, God bless and keep him, went out to fight the Battle of Badr with a very small force: three hundred and thirteen men, only two of them mounted. The infidels arrayed against them were many times their number, a great multitude of horses and men. On that day a certain polytheist followed the Prophet as he was going out to battle and said to him, “I want to follow you and raid with you.” The Prophet asked, “Do you believe in God and his Messenger?” “No,” he replied. The Prophet said, “Then go back, for I will not accept the aid of a polytheist.” The man, however, caught up to him again at another place. The Companions of the Messenger of God, God bless and keep him, saw the man and gave him encouragement, for he was powerful, full of bravery and vigor. He said to the Prophet, “Messenger of God, I have come to follow you and raid with you.” The Prophet asked, “Do you believe in God and his Messenger?” “No,” he replied. “Then go back,” the Prophet said, “for I will not accept the aid of a polytheist.” After this he caught up to him once more upon the heights of al-Baydāʾ. He said to him, as he had before, “Messenger of God, I have come to follow you and raid with you.” “Do you believe in God and his Messenger?” the Prophet asked. “Yes,” he replied. Only after he had converted did the Prophet accept his aid.¹⁰ This is strong evidence that can be relied upon to show that the aid of polytheists is not to be accepted.

THE THIRD SECTION: THE TESTIMONY OF THE ANCIENT AUTHORITIES

      1.3.1

      Here I would observe that people of wisdom, learning, reason, and virtue have always urged that aid be sought from friends who are sincere and honest. The same authorities have, by contrast, cautioned against trusting enemies. One after another, from age to age, they have consistently advised against accepting enemies’ aid and submitting to their power.

      1.3.2

      One such authority has said the following concerning this issue: “He who seeks aid from his enemy while neglecting his friend only troubles his heart and angers his Lord. His wealth is dissipated, his affairs disturbed, his future endangered, and his deeds imperiled.” A Muslim authority has said, “How astonishing it is that a believer should employ an infidel who disagrees with his views and opposes him in his religion and creed.” Another has said, “How utterly astonishing that a man should discard a believing friend who is intelligent and capable while placing boundless confidence in an infidel enemy who is ignorant.” Another has said, “Do not choose to raise up someone who disagrees with you in religion, and do not employ someone who is devoid of conviction.” A certain authority has said, “He who relies upon men skilled in wickedness will not lack for unsound advice.” Another has said, “No one astounds me more than a person who relies upon an enemy from whom no good can be hoped and no evil prevented.” Another has said, “There is no harm greater than accepting the testimony of someone who bears false witness, or more dire than trusting someone who means no good in what he devises.”¹¹

      1.3.3

      A certain Muslim authority has said, “There are four kinds of people who get no justice from four others: a noble person from a lowly one; a rightly guided person from an erring one; a righteous person from a sinner; a fair person from a tyrant.” Observe that the Muslim is noble, the infidel lowly; the Muslim is rightly guided, the infidel errant; the Muslim is righteous, the infidel a sinner; the Muslim is fair, the infidel a tyrant. Another has said, “The Muslim has four traits that exist in no one else: proper integrity, abundant fairness, graciousness toward pious people, and fairness toward Muslims. The unbeliever, too, has four traits: scant devotion to religion, abundant perfidy, guile toward Muslims, and ill-treatment of pious people.”

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