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Love for one’s nation and country

Answered as per Hanafi Fiqh by Askimam.org

is it allowed to love the own nation? I am a chechen and i love my nation, but also all muslims. I don’t mean nationalism or to sayying “my nation is better than yours”. I mean love, like a person loves his family.

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.

Love for one’s nation and country is natural.[1] Consider the following hadith:

عن امرأة منهم يقال لها فسيلة، قالت: سمعت أبي يقول، سألت النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم، فقلت: يا رسول الله أمن العصبية أن يحب الرجل قومه؟ قال: «لا، ولكن من العصبية أن يعين الرجل قومه على الظلم» (ابن ماجه، باب العصبية)

A woman named Fasilah narrates that she heard her father saying: I asked Nabi sallaAllahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, “O Rasullullah, is love for one’s nation considered chauvinism?” He sallaAllahu ‘alaihi wa sallam replied, “No, chauvinism is partly to help one’s nation in perpetrating injustice” (Ibn Majah) 

However, the important point is how and where to channel the love you have for your nation. True love for one’s nation demands that one wants the best for his nation. He cannot bear seeing his nation unsuccessful. The true success is the success of the hereafter. In Surah Yāsīn, Allah speaks of Habīb Najjār. When his nation denied the message of the Messengers, his love and concern for his nation made him restless. He was aware of the grave consequences of denying the message of Allah.

وَجَاءَ مِنْ أَقْصَى الْمَدِينَةِ رَجُلٌ يَسْعَى قَالَ يَاقَوْمِ اتَّبِعُوا الْمُرْسَلِينَ اتَّبِعُوا مَنْ لَا يَسْأَلُكُمْ أَجْرًا وَهُمْ مُهْتَدُونَ (يس: ٢١-٢٠)

A man (Habib Najjar) from the far end of the city came running. He said, “O my nation! Follow the messengers! Accept the message of those who do not ask for any remuneration and they are guided.” (Yasin: 20-21) 

We advise you to channel your love in the right avenue. Work towards bringing your nation/community towards those practices that will bring them goodness in the hereafter.

And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best

Hisham Dawood

Student Darul Iftaa
Chicago, USA

Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.


[1]

 عن عائشة قالت: كان رسول الله – صلى الله عليه وسلم – يقسم فيعدل، ويقول: “اللهم هذا قسمي فيما أملك، فلا تلمني فيما تملك ولا أملك” قال أبو داود: يعني القلب

This answer was collected from Askimam.org, which is operated under the supervision of Mufti Ebrahim Desai from South Africa.

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