I was a university student, studying medicine. InshaaAllah, I will be graduating soon. We are now facing our final exam. Naturally you will see us busy at the libraries, staying up late, cramming our heads with terms that sometimes we couldn't even pronounce.
It was normal for us to wish each other good luck and pray for each other. Then, when a non-Muslim friend asked me to pray for his success in the exams, it brought me thinking: can I really do that? Being so ever curious, I went and checked with my Islamic lecturer. And this is the gist of his answer...
When I asked him, he quoted this from the Hadeeth:
There is no child who is not born in a state of fitrah (Islam), then his parents make him into a Jew, a Christian or a Magian (Zoroastrian). [Bukhari]
He then explained to me the meaning of this Hadeeth, saying that everyone is born in the state of fitrah, where innocence is ever present in everyone of us. Then as we grow up, our parents and the society around us would teach us the things of the world. If the parents are Muslims, then the child will be brought up the Islamic way, and if they are not, then the child would be brought up in the way if the parents' religion.
Thus, coming back to the question, wishing good luck for a non-Muslim in worldy affairs that do not have anything to do with belief or 'aqeedah is one way of inviting them towards Islam. After all, everything is to the Will of Allah SWT. It is sanctioned for the Muslim to invite them to the good, to advise them and to be patient with them at the same time, be neighborly and polite to them. Muslims are urged to deal with them within Islamic teaching.
The only way you can pray for them is to pray that one day they would see the right path and follow the right way of life: Islam. That is the most priceless prayer of all that you can give them. There is no question that every Muslim should have desire to see everyone embrace Islam and submit to Allah. This desire should be very strong in the heart of the believer. In fact, this was the way of all of the Prophets.
The Prophet SAW also said:
"A Muslim is a brother to a Muslim." [Bukhari and Muslim] A disbeliever, whether he be Jew, Christian, Magian Socialist or whatever, is not a brother to a Muslim. However, one must not harm them, hurt them oppose them without justice and rights to do so, as long as they are not fighting us. At the same time, though, one does not take them as comrades or brothers. If one coincidentally eats with them at a general invitation or specific event, without companionship, loyalty or love for them, then there is no harm in that act.
It is obligatory upon Muslims to deal with disbelievers in an Islamic fashion with proper behavior, as long as they are not fighting the Muslims. One must fulfill one's trusts to them, must not deceive them, must not betray them or lie to them. If there is a discussion or debate between them, one must argue with them in the best manner and be just with them in the dispute. This is in obedience to Allah's SWT Command,
"And argue not with the People of the Scriptures (Jews and Christian) unless it be in a way that is better, except with such of them as do wrong." [Al-Ankaboot: 46]
It is sanctioned for the Muslim to invite them to the good, to advise them and to be patient with them at the same time being neighborly and polite to them. This is so because Allah SWT Says,
"Invite to the way of your Lord with wisdom (of the Qur'an) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better" [An-Nahl: 125]
The Prophet SAW also said:
"The one who guides to good will have the same reward as the one who does that good." [Muslim and others]
One thing you have to remember though, when they were to ask you to pray for them in their religious matters, tell them politely that as a Muslim you cannot pray in such a manner or you just keep silent. However, if it is related to worldly affairs, speak good to them with the intention of inviting them to Islam. Tell them that you would pray for them, and that is enough, for we do not want animosity and fitnah against Islam.
Courtesy of: Noor Azleenhttp://www.mumin.com/index.htm
