Are 'Wahhabis' a Dangerous and Treacherous People?

Shaykh Muhammad Ibn Saalih al-'Uthaymeen of Unaiza, Saudi Arabia, also affirms this orthodox belief. Prior to his passing away, he gave some advice to a Salafi community in the British city of Birmingham, via tele-link from Saudi Arabia. Speaking about several different topics, he had the following advice for the Salafi youth of Great Britain regarding interaction between Muslims and non-Muslims:

"...Likewise I invite you to have respect for those people who have the right that they should be respected, from those between you and whom there is an agreement. For the land in which you are living is such that there is an agreement between you and them. If this were not the case, they would have killed you or expelled you. So preserve this agreement, and do not prove treacherous to it, since treachery is a sign of the hypocrites, and it is not from the way of the Believers.

And know that it is authentically reported from the Prophet that he said, "Whoever kills one who is under an agreement of protection will not smell the fragrance of Paradise."

Do not be deceived by the sayings of the foolish people who say, 'Those people are not Muslims, so their wealth is lawful for us.' For I swear by Allah - this is a lie; a lie about Allah's Religion, and a lie that Islamic societies (hold this to be true).

So we may not say that it is lawful to be treacherous towards people whom we have an agreement with. O my brothers. O youth. O Muslims. Be truthful in your buying and selling, and renting, and leasing, and in all mutual transactions. Because truthfulness is from the characteristics of the Believers, and Allah - the Most High - has commanded truthfulness,

"O you who believe - keep your duty to Allah,
and be with the truthful."

And the Prophet encouraged truthfulness and said, "Adhere to truthfulness, because truthfulness leads to goodness, and goodness leads to Paradise; and a person will continue to be truthful, and strive to be truthful, until he will be written down with Allah as a truthful person."

And he warned against falsehood, and said, "Beware of falsehood, because falsehood leads to wickedness, and wickedness leads to the Fire. And a person will continue lying and striving to lie until he is written down with Allah as a great liar."

O my brother Muslims. O youth. Be true in your sayings with your brothers, and with those non-Muslims whom you live along with - so that by your actions, you will be inviters to the religion of Islam - in reality. And indeed, how many people first entered into Islam because of the behaviour and manners of the Muslims, and their truthfulness, and their being true in their dealings."

- abridged from the book: The 'Wahhabi' Myth

al-Bukhaaree (no. 3166)

Regarding dealings with non-Muslims, Allah said:

"Allah does not forbid you to deal justly and kindly with those who fought not against you on account of religion and did not drive you out of your homes. Verily, Allah loves those who are just." (Quran 60:8)

Quran 9:119

al-Albaanee, Saheeh al-Jaami' as-Sagheer (no. 4071)

Shaykh al-'Uthaymeen on Interacting With non-Muslims in Western Countries, Tele-link (28th July 2000, Birmingham UK); Article ID : LSC010001 (www.salafipublications.com).