Firstly, Islam is the final religion and law, and it abrogated the religions and laws that came before it. Allah, may He be glorified, does not accept any religion from anyone after the advent of Islam except this religion. Allah Almighty says: “Indeed, the religion in the sight of Allah is Islam.” [Aāl ʽImrān 3:19], and “And whoever desires other than Islam as religion – never will it be accepted from him, and he, in the Hereafter, will be among the losers.” [Aāl ʽImrān 3:85] This is a general principle that cannot be denied, and it is what we owe to Allah.
Secondly, while considering the previous principle, Islam has never and will never force anyone to accept Islam. Islam has given people the freedom of choice. Allah Almighty says: “Say, “O disbelievers, I do not worship what you worship. Nor are you worshippers of what I worship. Nor will I be a worshipper of what you worship. Nor will you be worshippers of what I worship. For you is your religion, and for me is my religion.”” [Al-Kāfirūn 109], “Say, “You will not be asked about what we committed, and we will not be asked about what you do.”” [Sabaʼ 34:25], and “And say, “The truth is from your Lord, so whoever wills – let him believe; and whoever wills – let him disbelieve.”” [Al-Kahf 18:29]
Therefore, it is up to a non-Muslim to worship whatever they choose, and they may also use any means of worship without anyone preventing them from doing so, even if it is a divine religion that has been abrogated by Islam and exists within an Islamic state.
Thirdly, while considering the second principle, it is not permissible for a Muslim to assist or help in any way in building temples or churches for the worship of non-Muslims, neither with physical work nor funding. This is because building such places would be helping their owners to go against the final religion. Imam As-Subkiy reported the consensus among the scholars of the Islamic schools of thought on this matter. Helping in building such places is considered a form of acknowledging the claims of divinity of a man, belief in Trinity, crucifixion, and other matters that conflict with the principles of Islam. As for what is attributed to our great Imam, Abū Ḥanifah, that he said it is permissible to fulfill the will of a Muslim who bequeaths his land or money to a church, it has been rejected by the two companions (Imams Abū Yūsuf and Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥasan) and this is not allowed in our school of thought (the Ḥanafiy school of thought). May Allah be pleased with everyone.
Fourthly, no one can say that this is a way of seeking closeness and harmony. Seeking closeness cannot be at the expense of matters of belief or anything that invalidates the essence of faith. We, as Muslims, are the ones who determine what is permissible in seeking closeness and what is acceptable in dialogue. We do not accept to be obliged or pushed us towards such closeness, as we do not demand that non-Muslims build mosques for us.
Fifthly, the same goes for nightclubs where obscenities are committed such as drinking, dancing, mixing between genders, and indecent exposure, which are not acceptable in Islam. This is considered an aggression against Islamic law. Allah Almighty says: “And cooperate in righteousness and piety, but do not cooperate in sin and aggression.” [Al-Māʼidah 5:1] Muslim narrated a Ḥadīth with its chain of transmission from Abī Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “If anyone summons others to follow right guidance, his reward will be equivalent to those of the people who follow him without their rewards being diminished in any respect on that account; and if anyone summons others to follow error the sin of which he is guilty will be equivalent to those of the people who follow him without their sins’ being diminished in any respect on that account.” Abū Ḥāmid recorded in his book (Bidāyat al-Hidāyah) that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “If anyone assists in a sin even if with a half of a word, he is involved in it.” If this is what is said about a half of a word, what about constructing?
Therefore, it is incumbent upon a Muslim to avoid such matters and to find another means of earning a livelihood. However, if a Muslim is currently involved in such work, they should not abandon it until they find another job to sustain themselves.
Fatwa by Dr. Khālid Naṣr