Question:
Rashid Ghanem Al-Abd Al-Ghaffar also says: Some people—may Allah guide them—when you command them to fulfill a religious duty, say: ‘For you is your religion, and for me is my religion.’ [al-Kafirun: 6] What is the Muslim’s stance on this?
Answer:
He is truthful in his statement, “For you is your religion, and for me is my religion,” but this does not prevent commanding him to do good and forbidding him from evil, especially compelling him to follow the Sharia if he is bound by it. Indeed, a Muslim is bound by the Sharia, and he did not embrace Islam except that he became bound by the laws of Islam.
If he neglects them and wastes them, he is compelled to [fulfill] them. Therefore, he is coerced into performing the laws of Islam, such as being coerced into fasting, paying Zakat, performing prayer, and performing Hajj, and he is monitored regarding that. Then, if he does not perform it except out of coercion, it is not accepted from him [as an act of voluntary worship], but if he does it for the sake of Allah—Glory be to Him—it is accepted.
The important point is that part of a person’s religion is commanding others to do good and forbidding them from evil. Therefore, if he says, “For you is your religion, and for me is my religion,” I say: Yes, for you is your religion and for me is my religion, but my religion commands me to command you to do good and forbid you from evil, so that is part of my religion.