Sheikh Faisal Mawlawi, deputy chairman of European Council for Fatwa and Research states the following: “Allah Almighty created human beings and joined them together with various ties through which they meet and regulate their life affairs. Among these ties are:
Bond of Humanity:
This is what connects man with his fellow men on earth for they all descend from Adam and they are all human beings.
That is why many verses in the Glorious Qur’an addresses people in general with the words “O people…” . The word “people” is repeated more than two hundreds times in the Qur’an, in addition to so many terms which express the unity of mankind and refer to that relationship which we call humanity bond. Every Man on earth feels this bond towards the others. As Muslims, this relationship imposed on us certain duties and rights,
Bond of Nationality:
This is a bit stronger than the previous bond. Man has close relationship with his people, for he lives with them, speaks their language, share with them mutual interests and various common divisions. There is no doubt that this bond has a great effect upon people. This explains why the term “Nation” is mentioned in the Qur’an more than three hundreds and forty times.
Family Ties:
This form of relationship is of three circles:
The first circle includes parents, children, wife and those who live with them in the same house. The second circle is of the relatives on the maternal side while the third covers all relatives belonging to the same root, i.e. from the same great grandfather.
This bond of relationship has a great impact on the life of every person, that is why it’s subject to many rules with which the Shari`ah aims at regulating man’s life, giving him guidance on how he should treat his parents, wife, sons, as well as the rules of inheritance…etc.
Bond of Mutual Interest and Benefits:
This form of relationship exists between people of common interests and goals which each of them will like to preserve. The example of this is establishment of association grouping people working in the same field, such as lawyers, doctors, engineering…etc.
Link of Nationality or Citizenship:
Whoever resides in another country develops some sort of link and bond attaching him/her to that country. This applies, for instance, to a Muslim settling in a non-Muslim country, or a Christian (or any non-Muslim) living in a Muslim country. But we have to emphasize that this relationship may take a new form if a person experiences maltreatment, hatred and torture in that country, which happens to be his place of residence.
Islamic Ties:
This is what links Muslims together. Anyone who testifies that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon Him, is His Messenger is qualified to enter into this circle. This bond surpasses all other bonds that exist between human beings, yet it does not nullify them, as some people mistakenly believe, for Allah Almighty says: “Say: If your fathers, and your sons, and your brethren, and your wives, and your tribe, and the wealth ye have acquired, and merchandise for which ye fear that there will no sale, and dwellings ye desire are dearer to you than Allah and His messenger and striving in His way: then wait till Allah bringeth His command to pass. Allah guideth not wrongdoing folk.” (At-Tauba: 24)
In his comment on this verse, Qurtubi says “This verse indicates that loving Allah and His Messenger is obligatory, and this love should take high priority over other affections.” There is no dispute concerning this issue, but this does not mean that loving Allah and His Messenger nullifies other kinds of love and affection, rather it surpasses them all.
Thus, those forms of relationships mentioned in the verse quoted above necessarily bring about certain affections as man interacts with other members of human race; he could either love or hate them with different degrees. Love could reach its highest or lowest degree and so does hatred.”