Surah al-Baqarah, Ayah 120.

“Never will the Jews and Christians be pleased with you until you follow their way.” [Surah al-Baqarah, Ayah 120]

This is their actual problem. They do not lack the clear proofs. Nor do they lack convincing arguments from you that you are upon the truth and that what has come to you from your Lord is the truth. You can present to them whatever you wish, and you can be kind to them as much as you want, but none of this will please them in the least. They will be pleased by one thing and one thing only: that you follow their ways and abandon what you are upon of the truth. It is this eternal belief whose confirmation we see in every time and place… it is this belief that is the essence and reality of the battle that the Jews and Christians are inciting against the Muslim group in every land and in every era.

It is the battle of belief that has reared its head, between the camp of Islam and these two that occasionally differ and quarrel between each other. They differ in secondary aspects of the same creed that is common between them. But when it comes to fighting Islam and the Muslimeen, they are always in complete agreement. Verily, it is the battle of beliefs, in its essence and reality. However, the two camps that are in enmity towards Islam and the Muslimeen employ various names to this battle, and they raise above it various banners – all out of evil deceit.

They experienced the zeal of the Muslimeen towards their deen and belief when they faced them under the banner of ‘aqeedah. As a result, the stubborn enemies changed the banner of the fight. They no longer announce it as a battle in the name of belief – which is what it really is – out of fear of the surging zeal that would be evoked if they did so. Rather, they announce it in the name of land, economics, politics, military bases, etc., and they throw into the minds of the heedless ones among us that the issue of belief has become a thing of the past, having no relevance today, and that we should not raise a banner and fight in its name!

This is the characteristic of these idiotic blind followers. They do all of this to protect themselves from the surging zeal that would be unleashed for the sake of this belief, even though – between themselves – the international Zionists, Crusaders, and Communists all plot this battle first and foremost to destroy this solid boulder that they have been nudging for a long time, and which will destroy them all in the end. Verily, it is a battle of beliefs. It is not a battle over land, crops, military bases, or any of these other empty banners. They impose these concepts on us out of an ulterior motive: in order to deceive and distract us from the reality and nature of the battle. So if we are deceived by this deception of theirs, and we distance ourselves from Allah’s guiding of His prophet (saws) and ummah in this regard, then we have nobody to blame but ourselves, as He is the most truthful of speakers.

“And never will the Jews and Christians be pleased with you until you follow their way.”

And so this is the only price that they are willing to accept. Anything else will be rejected and pushed back.

[Author: Sayyid Qutb - Source: Fee Dhilaal al-Quraan]