What is the criterion of taqiyyah [dissimulation]?

Reply: Taqiyyah means concealing one’s conviction and faith from the enemies to avoid worldly, spiritual or religious harms, and it is one of the religious obligations of every Muslim on which the Holy Qur’an emphasizes.

Taqiyyah from the Qur’anic viewpoint   

The Glorious Qur’an has referred to this obligation in many verses. Here are some of them:

﴿ لاَّ يَتَّخِذِ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ الْكَافِرِينَ أَوْلِيَاء مِن دُوْنِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَمَن يَفْعَلْ ذَلِكَ فَلَيْسَ مِنَ اللّهِ فِي شَيْءٍ إِلاَّ أَن تَتَّقُواْ مِنْهُمْ تُقَاةً ﴾

“The faithful should not take the faithless for allies instead of the faithful, and whoever does that Allah will have nothing to do with him, except when you are wary of them out of caution.”[1]

This verse vividly testifies to the fact that friendship with the infidels is not permissible. But, in case of dissimulation [taqiyyah], i.e. when one intends to save his life or parry dangers, then outward friendship and concordance with them is permissible.

﴿ مَن كَفَرَ بِاللّهِ مِن بَعْدِ إيمَانِهِ إِلاَّ مَنْ أُكْرِهَ وَقَلْبُهُ مُطْمَئِنٌّ بِالإِيمَانِ وَلَـكِن مَّن شَرَحَ بِالْكُفْرِ صَدْرًا فَعَلَيْهِمْ غَضَبٌ مِّنَ اللّهِ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌ ﴾

“Whoever renounces faith in Allah after [affirming] his faith—barring someone who is compelled while his heart is at rest in faith—but those who open up their breasts to unfaith, upon such shall be Allah’s wrath, and there is a great punishment for them.”[2]

Regarding the circumstances surrounding the revelation of this verse, the exegetes [mufassirūn] thus say:

One day, ‘Ammār ibn Yāsir, his father and his mother were captured by the enemies and the infidels asked them to renounce Islam and acknowledge disbelief [kufr] and polytheism [shirk]. All those who were with ‘Ammār bore witness to the Oneness of God and the prophethood of the Holy Prophet (ṣ). Therefore, some of them attained martyrdom while others were tortured by the enemies. In order to avoid the enemies’ torture, ‘Ammār uttered what the infidels wanted him to utter, and so, he was freed.

When he met the Messenger of Allah (ṣ) he was very regretful and dejected for what he had said. So, the Holy Prophet (ṣ) comforted him and then the aforementioned verse was revealed.[3]

From this verse and statements of exegetes, it becomes clear that hiding one’s inner conviction for the sake of saving his life and avoiding material and non-material harms was practiced during the time of the Prophet (ṣ) and so it is acceptable in Islam.