Oppressing the Non-Muslims-Muhammad bin Salih al-Uthaymeen

The Shaykh mentions:

‘If a questioner asks: is the wealth of the non-Muslim who lives in the land of the Muslims permissible for us to take?

The answer is: that the wealth and blood of the non-Muslim who lives in the Muslim lands under contract, are not permissible for us to take, so much so that the Prophet -sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam – said: ‘Whoever kills a non-Muslim who lives in the Muslim lands under contract will not smell the fragrance of Paradise.’ [Collected by Bukhari in Kitab al-Jizeeyah]
We ask Allaah for goodness.

By this we come to know the enmity, oppression and misguidance of those deceived ones, who transgress upon the wealth of the non-Muslims who have a contract with the Muslims. This is whether that non-Muslim is in your (Muslim country) or he has a contract with the Muslims, or that you are in his country.

Indeed we hear from some of those who live in the non-Muslims lands, who say: there is no problem with spoiling the wealth of these non-Muslims, so you find them destroying street lights, shops and cars, and this is impermissible for them – SubhanAllaah – these people have embraced you, you have a contract with them, they have not agreed to a contract with your laws, and with that you deceive them. This is the worst type of defamation of Islaam and criticism of Islaam.

In reality the criticism here and defamation is not for Islaam rather it is these people who attribute themselves to Islaam. This is why it is obligatory for us to know that the wealth of those who have contracts with the Muslims is forbidden. Whether they are those who have a contract with you or you have a contract with them, it is not permissible to transgress upon them because that is oppression.’

[Taken from ‘Sharh al-Arbaeen an-Nawawi’ – Shaykh Muhammad bin Salih al-Uthaymeen p.269-270 Hadeeth No.24]