Are the Unbelievers of India Harbis or Dhimmis? Dripping Water into the Mouth of a Dying Harbi

Question

Question: Are the unbelievers of Hind musta’mins (those who enter under a guarantee of safety), dhimmis (subjects of a Muslim state) or harbis (belligerent unbelievers)? Is it permissible according to the Shari‘a to give alms to a harbi unbeliever who is a beggar? And what is the ruling of the Shari‘a on dripping a few drops of water into the mouth of a dying harbi unbeliever, thinking that to be of help at such a hard moment is a human and moral duty?

Answer

A musta’min is one who is a national of another state and comes to dar al-Islam having obtained a guarantee of safety (aman). A dhimmi is one who lives as a subject in a Muslim state. It is evident that the unbelievers of India do not fall into either of these two categories. A harbi is one who is engaged in war; but this too is not the condition of every unbeliever here.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

Preview. The full text opens with JavaScript enabled.