“Muslims are forbidden from being friends with non-Muslims.”
Short answer
The Qur'an instructs kindness and justice toward non-Muslims who are not hostile to Muslims, and Muhammad ﷺ himself maintained respectful relationships with non-Muslim neighbors, relatives, and business partners throughout his life.
This myth is usually based on a narrow reading of a handful of Qur’anic verses cautioning against taking hostile enemies as close allies during specific periods of active conflict in early Islamic history — not a general prohibition on ordinary friendship.
The Qur’an explicitly permits kindness and just dealing with non-Muslims who are not fighting Muslims or expelling them from their homes (60:8), and Muhammad’s ﷺ own life included respectful relationships with non-Muslim relatives, neighbors, and trading partners throughout his life, both before and after he became a prophet.
Muslim communities worldwide, including in Sweden, maintain the same range of everyday friendships, workplace relationships, and neighborly ties across religious lines as anyone else — a lived reality far removed from what this myth suggests.
Related Questions
Still have a question?
No question is too difficult, and no name is required. Ask privately and get a thoughtful, sourced answer.