and a covenant to protect and support them, on condition that they pay the jizyah.

This existed when Islam was strong and dominant. As for today, it does not exist—unless Allah wills for it to exist in the future. If the People of the Covenant ask to pray for rain separately from the Muslims, differing in location but not in the day, there is no objection to this. For example, they might say, “We will go out to the north of the town, and you to the south.” In that case, we grant them this, even though their prayer is invalid and their supplication is invalid. Yet when one in dire need calls upon his Lord, He answers his supplication, even if he is a polytheist—even if Allah knows that he will commit shirk after being saved. As Allah Most High says:

“When they board a ship, they call upon Allah, sincere to Him in religion. But when He delivers them safely to land, behold, they associate others with Him.” [al-‘Ankabut]

Thus, Allah saves them, because He answers the supplication of one in dire need, even if he is an unbeliever.

Therefore, we do not prevent them from separating from us in location, but not from separating in the day. If they were to say, “We wish to have a separate day—Sunday for us and Monday for you,” or the reverse, we would not agree to this, for perhaps rain would fall on the day on which they prayed for rain, and this would become a tribulation, such that it would be said, “They are upon the truth.”

The same applies to the people of religious innovation. If they ask to be separate from us in location, they are permitted to do so; but if they ask to be separate in time, we prevent them. For if we prevent the People of the Covenant despite the manifest nature of their unbelief, then preventing the people of religious innovation is all the more warranted.

Thus, if a group of Sufis or Rafidah were to come to us and say, “We wish to pray for rain on Monday, while you do so on Sunday,” we would say: “No.”