Peace and blessings be upon you, together with the mercy and blessings of Allah. Your eminence Sheikh! I work in a big company and I have good and respectable relations with many people from different religions and sects (Shi`ites, Christians, …). I will be married soon; and my question is about inviting them to my wedding and whether this involves showing alliance to them. I want to find a solution to this embarrassing problem in a way that conforms to the Shari`ah. Peace be upon you together with the mercy and blessings of Allah.

All praise is due to Allah alone. Peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah. And upon you be peace, together with the mercy and blessings of Allah. With regard to the wedding feast, is it permissible for him to invite those whom he deems as deviating from the truth or those who are not Muslims. The issue is broad if there is a need or necessity to invite these persons – such as to avoid severance of relations, rancor or hatred, or to bring a benefit that will set things aright. The evidence for this is the report mentioned by Ibn Hisham, Ibn Sa`d, and other scholars of the Prophet’s biography that, by the end of the three days he stayed in Mecca to perform `Umrah according to his agreement with Quraysh, men from Quraysh (Ibn `Amer and Ibn `Abd al-`Uzza) came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asking him to leave quickly, according to the agreement. He said to them, “What wrong will fall on you if you allow me to make my wedding among you and to make food to serve you when you attend it.” [Reported by al-Hakim in al-Mustadrak (6796) on the authority of Ibn `Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him)]
This was an invitation from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to the idolatrous people of Mecca to attend the wedding feast he would make because of his marriage to Maymonah (may Allah be pleased with her). This is the basic principle if there is a benefit or need that one should deal with non-Muslims or with persons toward whom he has a particular attitude.

Accordingly, I say that the issue is broad and we have mentioned the evidence. Three opinions were reported from Imam Ahmad concerning this issue, as mentioned in Al-Insaf, and the third one mentions the permissibility of congratulating, offering condolences to non-Muslim, and visiting the sick among the non-Muslims, if there is a benefit from this. This was also chosen by Ibn Taymiyyah. Thus, if there is a benefit, this makes things easier and also allows him to invite these people to his wedding feast without feeling uneasy. Allah knows best.