God Almighty says in the Holy Qur'an: "Let there be no
compulsion in religion; Truth stands out clear from error"
Chapter 2: Verse 256.
So, Islam teaches us to respect the human right to believe
what they choose to believe.
But did Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) excercise
what he preached?
Let's see...
In his Capital, Medina, Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon
him), after establishing
his authority over the whole of Arabia, received a
Christian delegation from Najran, in southern Arabia. He
discussed religious matters with them.
He tried to convince them that God was only One, not three
in one or
one in three. He, also, tried to convince them that the
Messiah Jesus (peace be upon him) was not God.
But they refused to accept!
After heated discussions for three days and three nights,
what did Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) do? Did he
order their heads to be chopped off?!
No! He didn't.
Instead, he granted them the FREEDOM to believe and
worship as they wanted.
All that he required was that they, as citizens of the
state, had to pay taxes to the central government in
Medina, like
everyone else - Muslims paid higher taxes by the way!
They went back to Najran unharmed.
This is only one of many instances in the life of Prophet
Muhammed (peace be upon him) where it shows his belief in
people's right to believe as they choose, even when they
disagree with him.
One thing you should know is that our differences in faith
matters should be no problem at all!
After all, it is God Who gave us free will to choose.
Naturally, free will breeds different choices for
different people.
So, no problem whatsoever in differing as long as we
address our differences with MUTUAL RESPECT.
Salam (=Peace) :)
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