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In
the Qur’an, Allah commands believers to
[Be
upholders of justice, bearing witness for Allah alone, even against
yourselves or your parents and relatives. Whether they are rich or
poor, Allah is well able to look after them. Do not follow your own
desires and deviate from the truth. ]
(An-Nisaa’ 4:135)
With
the rules he imposed on Muslims, his just and tolerant attitude
towards those of other religions, languages, races, and tribes, and
his way of not discriminating between rich and poor, but treating
everybody equally, Allah’s Messenger (peace and blessings be upon
him) is a great example to all of mankind.
Allah
says this to His Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in one
verse,
[They
are people who listen to lies and consume ill-gotten gains. If they
come to you, you can either judge between them or turn away from
them. If you turn away from them, they cannot harm you in any way.
But if you do judge, judge between them justly. Allah loves the
just.] (Al-Ma’idah 5:42)
The
Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) abided by Allah’s
commands, even with such difficult people, and never made any
concessions in his implementation of justice. He became an example
for all times with the words
[My Lord has commanded justice]
(Al-A`raf 8:29).
A
number of incidents testify to the Prophet’s justice. He lived in
a place where people of different religions, languages, races, and
tribes all coexisted. It was very difficult for those societies to
live together in peace and security and check those who sought to
spread dissension. One group could become aggressive towards and
even attack another over the slightest word or action. Yet, the
justice of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was a
source of peace and security for those other communities, just as
much as it was for Muslims. During the time of the Prophet (peace
and blessings be upon him), Christians, Jews, and pagans were all
treated equally. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)
abided by the verse
[There is no compulsion where the religion is
concerned] (Al-Baqarah 2:256), explaining the true religion to
everyone, but leaving them free to make up their own minds.
In
another verse, Allah revealed to the Prophet (peace and blessings be
upon him) the kind of justice and conciliation he needed to adopt
towards those of other religions:
[So
call and go straight as you have been ordered to. Do not follow
their whims and desires but say, “I believe in a Book sent down by
Allah and I am ordered to be just between you. Allah is our Lord and
your Lord. We have our actions and you have your actions. There is
no debate between us and you. Allah will gather us all together. He
is our final destination.] (Ash-Shura 42:15)
This
noble attitude of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him),
being in total harmony with the morality of the Qur’an, should be
taken as an example of how members of different religions today
should be treated.
The
Prophet’s justice brought about understanding between people of
different races. In many of his addresses, even in his final sermon,
the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) stated that
superiority lay not in race, but in godliness, as Allah states in
the verse
[Mankind!
We created you from a male and female, and made you into peoples and
tribes so that you might come to know each other. The noblest among
you in Allah’s sight is that one of you who best performs his
duty. Allah is All-Knowing, All-Aware.] (Al-Hujurat 49:13)
Two
hadiths report that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)
said,
“You
are sons of Adam, and Adam came from dust. Let the people cease to
boast about their ancestors.” (Abu Dawud)
“These
genealogies of yours are not a reason to revile anyone. You are all
children of Adam. No one has any superiority over another except in
religion and taqwa (godliness).” (Ahmad)
During
his final sermon, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)
called on Muslims in the following terms:
“There
is no superiority for an Arab over a non-Arab and for a non-Arab
over an Arab; or for white over the black or for the black over the
white except in piety. Verily the noblest among you is he who is the
most pious.”
The
agreement that was made with the Christians of Najran in the south
of the Arabian Peninsula
was another fine example of the justice of the Prophet (peace and
blessings be upon him). One of the articles in the agreement reads,
The
lives of the people of Najran and its surrounding area, their
religion, their land, property, cattle, and those of them who are
present or absent, their messengers and their places of worship are
under the protection of Allah and guardianship of His Prophet.
The
Compact of Madinah, signed by the Muslim immigrants from Makkah, the
indigenous Muslims of Madinah, and the Jews of Madinah is another
important example of justice. As a result of this constitution,
which established justice between communities with differing beliefs
and ensured the protection of their various interests, long years of
enmity were brought to an end. One of the most outstanding features
of the treaty is the freedom of belief it established. The relevant
article reads
The
Jews of Banu `Awf are one nation with the Muslims; the Jews have
their religion and the Muslims have theirs.
Article
16 of the treaty reads,
The
Jew who follows us is surely entitled to our support and the same
equal rights as any one of us. He shall not be wronged nor his enemy
be assisted.
The
Prophet’s Companions remained true to that article in the treaty,
even after his death, and they even practiced it with regard to
Berbers, Buddhists, Brahmans, and people of other beliefs.
One
of the main reasons why the golden age of Islam was one of peace and
security was the Prophet’s just attitude, itself a reflection of
Qur’anic morality.
The
justice of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) also awoke
feelings of confidence in non-Muslims, and many, including
polytheists, asked to be taken under his protection. Allah revealed
the following request from the polytheists in the Qur’an, and also
told the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) of the attitude
he should adopt towards such people.
[If
any of the idolaters ask you for protection, give them protection
until they have heard the words of Allah. Then convey them to a
place where they are safe. That is because they are a people who do
not know. How could any of the idolaters possibly have a treaty with
Allah and with His Messenger, except for those you made a treaty
with at the Masjid al-Haram? As long as they are straight with you,
be straight with them. Allah loves those who do their duty.]
(At-Tawbah 9:6-7)
In
our day, the only solution to the fighting and conflict going on all
over the world is to adopt the morality of the Qur’an, and, like
the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), never to depart from
the path of justice, making no distinction between different
religions, languages, or races.
*
Taken with kind permission from The Prophet Muhammad by Harun
Yahya, with slight modifications.
**
Harun Yahya was born in Ankara in 1956. He studied arts at
Istanbul’s Mimar Sinan University, and philosophy at Istanbul
University. Since the 1980s, he has published many books on political,
faith-related, and scientific issues.
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