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Consultant
to Discover Islam Section
[Say:
We believe in God, and in what has been revealed to us and what was revealed to
Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, and the Tribes, and in (the Books) given to
Moses, Jesus, and the Prophets from their Lord: We make no distinction between
one and another.] (Aal
`Imran 3:84)
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Islam teaches the respect of all beliefs.
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As
is borne out by this command of God
in the Qur’an,
Muslims must believe in all the prophets
of God previously sent to humanity. This means that they are not permitted to
show any disrespect to any prophet or to the religion he taught to his
followers. To a Muslim, religious belief must come out of a person’s free
choice, as God has also commanded not to use any kind of coercion in the matter
of religion:
[Let
there be no compulsion in religion, truth stands out clear from error.]
(Al-Baqarah 2:256)
It
is the conviction of a religion’s adherents, not the compulsion they can
impose on others, that establishes its moral force on earth. This was a
principle evident in the life and practice of the Prophet
Muhammad (peace be on him) as
well as the Constitution of Madinah which he drew up with the multi-religious
community of Madinah.
This
document guaranteed the freedom of worship to all religious communities. This
was the spirit of the Qur’an that shines into the hearts of all its perceptive
readers: the spirit of tolerance and understanding. Allah says in the Qur’an
that He has made people into nations and tribes so that they can know and deal
with each other in an equal temper of kindness and generosity:
[ O
humankind! We created you from a single pair of a male and female, and made you
into nations and tribes, that you may know and deal with each other in kindness
(not that you may despise each other). Verily the most honored of you in the
sight of God (is he who is) the most righteous of you, and God is Knower, Aware.]
(Al-Hujurat 49:13)
The
above verse emphasizes the point that in Islam there is no place for
intolerance, prejudice, or bigotry based on color, race, nationality or any such
considerations. This all-encompassing tolerance of Islam applies to all elements
of life and all affairs of Muslims.
The
Muslim's acceptance of the Jews and Christians (referred to in the Qur'an as
People of the Book) as authentic religious communities is made clear:
[ And
dispute not with the People of the Book, except with means better (than mere
disputation), unless it be with those of them who inflict wrong and injury.]
(Al-`Ankabut 29:46).
This
verse tells Muslims that they should take all measures to avoid dispute, anger
or other negative feelings between themselves and others.
A
Historical Context
In
his book, More in Common Than You Think: Bridge Between
Islam and Christianity, Dr. William Baker explains how Muslims view the
Torah and the New Testament as inspired revelations of God and how Islam neither
targeted the Jews nor Judaism.
In
his article "The Prophet of Islam and the Jews: Basis of Conduct,
Acceptance, Respect and Cooperation", Fysal Burhan quotes Dr. Baker:
"It is a fact of history that when the Jews were being persecuted in Europe
during the middle ages they found peace, harmony, and acceptance among the
Muslim people of Spain. In fact, this was the era of Jewish history that they
themselves refer to as "the golden age."
Marmaduke
Pickthall, whose translation of the meanings of the Qur'an remains one of the
most popular today, also commented on the subject:
In
Spain under the Umayyads and in Baghdad under the Abbasid Khalifas, Christians
and Jews, equally with Muslims, were admitted to the Schools and universities
- not only that, but were boarded and lodged in hostels at the cost of
the state. When the Moors were driven out of Spain, the Christian conquerors
held a terrific persecution of the Jews. Those who were fortunate enough to
escape fled, some of them to Morocco and many hundreds to the Turkish empire,
where their descendants still live in separate communities, and still speak
among themselves an antiquated form of Spanish. The Muslim empire was a refuge
for all those who fled from persecution by the Inquisition.
The
Western Christians, till the arrival of the Encyclopaedists in the eighteenth
century, did not know and did not care to know, what the Muslim believed, nor
did the Western Christian seek to know the views of Eastern Christians with
regard to them. The Christian Church was already split in two, and in the end,
it came to such a pass that the Eastern Christians, as Gibbon shows, preferred
Muslim rule, which allowed them to practice their own form of religion and
adhere to their peculiar dogmas, to the rule of fellow Christians who would
have made them Roman Catholics or wiped them out…
If
Europe had known as much of Islam, as Muslims knew of Christendom, in those
days, those mad, adventurous, occasionally chivalrous and heroic, but utterly
fanatical outbreak known as the Crusades could not have taken place, for they
were based on a complete misapprehension…
It
was not until the Western nations broke away from their religious law that
they became more tolerant; and it was only when the Muslims fell away from
their religious law that they declined in tolerance and other evidences of the
highest culture. Before the coming of Islam it had never been preached as an
essential part of religion.” (Madras Lectures on Islam)
The
Prophet's Pluralistic Constitution
The
Qur’an never claimed to teach a new religion. It consistently contextualized
the Prophet Muhammad as being the final messenger in a long line of messengers
from Allah confirming the truth of all earlier scriptures. This continuity is
clear in the respect the Prophet showed to people of other religions.
Muhammad's
mission was to restore the pure religion of Noah, Abraham, Moses, David and
Jesus. The Islamic view of earlier religions is clear from the following
verses of the Qur’an:
[ The
same religion has He established for you as that which He enjoined on
Noah--which We have sent by inspiration to thee (O Muhammad)--and that which
We enjoined on Abraham, Moses, and Jesus… Call (them to the Faith), and
stand steadfast as thou art commanded, follow not thou their vain desires; but
say: "I believe in whatever Book Allah has sent down; and I am commanded
to judge justly between you. Allah is our Lord and your Lord: for us (is the
responsibility for) our deeds, and for you for your deeds. There is no
contention between us and you. Allah will bring us together, and to Him is
(our) final goal.]
(Ash-Shura 42:13 & 15)
It
was in the year 622 CE that the Prophet came to Madinah after a period of
thirteen years of preaching Islam to the Quraish tribe in Makkah. In Madinah
he found many who were ready to receive him and help him in his mission. At
that time, the city of Madinah and its surrounding area was home to many
Jewish and Arab tribes. There were also people of various racial and national
origins including Romans, Persians and Ethiopians living in Madinah.
Taking
into consideration the hopes and aspirations of this community of
multi-religious background, the Prophet Muhammad drew up the basic principles
of a pluralistic constitution. In addition, it established the rights and
equality of every citizen before the law, as well as freedom of religion,
trade and speech. The constitution spelled out the political rights and duties
of both the Jews and Muslims to protect each other from every threat to their
security and to uphold moral conduct and fair dealing.
Part
of the constitution reads as follows:
The
Jews of Banu `Awf are one nation with the Muslims; the Jews have their
religion and the Muslims have theirs, their freedmen and their persons shall
be protected except those who behave unjustly or sinfully, for they hurt but
themselves and their families. The same applies to the Jews of Banu
an-Najjar, Banu al-Harith, Banu Sa'idah, Banu Jusham, Banu al-Aws, Banu
Tha'labah, and the Jafnah, clan of the Tha'labah and Banu al-Shua'ibah.
Doing good deeds is a protection against sinfulness. …….There is no
responsibility except for one's own deeds….This document shall not
constitute any protection for the unjust or the wrongdoers.
Whoever goes out to fight or stays at home is safe in the city, unless he
has committed an injustice or a crime. God is the protector of whoever
honors his commitment to this document, and is God-fearing and so is
Muhammad, the Messenger of God. (Ibn Hisham)
The
Constitution of Madinah was a historical document authored and dictated by
Prophet Muhammad as the law of a land inhabited by different ethnic groups and
nationalities. The document secured and promoted cooperation and fraternity
among all people of any creed, color, ethnicity, and lineage, and set down the
criterion of righteousness as the base of distinction.
A
Human Soul
In
addition to the legislation that the Prophet laid down in Madinah, he also
practiced the spirit of acceptance and respect for those who were different in
his daily life. The Prophet used to visit the sick people among the Jews as
well as the Muslims; and when on one occasion the funeral procession of a Jew
passed before him, he stood up as a sign of respect for the deceased. “Why
did you stand up for a Jewish funeral?” he was asked. The Prophet replied:
"Is it not a human soul?" (Al-Bukhari)
In
this age of racial profiling and targeted killings directed at Muslims this
attitude of the Prophet may sound other-worldly.
Works
Cited:
Burhan,
Fysal. "The Prophet of Islam and the Jews:
Basis of Conduct, Acceptance, Respect and Cooperation". last accessed
March 26, 2006.
Pickthall,
Marmaduke Muhammad. "Madras Lectures on Islam". 1927.
**
Professor Shahul Hameed is a consultant to the Discover Islam Section in
IslamOnline.net. He also held the position of the President of the Kerala
Islamic Mission, Calicut, India. He is the author of three books on Islam
published in the Malayalam language. His books are on comparative religion, the
status of women, and science and human values.
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