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Description: Many mistakenly believe that
Islam does not tolerate the existence of other religions present in the
world. This article discusses
some of the foundations the Prophet Muhammad himself laid in dealing with
people of other faiths, with a practical examples from his lifetime.
Part
1:
Examples of religious tolerance
for people of other faiths found in the constitution which the Prophet laid
in Medina.
The dealings of the Prophet, may
God praise him, with other religions can best be described in the verse of
the Quran:
“To your be your religion, to me be mine.”
The Arabian Peninsula during the
time of the Prophet was a region in which various faiths were present. There were Christians, Jews,
Zoroastrians, polytheists, and others not affiliated with any
religion. When one looks into
the life of the Prophet, one may draw on many examples to portray the high
level of tolerance shown to people of other faiths.
In order to understand and judge
this tolerance, one must look into the period in which Islam was a formal
state, with the specific laws laid down by the Prophet in accordance with
the tenets of religion. Even
though one can observe many examples of tolerance shown by the Prophet in
the thirteen years of his stay in Mecca, one may incorrectly think that it
was only due to seeking to raise the profile of the Muslims and the social status of Islam and in
general. For this reason, the
discussion will be limited to the period which commenced with the migration
of the Prophet to Medina, and specifically once the constitution was set.
The
Saheefah
The best example of the tolerance
shown by the Prophet to other religions may be the constitution itself,
called the ‘Saheefah’ by early historians.[1] When the Prophet migrated to Medina, his role as a mere
religious leader ended; he was now the political leader of a state,
governed by the precepts of Islam, which demanded that clear laws of governance
be laid out to ensure harmony and stability in a society which once had
been distraught by decades of war, one which must ensure the peaceful
coexistence of Muslims, Jews, Christians and polytheists. Due to this, the Prophet laid down
a ‘constitution’ which detailed the responsibilities of all parties which
resided in Medina, their obligations towards each other, and certain
restrictions which were placed on each. All parties were to obey what was mentioned therein, and
any breach of its articles was regarded as an act of treachery.
One
Nation
The first article of the
constitution was that all the inhabitants of Medina, the Muslims as well as
those who had entered the pact from the Jews, Christian, and idolaters,
were “one nation to the exclusion of all others.” All were considered members and
citizens of Medina society regardless of religion, race, or ancestry. People of other faiths were
protected from harm as much as the Muslims, as is stated in another
article, “To the Jews who follow us belong help and equity. He shall not be harmed nor his
enemies be aided.”
Previously, each tribe had their alliances and enemies within and
without Medina. The Prophet
gathered these different tribes under one system of governance which upheld
pacts of alliances previously in existence between those individual
tribes. All tribes had to act
as a whole with disregard to individual alliances. Any attack on other religion or
tribe was considered an attack on the state and upon the Muslims as well.
The lives of the practitioners of
other religions in the Muslim society was also given protective
status. The Prophet said:
“Whoever kills a person who has a truce with the Muslims
will never smell the fragrance of Paradise.” (Saheeh Muslim)
Since the upper hand was with the
Muslims, the Prophet strictly warned against any maltreatment of people of
other faiths. He said:
“Beware!
Whoever is cruel and hard on a non-Muslim minority, or curtails
their rights, or burdens them with more than they can bear, or takes anything
from them against their free will; I (Prophet Muhammad) will complain
against the person on the Day of Judgment.” (Abu Dawud)
To
Each Their Own Religion
In another article, it states, “the
Jews have their religion and the Muslims have theirs.” In this, it is clear that anything
other than tolerance would not be tolerated, and that, although all were
members of a society, each had their separate religion which could not be
violated. Each was allowed to
practice their beliefs freely without any hindrances, and no acts of
provocation would be tolerated.
There are many other articles of
this constitution which may be discussed, but emphasis will be placed on an
article which states, “If any dispute or controversy likely to cause
trouble should arise, it must be referred to God and His Messenger.” This clause maintained that all
inhabitants of the state must recognize a higher level of authority, and in
those matters which involved various tribes and religions, justice could
not be meted out by individual leaders; rather it must be adjudicated by
the leader of the state himself or his designated representatives. It was allowed, however, for
individual tribes who were not Muslims, to refer to their own religious
scriptures and their learned men in regards to their own personal
affairs. They could though, if
they opted, ask the Prophet to judge between them in their matters. God says in the Quran:
“If they do come to you, either judge between them or
decline to interfere.” (Quran 5:42)
Here we see that Prophet allowed
each religion to judge in their own matters according to their own
scriptures, as long as it did not stand in opposition to articles of the
constitution, a pact which took into account the greater benefit of the
peaceful co-existence of the society.
Footnotes:
[1]
Madinan Society at the Time of the Prophet, Akram Diya al-Umari, International
Islamic Publishing House, 1995.
Next: The Tolerance of the Prophet
towards Other Religions (part 2 of 2): Religious Autonomy and Politics
Source: www.IslamReligion.com
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