The dealings of the
Prophet, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, with other religions
can best be described in the verse of the Quran: “To you 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.
The Tolerance of the
Prophet towards Other Religions (part 2 of 2): Religious Autonomy and Politics
There are many other
examples during the lifetime of the Prophet, may the mercy and blessings of God
be upon him, in addition to the Saheefah that practically portray the tolerance
Islam shows for other religions.
Freedom of Religious
Assembly and Religious Autonomy
Given consent by the
constitution, the Jews had the complete freedom to practice their religion. The
Jews in Medina at the time of the Prophet had their own school of learning,
named Bait-ul-Midras, where they would recite the Torah, worship and educate
themselves. The Prophet emphasized in many letters to his emissaries that
religious institutions should not be harmed. Here in a letter addressed to his
emissary to the religious leaders of Saint Catherine in Mount Sinai who has
sought the protection of the Muslims:
“This is a message from
Muhammad ibn Abdullah, as a covenant to those who adopt Christianity, near and
far, we are with them. Verily I, the servants, the helpers, and my followers
defend them, because Christians are my citizens; and by God! I hold out against
anything that displeases them. No compulsion is to be on them. Neither are
their judges to be removed from their jobs nor their monks from their
monasteries. No one is to destroy a house of their religion, to damage it, or
to carry anything from it to the Muslims’ houses. Should anyone take any of
these, he would spoil God’s covenant and disobey His Prophet. Verily, they are
my allies and have my secure charter against all that they hate. No one is to
force them to travel or to oblige them to fight. The Muslims are to fight for
them. If a female Christian is married to a Muslim, it is not to take place
without her approval. She is not to be prevented from visiting her church to
pray. Their churches are declared to be protected. They are neither to be
prevented from repairing
them nor the sacredness of their covenants. No one of the nation (Muslims) is
to disobey the covenant till the Last Day (end of the world).” 2 As one can
see, this Charter consisted of several clauses covering all important aspects
of human rights, including such topics as the protection of minorities living
under Islamic rule, freedom of worship and movement, freedom to appoint their
own judges and to own and maintain their property, exemption from military
service, and the right to protection in war. On another occasion, the Prophet
received a delegation of sixty Christians from the region of Najran, then a
part of Yemen, at his mosque. When the time for their prayer came, they faced
the direction of east and prayed. The Prophet ordered that they be left in
their state and not harmed.
Politics
There are also examples
in the life of the Prophet in which he cooperated between with people of other
faiths in the political arena as well. He selected a non-Muslim, Amr-ibn
Umaiyah-ad-Damri, as an ambassador to be sent to Negus, the King of Ethiopia.
These are only some of the examples of the Prophet’s tolerance of other faiths.
Islam recognizes that there are a plurality of religions on this earth, and
gives the right to individuals to choose the path which they believe to be
true. Religion is not to be, and was never, forced upon an individual against
their own will, and these examples from the life of the Prophet are an epitome
of the verse of the Quran which promotes religious tolerance and sets the
guideline for the Muslims’ interaction with people of other faiths. God says:
“…There is no compulsion in religion…” (Quran 2:256)
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