Islam is the religion of Tolerance

By Magdy Abd Al-Shafy

How did the others see Moslem

In fact , the malicious mentality stood behind mutilating the beautiful picture of Islam since the very beginning of contact between Islamic and Christian civilization .There were always who tried to build borders to block the light of Islam from reaching people , they used every possible means to do that , most this means relied on weaving lies and libels .

The ancient Western Christians called the Muslims pagans, paynims, even idolaters - there are plenty of books in which they are described as worshiping an idol called Mahomet or Mahound, and in the accounts of the conquest of Granada there are even descriptions of the monstrous idols which they were alleged to worship - whereas the Muslims knew what Christianity was, and in what respects it differed from Islam. 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. I quote a learned French author:

“Every poet in Christendom considered a Mohammedan to be an infidel, and an idolater, and his gods to be three; mentioned in order, they were: Mahomet or Mahound or Mohammad, Opolane and the third Termogond. It was said that when in Spain the Christians overpowered the Mohammadans and drove them as far as the gates of the city of Saragossa, the Mohammadans went back and broke their idols.

“A Christian poet of the period says that Opolane the “god” of the Mohammadans, which was kept there in a den was awfully belabored and abused by the Mohammadans, who, binding it hand and foot, crucified it on a pillar, trampled it under their feet and broke it to pieces by beating it with sticks; that their second god Mahound they threw in a pit and caused to be torn to pieces by pigs and dogs, and that never were gods so ignominiously treated; but that afterwards the Mohammadans repented of their sins, and once more reinstated their gods for the accustomed worship, and that when the Emperor Charles entered the city of Saragossa he had every mosque in the city searched and had "Muhammad" and all their Gods broken with iron hammers.”

That was the kind of "history" on which the populace in Western Europe used to be fed. Those were the ideas which inspired the rank and file of the crusader in their attacks on the most civilized peoples of those days. Christendom regarded the outside world as damned eternally, and Islam did not. There were good and tender-hearted men in Christendom who thought it sad that any people should be damned eternally, and wished to save them by the only way they knew - conversion to the Christian faith.

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. Therefore the difference evident in that anecdote is not of manners only but of religion. Of old, tolerance had existed here and there in the world, among enlightened individuals; but those individuals had always been against the prevalent religion. Tolerance was regarded of un-religious, if not irreligious. Before the coming of Islam it had never been preached as an essential part of religion.

Yet , at present time , the war did not come to an end . Western media , aided by the individual conduct of some Moslems , still propagate false ideas about Islam.

They propagate fakes about the prophet of Islam , his companions , the Holy Quran ; whoever attacks Islam is highly rewarded and honoured and even in some time receives Noble prize .Many of the western thinkers beat the drums of wars inventing or coining new terms that sound scientific to throw the populace in the quagmire of ignorance. It is the role of every Moslem to show the others what Islam is , first by his act and conduct ,patience , denouncing foolish acts and explaining the case of Islam , you have to make it your case .

This is a short background about how the picture of Islam is mutilated . when we write about the concept of tolerance in Islam , one needs heavy burden of books to write about Islam .

Islam Tolerance with other religions

Islam is the last religion that was revealed to the earth by the same God of all the previous religions , it is the perfect religion as it includes all the previous religions in itself ; we must understand that all religions calls for monotheism and it was the human tampering that corrupted the previous religions , God is depicted as a human who needs to rest , human who forget , a human to regret and so many , other religion materialize God and attribute bad stories to the prophet who are supposed the exemplary that should be followed .

Islam was revealed to correct some misconception and put humanity again on the true path .

In spite of the clarity of Islam , it is now faced with many wars on all the intellectual fronts ; one of these unsubstantiated fallacies that you are faced with wherever you go is that Islam calls for intolerance . Western media , aided with the misbehavior of some Moslems , has made Islam its target and began to weave lies and libels about Islam .

Does Islam really calls for intolerance

We should know that 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.

.  All parties were to obey what was mentioned therein, and any breach of its articles was regarded as an act of treachery.

Islam respect the other religions :

The Holy Quran is the word of God , every command must be obeyed , a Moslem has no other choice before the word of God , if a Moslem disobeys the commands in the Holy Quran , he will be a sinner who will draw God's wrath upon himself . A Moslem must recite the Holy Quran five times daily in his prayer , he is asked to recite the holy Quran every time whenever he could , God made the reward of reciting of the Holy Quran so great –Reciting the Holy Quran in this way makes a Moslem repeat God's commands as many as possible and hence follow them . God says in the Holy Quran what means " The apostle believeth in what hath been revealed to him from his Lord, as do the men of faith. each one (of them) believeth in God, his angels, his books, and his apostles. we make no distinction (they say) between one and another of his apostle s. and they say: we hear, and we obey: (we seek) thy forgiveness, our Lord, and to thee is the end of all journeys."

God says in the Holy Quran what means "Say ye: we believe in God, and the revelation given to us, and to Abraham, Ismail Isaac, Jacob, and the tribes, and that given to Moses and jests, and that given to (all) prophets from their Lord: we make no difference between one and another of them: and we bow to God (in Islam)."

We understand from these Holy verses that :

A Moslem can't be a true believer unless he believed in all the prophets and their Holy Books and his belief is not complete if he doesn't believe in them , the same concept is stressed in many Holy Hadiths , So a Moslem should respect the adherents of the other religions.

The first charter of human right in human history

After migrating to Madina , the prophet laid the foundation of the Islamic state which quickly became a strong country , there were many religions in Madina and the surrounding town , prophet Mohummed depended on two important principles which God has shown in his Holy book (Quran) ;these are

God says what means in the Holy Quran what means" Call unto the way of thy Lord with wisdom and fair exhortation, and reason with them in the better way. Lo! thy Lord is best aware of him who strayeth from His way, and He is Best Aware of those who go aright.( Al-Nahl :125)

God says what means in the Holy Quran what means " let there be no compulsion in religion "

These are the two major principles that the prophet and his caliphs depended on spreading Islam

It was a state where democracy is best seen , people lived side by side ,cooperating . A Moslem was entitled to call for Allah on the above-mentioned Divine principles , History did not record a single incident in which the prophet compelled any one to accept Islam , most of those who embrace Islam accept it because it was in complete conformity with the law of nature , most of them accepted Islam because of the tolerance they found in it . Islam is the fast-growing religion in the world now , did any Moslem carry his sword to compel any one to accept Islam today .

Today Moslem are the weakest , misrepresented and their prophet is mocked on newspapers . Media heaps fallacies against Islam . wars are launched everywhere against Islam ,with all of these the following authenticated reports says "

• Islam is the fastest-growing religion in America, a guide and pillar of stability for many of our people..." HILLARY RODMAN CLINTON, Los Angeles Times, May 31, 1996, p.3
• Already more than a billion-people strong, Islam is the  world’s fastest-growing religion.  ABCNEWS, Abcnews.com

• "Islam is the fastest-growing religion in the country." NEWSDAY, March 7, 1989, p
• "Islam is the fastest-growing religion in the United States..." NEW YORK TIMES, Feb 21, 1989, p.1
• Moslems are the world's fastest-growing group..." USA TODAY, The population referance bureau, Feb. 17, 1989, p.4A
• "Muhammed is the most successful of all Prophets and religious personalities. "  Encyclopedia Britannica
• "There are more Muslims in North America then Jews Now." Dan Rathers, ABCNEWS
• "Islam is the fastest growing religion in North America ." TIMES MAGAZINE 

Prophet Mohummed set the first human constitution for minorities

Humanity did not know such a constitution for the minorities except in modern age though still violated from time ; the difference here between any human constitution and that of prophet Mohummed is that prophet Mohumme's is sacred and any violation by any Moslem was considered a sin ; the constitutions and agreements violation ,now , are protected by Veto on the part of super power .

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.Respect for the Human Sou

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)

Prophet Muhammad's Charter of Privileges to Christians

In 628 C.E. Prophet Muhammad (s) granted a Charter of Privileges to the monks of St. Catherine Monastery in Mt. Sinai. It consisted of several clauses covering all aspects of human rights including such topics as the protection of Christians, 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.

An English translation of that document is presented below.

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 Allah! 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 to be respected. 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).

, Prophet Muhammad forbade harming non-Muslims and asked Muslims to treat them well. He once said, He who harms a Jew or a Christian will find me his opponent on the Day of Judgment.

When a Christian delegation of Abyssinia came to Madinah, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) put them up in the mosque and personally took care of them. Upon serving them food, he said that they had been so generous and honorable to his companions who had emigrated earlier to Abyssinia, that he would like to honor them himself.

When a Christian delegation came to Madinah from Najran, a town in southwest Arabia, the Prophet received them in his mosque and invited them to perform their prayers inside the mosque. The Muslims with the Prophet prayed on one side of the mosque and the Christians on the other side. During their visit, the prophet discussed many ideas with them in a polite and gentle manner.

Prophet concerned himself so much of treating non-Moslem so well to the extent the he stated that any attempt of violating their rights would antagonize him and as a result incurs God's wrath .

Prophet Mohumed says " Whoever kills a person who has a truce with the Muslims will never smell the fragrance of Paradise.” (Saheeh Muslim)

And also says “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)

Islam respects the other's places of worshipping .

prophet Mohummed ordered his nation to respect the temples of worshipping and history did not record a single incident of attacking the temples or the churches during the age of the prophet and even during the ages of the caliphs

Omer Ibn AL-Khatab , the second Caliph and one of those who followed the footsteps of prophet Mohummed  , materialized the spirit of tolerance in Islam in the following situation when he entered Jerusalem in the year 634, Omer had a meeting with some priests in one of the famous churches on juesulam . while he was sitting with them , the time of the Moslem prayer was declared , the priests asked him to pray in one of the corners of the church but he preferred to do the prayer at the gate of the church instead , Omer said if I prayed inside the church , the Moslem would come later and claim the ownership of the church saying " Here Omer did his prayer."

The following situation reflects the tolerance and justice towards non-Moslems :

A Coptic, Christian sect in Egypt, woman came to Omar complaining that the Muslim governor Amru-Ibn Al-`As took her house in order to add the land to an adjacent site being used for the construction of a mosque. Omar inquired into the matter and was told by Amr that the Muslims had increased in number and needed to expand the mosque. Amr explained that he had offered the Coptic woman a great deal of money, but when she refused, Amr left the money in a fund for her to take it anytime she wanted. Though many modern laws permit such a procedure, Omar did not accept it according to Islamic principles. He ordered the Muslims to stop the expansion of the mosque and rebuild the Christian woman's house, as it had been before.

The Jizya, a tax collected from non-Muslims in Islamic territories in return for military protection and other benefits provided by the state, has also been the subject of misunderstanding. When the Muslims discovered that they had withdrawn from the city of Homs and could no longer protect the people there as they had promised, they paid the Jizya back to them. Muslims themselves actually paid a tax called Zakat which was several times more than the Jizya.

One day Omar Ibnul-Khatab saw an old man begging for alms in the street. Omar asked who he was and was told he was a Jew. Omar took him by the hand to his house, gave him food and money and sent him to the Muslim Treasury, saying, Give this man from the Muslim money. Is it right to take money [the Jizya] from him as a young man, and neglect him as an old man? This is not possible in Islam.

The son of the Muslim governor of Egypt once had a horse race with a Coptic man, which the Coptic Christian won. Angry, the son of the Muslim governor lashed the Copt with his whip. The man brought his case to Omar Ibnul-Khatab at the time of Hajj, the annual Muslim pilgrimage. In front of the general assembly of Muslims, Omar gave his whip to the Coptic man, saying, Beat the one who beat you. Then Omar scolded Amr, the boy's father and conqueror of Egypt, saying: When did you enslave the men who were born free by birth?

Offices in the Islamic states were given to those who were best qualified, regardless of their beliefs or backgrounds. For example, Ibn Athal, a Christian physician, was the private doctor of the caliph Muawya, the founder of the Umayyad state. Another Umayyad caliph, Abdul-Malik Ibn Marwan, appointed two Christians, Athnasius and Isaac, to top positions in the state of Egypt. Adud Al-Dawla, an Abbassid caliph, made Nasr Ibn Haroun, a Christian, his prime-minister, giving him authority to rule over Iraq and southern Persia.

Islam not only maintains the non-Muslims rights and places of worships but goes far beyond this , it is that great religion  that inspires love and tolerance and sense of love towards the other .

Omer was reported that he once slaughtered a sheep , when his servant began to cut the meat , Omer asked him to go to his Jewish neighbor to give him his hare (for free) , he kept asking his servant to do that . when he was asked why so many he repeated this demand , he said " the words of the prophet still echoes in my ears , he kept commanding us to do well and be kind to the neighbor that we thought he will inherit him "

Equality before the court

Islam has set equality between Moslem and non-Moslems before the court in all the different causes , The human history recorded unique incidents in this regard . Islam never overlooked the rights of non-Moslem even if the litigant is one of the Moslem elite. The litigant here is not a mere Moslem , he is one of the first pioneers in Islam .  A Jew came to rise a lawsuit against Aly Ibn Aby Taleb before Caliph Omer Ibn Al-Khatab . Omer ordered Aly to sit next to his litigant . Aly's face bespoke dissatisfaction . when Omer finished he said to Aly " you seem to be dissatisfied with something –is it because I ordered you to sit next to your litigant ..Aly said " No , I was dissatisfied because you denominated me , I am afraid the Jew might think that justice is lost in Islam "

Also , the following situation is much more expressive , the Caliph Aly ibn Aby-Taleb once lost his shield which he found among the possession of a Jew . Aly ibn AbyTaleb brought a suit against the Jew before the Shoryah ,the Judge of the state , saying that the shield with the Jew is mine and I didn't sell it or grant it to him . The Jew replied saying " though Aly is not a liar but the shield is mine." The judge asked Aly to forward any evidence but Aly laughed as had no evidence against the man . So the Judge adjudicated that the shield should go to the Jew ..the Jew took the shield and walked a few steps and then came beck affected and said " this is the canon of prophets ……the caliph brings me to the judge of his state who passes a judgment against him …..I testify that no god but Allah and that Mohummed is his messenger ----O' caliph ..this shield is yours  , I swear by God "