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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).”
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, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, 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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