The idea that Islam is an intolerant religion which views Non-Muslims as enemies or as inferior has been a typical negative characterisation promoted by media in recent years. A whole generation have been raised seeing headlines containing the words ‘Muslim’ and ‘Islam’, alongside violent imagery of acts carried out by extreme terrorist groups and their members. Given that there have been few voices able to challenge such distorted representations of the religion and that most people simply do not have the time to study Islam and distinguish the fact from fiction, it is no surprise that for many people Islam is one and same as portrayed by the media. Here I would like to show how this is a false picture of Islam by highlighting a number of important Islamic teachings and by looking at the sources of the religion, including the Quran and the Prophet’s life.
There’s no doubt that all religions under certain circumstances are prone to the growth and spread of fanatic movements. In the case of the Muslim world, the post-colonial era has been an era of political upheaval and instability. Many Muslim countries had their borders completely reshaped in the last century and have been struggling ever since to achieve a new sense of identity, purpose and stability after the painful experience of colonisation. These post-colonial world conditions have proven fertile ground for the modern phenomenon of terrorism. Violent groups claiming to act in the name of the religion, carry out acts of barbarity unheard of in the history of Muslim civilisation. Further exacerbating the situation has been the invasion and occupation of several Muslim countries in recent years, something which has only helped breed further violent extremism in parts of the Islamic world, in turn serving to perpetuate the misrepresentation of Islam as inherently a religion of force of uncivilised brutality.
Yet the violent groups that act in the name of Islam cannot be said to represent the general character of the religion nor the majority of its adherents. To know whether or not Islam is intolerant we have to examine what the Islamic sources say regarding tolerance and the treatment of others. To get a sense of Islam’s perspective on tolerance we must first look at the earliest days of the religion when Prophet Muhammad began his prophetic mission. The Prophet Muhammad himself was a victim of the intolerance of Pagan Arab society from the outset of his calling people to Islam. The Meccans ostracised him and all those who entered Islam, even attacking Muhammad and his followers on many occasions. Powerful figures in the Banu Umayya clan made attempts to take Muhammad’s life and killed a number of his followers, notably Yasir and Sumayyah. Persecution was so intense that many of the Prophet’s followers were forced to migrate to Abyssinia to seek refuge.
Eventually the Prophet and most of his followers migrated to Medina, a city to the North of Mecca where they hoped to live free from persecution and fear. While in Medina the Prophet, who was long known as ‘Amin’ or the trustworthy among the Arabs, drew up something known as the Constitution of Medina which not only had the aim of settling long-standing disputes between two important tribes in Medina, but also laid out peaceful terms of co-existence for Muslims, Pagans and Jews as well as the responsibilities of each group towards one another. It is one of many significant examples through the Prophet’s life of the tolerance he showed towards people of other faiths. The revelation he received, the Quran, called for justice in dealing with others. A verse of the Quran reads ‘‘Allah forbids you not, with regard to those who fight you not for your faith, nor drive you out of your homes, from dealing kindly and justly with them, for Allah loves those who are just’’ (60:8).
Prophet Muhammad was the author of several historically and religiously significant covenants with peoples of other faiths, which like the Constitution of Medina emphasised the dignity of Non-Muslims and the tolerance and respect he commanded Muslims to show them. One such example is the Covenant he made with the monks at the monastery of Mount Sinai just two years after his migration to Medina. In it the Christian community is promised protection and freedom to practice their faith with Muslims commanded to uphold these terms and show them kindness and respect. Given Muhammad’s approach towards people of other faiths from the examples we have seen, we can say confidently that he was prepared to live in peace with those who didn’t accept Islam.
The Quran refers to Jews, Christians and Sabians (another ancient monotheistic religion) as the Ahl Kitab or People of the Book, who because of their monotheism and having received a scripture hold a special status and relation to the Muslims. According to Islam, Muslims are obliged to protect the life and property of the People of the Book as well as guarantee their right to freedom of religion. In exchange for protection and exemption from military service the breadwinners of the Ahl Kitab have traditionally been expected to pay a tax known as jizya to the Muslim state. While some modern Muslim jurists have argued that the Ahl Kitab are no longer required to pay this tax, jurists have always emphasised that the payment of this tax is only by those who have a livelihood and should never be a burden. This goes back to the Prophetic saying “Whoever annoys a Dhimmii (a Jew or Christian living in an Islamic state) then I am his enemy and whoever I am his enemy I will be his enemy in hereafter”.
‘‘Say, the Truth is from your Lord, let him who will believe, and let him who will reject,’’ (18:29). Prophet Muhammad’s role was to call people to Islam by delivering and embodying a divine message. The Quran describes Muhammad’s role as being like the other prophets before him. People are to be presented with Islam rather than coerced or forced into the fold. “Invite all to the way of your Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching, and argue with them in ways that are best and most gracious” (16:125). The approach Muslims are to take in the preaching of the religion is clarified in this verse which calls for to discussion and dialogue between faiths.
It is the Prophet’s dealings with others and the revelation of the Quran he received that forms the basis for Islam’s approach to dealing with others, how Muslims should treat those outside their faith. This does not mean Muslims have always lived up to the commandments and spirit of their faith however. If Muslims are to be true to their faith, they are to be tolerant of and respectful towards people of other faiths and none. The idea of forcing another to convert to Islam or even insulting their faith is, as has been established, contrary to the Islamic teachings of tolerance. The description given in the Quran of Muhammad as a divine mercy to all of humanity, best encapsulates Islam’s vision of tolerance ‘‘It was only as a mercy that We sent you [Prophet] to all people’’ (21:107).
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