One of the most important aspects of the human rights issue is the respect and tolerance, which society must show towards the religions of other people. This, of course, includes the issue of freedom of religion. In this write up, we shall discuss briefly about the Islamic point of view on religious tolerance.
The Qur’anic Perspective
Islam, like Judaism and Christianity, believes in Prophets and Messengers of God. One interesting way to understand the Islamic viewpoint on freedom of religion is to look at the role of the Prophets and Messengers of God. Had they been sent to forcefully bring the people into their teachings? Were Moses, Jesus and Muhammad ordered by the Almighty to impose their teachings upon the people by sword?
Absolutely not! Look at the Qur’an, the holy scripture of Islam; the revealed words of God where He clearly outlines the duty of his Messengers by saying:
“The Apostle’s duty is only to communicate and Allah knows whatever you disclose and whatever you conceal.” (1)
Once the people of Mecca said to Prophet Muhammad that if God did not want them to worship idols then why He does not forcefully prevent them from doing so. Then, God sent the following message:
“The polytheists say, ‘Had Allah wished, we would not have worshiped anything besides Him—neither we, nor our fathers—nor we would have forbidden anything without His sanction.’ Those who were before them had acted likewise. Is the apostles’ duty anything but to communicate in clear terms?”. (2)
So, we see that from the Qur’anic point of view, the mission of the Prophets and Messengers of God was not to forcefully impose their teachings on the people, but to guide them and ask them to accept God with their own will.
In other hands, the Qur’an clearly stated that religion cannot be forced on anyone, because the right has been clearly distinct from error:
“There is no compulsion in religion: rectitude has become distinct from error.” (3)
Prophet Muhammad: A Perfect Role Model
The Prophet of Islam faced much difficulty and opposition in his own birthplace, the city of Mecca. He was eventually forced to migrate to Medina. But in spite of all the opposition and even physical torture that his followers suffered in Mecca, Prophet Muhammad always approached the unbelievers of Mecca with tolerance.
At one stage of his mission, the Prophet read to them a short chapter from the revelation:
“Say, ‘O faithless ones! I do not worship what you worship, nor do you worship what I worship; nor will I worship what you have worshipped, nor will you worship what I worship.To you your religion, and to me my religion.’” (4)
When Prophet Muhammad migrated to Medina, he found that besides those who accepted Islam, there was a large Jewish community in that city, but that did not bother him. He did not contemplate on forcing them into the fold of Islam, instead, he made a peace agreement with them and called them Ahl-ul Kitab (i.e. the people of the Scripture). This was indeed the supreme example of tolerance shown by Islam towards the followers of other religions.
The peace agreement between the Prophet and the Jews of Medina dearly guaranteed the physical safety and security of the Jewish community and also the freedom to practice their religion freely as long as that community also abided by the terms of the treaty. So, we see that even historically, the Prophet of Islam was prepared to live in peace with the followers of other monotheistic religions, especially Judaism and Christianity.
Besides, the letters that the Prophet wrote to the rulers of various countries and nations around Arabia are interesting documents for our discussion. In none of the letters does the Prophet threaten them of a military aggression if they did not accept the message of Islam.
The letter to the Christian King of Abyssinia ends with the words: “I have conveyed the message and now it is up to you to accept it. Once again, peace be upon him who follows the true guidance”. We have an interesting historical document with us from our fourth Imam, ‘Ali Zaynul Abidin (PBUH). This treatise is entitled as Risalat-ul huquq which means “The Treatise of Rights”.
In this treatise, the Imam has mentioned rights related to various issues and people in human society, the last part is on the rights of non-Muslims in a Muslim society. Among other things, it says: “And there must be a barrier keeping you from doing any injustice to them, from depriving them of the protection provided by God, and from flaunting the commitments of God and His Messenger concerning them. Because we have been told that the Holy Prophet said: Whosoever does injustice to a protected non- Muslim, then I will be his enemy (on the Day of Judgement)”
Similarly, in a letter which Imam ‘Ali wrote for his governor in Egypt, he says, “Sensitive your heart to mercy for the subjects, and to affection and kindness for them. Do not stand over them like greedy beasts who feel it is enough to devour them, for they are of two kinds; either your brother in faith or like you in Creation.” (5)
The Muslim History
Unfortunately, the events after the First World War to the present time have created an atmosphere in the Western world where Islam is branded as a religion of terror and where Muslims are generally labeled as terrorists.
History books, especially by the Orientalists, like to present the picture of the Muslims as holding the Qur’an in one hand and the sword in another—thus implying that wherever the Muslims went, they gave only two choices to the conquered people: Islam or death.
However, more serious historians would challenge this distorted picture of Muslims. There is no denial to the fact that the Muslims in Middle East and Asia conquered lands of other peoples, but they did not impose their religion over them. There is a clear distinction, in history, between, “the expansion of Muslim states” and “the expansion of Islam” as a religion.
For example, Muslims ruled India for many centuries, but majority of its citizens always remained non-Muslims. India came under Muslim rule by force, but Islam penetrated among the people of India by propagation and example of the Sufis. This is a fact which has been clearly elaborated by the famous journalist-writer of India, Khuswant Singh, in the first volume of his The History of Sikhs.
Thus, on the issue of tolerance towards minorities and freedom of practicing their religion, if we were to compare the attitude of the Muslim rulers towards the minorities living under their rule during the nineteenth century with the attitude of the Europeans and the Americans towards their minorities, I dare to say that the record of the Muslims would be much better.
Roderick H- Davison, a prominent Western historian of the Ottoman Empire writes the following on the issue of tolerance towards the minorities: “It might in fact have been argued that the Turks were less oppressive of their subject than were Prussians of the Poles, the English of the Irish, or the Americans of the Negroes. There is evidence to show that in this period {late 19th century}, there was emigration from independent Greece into the Ottoman Empire, since some Greeks found the Ottoman government more indulgent master (than their own Greek government)” (6)
NOTES:
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1. Qur’an 5: 99
2. Qur’an 16: 35
3. Qur’an 2: 256
4. Qur’an 109: 1-6
5. Nahj al-Balagha, letter 53
6. Reform of the Ottoman Empire 1856-1876, New Jersey, Princeton University Press, 1963, p. 116
