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The Universality of Islam,
Its call for Peace and Co-existence and Recognition of the
Other
By Prof. Abdelhadi Boutaleb
Introduction :
Throughout its long history, the world has seen
emergence of a large variety of religions, beliefs, doctrines and civilizations.
Among these were divine religions that were revealed through holy books to
prophets and messengers, as well as positive beliefs, doctrines either original
or derivative and civilizations with a limited reach and others that sought
universality. Almost all of them promoted the same message of raising man’s
status, improving his conditions and advocating his ethics. A common point of
convergence among them all was also the need of sensitising man about his role
in building civilization and making the earth a better place to live in.
Approaches varied widely from one civilization to
another. Some relied on dialogue, cooperation and mutual understanding to
convey their message, while others chose the option of conflict that went as far
as confrontation and wars. A third category developed an absurd, materialistic
approach recognizing no ethics, no values and no virtues.
In the present contribution to which I gave the
title: “The Universality of Islam, Its call for Peace and Co-existence and
Recognition of the Other”, I shall attempt to highlight the characteristics of
Islam as a religion and as a civilization. I shall also endeavour to shed light
on the distinctive features of this religion in conveying its message and
spreading it far and wide across the world. Indeed, it preferred dialogue over
conflict and clash and favoured persuasion over invasion and submission of the
other through tyranny and hegemony.
The Universality of Islam :
Islam is a divine religion revealed by Allah to
His Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) who sent him as a Messenger to all humanity. The
Qur’an refers to the addressee of the Islamic message as the worlds (Al ‘Alamin).
Muslim scholars maintain that the term ‘Al Alamin’ refers to the universe as a
whole. In the Al Anbiaa sura of the Holy Qur’an, Allah says: “We sent thee not,
but as a Mercy for all creatures”(1). The Qur’an also uses this term to refer to
all people: “We have not sent thee but as a universal (Messenger) to men, giving
them glad tidings, and warning them (against sin)”(2). Thus, the Holy Quran
addresses its teachings to two categories of people:
- The first category are those who embraced the
message of the Prophet and followed it (they are the believers) and are
addressed as: “O those who believe”.
- The second group of people is made up of those
who have not yet accepted this message. The Qur’an addresses this category
saying “O People”. Such is also the case when the Qur’anic discourse is of a
global and universal nature as when Allah says: “O mankind! Fear your Lord! For
the convulsion of the Hour (of Judgment) will be a thing terrible!”(3), and
also: “O men! Certainly the promise of God is true”(4), as well as in the divine
verse: “O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female,
and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other”.(5)
In order for the message of Islam to remain
universal and to continue addressing all mankind, the Qur’an has limited itself
to laying down the basic rules and regulations that are the immutable
fundamentals of religion which cannot turn obsolete as time passes. Subsidiary
regulations are either covered by the Prophet’s sunnah or left for the
jurisprudence of Muslim scholars to rule on as progress dictated, with the sole
condition that their stipulations do not oppose the invariable constants
enshrined in the Qur’an and the Sunnah. This jurisprudence that continually
renews the teachings of Islam has served to keep them at the same pace as
progress and development while managing to avoid contradiction with the
fundamentals and constants, confirming thereby the universality of the Islamic
message, its immutability and relevance to all times and all places.
Although Islam emerged in Arabia and its Book was
revealed in Arabic language, this religion has over times acquired a universal
dimension that developed as the conquest of Islam advanced on empires and
kingdoms and its call spread wide to all lands and all continents. The Arab
descent of Mohammed (PBUH) and the Arab language of the Qur’an do not
necessarily confer an Arab identity on the Islamic call and do not strip the
Islamic approach of its universal character. An Islamic theoretician once wrote:
“The rising of the sun from the East does not limit its light to that direction.
The projection of its rays on the seas everywhere turns their waters fresh’. Its
shining over fruits and plants makes them mature in every reach of the globe,
and fills the earth ground –everywhere in the world- with a wealth of energy”.
Any historical analyst would not fail to notice
that of all Muslim thinkers who, throughout the world, had paved the way for
the progressive revival of Islam, very few were of Arab origin.
Even the names given to the chapters of the Qur’an
did not always have an Arabic reference. They are an additional proof of the
universality of the Qur’an. Chapters in the Qur’an are named after Noah, the
Family of Imrane, Joseph, Luqman and even The Romans.
Qur’anic stories that depict the life of bygone
nations came in a universal language that emphasized their dire conditions and
the conflicts to which their societies were prey: political disputes over power,
strife between the conceited wealthy and the helpless poor who were subjected to
servitude, the conflict between the principles of goodness and virtue and the
forces of darkness and evil, the fight between faith and heresy, between
monotheism and polytheism, or (shirk).
When Islam describes the Message of His Prophet as
a continuity of the divine revelations that preceded it, and that the Prophet
was sent to confirm the Books that were revealed to Messengers before him, Islam
also affirms the universality of the Islamic message. Islam is the inherent
religion that Allah instilled in the universal man, a religion that can be
constrained to no time or space, achieving a unity with a far-reaching
geographical dimension that still remains distinguished by its rich diversity.
There is nothing in the teachings of Islam that
may be impossible to bear by man at any age, because these teachings have
followed, since Adam and through the ages, a course that is in balance with
human nature. Of the fundamental rules of Islam is what the Qur’an expresses in
this verse: “God intends every facility for you; He does not want to put to
difficulties”(1), and in this one: “On no soul doth God Place a burden greater
than it can bear”(2). A hadith of the Prophet also says: “Religion is easiness
and shall always be victorious he of you who struggles with it”.
In all its teachings, Islam stresses the
principles of virtue-based goodness in its universal and global dimension, and
that is what stands for what is known as the law of nature. For this reason,
Islam has referred to itself as the religion of instinct; the instincts that
Allah instilled in man at creation and the nature and characteristics that have
been preserved and will continue to be so till the Day of Judgement.
For these same reasons, Islam was also called the
religion of tolerance, meaning that it takes into consideration the limitations
of human nature and does not subject it to what it cannot bear.
Some analysts have summarised these values in the
word ‘mercy’, used in the Qur’an to describe the mission of Mohammed when Allah
addressed him saying: “We sent thee not, but as a Mercy for all creatures”(3),
in the same way that the values of Christianity were summed up in the word
‘love’ and Christianity labelled as the religion of love. The common denominator
of all these values is their being at a medium point between two extremes. The
Qur’an says that Allah has made the Muslim Ummah a nation of moderation. From
this perspective, Islam is the enemy of extremism and radicalism whether in
religion or in ordinary human behaviour.
The universality of the Islamic approach also
finds confirmation in one of the Islamic precepts that distinguish Islam from
all religions, namely Islam’s emphasis on man’s delegation by Allah on earth.
All nations that have succeeded each other and
will continue to do so through the ages, were and will be the representatives of
Allah on earth, mandated to harness its wealth, make it a better place and
preserve existence of mankind. To all of them was sent the call of Mohammed
through the Qur’an and the Sunnah. Their application of the teachings of the
Islamic Daawa would give substance to this representation that in fact is a
subject to a specific code of conduct.
The mission consisting of the representation of
Allah on earth by man is governed by two verses of the Holy Qur’an. The First
one says: “Know, therefore, that there is no god but Allah”(1), and the second
one says: “It is He Who has made the earth manageable for you, so traverse ye
through its tracts and enjoy of the Sustenance which He furnishes”(2). These two
verses stress the belief in the oneness of God and dedication to good deeds that
benefit each and everyone.
One aspect that goes in the same vein of the
universality of the Islamic approach as a message addressing all humanity is
that humanity, with all its dimensions, is called upon to converge (on one word)
as the Qur’an says. The Islamic message, in fact, encompasses all races,
ethnicities, nationalities, continents and transcends all the barriers that
humanity has erected for itself and on which it based its systems. As Allah is
One, humanity is also one.
The Prophet’s sayings have also emphasised this
trend : “All men are from Adam and Adam is from earth”, “No white shall be
superior to a black, or an Arab to a non-Arab”, thus negating any race-based
discrimination. He condemned the relapse of humanity - Arabs included- into the
pre-Islamic habit of boasting of one's lineage (and there was in every society a
pre-Islamic era), summarising all values in one sublime moral virtue, that of
piety which means submission to the will of Allah which delineates Allah's
rights and the rights of worshippers.
Islam's Call for Peace :
Until the emergence of Islam, the world was torn
apart by bloody conflicts among rival systems that fought each other for power
control and land expansion. Gains in victory was the sole source of wealth which
commanded the fate of kingdoms and empires for the rise or the fall.
Just as banditry against trading caravans was a
means of subsistence, warfare was the means whereby the mighty nations expanded
their territory and maintained their power and hegemony.
While this phenomenon is still prevalent in our
times, whether in apparent or latent ways, we must acknowledge that what
distinguishes today's political society is the emergence of a sovereign public
opinion that condemns the resort to force strong as it is with the United
Nations’resolutions that prohibit the use of force as well as international
charters replete with formidable principles of peace, which if applied with a
strong and good will, would free humanity from woes of war although most
societies considered warfare capabilities a criteria of the might of any given
nation, a proof of its sovereignty, and a reason for admiration regardless
whether wars were just or unjust, legitimate or illegitimate.
During the past three centuries, societies that
did not follow the precepts of the tolerant Islamic Shariah, have glorified war
to the extent of conferring legitimacy on the wars of colonialism, claiming that
they were the harbingers of civilization and should be waged against “savage”
nations and human beings. Civilised forces took it therefore upon themselves to
conquer the lands of the uncivilised, force them into submission, and usurp
their lands and their wealth, all in the name of spreading Western civilization
and sharing its benefits with others.
The starting point of this colonialist drive was
the feeling of superiority nurtured by capitalist nations that made them believe
in the need to expand their dominion, using the pretext of the civilizational
role with which they were vested. Colonialist theoreticians contributed in
consolidating this concept, particularly in the empires of Great Britain and
France, consecrating in people's minds the idea that the greatness of nations is
measured by the reach of their geographical frontiers and the annexation of
other people's lands within their national dominion.
In these colonialist countries there were also
eminent jurists who affirmed, with legal instruments, the concept of
colonialism. They decreed the legitimacy of the use of force to impose the
reality of colonialism on people claiming that colonialism was conform to the
international law. They considered colonial wars as fair, maintaining that those
who opposed them among weaker nations were opposing the dissemination of the
material and spiritual values that distinguished modern nations, and were
closing up their hearts to Christianity, a religion that guaranteed their
well-being and happiness.
Islamic Shariah, on the other hand, cannot be
described as a religion of war since Islam is a religion of mercy and its
prophet, as the Qur’an described him, is the Prophet of mercy. Mercy and war are
as different from each other as night and day for mercy can only prevail in the
presence of peace.
Because Islam is a religion of peace, it has made
"Peace be Upon You" (Assalamu Alaikum) the greeting of Muslims, to be made in
ease and safety in the face of whoever is met and wherever that might be. The
hadith says: "Greet whom you know and whom you don't".
With the rise of Islam, this greeting of “Assalamu
Alaikum” has heralded the beginning of a new era of peace and serenity among
individuals and communities and the end of the times of conflict, hatred and
fighting over the spoils of war.
In this perspective, the Prophet of Mercy called
upon all mankind to spread the greeting of peace not only as a form of greeting
within society, but as a call for dissemination of peace in the whole world and
termination of hostilities and military conflicts, thus making the greeting of
peace a raison d’ętre and a pattern of social behaviour.
Prior to the emergence of Islam, societies,
including the Arab one, suffered from a series of conventional wars. Warfare was
also a common feature of life with all that it entailed in terms of terror and
instability, loss of all types of security, including food security. Allah
blessed Quraish in that He provided plenty for them, bestowed on them safety
from fear, and commanded them to worship and obey Him as a way of expressing
their gratitude for these blessings.
The most prominent of Arab virtues in pre-Islamic
era was honour, and revenge to erase dishonour, to the extent that some buried
their daughters alive to spare themselves the dishonour that they may cause them
in the future. Warfare was one channel that the Arab men used to express this
manlihood, in such a way that many named their sons Harb (war) so that these
children grow with the love and ethics of war imbedded in their hearts.
In such a society, nothing could be more
significant than the Muslim's saying the greeting of peace (Assalamu Alaikum)
and the spread of this greeting among all people, whether or not they belonged
to the same tribe or community, no difference being made between those who had
converted to Islam and those who had not. This fully embodied the principle of
universal fraternity introduced by Islam and which transcends frontiers,
nationalities, races and colours, and emphasises the importance of piety and
good deeds as the only criteria differentiating people from each other. And why
should this not be the case when the Qur’an states that Islam is one of the
beautiful names of Allah: "God is He, than Whom there is no other god; - the
Sovereign, the Holy One, the Source of Peace"(1).
Islam preceded all nations and all international
organisations in inviting to universal and global peace when Allah said: “O ye
who believe! Enter into Peace whole-heartedly"(1). The Holy Qur’an also
condemned the violation of peace precepts and considered this a shameful
deviation towards wrongdoing and following on the footsteps of Satan. Following
the call to enter into peace came the admonition: "And follow not the footsteps
of the evil one; for he is to you an avowed enemy"(2).
The Prophet of Islam, peace be upon him, faced
violent rejection and opposition to his peaceful call. He even witnessed the
most awful aggression against the first converts to Islam. The Prophet himself
was victim of these acts of persecution in spite of his belonging to Quraish and
Bani Hashem, two powerful tribes of Mecca.
When Islam laid down its sturdy foundations in Al
Madina after the immigration of Muslims there, Allah decreed to the Prophet and
his followers the right to fight in order to fend off the harm that was
befalling them and the persecution that had compelled them to leave their
homeland, Mecca. Allah said: "A To those against whom war is made, permission is
given (to fight), because they are wronged; and verily, God is most powerful for
their aid; (They are) those who have been expelled from their homes in defiance
of right, (for no cause) except that they say, "our Lord is God"(3)
As the Muslims who had thus been called to engage
in battles and wars had been raised in the school of peace and on the principles
advocated by the Messenger, they were by virtue of their training more inclined
towards peace and more reluctant to enter into war after having left behind the
warring society of pre-Islam. Allah then revealed the following verse to prepare
them for facing battle through which the good of the Ummah would be achieved and
the message of Islam, hindered by conspiracies and obstacles, would spread and
assert itself: “Fighting is prescribed for you, and ye dislike it. But it is
possible that ye dislike a thing which is good for you, and that ye love a thing
which is bad for you. But God knoweth, and ye know not “.(4)
The words ‘fight’ and ‘jihad’ are repeatedly
mentioned in the religious texts of the Qur’an and the Sunnah (and they fight in
the name of Allah and shall kill or be killed)(1). Though jihad has became the
Islamic equivalent of ‘war’, it refers to the legitimate and just war that is
governed by rules of conduct followed by Muslim warriors and that distinguish
their warfare from that of others. In Islam, jihad has the following distinct
features:
- In Islam, the rule is peace and war is the
exception. It is therefore governed by a set of regulations. The ultimate
purpose behind war is to reach peace which is the natural order of things and
the basis of Islamic society.
- War is only engaged in as a defence against an
attack and the counterattack should be equal in proportion to the attack: "Fight
in the cause of God those who fight you, but do not transgress limits; for God
loveth not transgressors”(2). Allah also says: "then any one transgresses the
prohibition against you, Transgress ye likewise against him”(3), and: “Therefore
if they withdraw from you but fight you not, and (instead) send you (Guarantees
of) peace, then God Hath opened no way for you (to war against them"(4)
- Divergence on religious matters does not justify
conflict and hostility, and difference does not prevent peaceful relationships
and cooperation with the opponents in dealing with the affairs of society and
public life, nor can this difference be used to justify the waging of war
against them: “God 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 God loveth those who are just. God only forbids you, with regard
to those who fight you for (your) Faith, and drive you out of your homes, and
support (others) in driving you out, from turning to them (for friendship and
protection). It is such as turn to them (in these circumstances), that do
wrong"(5).
- Parallel to the principle of war, in case of
necessity, is the principle of peace, particularly if the enemy shows an
inclination towards peace: "But if the enemy incline towards peace, do thou
(also) incline towards peace." (6).
- When Muslims embark on a war, their purpose is
not the spoils of war or any material gain they might obtain from this war. The
first and ultimate purpose is to serve the faith, raise high the word of God and
provide an appropriate environment for its spread: "O ye who believe! When ye go
abroad in the cause of God, investigate carefully, and say not to any one who
offers you a salutation: "Thou art none of a believer!" Coveting the perishable
goods of this life: with God are profits and spoils abundant"(1). Allah also
says: "It is not fitting for an apostle that he should have prisoners of war
until he hath thoroughly subdued the land. Ye look for the temporal goods of
this world; but God looketh to the Hereafter”(2), and: "Therefore, when ye meet
the Unbelievers (in fight), smite at their necks; At length, when ye have
thoroughly subdued them, bind a bond firmly (on them): thereafter (is the time
for) either generosity or ransom: Until the war lays down its burdens”(3).
- Fighting is governed by a set of rules that the
Muslim fighter must respect in order to differentiate between his jihad and
simple war. The first Caliph, Abu Bakr, summed up these rules in his letter of
instructions to the military expedition he had sent for conquest. In this letter
he says: "Do not betray.., do not cheat, do not defile dead corpses, do not kill
a small child, or an elderly, do not cut or burn trees of palm, do not cut fruit
trees, do not slaughter a sheep or a cow or a camel except for your nourishment;
and you will encounter people who are dwellers of cloisters (i.e. monks and
priests) so do not harm. You shall encounter people who will present you with
food platters, if you choose to eat from these, mention the name of Allah before
doing so". These instructions contain all the rules that Islam has set to govern
Islamic warfare. In addition to the respect of persons and their dignity, their
lands and environment, the letter also contains the guarantee of the freedom of
creed and the right to practice religious rituals in the lands of those that
Muslims are fighting.
- Another distinctive feature of Islamic fighting
is the injunction made by the Qur’an to refrain from surprising enemies who are
bound by a peace treaty to Muslims. But if the Muslim fears a betrayal on the
part of this enemy, then he must inform him of his intention to cancel the
covenant and wage war against him: “If thou fearest treachery from any group,
throw back (their covenant) to them, (so as to be) on equal terms: for God
loveth not the treacherous.”(4)
Islam's Call for Dialogue, Co-Existence
and Recognition of the Other :
A) Dialogue as a Moral Value :
Rules for dialogue were carefully revealed in
clear and unambiguous verses of the Qur’an with the purpose of defining its
objective and methods. Thus dialogue became a godly path and an integral part of
the Muslim's faith and his immutable constants. Allah, first, bound to dialogue
the Messenger, and subsequently all Muslims, making it thus a mode of behaviour
among all people.
Dialogue is therefore a compulsory social
institution decreed by Allah to the inhabitants of the earth in the form of a
sacred rite that must not be neglected or disregarded. This entails that
dialogue be compulsory, prevalent and perpetual in time and space. This
presupposes the prohibition of compulsion in opinions, the forceful imposing of
willpower and the necessity of listening to the opinion of the other.
Allah says addressing His Prophet: “Invite (all)
to the Way of thy Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching”(1). This command is
initially addressed to the Prophet but it also applies to other Muslims
according to the rule recognised by the interpreters of the Qur’an and fiqh
scholars that "the matter that does not concern the addressee is generalised to
all who are in the same position as the addressee". Though Daawa is the call of
the Prophet, it is also the duty of all the faithful who embraced it after
conviction and who volunteered to spread it. What applies to the Prophet applies
to the rest of his Ummah.
This verse determines two aspects:
- On the one hand, the purpose of dialogue is to
lead people to the divine path, and the path that leads to its establishment on
earth.
- The second aspect is the style of dialogue
itself. The verse affirms that invitation must be made to people with wisdom to
embracing the divine way. The word ‘wisdom’ has many derivatives that concur on
meanings of insight, moderation, judiciousness and the translation of deeds into
rules that are adhered to by all. This entails that this dialogue be objective,
open, and striving to achieve a noble purpose on which both interlocutors agree.
Islamic call is one that is made for the sake of
Allah and not for some gain that those who preach the word may monopolise. Its
purpose is to bring happiness to humanity and save universal society from
deviation and loss.
In addition to the wisdom involved in the call to
Islam, the Verse attributes to this act that of gentle dispensing of good
advice. The purpose of this good intentioned act is to incite the other to
perform good deeds whatsoever, as they usually meet no resistance from the
parties engaged in dialogue. The Qur’an, however, has further described it as
gentle and good, thus ascribing more importance to this act. Preaching must be
dominated by objectivity and must avoid provoking, hurting the feelings of or
seeking confrontation with the addressee. Dialogue must be engaged most softly
and gently and in total absence of emotional zeal, haughtiness or denigration of
the interlocutor. The preacher must also reject the influence that could be
exercised by prejudices. Once all these conditions are fulfilled, the preaching
truly becomes the act of good faith it is initially meant to be.
The Qur’an also addressed the third method of
dialogue, one that occurs at a critical point of this exchange, namely the stage
of disputation on whether to accept the faith or reject it, and the endeavour of
the non-Muslim interlocutor to refute and belittle the arguments of the
preacher. In the case of this third method, the Qur’an has left decision at the
discretion of the Muslim interlocutor to choose the method he deems most
appropriate to convey his message and bring the dialogue to its fulfilment, the
convinced and openhearted acceptance of this by the addressee and his
acknowledgment of its arguments, in the total absence of compulsion and
pressures. The Qur’an did not lay down the rules of argumentation but left the
latter at a general and unrestricted level, giving the Muslim mind the freedom
of deciding on the best means to reach the desired goal, whether these means
were a preaching sermon, a pragmatic argument, or a good behaviour that set the
example for the person invited to respond to the call of Islam: “What the
obligation requires for its fulfilment is an obligation in itself’ as Muslim
Fiqh scholars maintain. But this generalization is nonetheless restricted by
the conditions set forth in the two previously stated methods of Daawa. This,
and the existence of texts that restrict each other, serve to avoid a
contradiction of methods and means.
These same concepts are plainly stipulated for
dialogue with the People of the Book: “And dispute ye not with the People of the
Book, except with means better (than mere disputation”(1), and “Invite (all) to
the Way of thy Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching”(2).
B) The Strategy of Co-Existence :
The call of Mohamed (PBUH) came as a response to
the divine command in which Allah instructed His messenger to invite the People
of the Book to converge on the belief in one God against paganism and the
association of other deities with Allah: "Say: "O People of the Book! Come to
common terms as between us and you: That we worship none but God; that we
associate no partners with him; that we erect not, from among ourselves”(1)
This call constitutes the first international call
for the strategic coexistence of monotheist religions and may even be considered
as the first international call for the peaceful co-existence of diverse
societies.
In order for this Islamic truth to become a fait
accompli, it is necessary for the researcher in Islamic doctrine to go back to
the history the preceded the birth of Islam and observe the status of religious
fanaticism, blind extremism and bigotry that prevailed. Indeed, the last
centuries that preceded the birth of Islam were marked by the rejection of
peaceful co-existence.
The sixth century A.D. (one century before the
birth of Islam) witnessed an escalation of religious bigotry that marked the
relationship of Christianity and Judaism in the Middle East. Early in the fourth
century A.D and following their victory under the emperor Constantine, the
Romans started to persecute Jews in Palestine. This persecution reached its
worst level early in the seventh century, coinciding with the first years of the
emergence of Islam.
Christians of the empire persecuted the Jews as a
way of taking revenge from them over their persecution and crucifixion of the
Messiah. Thus, the execution of Jews through crucifixion and fire-burning became
prevalent in this period. In the sixth century A.D., a desire for revenge grew
among the persecuted Jews of Palestine and was kindled by the emergence in Yemen
of the rule of Dzu Nuwas who had rejected Christianity and embraced Judaism.
Yielding to their provocation to take revenge on the Christians of Yemen who
lived mostly on Najran, he burnt down their churches, gathered them in a valley
described in the Qur’an as Al Ukhdud (the long trench between the valleys of
two mountains), and executed them by burning them and burying them in this pit.
This was the first mass execution by fire of which were victims the Christians.
Recording this horrible massacre, the Verse reads:
“By the sky, (displaying) the Zodiacal Signs; By the promised Day (of
Judgment); By one that witnesses, and the subject of the witness;- Woe betide
the makers of the pit (of fire), Fire supplied (abundantly) with fuel: Behold!
they sat over against the (fire), And they witnessed (all) that they were doing
against the Believers. And they ill-treated them for no other reason than that
they believed in God, Exalted in Power, Worthy of all Praise!- Him to Whom
belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth! And God is Witness to all
things"(1). The process of religious annihilation between Judaism and
Christianity carried on. For after this massacre, the Roman Emperor asked his
allies in the Empire of Abyssinia to revenge the death of the Yemenite
Christians by doing the same to Jews. This led the Jews of Yemen to seek the
protection of the Persian Empire.
Thus the Middle East embarked on a world religious
war, a war that opposed the two great empires, the Romans and the Persians, at
the crossroads of the three continents, Asia, Europe and Africa. With this war,
the world entered a cycle of insecurity and religious fanaticism. One of the
famous episodes of this war was the battle of Christian Abyssinia, ally of the
Roman empire against Judaic Yemen, ally of the Persian Empire, and the attack by
Abyssinia on the Hijaz in a bid to impose Christianity on it in the battle ‘Aam
Al Fil (Year of the Elephant) during which was born the Prophet Mohamed, Peace
be upon him. The purpose of the attack on Mecca, recorded in the Qur’an in the
sura of Al Fil, was to destroy the Arab pagan temple known as the Kaaba after
the Arab tribes showed support for Yemen after its attack by Abyssinia.
This and many other battles were indirect
confrontations which peaked with the final confrontation between the Roman and
Persian empires after Islam conquered the then Roman Palestine. Persia defeated
the Romans in the first round of these battles, then, as predicted in the
Qur’an, was defeated by the Romans a few years later: "The Roman Empire has been
defeated- In a land close by; but they, (even) after (this) defeat of theirs,
will soon be victorious Within a few years. With God is the Decision, in the
past and in the Future: on that Day shall the Believers rejoice.”(2) This true
prediction is one of the miracles of Islam.
C) Recognition of the Other :
The state of religious war that the Prophet, peace
be upon him, found the region in when Allah commanded him to invite all
creatures to Islam, draws the attention to the importance of the call made by
the Qur’an for co-existence among religions, and highlights the qualitative
shift that was achieved by Islam in freeing religions from the bloody feuds they
were stranded in. Islam brought along an era of harmony, understanding and a
co-existence of all creeds, based on a great principle that the Qur’an decreed
when it announced that “Let there be no compulsion in religion” and when Allah
instructed His Prophet to answer those who do not accept his call by saying: “I
have my religion and you have yours”, as well as when He said: “The truth is
from your Lord": Let him who will believe, and let him who will, reject (it).(1)
There can be no further recognition of this principle than this.
This Islamic injunction did not remain a mere
theory but found its way to implementation in real life by the Prophet when he
stipulated it in the written constitution he drew up in Al Madina after his
Hijra thereto. This constitution called the “Sahifa” was the first written
constitution in the world, long before the West wrote down its constitutions. In
fact, the first constitution to be written down dates back to only two
centuries, that is the constitution of the United States of America in 1787,
followed by the French constitution in 1791.
When the Prophet immigrated to Yathrib (Al
Madina), Jews living in this town and its outskirts lived in fear for their
faith and their safety from the powers of paganism, anxiously following the
persecution to which was being subjected Jews by the Roman empire. In the Sahifa
constitution, the Prophet hastened to give them the reassurance that dispelled
their fears. The obligation of Muslims and People of the Book to exist was
evident in the provisions of the constitution of the Islamic state of which the
creation, in Yathrib, was announced by the Prophet in the Sahifa. Furthermore,
as soon as Islam reached Yemen, the Prophet offered his protection to the
Christians of Najran who had suffered death by fire at the hands of the Yemenite
Jewish rule.
In these two great events lies the confirmation of
the universality of Islam and its recognition of the principle of peaceful
co-existence between societies and the mutual recognition of differences.
The constitution of Al Madina came in the form of
an agreement concluded between the various components of the population of
Yathrib, irrespective of their ethnic origin or religious beliefs, thus turning
the town of Al Madina into a safe and sacred heaven of peaceful coexistence, in
the full respect of all creeds.
The inhabitants of Yathrib were made up of rival
Arab tribes whose roots extended far into the history of Yathrib, particularly
the tribes of the Aws and Al Khazraj that had for many years confronted each
other in battles where no one had won victory over the other but where both
parties incurred heavy losses in human lives and property and where many of
their leaders had perished.
During these conflicts, many of their leaders were
in dispute over the leadership of Al Madina with no scale swaying in favour of
one over the other, until they started aspiring for peace and security under the
rule of a leader who belonged to none of the tribes. This leader was Mohammed,
Peace Be Upon Him, after he migrated from Mecca and responded to the request of
people of Al Madina who had embraced Islam before his arrival. They sent a
delegation to meet the Prophet offering him asylum and professing their
obedience to him. After meeting this delegation, the Prophet invited the people
of Yathrib to convert to Islam promising them protection and the guarantee of
all the interests of Yathrib once he arrives there.
The Sahifa constitution stressed the unity of the
inhabitants of Yathrib in one group and transcended the tribal division into Aws
and Khazraj in order to unify the original inhabitants, who undertook to support
and protect the Prophet in their lands and were named the Ansar, and Muslim
immigrants who had arrived from Mecca and who came to be known as the
Muhajireen. The Prophet created between the two groups a spirit of fraternity
that was as tight as a blood relationship. Every member of the Muhajireen was
designated as the brother of an Ansari, acting as such in all matters except
those related to inheritance, though they could still become relatives through
marriage.
Items 40 and 48 of the Sahifa constitution
stipulated that the Ansar and the Muhajireen should support each other and stand
side by side in the face of any enemy who could attack Yathrib. Thus the
historical rivalry of the two great tribes turned into a competition on how best
to protect Yathrib from any raid or danger.
Thus, the Al Madina constitution did not
consecrate the division between Aws and Khazraj, but dissolved this tribal
distinction into one whole entity that made up the Ansar. In the same way that
it bypassed tribal division, the document also transcended religious differences
speaking of the ‘Ummah of Yathrib’ incorporating Muslims, Muhajireen and Ansar
alike, the Jews of Al Madina and its outskirts, as well as all Judaicised Arabs
and even pagans.
As part of this nation, the document specified the
legal position of Jews and pagans as the allies of Muslims. It dispelled their
fears and anxiety about the unification that the word of Islam brought to the
Aws and Khazraj. In previous times, the rivalry of these two tribes used to be
kindled by the pagans and Jews to strengthen their own standing within the town
as they held the balance of power in the midst of the conflict and disputes that
prevailed making each of the two Arab tribes seek the alliance of the Jews
against its enemy.
The new constitution shifted the direction of
policy in Al Madina towards an alliance of all parties of the covenant against
whoever threatened Al Madina in its safety and unity or attempted to bring harm
to its Muslims, Jews or pagans. This alliance was mainly directed against pagan
Mecca which was envisaging an invasion of Al Madina after the Prophet, Peace Be
Upon Him, established therein a new Islamic state that enjoyed peaceful
co-existence.
As for Jews, the Al Madina Constitution bound them
to Muslims through ties of allegiance or alliance. The Jews were not mentioned
in the Constitution as being the entity made up of the three tribes : Qunaiqaa,
Quraidha and Annadhir. They were only referred to as the Jews so that this
attribute could include also those who did not belong to the three tribes, as
the constitution sought to bypass tribal divisions and establish a new era of
peaceful co-existence among religions irrespective of the ethnic belonging of
their believers.
Item 40 of the Sahifa of Al Madina gave the Jews,
in addition to freedom of belief, their economic independence, stipulating that
they must cater for their needs in the same way that Muslims did, but that they
must contribute, along with Muslims, to the costs of defending the Ummah of
Yathrib, since guaranteeing peace involved expenses and obligations.
Other items of the constitution specified the
conditions of collective peace and the possibilities of entering into covenants
with the enemies. Item 49 of the constitution gave the Jews the right to sign an
individual peace treaty in the event where this does not go against the
interests of the new religion.
Guarantees similar to the ones given by the
Prophet to Jews in order to establish a peaceful co-existence of the two
religions were also given to the Christians of Najran in Yemen where a Christian
community ruled over Najran along with a small minority of pagans.
The Christians of Najran sent a sixty-person
delegation to the Prophet after his state in Yathrib had been well established.
After long deliberations about his message and after understanding its purpose
and believing the truth of his words, they asked the Prophet to return their
visit by sending a delegate to Najran. The Prophet nominated his delegate Amru
Ibn Hazm to conducting this visit which paved the way for the Prophet’s granting
of a peace and safety covenant to the Christians of Najran.
This document stipulated that the “Christians of
Najran and its surroundings shall have the protection of Allah and Mohammed, the
Prophet and Messenger of Allah, in their property, lives, beliefs, those of them
present and those absent, their dependents and their relatives and everything,
small or large, they possess. No priest among their priests and no monk among
their monks shall be harmed. They shall not be compelled to accept what could
humiliate and belittle them. No Muslim army shall set foot in their lands and no
one shall interfere in their internal affairs. They shall assist the Muslims who
cross their lands- in passage or conquering other lands- with the necessary
sustenance throughout their passage”. The document set the duration of this
hospitality at twenty days at the most. The state of Islam also undertook to
protect them from any external aggression.
This peace covenant dispelled the fears harboured
by Christians of a repetition of the fire massacre perpetrated by the Jews and
which tormented the Christians of Najran for many years. Islam’s commitment to
co-existence with Christianity was the second part in the process of peaceful
co-existence that was introduced with the message of Mohammed. It was the
implementation in reality of the call for co-existence between Islam and the
religions of People of the Book, Jews and Christians alike.
This tripartite co-existence brought to being
major rules. Islam for example allowed the Muslim man to marry Christians and
Jews and have these as uncles for his children. His non-Muslim wife has the same
rights and obligations as the Muslim one and has every right to remain faithful
to her original religion and carry out the rites of this religion in her
husband’s house or in the synagogue or church.
In fact, among the Prophet’s wives there was a
Jewish one, Safiyya bint Huyay Bnu Akhtab, as well as a Christian one, Maria the
Copt.
The Qur’an clearly states the Muslim man’s right
to marry among the People of the Book and lays down two conditions to be
respected by him in the choice of his future wife, whether a Muslim and a
non-Muslim, namely that she be virtuous and that he pays her a dowry: “Lawful
unto you in marriage) are (not only) chaste women who are believers, but chaste
women among the People of the Book, revealed before your time,- when ye give
them their due dowers”(1).
Accordingly, many companions of the Prophet
married from among the People of the Book. Othman Ibn Affane, (third Caliph
after the Prophet), and Talha Bnu Ubaid Allah, both married Christian women,
while Hudaifa Bnu Al Yamane married a Jewish one. One of the other natural
consequences of co-existence with the People of the Book was the dispensation
given by Allah for Muslims to eat the food and animals slaughtered by the People
of the Book, “The food of the People of the Book is lawful unto you and yours
is lawful unto them”(2). The only types of food prohibited are those about which
a clear text has been revealed, such as the meat of dead animals, the meat of
pigs and the meat of all sacrifices made to deities in the pagan religious
system.
There is in the Sunnah a hadith where the Prophet,
addressing his companions when they first set foot on the soil of the Persian
empire, said: “You have set foot in Persia, if you buy meat from a Jew or a
Christian, eat it, but if it has been slaughtered by a zoroastrian, do not eat
it”.
This leads us to conclude that, under the state of
Islam, People of the Book enjoyed a special and open status. They were referred
to throughout the ages as the people of the Dhimma, with the persons enjoying
this position being called Dhimmis, or those who fall under the wing of Allah,
his Prophet and Muslims, to be thus protected from all aggression. Consequently,
Muslim society regarded them as those who enjoyed a special status and privilege
in spite of not following the religion of the state, Islam.
The term dhimmi was not a pejorative one, nor did
it contain a denigration of this position, but rather an honour and a privilege
to the person carrying it. Indeed, the position of the dhimmi was that of a
citizen who enjoyed the full rights of citizenship granted by the Islamic state
to which he belonged and the same obligations except that of jihad and the fact
that he follows the precepts of his own religion in matters of personal status
such as marriage, divorce and inheritance. Furthermore, he pays to Bayt Al Mal
the Jizya that guarantees his benefiting from civil services provided by the
state.
Many hadiths urge for the respect of the dignity
and the esteem of people of the Dhimma. In some of these, it is reported that
the Prophet said: “Whoever hurts a dhimmi hurts Allah and his Prophet”.
The history of Islam abounds of noble examples of
dhimma covenants signed between the Prophet or his followers and the People of
the Book, as well as the covenants concluded with the Muslim caliphs who ruled
after them.
Of these examples is text of the amnesty granted
by Omar Ibn Al Khattab to the Christians of Jerusalem when he conquered it and
in which he undertook in the name of Islam to protect the Christian faith, allow
the conducting of its rites in the lands of Islam and protect its churches,
monks and priests.
According to the provisions of this covenant, Omar
refrained from praying in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre to avoid that Muslims
turn it later into a mosque. This was also affirmed by Amru Ibn Al ‘Aas when he
conquered Egypt and professed his protection of the churches of Christians and
guaranteed their right to practice their rites in all safety and freedom.
In the covenants concluded by Khaled Ibn Al Walid
in his conquests around Iraq and the Greater Syria, it is recorded that:
“Christians can ring their church bells at any hour of the day or night except
during the prayer times of Muslims, and can take out their crosses on days of
celebration”.
The fourth component of Islamic co-existence with
other religions is its generalisation to cover the pagans who are not at war
with Muslims, thus highlighting the global dimension given by Islam to the
strategy of peaceful co-existence and recognition of the other.
Islam and the religions of the people of the Book
were all revealed to fight and eradicate paganism. Yet, Islam made exception
among the infidels of the peaceful ones who sought no harm to Islam, and set up
a pact and a covenant of peace and co-existence with them. They shall not be
attacked in war and their basic rights, and the integrity of their person and
property, shall be guaranteed along with the other civil and penal rights
guaranteed for Muslims and Dhimmis.
The infidels of Al Madina who belonged to this
category were an integral part of this co-existence of which the framework and
rules were laid down in the Sahifa constitution, and made up the nation of
Yathrib, the core of the great Islamic empire.
Conclusion :
These principles reflecting the tolerance of
Islam, its openness and its rejection of violence and religious terrorism, shall
help create a tolerant Islamic society able to co-exist with the rest of the
world while remaining in harmony with its own characteristics. They must be
taught to our young generations at schools, institutes and universities. Our
children must be raised on the knowledge of these principles in our houses and
within our families in the same way that our Prophet raised the first and
leading Islamic society. This would be conducive to erasing from the minds the
image of any Islam stained with fanaticism, extremism, bigotry or hatred, and
reveal the true image of our religion that looks forward for cooperation and
mutual understanding with others.
Humanity is in need of the principles of this true
and tolerant religion in any dialogue of religions and civilizations. It is in
need of its style, based on wisdom, good ethics and kind persuasion, through
which Muslims can contribute to the universal dialogue and secure fulfilment of
their main objectives, that is of presenting Islam under its real image: the
Islam of co-existence, tolerance and openness.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
(1) Al Anbiaa, verse 107.
(2) Sabaa, verse 28.
(3) Al Haj, verse 1.
(4) Fater, verse 5.
(5) Al Hujurat, verse 13.
(1) Al Baqara, verse 185.
(2) Al Baqara, verse 286.
(3) Al Anbiaa, verse 107.
(1) Muhammed, verse 19.
(2) Al Mulk, verse 15.
(1) Al Hashr, verse 23.
(1) Al Baqara, verse 208.
(2) Al Baqara, verse 208.
(3) Al Haj, verses 39-40.
(4) Al Baqara, verse 216.
(1) Al-Tawba, verse 111.
(2) Al Baqara, verse 190.
(3) Al Baqara, verse 194.
(4) Annissaa, verse 90.
(5) Al Mumtahana, verses 8-9.
(6) Al Anfal, verse 61.
(1) Annissaa, verse 94.
(2) Al Anfal, verse 67.
(3) Muhammed, verse 4.
(4) Al Anfal, verse 58.
(1) Annahl, verse 125.
(1) Al Ankabut, verse 46.
(2) Annahl, verse 125.
(1) Al Imrane, verse 64.
(2) (1) Al Bururj, verses 1 to 10.
(3) (2) Arrum, verses 1-4.
(1) Al Kahf, verse 29.
(1) Al Maeda, verse 5.
(2) Al Maeda, verse 5.
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