THE DAILY ISLAMIC REMINDERS. Yaum Arba'a. 18th day of Jumaadal Aakhir 1444AH (Wednesday 11th January. 2023). RELIGIOUS TOLERANCE IN ISLAM. BismilLah.
Our beloved Prophet Mohammed Sallallahu alaihi wasallam to mankind faced many difficulties and opposition in his birthplace, the city of Mecca. He was eventually forced to migrate to Medina. But despite all the opposition and even physical torture that he and 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:
“O you who do not believe! I worship not what you worship, and you are not worshipping what I worship, nor am 1 worshipping what you worship; neither art you worshipping what I worship. Therefore, to you your religion; and to me my religion!” (QURAN 109).
When Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu alaihi wasallam migrated to Medina, he found that besides those who had accepted Islam, there was a large Jewish community in that, city but this did not bother him. He did not contemplate forcing them into the Fold of Islam, instead, he made a peace agreement with them and called them ahlul kitaab, the people of the Scripture. This was indeed the supreme example of tolerance shown 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 practise 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 in an effort to get them to understand Islam and revert to Islam peacefully and willingly through his kind actions and teachings. Many physically abused him, insulted him and even spoke badly about ALLAH (Al-Qadir, The All Able) but the Prophet Muhammed Sallallahu alaihi wasallam was always gentle and kind to them and through that he managed to turn the whole Arabian Peninsula from idol worship into The Worship of One true God. Let's emulate this tolerance from our beloved messenger of ALLAH (Al-Wahid, The One, The Unique, Manifestation of Unity) and avoid hatred towards each other as Muslims if indeed we want to be successful on earth and the hereafter.
*_May ALLAH (Al-Ahad, The One, the All Inclusive, The Indivisible) keep guiding us all and increases us in beneficial knowledge_*. Aameen.