Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H) And Tolerance Towards Various Religions

Islam is the religion of peace, which is the sole accepted religion in sight of Allah Almighty. Despite this concrete fact, Islam realizes that there are plural of religions on earth as religion is not to be and can never be forced upon an individual against their will. No Muslim have steadfastly upheld the level of tolerance that Muhammad (PBUH) had portrayed in his era towards minorities yet the clear elicitation of tolerance is vivid from the verse of Quran for the Muslims that:

“For you is your religion, and for me is my religion.” [Quran 109: 6]

Islam has always been branded with the label of terrorism plus conservative religion and the reason is the pundits and fanatics who have grotesquely rendered the image of Islam. Historians especially the Orientals had presented the picture of Muslims as holding Quran in one hand and sword in another. West media has marked Islam an intolerant towards other faiths though the entire life of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is a paradigm in front of all where he was living in the time when rest of the religions like Christians, Zoroastrians, polytheists and Jews were affiliated with their own religions. In spite this all it clearly has stated in Quran that no compulsion is upon any other faith-bearing person:

“There shall be no compulsion in [acceptance of] the religion. The right course has become clear from the wrong. So whoever disbelieves in Taghut and believes in Allah has grasped the most trustworthy handhold with no break in it. And Allah is Hearing and Knowing.” [Quran 2:256]

Islam Refute Forceful Conversion to Its Dogmas

Allah Almighty has clearly outlined the duties and atrocities of His messengers and thereupon no one is ever allowed to forcefully implying religion on another. The essence of this can be easily gauged in the verse of Quran in which Allah has marked the duties of His messengers as:

“Not upon the Messenger is [responsibility] except [for] notification. And Allah knows whatever you reveal and whatever you conceal.”

Muhammad (PBUH) and Tolerance

The whole persona of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) exemplifies the significance of tolerance towards other minorities. Once the people of asked Prophet Muhammad that why Allah did not inflict hardships and forcefully demolish the false Gods to prevail one true religion. Upon this Allah Almighty sent the following verse of Quran:

“And those who associate others with Allah say, “If Allah had willed, we would not have worshipped anything other than Him, neither we nor our fathers, nor would we have forbidden anything through other than Him.” Thus did those do before them. So is there upon the messengers except [the duty of] clear notification?” [Quran 16:35]

Probe the complete life of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and the non-believers would extract that Islam is the religion of forbearance. Jews were allowed to practice their faith and to recite Torah as they were having their own school of learning with the name of Bait-ul-Midras.

Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) had advised his emissaries not to harm or demolish other faith’s institutions. Prophet’s letter to his followers is a glowing globe for the rest of his followers to respect and honor the worshipping places be synagogue, church or Mandirs of other faith. The letter held the following words:

“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).”

The story of Najran Christian preacher is one such epitome of learning from Muhammad (PBUH) practices, which reflects the tolerance towards other creeds. In the historic book, the story has been quoted as:

“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.”

Maltreatment With Non Muslims

Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) has strictly warned his followers from maltreatment with non-Muslims. In Holy Quran, even Allah says that killing an innocent person (no distinction of religion implies here) is likely to slain mankind entirely [Quran 5:32]

“Beware! Whoever is cruel and harsh to a non-Muslim minority, curtailing their rights, overburdening them, or stealing from them, I will complain [to God].” [Abu Dawud]

Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was lenient and kind enough towards all people and in this regard, he himself let alone was the perfect example until eternity. He commanded his followers as:

“And tell My servants to say that which is best. Indeed, Satan induces [dissension] among them. Indeed Satan is ever, to mankind, a clear enemy.” [Quran 17:53]

The Bedouin story who urinated in Mosque shed light on the facts that how tolerant Muhammad (PBUH) was towards the non believers as narrated in Hadith:

“A desert Arab came and stood up and began to urinate in the mosque. The Companions of Allah’s Messenger said: Stop, stop, but the Messenger of Allah said: Do not interrupt him; leave him alone. They left him alone, and when he finished urinating, Allah’s Messenger called him and said to him: These mosques are not the places meant for urine and filth, but are only for the remembrance of Allah.” [Sahih Muslim]

Aforementioned are the excerpts that demonstrate the tolerance of religions by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and those who indiscriminately describe Muslim followers as aggressively intolerant believers should scrutinize the life of Muhammad, which is an apparent message to all the people that he was the merciful who was sent down as portal of guidance for all as stated:

“Say, [O Muhammad], “O mankind, indeed I am the Messenger of Allah to you all, [from Him] to whom belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth….” [Quran 7:158]