Is Islam a Tolerant Faith? *

by Rafiq Zakaria

The Prophet’s immediate companions, in particular the first four Caliphs, faithfully followed his precepts and practices. Abu Bakr’s democratic outlook, Omar’s charitable disposition, and Ali’s liberal leadership, conformed to the Qur’anic tenets and the Traditions of the Prophet ** Soon after Abu Bakr became the First Caliph, there was a fierce battle in Syria. He sent Khalid bin Waleed, one of the greatest military commanders that Islam produced to Ajndayn, between Jerusalem and Gaza. He defeated the army of Heraclius and advanced to Damascus, which capitulated in the year 635, after a six-month siege. How equitable were the terms of surrender which Khalid offered to nonMuslims on entering the city, can be gauged from the following document:

“In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful, this is what Khalid bin Waleed would grant to the inhabitants of Damascus. He promises to give them security for their lives, property arid churches. Their city wall shall not be demolished, neither shall any Muslim be quartered in their homes. Thereunto we give to them the pact of Allah and the protection of His Prophet, the Caliph, and the believers. So long as they pay the tax, nothing but good shall befall them.”

Omar, the Second Caliph, under whom the greatest expansion of Islam occurred, took special care to preserve the sanctity of the religious places of the followers of other faiths. This is borne out by many instances, the most famous being his treatment of Jews and Christians on the capture of the Holy City of Jerusalem in 637. Khalid’s terms of surrender were acceptable to the Patriarch Sephronius on one condition - that the Caliph himself should come over to take delivery of the city.

Omar agreed and traveled a long distance from Madinah to Jerusalem. He showed the utmost consideration to the Christian and Jewish inhabitants, and promised them full protection. On the invitation of the Patriarch, he visited the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which is regarded by Christians as most sacred because it is said to be the site of Christ’s tomb. As he was going round the Church, it was time for noon prayers.

The Patriarch offered to allow the Caliph to say the prayer in the Church, but Omar went and prayed outside on the bare ground, saying: “If I were to pray in the Church, some of my enthusiastic followers may turn it into a mosque.” Omar’s terms to the Christians were as follows:

“In the Name of God, the compassionate, the Merciful, the following are the terms of the capitulation which I, Omar, the servant of God, the Commander of the faithful, grant to the people of Jerusalem. I grant them the security of their lives, their possessions, their churches, their crosses, and all that appertains to them in their integrity and their land and to all the protection of their religion. Their churches therein shall not be impoverished, nor destroyed, nor damaged; neither their endowments, nor their dignity; not a thing of their property will be injured, neither shall the inhabitants of Jerusalem be exposed to violence in following their religions; nor shall one of them be injured.”

THE SUFIS

In the spread of Islam, the Sufis played a most significant role: their contribution has been decisive in bridging the gulf between the Muslims and non-Muslims. Among the Sufis, one of the greatest names is that of Jalaluddin Rumi; in fact his Mathnavi or poetical work is respected by Muslims throughout the world.

How did this man of God behave towards men of different persuasions? It is related by his biographer that the Ulama were suspicious of his faith because he refused to subscribe to any fixed dogma and opened his doors to followers of all faiths. The Sheik-ul-Islam (Leader of the ulama) sent a dialectician one day to probe into the matter. The dialectician asked Rumi to which sect or school he belonged. Rumi replied that he belonged to all the sects. The dialectician said “and that proves, without doubt, sir, that you are an atheist!” To which Rumi replied: “You may be right!” In his Islam, there was no hate or rancour, neither aggression nor vengeance. He sang, almost in despair:

“0 Muslims! What shall I do?
I cannot put a label on myself;
I am neither a Magian nor a Jew
Nor the kind of Muslim like you
I feel no national or racial affinities
I belong neither to East nor West,
And Yet you insist to know my creed.
Then listen! I am a lover of love,
My love transcends all creeds.”

In one of his most popular verses, Rumi reminded the Muslims:

“You were sent to UNITE people; You were not sent to DIVIDE people.”

Prejudice is the enemy of religion; only those who can conquer it can succeed in establishing a genuine moral order. As Hafiz, the mystic poet ofIslam said:

“It is really prejudice which divides the Sheikh and the Brahmin. Otherwise in the Tavern, there is only one cup and one cup-bearer.”

Like all devout religionists, the Muslims also believe that theirs is the best religion; so do the Jews, the Christians, the Buddhists and others. This does not, however, mean that the Muslims consider the non-Muslims as inferior to them. Some fanatics may do so, but they are to be found in all religions. Being more attached to one’s own faith is quite natural - and this is one fact of religion that cannot be gainsaid.

MERE QUIBBLING

Some ulama assert that Islam only tolerates other religions; it does not allow Muslims to show equal respect to them. But these ulama are only quibbling with words. There can be no tolerance where there is no respect for the other’s point of view. Even the dictionary defines “tolerance” as “the capacity for, or practice of, allowing or respecting the nature, beliefs or behavior of others.”

Allamah Iqbal, whose love for Islam was second to none, declared:

“A community which is inspired by feelings of ill-will towards other communities, is low and ignoble. I entertain the highest respect for the customs, laws, religious and social institutions of other communities.”

The tragedy of Islam, as of other major religions, has been that no sooner had the first generation of believers passed away, than other influences began to work on the people, corrupting the simplicity of the original approach. Because of its imperial past, Islam suffered the most in this respect. To suit the convenience of every ruler who came to the fore, theologians were commissioned”,to give bewildering - sometimes even contradictory - comments on Qur’anic texts. And even Traditions of the Prophet ** were concocted, religious decrees were made to order and fatwas Gudgements) were given to suit the whims and caprices of a particular Muslim ruler. There were, indeed, many good rulers who upheld the highest ideals of Islam. Babar, the founder of the Mughal Empire in India, was one of them. In his testament to his successor, Hamayun, he wrote:

“0 son! The kingdom of India is full of different religions. Praise God that He bestowed upon thee its sovereignty. It is incumbent on thee to wipe all religious prejudices from the tablet of thy heart, and administer justice according to the way of every religion. Avoid, especially, the sacrifice of the cow by which thou canst capture the hearts of the people of India and subjects of this country may be favored with royal obligations.

“Do NOT ruin the temples and shrines of any community which is obeying the laws of government.- Administer justice in such a manner that the king be pleased with the subjects, and the subject with the king. The cause of Islam can be promoted more by the sword of obligation than by the sword of tyranny.”

Dr. Norman Daniel in his outstanding work, Islam and the West, points out how “the deformed image of Islam” was deliberately established” in the conscious European mind” through lies and distortion - and remarks: “Ultimately Gresham’s Law would come to apply to the circulation of statements about Islam, but it was a long time before the good drove out the bad.”

Originally published in the print edition of the American Muslim Fall-Winter 1994