Islam and Religious Tolerance

Contrary to what many believe, Islam does indeed stand for religious tolerance. By ‘tolerance’ I do not simply mean to tolerate others but also to show consideration for their religious beliefs, values, emotions and culture. Islam insists that its followers must desist from hurting others or insulting their beliefs and practices, even if these are not acceptable according to Islam. It calls upon Muslims to deal with kindness and decency with others, notwithstanding their religious and other differences.


There are numerous references in the Quran and Hadith to this concept of tolerance. Islam stands for pure monotheism and does not countenance any compromise with it. Yet, it forbids its followers from abusing the deities worshipped by others, even though it regards these as false. Thus, the Quran stresses:


‘Revile not those unto whom they pray beside Allah lest they wrongfully revile Allah through ignorance. Thus unto every nation have We made their deed seem fair. Then unto their Lord is their return, and He will tell them what they used to do’ (6: 108).


Instead of polemics, Islam exhorts its followers to present its arguments to others using what the Quran refers to as ‘the better way’. This is explained in the following verse of the Quran:


‘Call unto the way of thy Lord with wisdom and fair exhortation, and reason with them in the better way. Lo! thy Lord is Best Aware of him who strayeth from His way, and He is Best Aware of those who go aright’ (16: 125).


The basic underlying principle of religious tolerance in Islam is its clear and unambiguous opposition to coercion in religious matters. The Quran insists:


‘There is no compulsion in religion. The right direction is henceforth distinct from error’ (2: 256).


This verse can be said to be a charter for the freedom of human conscience and belief. It clearly insists that no one has the right to force his views, including about religion, on others and against their will. It announces that everyone has the right to believe as he wants and in what he wants. It is God, and no one else, who will judge him for his decisions in this regard, and that will take place on the Day of Judgment. This also means that, while in this world, no one can be mistreated for his religious beliefs. He cannot be robbed of this very basic human right. Thus, God says in the Quran:


‘Unto this, then, summon (O Muhammad). And be thou upright as thou art commanded, and follow not their lusts, but say: I believe in whatever scripture Allah hath sent down, and I am commanded to be just among you. Allah is our Lord and your Lord. Unto us our works and unto you your works; no argument between us and you. Allah will bring us together, and unto Him is the journeying’ (42: 15).


The Islamic principle of religious is well exemplified in the conduct of the third Caliph Umar, who had a Roman slave who stayed with him till his death. Umar wanted him to accept Islam and even offered him a senior post if he did so. However, the Roman refused his offer. When Umar was dying he freed him.


The same principle was exemplified by the Prophet himself, who is said to have stood up in respect when the funeral procession of a Jew passed in front of him. After he settled in Medina, the Prophet was so powerful that he could have, had he wanted to, destroyed the Jews’ synagogues in the town, but he did not do so. Instead, he declared the Medinese Jews to be part of the same united ummah as the Muslims. The Covenant of Medina that set the rules for the running of the affairs of the town under the leadership of the Prophet guaranteed the same religious freedoms and political rights to the non-Muslims of Medina as were given to the Muslims. Both were to jointly bear the responsibility and costs for defending the town. All non-Muslim communities were granted the right to run their internal affairs according to their own religious laws. This is why the scholars of fiqh have argued that in an Islamic state non-Muslims are allowed to consume such substances as pork and alcohol that are forbidden to Muslims.


There have, admittedly, been cases throughout history of harsh treatment by Muslim rulers and others of non-Muslims, but it is crucial not to overlook the many instances of tolerance and acceptance. Thus, it is said that when the Ummayad Caliph Walid Ibn Abdul Malik was expanding the main mosque in Damascus, he incorporated a portion of an existing church in it. When Umar Ibn Abdul Aziz became the Caliph, he demolished this portion of the expanded mosque and returned it to the church. Another interesting example of tolerance and broad-mindedness has to do with the case of some Muslim soldiers who, when Alexandria was conquered by the Muslims, damaged the eyes of an image of Jesus. The Christians of the town protested this and demanded that a picture of the Prophet Muhammad be made so that they could damage its eyes. The commander of the Muslim army, Amr Ibn al-‘As, intervened and offered his own eyes to the irate Christians. Yet another interesting instance is that of the governor of Umayyid Iraq Khalid, Ibn Abdullah Qasri, whose mother was a Christian, who built a church in Kufa. In this regard, it can safely be said that cases of Muslims destroying the places of worship of non-Muslims that have occurred in history are a violation of Islamic principles, even if the perpetrators of these actions sought to muster what they argued was religious sanction for this purpose.


These instances of religious tolerance were all in accordance with Quranic teachings about religious tolerance. The Quran very explicitly states:


‘O ye who believe! Be steadfast witnesses for Allah in equity, and let not hatred of any people seduce you that ye deal not justly. Deal justly, that is nearer to your duty. Observe your duty to Allah. Lo! Allah is Informed of what ye do’ (5: 8).


The Islamic principle of religious tolerance is also expressed in this verse of the Quran:


‘For had it not been for Allah's repelling some men by means of others, cloisters and churches and oratories and mosques, wherein the name of Allah is oft mentioned, would assuredly have been pulled down’ (22: 40).


It is not enough for us to simply believe in, or intellectually agree with, the Islamic principle of religious tolerance. Rather, we must work for religious tolerance in our practical lives and in our societies. Unfortunately, today, many of us are simply intolerant of people of other faiths. That is why when we have to defend ourselves from charges of being tolerant, most of the cases of religious tolerance that we can cite are from the past, not from the present. These cases reflected sincere adherence to Islamic principles, whereas our lack of tolerance today represents deviation from true Islamic teachings and also the fact that our minds are now heavily influenced, in a negative way, by contemporary political developments and conditions, including an irrepressible desire for revenge. This leads us sometimes to commit wrongs just because we have been wronged or even, in some cases, because we imagine that we have been wronged. This is a clear violation of the following commandment of the Prophet:


‘Do not become opportunists and start claiming that if others deal with you well you will deal well with them and if they deal badly with you, then you, too, will behave badly with them. Rather, make it a habit that if someone behaves badly with you, you must behave well with him.’


Christianity preaches that one should love even one’s enemies. This teaching might appear to some to be beyond the capacity of human nature, but a somewhat similar instruction is contained in the Quran, which exhorts us thus:


‘The good deed and the evil deed are not alike. Repel the evil deed with one which is better, then lo! he, between whom and thee there was enmity (will become) as though he was a bosom friend’ (41: 34).


Religious tolerance demands that even in trying times we must exhibit large-heartedness. As Imam Ali very aptly put it, ‘Goodness is its own reward.’ It is not necessary that we should receive the reward that we expect from doing good deeds.


It is time we simply stopped taking pride in, and talking about, Islamic ideals and teachings about religious tolerance and started putting them into practice instead. As followers of a religion that has a mission for all of humanity, it is incumbent on us to be as broadminded and large-hearted towards others as possible, irrespective of how they behave with us. This was what the Prophet exemplified in his own life.