SOCIETY

50. Society ~ 150 ~ places where Muslims lived along with adherents of other religions. This sunnat, or practice of the Prophet, for a plural society carries the same moral authority as other of his practices. Islam recognises no difference between Muslims and non-Muslims from the ethical standpoint. The rights granted to a Muslim are exactly the same as those granted to a non-Muslim. A tradition in Sahih al-Bukhari gives us a telling example of how this principle should in practice be followed. According to this tradition, when the Prophet was in Madina, he saw a funeral procession passing along a street. The Prophet was seated at that time. On seeing it, the Prophet stood up in deference to the deceased person. One of his companions said: “O God’s messenger, it was the funeral of a Jew (not a Muslim).” The Prophet replied: “Was he not a human being?” This tradition of the Prophet of Islam tells us that every human being is worthy of respect. There might be differences between people in religion, culture and traditions but it is incumbent upon everyone to accord equal respect to others as all