SHARED WISDOM

UNILATERAL ETHICAL BEHAVIOUR consistently conveyed his high moral character. He communicated to the people the message of Tawheed (the Oneness of God) with love and kindness and fulfilled their rights. That is why the people of Makkah, irrespective of their religious beliefs, had great confidence in him. They continued to do this up to the last days of his stay in Makkah. After being appointed as a prophet, the Prophet lived in Makkah for thirteen years and later migrated to Madinah, where he lived for ten years until his death. For about half his period in Madinah, he lived among people of different religions. The Prophet devised a Constitution for these people, known in history as Mīthāq al-Madina or Ṣaḥīfat al-Madīnah, also referred to as the Madinah Charter. This Charter expressly mentioned that issues concerning the different groups in Madinah would be decided based on their religious traditions—those of Muslims according to their Islamic traditions and those of the others according to their respective traditions. This sunnah or practice of the Prophet for a plural society carries the same moral authority as other practices of his. UNILATERAL ETHICAL BEHAVIOUR One should maintain unilateral ethics, seeking to join hands with those who sever relations with them, even those who behave unjustly towards them. The Prophet of Islam is reported to have said: “Should I not tell you what the best moral course is in this world