The Teachings of the Prophet

acrimoniously by those with whom they are dealing, they should still behave respectfully and honourably. Non-Confrontation The Quran sums up the Islamic method in the following words: “Then if they should be inclined to make peace, make peace with them, and put your trust in God. Surely, it is He who is All Hearing and All Knowing.” (8:61-62) This shows that the true Islamic method is to pursue our aims peacefully. Even when there is a fear that our opponents may deceive us, Muslims should still put their trust in God, and be ready to make peace. What this means is that we should concentrate our efforts in that field of action where – without any confrontation with others – there are opportunities for us to advance. As for other fields, those in which no opportunities present themselves – one should let the forces of nature go to work. Behaviour with People of Other Faiths Madinah was also inhabited by some idolaters and Jews, who were in a minority. The Prophet decided that some form of law should be established so that there would be no misunderstanding or hostility of any sort, in the future between them and the Muslims. To solve this problem the Prophet of Islam issued a charter commonly known as the covenant of Madinah. Since the Muslims were in the majority, the Prophet’s position became that of a leader, or a head of state. In this capacity he declared in this charter that all the inhabitants of Madinah would enjoy equal rights. A clause of the charter read: Lil-yahud dinuhum