THE RELIGION OF HUMANITY: Islam’s Ethical and Spiritual Outlook

FREEDOM OF THOUGHT evident that the suggestion was correct; the Prophet commended the opinion and accepted it immediately. This illustrates that allowing people to express differing views, listening to them, and learning from them is also among the practices of the Prophet of Islam. AN EXAMPLE FROM ABU BAKR On the day of Hunayn, the Prophet of Islam distributed a large quantity of camels and wealth to many people. Among them were Al-Aqra ibn Habis al-Tamimi and Uyaynah ibn Hisn al-Fazari—each of whom was given one hundred camels as a gesture of goodwill. (Al-Bidayah wa al-Nihayah, Vol. 7, p. 141) On this basis, the two men—Al-Aqra ibn Habis and Uyaynah ibn Hisn—again approached Abu Bakr during his caliphate, as reported by Ibn Hammam. They requested a piece of land. In accordance with the practice of the Prophet of Islam, the first Caliph granted their request and, at their insistence, issued a written document assigning the land to them. The two men departed with the written order. Along the way, they encountered Umar, informed him of the grant, and showed him the document. Umar took the paper and tore it to pieces (fa mazzaqahu Umar), saying, “This was a temporary measure, not something permanent.” Both men returned to Abu Bakr and recounted what had happened. They asked, “Are you the Caliph, or is it Umar?”