Interfaith Dialogue in Islam

Recount in the Book how Mary withdrew from her people to an eastern place and kept herself in seclusion from them. We sent her Our angel, who presented himself to her as a full-grown human being. When she saw him, she said, ‘I seek refuge in the compassionate God from you; [do not come near] if you fear the Lord.’ ‘I am only the messenger of your Lord,’ he replied. ‘I shall bestow upon you the gift of a son endowed with purity.’ She said, ‘How can I have a son when no man has touched me; and neither have I been unchaste?’ [The angel] replied, ‘So shall it be; your Lord says, “This is easy for Me; and We shall make him a sign to people and a blessing, from Us. This has been decreed.”’ (Quran 19:16-21) At another place the Quran says that God breathed His Spirit into Mary before she gave birth to Jesus: Remember the one who guarded her chastity; so We breathed Our Spirit into her, and made her and her son a sign for all people. (Quran 21:91) This is why in Islam, Jesus is referred to as ruhullah, or ‘the Spirit of God’ and not ibnullah, or ‘the son of God’. What is the circumstance of this phrase Lakum deenukum waliya deen? T he verse referred to in the question is from Chapter 109 and is as follows: You have your religion and I have mine (Quran 109:6) This verse was revealed towards the end of the Makkan phase of Islam, which lasted for 13 years. Several Islamic scholars believe that this verse served as a last admonition to the Prophet’s opponents (the Quraysh tribe). It means that the verse came down at a point when the Prophet had fulfilled his responsibility of dawah (conveying the message of God) with respect to the Quraysh. It is commonly held by scholars that if a community persists in its denial of the messenger, it shall suffer consequences. However, in my opinion, this verse of the Quran was in the language of ‘divine hammering.’ Its purpose is to invoke in the reader a sense of seriousness towards the message and to make him ponder over its meaning. As we learn from the history of Islam, the Makkans who had become dire opponents of the Prophet (and also the immediate reference of this verse) eventually embraced Islam. I derive an extended meaning from the words of the above verse, which pertains to peaceful coexistence. The verse means that a believer must follow one and respect all religions.