Interfaith Dialogue in Islam

Why did the Prophet Muhammad destroy the idols in Makkah? E very religion has an institutional place of worship. The Kabah was built by the Prophet Abraham for the worship of One God (monotheism). Neither Abraham nor his followers ever placed an idol inside the Kabah. In later times, since it was open for all, some visitors placed idols inside the Kabah, thereby causing intrusion or unauthorized trespassing. When the whole of Makkah came within the fold of Islam, the presence of these idols became irrelevant and therefore they were removed. This was not done as a mark of disrespect. Had there still been worshippers of these idols, they would not have been destroyed but simply relocated to their rightful temples. Is it true that the Quran teaches killing of all non-believers? Referring to certain verses of the Quran, there are some who attempt to give the impression that Islam is a religion of war and violence. This is totally untrue. Such verses relate to a specific situation and are meant in a restricted sense; they are not of general applicability. Observe the following verse: And fight in God’s cause against those who wage war against you, but do not commit aggression – for surely God does not love aggressors. Slay them wherever you find them [those who fight against you]. (Quran 2:190-91) Fight them until there is no more fitna [religious persecution] and religion belongs to God alone. If the desist, then let there be no hostility, except towards aggressors. (Quran 2:193) The above verses do not convey the general command of Islam. The truth of the matter is that the Quran was not revealed in the complete form in which it exists today. It was revealed from time to time, according to the circumstances, over a period of 23 years. If this is divided into years of war and peace, the period of peace amounts to 20 years, while that of war amounts only to 3 years. The revelations during these 20 peaceful years consisted of the peaceful teachings of Islam as are conveyed in the verses regarding the realization of God, worship, morality, piety, justice, etc. This division of commands into different categories is a natural one and is found in all religious books. For instance, the Gita, the holy book of the Hindus, pertains to wisdom and moral values. Yet along with there is also an exhortation by Krishna to Arjuna, encouraging him to fight (Bhagavad Gita 3:30). This does not mean that believers in the Gita should wage war all the time. Mahatma Gandhi, after all, derived his philosophy of non-violence from the same Gita. The exhortation to wage war in the Gita applies only to exceptional cases where circumstances leave