Interfaith Dialogue in Islam

Y es. According to a hadith, the Companions once asked the Prophet if we would see God in Paradise. The hadith is as follows: During the lifetime of the Prophet some people asked, ‘O God’s Messenger! Shall we see our Lord on the Day of Resurrection?’ The Prophet said, ‘Yes. Do you have any difficulty in seeing the sun at midday when it is bright and there is no cloud in the sky?’ They replied, ‘No.’ He then said, ‘Do you have any difficulty in seeing the moon on a full moon night when it is bright and there is no cloud in the sky?” They again replied, ‘No.’ The Prophet said, ‘(Similarly), you will have no difficulty in seeing God on the Day of Resurrection, just as you have no difficulty in seeing either the sun or the moon.’ (Sahih al-Bukhari, hadith no. 4581) Does the Quran permit slavery? I slam does not promote slavery. According to Islamic teachings, all human beings are alike. At the time of the Prophet Muhammad, in the first half of the seventh century, industrial revolution had not taken place and thus slavery was a means for the poor to live in shelter and have regular meals for themselves. It was a social phenomenon and not something introduced by Islam. It was due to the age factor that slavery was not radically abolished, as this would have made people devoid of their means of livelihood. The Prophet had taken several steps to abolish slavery. Islam discourages the taking of a free person into slavery. There are several hadith in this regard, such as: The Prophet said, ‘God said, “I will be an opponent to three types of people on the Day of Resurrection. One of them is the one who sells a free person and eats his price.”’ (Sahih al-Bukhari, hadith no. 2270) The Prophet said: ‘There are three types of people whose prayer is not accepted by God. One of them is a man who takes into slavery a free person.’ (Sunan ibn Majah, hadith no. 970) There was great wisdom in not instantaneously abolishing slavery. Islam made the removal of slavery from society a gradual process, so that on the one hand, the society could be made free of this practice and on the other hand, in the process, the poor and would not suffer. Let me cite an example to put this into perspective. I once met an activist in Delhi who told me how he had freed some youth and allowed them to be set free. He was accompanied by one such youth who later told me that while they had become free, there was nothing for them to earn their livelihood from. It was this social atmosphere that made slavery thrive.