FROM THE LIFE OF THE PROPHET

The reason for this loyalty was the fact that the Muslims never compelled the Christians to renounce their religion and gave them complete religious freedom. Their religious institutions received aid and assistance from Muslims. An authentic original document exists belonging to the period of Umar in which a Christian gives the good news to his co-religionists in another city, saying that a new nation had taken over as their ruler, but it did not indulge in tyranny. On the contrary, it protected their churches and gave financial aid to their converts. There are no priests or missionaries in Islam. It is the duty of all Muslims, men and women both, to convey the message of Islam to humankind. This duty cannot be performed by ignorant and illiterate persons who can neither read the Quran nor understand its meaning. So, to convey the message the Muslims should know the beliefs of Islam and they should be helpful and kind to the non-Muslims. If they keep away from the non-Muslims, if they hate them or do not respect them, they will not be able to convey the message. That is why the Quran says: ‘Do not abuse the gods of other religions or their prophets and religious men’. The Prophet always showed great respect for the non-Muslims, treating them kindly, and never doing anything that injured their feelings. Therefore, friendship and cooperation with people of other faiths is a religious duty of all Muslims. War is allowed only as an act of defense. For friendly nonMuslims, Islam offers friendship and goodwill. There is not a single instance in history where the Muslims stabbed a friendly non-Muslim power in the back. Islam stands for justice and fair-play for all, whether Muslims or non-Muslims. The Rights of Non-Muslims in Islam Islam as a religion possesses very clear guidelines for the treatment of non-Muslims and gives them the right to live according to their own faith. The Jews and the Christians are called the People of the Book and considered to believe, like the Muslims, in the One and Only God. On the authority of Abu Da’ud (a noted compiler of Prophetic traditions), it has been reported that Messenger of God said: “On the day of resurrection I shall stand as the defender of anyone whose covenants are broken by others, whose rights are usurped; who has burdens imposed upon The rights and privileges awarded to the non-Muslim minority in an Islamic state have no precedent in the entire history of humankind.