A RELIGION MISUNDERSTOOD

of Islam. The Prophet of Islam was born in Makkah in 570 A.D. and received the first revelation in 610 A.D. when he was forty. It was with these revelations that Islam began. He started his mission in Makkah and continued with it for a period of thirteen years and then he migrated to Medina. Throughout these thirteen years, he was engaged only in peaceful activity. He would always say: ‘O people! O mankind! God is one. You have to worship this God and this God alone.’ Islam began with the mission of peace. Its special concern was the oneness of God. Then the Prophet migrated to Medina in 622 A.D., where he continued his mission till his death in 632 A.D. In Medina too, he was engaged in a peaceful mission. He was successful in establishing the first Islamic society in Medina. What was the guiding principle of this Islamic society? He issued a declaration that is called in Islamic history Sahifa-E-Madina, which means Medina Declaration. There is a verse in the Quran to this effect, “For you your religion and for me mine.” This means that the formula for social peace, social harmony and inter-faith dialogue is based on peaceful coexistence. Mutual respect is a sine qua non for Islam. Indeed, this democratic tradition is the basis of Islam. The following episode illustrates this point: One day a funeral procession wound its way along a street in Medina. The Prophet, who was seated there at the time of its passing, stood up in deference to the deceased person. One of his companions said, ‘O Prophet, but he was a Jew!’ meaning thereby that it was the dead body of a non-Muslim. The Prophet replied: ‘Alaisat nafsan’: ‘Was he not a human being?’ This humanitarian outlook was typical of the Prophet’s vision of life. He was able to see everyone as a human being. In this case, he discovered a commonality between himself and that Jewish person. He felt that just as he was a human being, so also was the Jew a human being. Just as God had created him, so also had God created the Jew. People may have their differences in belief, religion, culture, etc., but a common bond has to be discovered between them, which shows them all to be human beings. Do good deeds in return for bad deeds and you will find that your enemy has become your dearest friend.’