THE CHRISTIAN MODEL

THE CHRISTIAN MODEL A Model worth Emulating It is quite strange that the readers of the Quran did not follow the advice given in the Quran. The readers of the Quran were required to adopt the model of the Christians as envisioned and instructed to them in the Quran. C HAPTER 61 (Ranks―Al-Saff) of the Quran presents to the believers the Christian example as a model worthy of emulation. This can be understood with reference to two events from the history of Christianity. The first incident took place during the early centuries after Jesus Christ. In this period, the followers of Christ were subjected to severe persecution and oppression, but they did not adopt a method of retaliation. Instead, they followed the teaching of Jesus Christ elucidated as, “Love thy enemy”. This meant that even when faced with enmity from others, whilst saving yourself from negativity, continuing to convey God’s message to people in a unilaterally peaceful manner. The second Christian model is their response after the defeat in the Crusades. This was a change in their field of action, after failure in the fields of battle. When they found their efforts in the field of armed Crusades were in vain, they chose the method of diversion― redirection to a different course. They abandoned the fields of battle and diverted their efforts towards the peaceful fields of scientific research. It is quite strange that the readers of the Quran did not follow the advice given in Chapter 61. The readers of the Quran were required to adopt the model of the Christians as envisioned and instructed to them in the Quran. It was this same peaceful model that was adopted by the Prophet of Islam on the occasion of Hudaybiyah Peace Treaty. But Muslims as a community remained ignorant of this model and failed to adopt it. Here are two examples of this failure from Muslim history. The first example is from the times of colonial rule. During this period the colonial powers of Europe destroyed the Muslim empires ending their political domination. Following this, Muslims fell victim to negative reaction. They harboured feelings of revenge, hatred, and resentment. Some Muslims even took to violence.