Quran and Bible debateAre muslims willing to sign this charter, if not why not?In 1927 Pickthall gave eight lectures on several aspects of Islamic civilization at the invitation of The Committee of “Madras Lectures on Islam” in Madras, India. Parts of Pickthall’s lectures were made available in India at various times. All of his lectures were published under the title “The Cultural Side of Islam” in 1961 by Sh. Muhammad Ashraf Publishers, Lahore from a manuscript provided by M.I. Jamal Moinuddin. The book has gone through several reprints since then.
An abridged version of his fifth lecture on the “Tolerance in Islam” is presented below. His long lecture frequently used quotations from the Holy Qur’an to emphasize many points and to support his analysis and conclusions. The major theme of his lecture is retained here. All of Pickthall’s eight lectures draw upon his vast knowledge of Islamic history, the Western religious, political and intellectual history through the ages, and their reasons for rise and fall. His lectures are very enlightening, analytically useful, and of great value even today.
An Abridged Version of Pickthall's Lecture
In the eyes of history, religious toleration is the highest evidence of culture in a people. It was not until the Western nations broke away from their religious law that they became more tolerant, and it was only when the Muslims fell away from their religious law that they declined in tolerance and other evidences of the highest culture. Before the coming of Islam, tolerance had never been preached as an essential part of religion.
If Europe had known as much of Islam, as Muslims knew of Christendom, in those days, those mad, adventurous, occasionally chivalrous and heroic, but utterly fanatical outbreak known as the Crusades could not have taken place, for they were based on a complete misapprehension.
Innumerable monasteries, with a wealth of treasure of which the worth has been calculated at not less than a hundred millions sterling, enjoyed the benefit of the Holy Prophet's (Muhammad’s) Charter to the monks of Sinai and were religiously respected by the Muslims. The various sects of Christians were represented in the Council of the Empire by their patriarchs, on the provincial and district council by their bishops, in the village council by their priests, whose word was always taken without question on things which were the sole concern of their community.
The tolerance within the body of Islam was, and is, something without parallel in history; class and race and color ceasing altogether to be barriers.
Intolerance cannot be ascribed to a book which altogether excludes com-pulsion from the sphere of religion.
"There is no compulsion in religion." (2:256)
In fact the Holy Quraan is full of statements showing that belief in this or that religion is a person's own concern and that he is given the choice of adopting one way or the other.
"The truth is from your Lord, so let him who wishes believe and let him who wishes disbelieve" (18: 29).
Thus the commonly held belief that Islam means forced conversion and strict enforcement of religious practices finds no basis in the main source of Islamic teachings that is the Holy Quraan.
Acceptance of previous religions
As to the view that Islam is a totally different religion as compared to Christianity and Judaism, the religions of currently the most civilized regions on Earth. The belief that it (Islam) advocates a social setup contrary to the principles of peace, freedom and justice as are given by Judaism and Christianity, is again far from the truth.
The Holy Quraan is the only religious scripture that requires a belief not only in its own truth but also in the truth of previous scriptures delivered to prophets of different nations.
"And those who believe in that which was revealed to thee and that which was revealed before thee." (2 4)
Thus the Holy Quraan accepts the truth of the sacred books of the world, and hence it is again and again spoken of as a book verifying that which is before it. The basis of the relation in which the Holy Quraan stands to other scriptures is that they are all members of one family, they all have a divine origin. Again it says,
"Say: We believe in Allah and in that which has been revealed to us and in that which was revealed to Abraham and Ishamil and Isaac and Jacob and the tribes and in that which was given to Moses and Jesus and in that which was given to the prophets from their Lord and we do not make any distinction between any of them and to Him do we submit." (2:1 76)
The level of universal tolerance of Islam is evident from the above Ayat which shows that Muslims believe in all that the Lord has revealed to all of his prophets anywhere in the world.
Respect for other religions
Even in the case of religious houses of worship the Holy Quraan specifically mentions that the Muslims are not to harm any places of worship not only of the Jews and Christians, but even idol worshippers and they are to respect their beliefs.
"And abuse not those whom they call upon besides Allah, lest exceeding the limits they abuse Allah through ignorance" (6:108)
The Ayat clearly stops Muslims from even criticising the beliefs of others let alone harming their places of worship.
Fighting non-Muslims only to defend
Muslims have been allowed to fight against others by Allah, but not to compel the unbelievers to accept Islam as is generally believed, but to establish religious freedom, to stop all persecution and to protect the houses of worship of an religions.
"Permission to fight is given to those upon whom war is made because they are oppressed, and Allah is well able to assist them; those who have been expelled from their homes without a just cause except that they say our Lord is Allah." (22:S9.40)
The Holy Quraan therefore allows fighting only to save a persecuted community, and hence the condition was laid down that fighting was to be stopped as soon as persecution ceased.
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