Survey
* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
The Role of the Holy Qur’an in Building Islamic Civilisation His Eminence’s speech at The Muslim World Conference on the occasion of the 1400th anniversary of revealing the Holy Qur’an Karachi, Pakistan 17–19 November 1967 2 In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful All praise be to God, the Lord of all worlds. May God’s peace and blessings be upon Prophet Muhammad, his brother prophets and messengers and all those who convey the call of truth after them to the Day of Judgment. Dear brothers and sisters, I am not exaggerating in any way if I assert, at the beginning of my speech, a fact that you all know, and that each objective, competent and open-minded researcher, who undertakes a comparative study, will reach. This fact is that there has been no book, at any time, like the Holy Qur’an, which has been the basis of intellectual and spiritual radiation for human civilisation throughout history. Among its achievements are the building of civilisation and the development of various disciplines of knowledge and science. It is not strange that Napoleon, Emperor of France, was astonished at discovering that Islam conquered, through mercy and guidance, half of the Old World in half a century. Had he studied the Holy Qur’an and its meanings, he would not have been astonished, and his wonder would have faded. The Qur’anic method of cultivating the mind and purifying the soul is the secret that Napoleon and others were ignorant of. It is the secret that raised backward peoples, saved them from ignorance and paganism, liberated them from oppression and colonisation and joined them all as brothers and sisters regardless of colour or otherwise. Through the Qur’anic school that cares for mind and soul until they reach wisdom and purity, many nations and peoples of different ethnicities, languages and beliefs turned into the best community ever raised for humankind, unified in hopes and pains, in accordance with the tradition of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), who did not speak of his own accord: ‘Believers are similar to one 3 body in their love, sympathy and feeling for one another. If one part of it feels pain, the whole body suffers from fever and lack of sleep.’ Sahih Muslim. If we look at the borders of the Muslim world, we find its east at the remotest islands of Indonesia and its west at the suburbs of Paris with the army led by Abdul Rahman Al-Ghafiqi and at the walls of Vienna, which were besieged by the Muslim army led by Muhammad Al-Fatih. At a time when Islam covers two thirds of Africa with its wings and raises the flag of the Holy Qur’an on the hills of Siberia, we are surprised nowadays to find it penetrating North America and implanting the Holy Qur’an in the hearts of about 8 million African Americans out of 25 millions. They are so close to embracing Islam that they only need some qualified and open-minded heralds, i.e. callers in the true lively Qur’anic sense, to introduce this religion to them. Dear brothers and sisters, anyone who reflects on the Muslim world with its widespread borders will indeed discover that, were it not for the Holy Qur’an’s extraordinary care for the mind and heart, great numbers of people would not have embraced Islam, especially in our modern time and particularly in America. Once I met an American Muslim leader who told me that African American Muslims have so far built tens of mosques in northern America. Whoever considers the need of humans for life sciences and civilisation before the Holy Qur’an was revealed and looks at the great achievements of the Muslim mind under its care and guidance and the way this mind developed by seeking knowledge and wisdom wherever they were; and whoever reads the books of science and knowledge such as medicine, chemistry, agriculture, astronomy, philosophy and other disciplines written in the language of the Qur’an, filled with the thoughts of its followers and taught in the universities of Europe for about six centuries; whoever considers and knows these facts will 4 be certain the Qur’an had a great influence in developing and reviving the human mind. When people enjoy looking at the gardens of the Holy Qur’an and reflect on its verses, their astonishment will increase, especially when they consider the way Islam creates harmony between faith and reason, and when they recognise how it makes Islamic doctrine a living and practical commitment made evident by advancements and progress in civilisation. More surprisingly, and distinctively from other religions, the Holy Qur’an makes reflection on the universe and the quest for knowing the laws of natural life a great and lofty kind of worship. This feature is found exclusively in Islam where in its lush gardens mind and soul, intellect and emotion, body and soul, religion and state and the present and next life all meet in harmony and coherence, and not in contradiction or chaos. Dear brothers and sisters, let us listen for a while to the Holy Qur’an, which develops mental abilities and motivates intellectual potential towards knowledge, understanding, science, strength, progress, happiness and glory. It makes out of this motivation a daily prayer that we perform for our Creator five times a day. Muslims, in prayer, draw themselves closer to Allah by enriching their intellect with different disciplines of knowledge. Where does that happen? — During prayer, at the prayer niche, where mind and soul meet in abundant purity, devotion and humility. Almighty Allah says: “Verily, in the creation of the heavens and the earth, in the alternation of night and day, in the ships that sail the sea with what benefits people, in the water which God sends down from the sky, and with which He revives a land after its death, dispersing over it all manners of creatures, and in the veering of winds and clouds that are employed between sky and earth, surely, there are signs for people who understand.” T.Q., 2:164. 5 Is not there, when a worshipper recites such a verse in prayer, a motive to study the creation of heavens and to seek knowledge of astronomy? Is not there, in such verses, an urge for Muslims to seek knowledge of the earth’s formation and a clear direction from the Holy Qur’an to know the reasons for the change from night to day? Does not this verse urge Muslims to study sea transportation, the mechanism behind rain and its divine natural laws, biology, and the system of wind movements and the laws that govern it? This divine revelation urges humans to reflect on these universal systems and asks worshippers to move their minds and intellect from studying the universe and its marvellous laws to the intellectual and scientific search to know its Creator. Is not this an urging from the Holy Qur’an, in every prayer, to seek knowledge and understanding? Is not this a Qur’anic hint to develop our minds and enlighten our thoughts so that humans can reach perfect scientific, intellectual and cultural maturity? This Qur’anic method makes prayer, for devoted Muslims, in addition to purifying the soul and cleansing the heart, a universal lesson, both intellectually and culturally, which equips them with different kinds of scientific and intellectual knowledge linked to the powers of the universe and its natural treasures. These treasures could be used for humans’ best interests when they know how to manage them. Dear brothers and sisters, let us also listen to the Holy Qur’an developing the industrial thinking of Muslims when they recite it even in prayer. Almighty Allah addresses His two prophets David and Solomon saying: “And We made the iron soft for him, saying, ‘Make perfect coats of mail, balancing well the rings of chain armour, and work you all righteousness. Verily, I am All-Seeing of what you do.’ And to Solomon We made the wind obedient, its morning was a month’s journey, 6 and its afternoon was a month’s journey (i.e. in one day he could travel a two-month journey). And We caused a fount of molten brass to flow for him.” T.Q., 34:10–12. He also says: “They worked for him what he desired, making elevated chambers (or places for worship), images, basins as large as reservoirs, and cooking cauldrons fixed in their places. Work you, O family of David, gratefully! But few of My servants are grateful.” T.Q., 34:13. Do not these verses remind us of the prophets and their knowledge of minerals, melting them and manufacturing them for military and civilian purposes? The Holy Qur’an tells us how Prophet Solomon used fast flight in his travels after God subjugated the air for him. Even though the Holy Qur’an does not clarify the nature of this subjugation, reciting these verses in and out of prayer is a hint for Muslims to awaken their mental, intellectual, scientific and practical abilities and use them to revive and establish vibrant industries. This constitutes a wonderful intellectual motivation to enrich our minds and direct them towards all kinds of industry. Having clarified that, it is not strange if we say that such verses might be the motivation behind the world’s first attempt at flying by a Muslim called Abbas bin Firnas. With regard to developing agriculture and irrigation, the chapter of Sheba fulfils this need. It mentions the great dam of Ma’rib which was 800 cubits in length, 35 cubits in height and 150 cubits in width. It used to provide water for about 300 km2 of land. These numbers come from a study a century ago, unfortunately not done by Muslims but by Europeans. The study proved that the Ma’rib dam turned the barren desert, before Islam, into gardens that brought wealth, stability and welfare. Recent and ancient studies have discovered that the Yemeni Kingdom of Sheba had hundreds of dams. 7 The Holy Qur’an tells us that Allah deprived the people of Sheba of that bounty and welfare when they showed ingratitude and disbelief in Him. They rejected His intellectual and practical methods, so their gardens turned back into desert, their houses into ruins, their orchards into barren land and their freedom into humiliation and colonisation. Are Muslims right, after all this, if they turn such verses into stories to amuse their children? Shouldn’t they take them as a motive to strengthen their research to enable them to care about agriculture and irrigation by building dams to store rain in countries that have no rivers or springs, turning the land, through the planning of the Qur’an, from barren deserts into fruitful gardens and verdant fields, vibrant with life, joy, bliss and wealth, and having rivers flowing beneath? Dear brothers and sisters, with regard to the Qur’anic teaching concerned with warfare and the concept of jihad (struggle) for Allah’s sake, we find it demonstrated by many unprecedented Muslim figures. This teaching gives a Muslim soldier a special and powerful spirit that sees real life in martyrdom and honour after death on the battlefield. Some of the verses that belong to this teaching are as follows: “If there are twenty of you who persevere patiently, they will defeat two hundred, and if there are a hundred of you, they will defeat a thousand of the disbelievers.” T.Q., 8:65. “So do not become weak against your enemy nor be sad, for you will be superior in victory if you are true believers.” T.Q., 3:139. “Do not consider those killed in God’s cause to be dead; no, they are alive, with their Lord, enjoying His provision.” T.Q., 3:169. Are these verses meant to be blessed by mere recitation without reflection on their meanings? They are hints and motives for Muslims to develop and enrich their mental 8 faculties in the field of fighting oppressors and greedy colonisers. Dear audience, what do the following verses mean? “Do they not reflect on camels, how they are created? And on the sky, how it is raised high? And on the mountains, how they are fixed firm? And on the Earth, how it is spread out?” T.Q., 88:17–20. “Say: ‘Behold all that is in the heavens and on earth.’” T.Q., 10:101. Are not these verses and their like a kind of inspiration to develop Muslims’ mental abilities and to encourage them to study zoology, geology and astronomy, and from them to make a bridge that leads us to know Allah through His creative design and to please our eyes and souls by reflecting on His laws? Does not the Holy Qur’an invite us to reflect on the precise divine creation and the artistic and beautiful nature designed by Divine Providence? Do we not find relief, pleasure and tranquillity by doing so, filling the soul with joy, nurturing the nerves and giving them relief and composure? We also notice that the Holy Qur’an strongly criticises those who think that religion contradicts life’s delicacies, delights, beauty and decoration and who want to make religion a tool for misery, deprivation and asceticism. Is not there in this honourable verse a clear call to Muslims to enjoy the beauty of life and a condemnation of those who want it to be miserable and dull? Almighty Allah says: “Say: ‘Who has forbidden the adornment of God which He has brought forth for His servants, and wholesome, delicious and lawful kinds of provision?’ Say: ‘They are for the believers, in the life of this world, but 9 exclusively for them Resurrection.’” T.Q., 7:32. on the Day of Then let us listen, brothers and sisters, to those verses which call Muslims to enjoy the beauty of nature and the magic of its splendour and adornment. Almighty Allah says: “Or, who created the heavens and the earth, and sends you down rain from the sky, with which We cause wonderful gardens to grow, full of beauty and delight? It is not in your ability to cause the growth of their trees. Is there any god besides Allah? Nay, but they are a people who swerve from justice [by ascribing equals to Him].” T.Q., 27:60. “And the earth! We have spread it out, set on it mountains standing firm and made every lovely species grow there as a means of enlightenment and a reminder for every servant who frequently turns to God [in repentance].” T.Q., 50:7–8. “It is He who sends down rain from the sky, and with it We bring forth vegetation of all kinds, and out of it We bring forth green stalks, from which We bring forth thick clustered grain. And out of the date-palm and its spathes come forth clusters of dates hanging low and near, and orchards of grapes, olives and pomegranates, each similar [in kind or shape] yet different [in variety and taste]. Look at their fruits when they begin to bear, and the ripeness thereof. Verily! In these things there are signs for people who believe.” T.Q., 6:99. Let us reflect on the part which says: “Look at their fruits when they begin to bear, and the ripeness thereof. Verily! In these things there are signs for people who believe.” 10 Dear brothers and sisters, were not these verses and the like the motive for Muslims to benefit from permissible pleasures and to enjoy watching the beauty of nature, its decoration and the grandeur of its divine creativity? However, we should transcend all this to the source of that beauty, perfection and creativity, namely Allah (glorified be He). Such verses teach Muslims that religion combines the pleasures of both body and soul, and of the life of this world and the Hereafter so that they can live in an earthly paradise before living in that of the Hereafter. Let us carry on with our journey to see how a Muslim’s mental powers develop in history through the Qur’anic academy. What do we find? We find a study of the different situations that afflicted many ancient peoples, like their rise and fall, victory and defeat, and progression and retrogression. Every day, during and out of prayer, we study history, and the teacher is the Creator of history, the Creator of peoples and tribes, who honours us by His teaching. This Teacher is the Designer of galaxies and nebulae, the Inventor of the limitless worlds and the Maker of their magnificent, sophisticated laws and precise mechanisms. Are not these examples that Allah provided in history a living academy, from which we can graduate as international teachers? With these teachings, we can build our community to measure up to the best global levels, raise our people to the morals of angels, equip them with all disciplines of knowledge and science, and guard them against dangers and hardships. Thus, our community will be the guide and educator of nations, consequently deserving this grand divine praise: “You are the best community evolved for humankind.” T.Q., 3:110, and “So that you be witnesses over peoples.” T.Q., 2:143. 11 Is not this historical global education of Islamic thought implied in this verse and the many others like it in the Holy Qur’an? Time is not enough to mention all verses, so I will remind you of just one. Almighty Allah says: “Do they not travel in the land, and see how those before them ended up? They were superior to them in strength, and they tilled the land and populated it in greater numbers than these have done, and their Messengers came to them with indisputable evidence. It was not God who wronged them; rather, they wronged themselves.” T.Q., 30:9. Dear brothers and sisters, I am sure you remember the first verse revealed of the Holy Qur’an addressing the first Muslim and those after him saying: “Read in the name of your Lord who has created.” T.Q., 96:1. Then it was followed by a second chapter which the Revealer of the Qur’an started by swearing by the inkpot, the pen and writing: “By the inkpot, the pen and that which they write! You are not, by the grace of your Lord, a madman.” T.Q., 68:1–2. Is not this a recommendation from the Holy Qur’an and an inspiration to Muslims to awaken their intellectual powers so that they use their abilities to eradicate illiteracy, and revive sciences and preserve them by writing and publishing? If we want to examine the verses of the Holy Qur’an which were revealed to wake up the mind from its ignorance and sleep, we will not be able to do so in such a short time. Maybe it is enough to remind you that the Qur’anic verses which urge Muslims by saying, “that you may reflect” or “Do not you reflect!” exceed fifty in number. They are present especially in those verses that condemn those who ignore their minds, disable them and 12 deprive them of the means of reasoning until they freeze up. As Allah says in the Holy Qur’an: “Have not they travelled through the land, so that their hearts may understand and their ears may hear? Verily, it is not the eyes that grow blind, but it is the hearts which are in the breasts that grow blind.” T.Q., 22:46. “Verily! The worst of [moving] living creatures with God are the deaf and the dumb, those who understand not.” T.Q., 8:22. Let us look into the Qur’anic verses containing the various examples that urge Muslims to walk on the earth and reflect on the universe, and request them to think, take morals from events and benefit from their historical lessons. Let us also follow up those verses that focus on opening the eyes and minds, warning against ignorance or negligence, and offering benefit from the experiences and knowledge of those who came before us, such as the verse which says: “They are the ones whom God guided. So follow their guidance.” T.Q., 6:90. If we do all that, it will be clearly evident to us that the outcome and goal is to develop our intellectual powers. The Holy Qur’an aims at making a Muslim mature, openminded, mentally sound and clear-sighted. When we know, in addition to the previous qualities, that the Holy Qur’an obliges us to obtain and practise good morals and manners, we will discover the secret behind turning a Muslim into a distinguished statesman and world personality. It has been proved to the world, with the agreement of many objective scholars and philosophers, that a Muslim who acquires the Qur’anic education has proved his worth, thanks to the Qur’anic care of the mind and purification of the soul, to become a world statesman and victorious leader. This Qur’anic education produces an 13 honest and fair judge, an inventor, a scientist, a soldier who only knows victory or martyrdom, an engineer who does not only constructs buildings but also builds a civilised community of great minds, strong hearts and souls. As an Arab poet said: He builds men and others build villages. What a difference between villages and men! In addition, this engineer, through the Qur’anic education to the mind and intellect, can establish a virtuous and happy world, and achieve the goal for which Allah sent Prophet Muhammad: “We have not sent you except as a mercy for all creation.” T.Q., 21:107. The Holy Qur’an has proved that it has the biggest share, thanks to its scholars, in producing historical personalities and successful, global guides in all fields of life, civilisation, progress and knowledge. This fact made Claude Farier, a western author, lament and pity humanity, announcing thunderously and loudly that Charles Martel’s victory over Abdul Rahman Al-Ghafiqi’s army in France in 732 CE caused the spirit of reform and civilisation to be delayed by eight centuries. The Holy Qur’an, with its true intellectual education, which encourages all disciplines of the universal sciences to be pursued, has been able to establish true human civilisation, whose seedling was planted by early Muslims. Then for some reason, Muslim minds became separated from the Qur’anic intellectual nourishment, causing Islamic thought to freeze and fade, which deprived Muslims of the honour of completing the building of civilisation. Western people continued the building of civilisation until it reached its apex in our modern times, owing a great debt in developing and educating their intellect to the Muslim scientific books in Andalusia, Baghdad, Damascus and Cairo. 14 Objective western scientists have not forgotten to acknowledge this truth. For example, the famous French historian Louis Sédillot, in a book that took him twenty years to write, in which he researched the history of the Arabs, Muslims, their great civilisation and enormous scientific production, wrote: “Muslims spread science, knowledge, progress and modernity east and west when Europeans were drowning in the ignorance of the Dark Ages. The Arabs and Muslims, with their scientific inventions, were the ones who laid down the pillars of civilisation and knowledge, in addition to their scientific efforts and discoveries in medicine, astronomy, history, chemistry, pharmacy, botany, agricultural economy and other disciplines and sciences, which we Europeans inherited from them, making them indeed our teachers.” We need not tire ourselves out in searching for the proofs in the Holy Qur’an’s favour that it developed and awakened the human mind to work and produce. Not only that, we can additionally say that the Holy Qur’an is plainly the biggest factor in producing the civilised, scientific, global and angelic intellect, which was and still is the wish of humanity. Renowned scientists and politicians, east and west, have acknowledged this undoubted truth on many occasions. Their acknowledgments have been clear all over the world, denoting that the Qur’an was not revealed except for this purpose. Almighty Allah says: “[Here is] a Book (the Qur’an) which We have sent down to you, full of blessings that they may ponder over its Verses, and that people of understanding may take heed.” T.Q., 38:29. He also says: “Thus God makes clear to you His Signs in order that you may give thought to this worldly life and to the Hereafter.” T.Q., 2:219–220. 15 Our enemies have known that the Holy Qur’an is a book of intellect, soul, knowledge and progress at a time we were ignorant of that. They have tried with all their devilish means to anaesthetise us and distance us from it to prevent us from developing our minds and intellect with its divine nourishment. We, in turn, have added to that by restricting the Holy Qur’an, as a source of blessings, to its mere recitation or to reciting it over dead people, as if we were making it a condition that no mind should reflect on its verses. We are doing all this despite most Qur’anic verses pushing us to gain knowledge and develop the powers of the mind and soul whereas the verses concerning ritualistic acts of worship such as fasting, prayer and pilgrimage number no more than 500. On the other hand, the Qur’anic verses pertaining to science and reflection on the stars, space, the earth’s layers and treasures, plants and animals are many. The Holy Qur’an is also full of verses that direct our minds towards studying wisdom, building thriving communities and establishing an advanced Muslim state. Unfortunately, I see that we have distanced ourselves from reflecting on such verses and translating them into actions, similar to what the Samiri did (in the story of Moses and the calf) when he distanced himself from people. As Allah tells us: “Your [punishment] in this life will be that you will say, ‘Touch me not’ (i.e. you will live alone exiled away from people).” T.Q., 20:97. Thus, we have achieved the goals of our enemies, and we are considered to be among those who have believed in some parts of the Qur’an and rejected the rest. This has led to our backwardness, weakness and our lagging behind thriving and developed nations. We have indeed reached such a state, despite having thousands of mosques, religious schools, and scholars of different sciences, such as syntax, morphology, jurisprudence, resources and deduction of legislation, the Hadith (the 16 words, actions, approvals and description of Prophet Muhammad) and Qur’anic interpretation. We have reached a situation in which Zionism, with the support of colonialism, has taken over the Holy City of AlQuds (Jerusalem), the first qiblah (direction of prayer) and the third holiest site for Muslims. However, the full Zionist plot is to take over the tomb of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and seize the alleged property of the Jews of Bani Quraiza. This weakness of ours and its consequences arose because we failed to understand the Holy Qur’an and the nature of its true scholars. These scholars, if I may truly call them that, are the engineers, builders and designers of the Muslim personality in mind, intellect, soul and morality. They transform society and influence thinking both nationally and internationally. Dear brothers and sisters, the world today is threatened with destruction and annihilation because of the dispute between the East and West and the destructive nuclear weapons they possess. The link between the present world and God has been weakened. This weakness has started to influence the Muslim world. For hundreds of years now, the Muslim world, with a frozen Islam and intellect and a neglected Qur’an, has not been able to offer more than rituals such as prayers, fasting, pilgrimage and charity despite the horrifying deterioration of Muslims and the imminent danger on Islam. Is not this deterioration a natural result of the way we deal with the Holy Qur’an? Does it not correspond to the following Qur’anic warning: “Do you believe in a part of the Scripture and reject the rest? The reward for those among you who behave like this is nothing but disgrace in the life of this world.” T.Q., 2:85? Is our Islam the same that conquered countries, guided people to goodness, civilised them and revived science? Is it the one that established the world Muslim State? Is 17 not our faith charged, according to the Holy Qur’an, with spreading guidance and mercy all over the world? Dear brothers and sisters, I think you agree with me that true Islam is the one practised by the rightly guided caliphs and the victorious leaders. That is the international Islam to whose global results the Holy Qur’an points out when it says: “We have not sent you except as a mercy for all creation.” T.Q., 21:107. What we all should know — and what I want to repeat in this conference — is that if we continue in the same situation, our celebration and conference should be seen as a funeral ceremony in which we weep and offer condolences on losing the honour and glory of Muslims. However, if we want it to be a proactive conference that results in action that returns the Holy Qur’an to its greatness and glory, which is about to fade from our souls and lives (God forbid), we have to work on planning to build those institutes that produce the Qur’anic engineers who directly work on rebuilding Islam as a new, strong, attractive and dynamic force. This vibrant Islam can, in turn, bring the world back to wellbeing, brotherhood and security. Dear brothers and sisters, this great project cannot be achieved except by two powers coming together and cooperating. These powers are knowledge and government: scholars and rulers. It is narrated that Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said, ‘Islam and authority are two twins, neither of which can be sound without the other. Islam is a foundation and authority is a guard. Whatever has no foundation collapses, and whatever has no guard gets lost.’ Musnad Al-Dailami. Muslims working on producing experts and scholars of the Holy Qur’an by building mature minds and active ideas, and specialists in morals and purification of the soul can prepare the new generation as a mercy for their 18 community and for the world in general. Thus, Muslims can produce the Qur’anic ‘bomb’ — the bomb of knowledge, civilisation and morality that will result in goodness, love, mercy, brotherhood and peace. From this podium, I issue the call of Islam and the Qur’an to all leaders of Arab and Muslim countries and to all Muslim scholars to exert their best efforts as soon as possible to realise this project, the fruits of which Prophet Muhammad gave glad tidings of when he said, ‘The best of my community is its first and last, and in its middle there is a deviation.’ Nawader Al-Usul. Hence, harmony would be complete between the mosque and the university, the mind and the soul and this life and the afterlife. Then we will also witness reconciliation between the sciences of jurisprudence, the Qur’anic exegesis and Prophet Muhammad’s traditions and the sciences of chemistry, physics, geology and so on. Consequently, we will find the minarets of mosques hugging the chimneys of factories. When we reach this stage, we can recite Allah’s Book joyfully, exemplifying the verse which says: “Then, the believers will rejoice with God’s victory.” T.Q., 30:4–5. At that time, we will reap the delicious fruits of the Qur’an, believe in ourselves and make the world believe in us when we say: “Glory and honour belong to God, His Messenger and to the believers.” T.Q., 63:8. We will, then, see ourselves deserving Allah’s words: “You are the best community ever raised for humankind.” T.Q., 3:110 and “To be witnesses over people.” T.Q., 2:143. To this Qur’anic conference, which I consider as one of planning and engineering to rebuild and renew the world, the mind and the Islamic jurisprudence, and to its 19 organisers I offer my sincere thanks for giving Syria the chance to participate in these Islamic studies. May God give success to you all. All praise be to God, the Lord of all worlds. The Joint Statement Issued by The Protestant Churches Association in the Democratic Republic of Germany and a Syrian Muslim delegation 26 April 1980 (11/6/1400 AH) 22 A Muslim-Christian meeting has been held in Berlin. The Syrian Muslim delegation was led by the Grand Mufti of the Syrian Arab Republic, Sheikh Dr Ahmad Kuftaro, and the German Christian delegation was led by the head of the association, Bishop Albrecht Schönherr. The meeting was held in an atmosphere of respect and recognition of both heavenly messages, which were revealed to Jesus, the Messenger of God, and Muhammad, the Messenger of God. These messages aim at achieving happiness and safety for humankind. This meeting has served the mutual knowledge between the believers of both faiths as well as helping to clear up misunderstandings and achieving the possibility of future joint cooperation. The most notable point achieved in these discussions was the unanimity of both sides on the belief in God, the One and Only Creator who sent Jesus and Muhammad as a mercy to all people and to achieve happiness for them. The observance of this agreement binds us to work jointly, relying on mutual understanding for peace and justice. Prof. Dr Karl Heinz Bernhard Sheikh Dr Ahmad Kuftaro Head of the Christian Peace Conference Grand Mufti of the Syrian Arab Republic Democratic Republic of Germany Head of the Supreme Council of Fatwa World Peace in Islam His Eminence’s speech at the inauguration ceremony of The World Peace Forum of Religious Leaders Baku, Azerbaijan, the Soviet Union 1–3 October 1986 24 In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful All praise be to God, the Lord of all worlds, and may His peace and blessings be upon Prophet Muhammad, his forefather Abraham, his two brothers Moses and Jesus, upon all of God’s prophets and messengers, their family members and companions and upon their followers. May God’s peace, mercy and blessings be upon all of you. World peace occupies a great and serious position in Islam. All heavenly messages, prophets and messengers were not sent but to make world peace and to raise its permanent banner along with the ideals that Islam calls for. Peace in Islam is neither a personal matter nor a national goal. It is a global, comprehensive and everlasting one. All of God’s prophets and messengers participated in building the structure of peace, which was completed by the message of the noble Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) when he said, ‘The likeness of me and the other prophets before me is that of a man who built a house and beautified it except for a place of one brick in a corner. People went around it and wondered at its beauty, but said, “If only this brick were put in its place!” So I am that brick, and I am the final prophet.’ Sahih AlBukhari. Heavenly messages were concluded by his message, and the divine plan was completed by him not only to achieve eternal human peace, but also brotherhood, cooperation and happiness for all humanity. We can see this fact in the Holy Qur’an when God addresses Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) saying: “We have not sent you save as a mercy for all creation.” T.Q., 21:107. So he is the mercy of heaven granted for peace and permanent happiness of people on earth as long as they 25 are committed to the teachings of heaven. These teachings have made believers loving brothers who help one another in goodness, compete in seeking knowledge and wisdom and sacrifice their dearest possessions and best efforts to bring happiness to their fellow believers as well as to all humans. They do all that under the motto of Prophet Muhammad’s (pbuh) words: ‘All creatures are God’s dependants, and the most loved by Him are the ones most helpful to His dependants.’ Musnad Al-Bazzar. Almighty God says, showing the required relation between believers: “Verily, believers are but a single brotherhood.” T.Q., 49:10. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) announced the same brotherhood between all of God’s prophets and messengers when he said, ‘All prophets are paternal brothers; their mothers (laws) are different, but their religion is one.’ Sahih Al-Bukhari. Honourable audience, human reason and all honest peace lovers and supporters, no matter what efforts they exert, cannot glorify peace the way Islam did. Islam glorifies peace in legislation, practice and doctrine. It elevates peace to the highest degree of sacredness and glorification when it made it one of the ninety-nine names of God, the Creator of this great universe and the Originator of its precise and wonderful system. We read this name in the following verse: “He is God, besides whom there is none who has the right to be worshipped, the King, the Most Holy, the Source of Peace and Perfection.” T.Q., 59:23. Almighty God mentioned peace among His names to make it loved and desired by believers, so the one who loves peace loves God, and the enemies of peace are the enemies of God. 26 Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) elaborated on this when he taught his companions the following supplication to be said after performing their prayers: ‘O Lord! You are the source of perfection and peace. Glorified and Blessed are You, O Possessor of majesty and honour!’ Musnad AlBazzar. The Holy Qur’an also makes peace an important attribute of Paradise: “God calls to the Home of Peace (Paradise).” T.Q., 10:25. Islam does not stop at that but rather commands all believers to adopt peace: “O you who believe, enter all into complete peace and submission to God wholeheartedly.” T.Q., 2:208. Dear brothers and sisters, this is the sacredness of peace in Islam. As for peace in the Islamic law, the Holy Qur’an contains many verses that guarantee the establishment and support for world peace by giving people their rights and forbidding aggression on any creature. Islam also orders Muslims to raise justice to the lofty attribute of benevolence on all levels: humans and animals, individuals and groups, white and black, and all humanity even with combatant enemies when they accept peace. The Holy Qur’an also states that truth and justice should be superior to any emotions towards our relatives, loved ones and even towards our own selves. “O you who believe, stand out firmly for justice, as witnesses to God, even be it against yourselves, your parents or your relatives.” T.Q., 4:135. As for establishing justice with enemies, it says: “Let not the enmity and hatred of others make you avoid justice. Be just; that is next to piety.” T.Q., 5:8. Almighty God also says: 27 “But if they incline towards peace, you [also] incline towards it, and put your trust in God. It is surely He who hears all and knows all, and if they intend to deceive you, then verily, God is All-Sufficient for you.” T.Q., 8:61–62. Brothers and sisters, Islam does not only guarantee peace with regard to wars but also ordains that we should avoid anything that might deprive humans of well-being and happiness. With regard to ignorance, Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said, ‘Seeking knowledge is an obligation on every Muslim.’ Sunan Ibn Majah. He also said, ‘My true followers are either learned or learners.’ Ibn Al-Najjar. With regard to need and poverty, Islam considers them as things that deprive a Muslim of one of the five pillars of Islam, namely zakat (the obligatory charity). Islam commands that if the zakat money was not sufficient in a society, then an additional amount should be paid. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said, ‘There are rights on your money [that you should pay] other than zakat.’ Sunan Al-Tirmithi. Islam has nothing to do with a society that has one hungry person even if he/she is non-Muslim. Islam considers all individuals in society responsible for providing food. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said, ‘Anyone who goes to bed with a full stomach, knowing that his neighbour is hungry, has not truly believed in me.’ Musnad Al-Bazzar. As for peace among individuals, the Holy Qur’an states major principles that guarantee peace and security, such as the ones in these verses: “Verily, God commands justice, the doing of good purely for God’s sake and giving help to relatives, and He forbids all indecent, shameful and evil deeds and injustice. He 28 admonishes you that you may take heed.” T.Q., 16:90. “Be conscious of God, and reconcile dissention among you.” T.Q., 8:1. As for peace among fighting groups, we read: “If two parties among the believers fall into a quarrel, make peace between them. Then if either of them acts unjustly to the other, fight the side that transgresses until it submits to God’s judgment, but if it submits, make peace between the two fairly, and be equitable. Verily, God loves those who are equitable. Believers are but a single brotherhood. So make peace and reconciliation between two [contending] brothers of yours.” T.Q., 49:9–10. As for the practical side of peace, Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and his noble companions have been the prominent ideal in establishing peace and the living example in spreading benevolence, love and brotherhood in the global Muslim community. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) along with his students were able to unify half of the ancient world in less than a century and through primitive means, from the borders of France to the borders of China, under the banner of knowledge, civilisation, spiritual brotherhood and equality among the peoples regardless of their colour, religion and nationality. They eliminated all geographical and political borders, implemented social and judicial justice and truly brought people back their usurped rights. No one can deny this except an ignorant or arrogant person. Therefore, Islam has produced many gifted leaders and scholars from many different nationalities and colours. Prosperity and security prevailed to such an extent that a woman could cross the forbidding desert of Iraq to Makkah, fearing no one except God. Human beings, through the teachings of Islam, became honourable and 29 helpful, and even favoured themselves in all fields of life. other humans over For example, the caller in the Muslim state used to call, ‘Oh people! Are there any poor persons so that we can provide for them? Are there any single persons so that we can join them in marriage? Are there any in debt so that we can pay for them? Are there any blind persons who have no helper so that we can hire someone for them?’ With regard to women, Islam has guaranteed them peace and security to the utmost level they could ever dream of by recognising their dignity and rights, which had been violated for a long time. A wonderful example of the position of women in the Muslim society occurred when Muslims led by Caliph Umar bin Al-Khattab unanimously agreed on fixing the marriage dowry (the obligatory property given to women at marriage by their husbands). One old woman opposed them, and they submitted to her opinion including Umar, who uttered these very wonderful words: ‘The woman was right, and Umar was wrong.’ Islam has also guaranteed workers their security and rights and placed labour in a very high position. It is narrated that Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said, ‘Whoever goes home in the evening exhausted because of work will have their sins forgiven by God.’ Al-Tabarani. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) concluded his life with a practical step towards social peace. During his last illness, he ascended the pulpit and said, ‘I hope that I meet God without having wronged anybody in body or property.’ Musnad Ahmad. When Al-Hurmuzan, the leader of Persians, was brought before Caliph Umar, he saw him sleeping on the ground in the mosque, wearing patched clothes and having no guards or soldiers. Caliph Umar woke up because of the noise and heard Al-Hurmuzan addressing him saying, ‘You Umar have judged with justice, so you have gained 30 peace, security and contented sleep. Surely you are a great prophet.’ Umar replied, ‘I am not a prophet, but I do like what prophets do.’ Another example is seen in the punishment that Caliph Umar meted out to the son of the governor of Egypt, Amr bin Al-‘As, for lashing a Coptic Christian after a horse race. The latter’s crime was nothing more than winning the race. The Copt travelled to Al-Madinah to complain to Caliph Umar who summoned the governor and his son. When punishing the governor’s son by giving the Copt the whip and asking him to lash his opponent, Umar said to the Copt that, had he chosen to beat the governor’s head, nobody would have prevented him from doing so because his son acted unjustly relying on his father’s position. Caliph Umar rebuked his governor in a historic statement, saying, ‘How come that you enslave people when their mothers gave birth to them as free.’ Dear brothers and sisters and beloved ones, only few people in our time are ignorant of the danger of the nuclear arms race and weapons that are destructive to life and the living creatures on our beautiful planet. If Christ (pbuh) said, ‘Man cannot live by bread alone’, reality, fair people and myself would say, ‘We cannot survive by knowledge alone.’ Therefore, we must urgently implant the seeds of good morals in our children, based on rational faith or faithful intellect and on the light of intellectual and scientific dialogue to build a scientific peace, global brotherhood and human love. In this way, we can make an earthly paradise of our planet before we move to the heavenly one, as Almighty God describes the mission of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) when He says: “We have not sent you except as a mercy to all creation.” T.Q., 21:107. Dear brothers and sisters, if we ask how much the annual budgets for the arms race in the world are, the immediate 31 answer will be billions of dollars and hundreds of thousands of people dedicated to that mission. If we ask how much money and how many people and means have been provided for establishing peace, the obvious answer will be that the two budgets are not equal, and the difference between preparation for war and preparation for peace is huge. No wonder that all means of peace in the twentieth century, such as the League of Nations, the United Nations and its chaotic and veto-happy Security Council, the International Court of Justice and international treaties have failed to stop small wars let alone big ones. So how about nuclear wars? Unfortunately, world organisations have been built on principles that can achieve neither local peace nor world peace. If we were to study how peace is accomplished in Islam and head for it, our planet would obtain more than the peace and security it aspires to. Such a guaranteed peace is well illustrated and confirmed in the Holy Qur’an through the rules it has established for world brotherhood and love. Honourable audience, I would like to give one clear example about the failure of the current means of peace in a case that has occupied the whole world for a long time. That is the Palestinian case, which is not the only one. Have not Palestinians been displaced from their homeland by the leadership and planning of the United States, Britain and NATO just for the sake of world Zionism, and all within the hearing and sight of the world peace organisations? Nevertheless, the aggression is still ongoing, and the power of oppression and occupation against the Palestinian people is worsening despite all the peace organisations, which fail to stop what they witness. Today, we see in Palestine that if one Israeli is killed, America and all its allies are worried, whereas genocide is being practised against the Palestinian people after evicting them from their own land. Forty years have 32 passed, yet nobody cares. All present peace means have failed to restore the rights of this oppressed people. Is not the reason that there are no practical means? The situation now is just like one an Arab poet describes who wrote disapprovingly about the peace of the weak: Killing one person in a jungle is an unforgivable crime, While killing a whole secure population is a case that needs consideration. Another poet wrote: I feel safe with the howling of a wolf, But I am horribly scared upon hearing a human voice. A wolf howled, and I found company. A man spoke, and the world narrowed in my fright of him. In brief, peace needs knowledge, rational faith, faithful intellect and educating ourselves with the best of morals. To achieve all that we need a world troika consisting of 1. University academics who are sincere and devoted to peace and humanity 2. Rational, progressive and reforming clergy 3. Devoted and sincere politicians. In this troika, each one has to work sincerely to establish peace by putting in place the practical, scientific and world plan for peace. Every work in this life starts with an idea and ends with a practical reality. An Arab poet wrote: A human being is nothing but an intellect. Paradise will result when thinking right: Not bones, flesh or skin. Hell is the result of thinking wrong. We absolutely need to prepare the media and all requirements for achieving world peace. Thus, we move from words to actions and from ideas to reality. 33 Praise be to God, the Lord of all worlds. Thank you all. Environmental Education in Islam His Eminence’s speech, the Islamic action paper, discussed during The Global Forum on Environment and Development for Human Survival Moscow, USSR 15–19 January 1990 35 In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful All praise be to God, the Cherisher, Fosterer and Sustainer of all worlds, the Lord of all creation. Best greetings and blessings be upon all of God’s prophets and messengers, and their households and companions. The Earth’s environment constitutes a coherent unit in which human beings form one of its elements. Human beings are the masters of this environment for Almighty God created them in the best of moulds and endowed them with mental and physical abilities, one of which is to adapt continuously to different situations to achieve happiness in this worldly life and salvation in the Hereafter. Thus, they have deserved to be vicegerents and trustees on this earth, entrusted with the mission of constructing it and changing it for the better. On the other hand, they are responsible for the abilities granted by God, Who has willed that they have both good and evil. Despite the power of reason and desire for good, humans are weak creatures. They can be overcome by ego and lust, which might blind them to truth and draw them away from God’s path, through which they can accommodate themselves to the laws of the environment that God created. Consequently, through ignorance or lust, they might misuse it and harm themselves. Almighty God says: “Had the truth followed their desires, the heavens, the earth and all beings in them would have surely become corrupt.” T.Q., 23:71. That is why it was necessary to have a divine law to show people the way to conform to nature and its divine laws. Islam began by making humans aware of their reality so as to stop them from transgressing or wronging themselves or their surroundings. God demands that humans adhere to the principle of servitude to Him. He says: 36 “I have only created the jinn and humans so that they may worship Me. I demand no sustenance of them, nor do I ask that they should feed Me. Verily, God alone is the Provider of all sustenance, the Owner of power, the Invincible.” T.Q., 51:56–58. Servitude means obedience, and obedience means commitment to God’s commands and avoidance of what He has forbidden. Almighty God says: “Whoever purifies it (the soul by obeying God) will surely succeed, and whoever corrupts it, will surely fail.” T.Q., 91:9–10. Islam also demands a firm link with God, both in secret and public. It also employs the method of invitation and intimidation — reward and punishment — to reach faith as that also implies a constructive and correct human behaviour. When Islam encourages all good for both the human and natural environments, it imposes many penalties for misusing or damaging it in any way. This constitutes a permanent control over human behaviour and directs it towards doing good, being generous and making sacrifices, and draws it away from sin and evil. This forms one of the pillars of environmental protection in Islam. Knowledge is the right entrance to education in general and to environmental education in particular. That is why Islam commands Muslims to seek knowledge to discover the laws of a sound environment and earn the fruits of closeness to, and love by, God. The Holy Qur’an says: “Verily, only the ones who have awe of God from among His servants are the knowledgeable.” T.Q., 35:28. Islam considers seeking knowledge as an obligation regardless of gender, place or age, since it should be done from birth to death. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) 37 said, ‘Seeking knowledge is an obligation on every Muslim.’ Sunan Ibn Majah. Islam directs us towards useful knowledge that results in good for the seekers and their environment. For knowledge to be effective, we must activate our minds and reflect on disciplines of knowledge. Islam urges people to reflect on themselves and their surroundings. Many verses in the Holy Qur’an end with “Do you not understand?” as in 2:44, 2:76 and 3:65, and “Do they not reflect?” as in 4:82 and 47:24. This urging is also clear in the verse that says: “Verily, every act of hearing, seeing or [feelings and beliefs in] the heart will be questioned [by God].” T.Q., 17:36. All this is for us to discover the laws controlling the natural environment and human psyche so that myths and superstitions should not prevent humans from knowing the facts and laws of this universe. Thus, humans will understand their environment in all its aspects and be able to adjust to its order to protect it from any harm. Since Islam is concerned with both the physical and spiritual sides of human beings, it urges them to make a balance between their components — the body, mind and soul — and to live and cherish all of them without any transgression or preference for one over the other. In this way, humans are protected from extremism and violation of the laws controlling their psychological environment. When some of the Prophet’s companions intended to perform more worship exceeding the balance set by Islam, their action was rejected. The principle of balance between all components of the human psyche was determined in the traditions of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), such as in the following: ‘Beware! By God, I am the most pious and fearful of God. Yet I fast, and sometimes I do not. I pray at night, and sometimes I sleep, and I marry women. Anyone who does not follow my way does not belong to me.’ Sahih Al-Bukhari. 38 With regard to keeping a balance in the social environment, Islam holds human beings responsible no matter what position or status they might have: social, academic, economic or political. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said, ‘You are all guardians and will be questioned on the Day of Judgment about those under your care.’ Sahih Al-Bukhari. Islam organises the relationship between individuals and society. Individuals cannot live secluded from others for they are all a part of the whole. They are responsible for themselves and their human society. Based on this responsibility, we have to pay attention, and stop any violation, to the human environment because any deterioration in environmental systems threatens all people, both the violators and the non-violators alike. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said, ‘The likeness of the one who keeps to the limits of God and the one who violates them is that of some people who drew lots to board a ship. Some of them got the upper deck and others the lower one. Those in the lower deck, when bringing water and passing by their fellows upstairs, said, “Why not make a hole in our portion without harming you?” If they were to let them do so, they would all perish, but if they help them, they will all survive.’ Sahih Al-Bukhari. Thus, the principle of supervision, which global environmental education seeks, will be achieved. Islam has also organised the relationships between individuals themselves: relationships between them and their parents, spouses, children, neighbours and other people. It instructs people how to deal with one another on the basis of mutual respect, kindness and benevolence. It also extends this relationship to all humans. Almighty God says: “We have not sent you except as a mercy for all creation.” T.Q., 21:107. He also says: “O people! We created you from a single pair of a male and a female, and made you into 39 peoples and tribes so that you may know one another. Verily, the most honoured of you in the sight of God is the most pious of you.” T.Q., 49:13. “Verily, the believers are but a single brotherhood.” T.Q., 49:10. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said, ‘The believers are similar to one body in their love, sympathy and feeling for one another. If one part of it feels pain, the whole body suffers from fever and lack of sleep.’ Sahih Muslim. Islam honours all humans regardless of their beliefs. Only God has the right to bring people to account for their belief. He says: “Let there be no compulsion in religion.” T.Q., 2:256. It also preserves for all humans the requirements of their humanity, such as body, property and honour, and it forbids violating any of them. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said, ‘Shall I tell you about the believers? They are the ones who people are safe from in their property and person. The best of Muslims is the one who does not harm people by hand or tongue. The best of the Muhajireen (Emigrants) is the one who gives up sins. The best of Mujahideen (Strugglers) is the one who struggles against his own ego to fulfil obedience to God.’ Musnad Ahmad. There are many foundations and principles in Islam that pertain to the protection of the human environment and prevent the most serious and severe kind of environmental deterioration; that is the deterioration of morals, decline of values and spread of vice. That is why Islam commands justice, equality, freedom, truthfulness and trustworthiness, and forbids all kinds of injustice, oppression, exploitation, hypocrisy, fraud, lying and corruption. This is what the current human environment is suffering from on the level of both individuals and groups. Almighty God says: 40 “And when he turns away (rejects God’s message), his effort in the land is to spread mischief through the earth and to destroy the crops and the cattle, but God does not like mischief.” T.Q., 2:205. In other words, Islam revives the conscience of all human beings to feel for those around them. Thus, an honourable life for humans will be achieved. With regard to protecting health and the social environment, Islam instructs us to keep streets clean and to protect people from any moral or physical harm. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said, ‘Faith consists of over seventy parts; the highest is testifying that none has the right to be worshipped except God, and the least one is removing waste from roads.’ Sahih Muslim. Islam also prohibits the pollution of water, both stagnant and flowing. Imam Muslim narrated that Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) forbade urinating in stagnant water. Sahih Muslim. It is also narrated that he (pbuh) forbade urinating in flowing water. Mu’jam Al-Tabarani. He (pbuh) also said, ‘Avoid the three deeds that cause a curse to their doer: defecating in watercourses, in the streets and in the shadows.’ Sunan Abi Dawoud. From these quotations and others, we notice that pollution is a serious matter in Islam even on the limited individual level. Islam also commands us to preserve public health and forbids anything that harms people’s health whether mental, physical or psychological. It forbids intoxicants, drugs and all impurities. It also calls people to have lawful and good food, and to maintain cleanliness and aesthetic views. Almighty God says: “Verily, God loves those who turn to Him constantly in repentance, and those who keep themselves pure and clean.” T.Q., 2:222. 41 Islam extends its mercy even to other creatures in its desire to preserve the fundamental components of the environment and to keep the environmental order stable. One of the Prophet’s companions narrates that he and some others were travelling with the Prophet (pbuh). ‘The Prophet went to answer the call of nature. We saw a bird with its two young birds, and we took its babies. The mother bird started flapping its wings. When the Prophet (pbuh) came back, he said, “Who made this bird sad for its babies? Give it back its babies!”’ Sunan Abi Dawoud. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said, ‘While a man was walking on a road, he felt thirsty. He found a well, so he went down, drank and came up to find a dog breathing hard and licking the mud out of thirst. The man said, “This dog has suffered the thirst I suffered.” So he went down the well again, filled his shoe with water, held it with his mouth and went up to give water to the dog.’ The Prophet continued, ‘God accepted his deed and rewarded him with His forgiveness.’ The companions asked, ‘Are we rewarded for helping animals, O God’s Messenger?’ ‘Yes, for helping any living being you are rewarded,’ the Prophet replied. Sahih Al-Bukhari. Among the instructions of Caliph Abu Bakr when he sent an army to Syria, we read, ‘Do not cut down a fruitful tree or slaughter a sheep, cow or camel except for the necessity of food.’ Caliph Umar while being in Al-Madinah once said, ‘If a lamb gets lost and dies on the bank of the Euphrates, I fear that God might question me about it.’ In fact, this sense of responsibility and great sensitivity is an expression of a sound human conscience and full respect for Islamic teachings in preserving the different environmental components. Such teachings were unprecedented at a time when the environment was not suffering the pressures it is suffering nowadays. 42 As for protecting the human environment from poverty and developing an economic life, Islam stresses the importance of work and its respect for manpower. It also calls for lawful and good earnings. The rewards and benefits will be given to believers, everyone according to their work and beneficial activities. Almighty God says: “Whoever works righteousness, whether male or female, while he or she is a true believer, verily to them We will give a good and pure life, and we shall certainly pay them a reward in proportion to the best of what they used to do.” T.Q., 16:97. It is narrated that Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said, ‘The one who goes back home tired from work will be forgiven.’ Mu’jam Al-Tabarani Al-Awsat. Islam demands Muslims to be trustworthy. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said, ‘Anyone who deceives people does not belong to us.’ Musnad Ahmad. Islam also urges Muslims to be professionals and experts. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said, ‘Surely, God likes workers to perfect their work.’ Al-Bayhaqi in Shu’ab Al-Iman. On the other hand, Islam sets positive legislation for cultivating land and benefiting from it. Such legislation removes the problem of desertification that is caused by neglecting agricultural areas. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said, ‘Whoever has a piece of land should plant it or give it to his brother to plant.’ Sahih Al-Bukhari. So, a Muslim should plant his land himself, grant it to another person to plant or give it to someone to cultivate and contribute in part to the cost for part of the revenue. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said, ‘Anyone who revives a deserted and ownerless piece of land deserves to own it more than anyone else.’ Sahih Al-Bukhari. In the area of economic development, human transactions on production, distribution and other matters must all be ruled by the Islamic laws of Halal and Haram 43 (permissible and forbidden). Halal or permissible activities are those that benefit both humans and the environment, while Haram or forbidden activities are those that harm humans or the environment. Islam considers beneficial production and industry a duty, but only within limits that do not harm the environment or human communities. Islam strongly prohibits greed in industrial development that leads to the environment deteriorating, whether in water, in the air or on land, as is happening today. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) set a comprehensive rule that organises the relationship between development and environment in all their aspects. He said, ‘Let there be no harm or reciprocated harm.’ Muwatta’ Malik. Islam has strict teachings to prevent social environmental deterioration caused by poverty, from which millions of people are suffering nowadays. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said, ‘Anyone who goes to bed with a full stomach, knowing that his neighbour is hungry, has not truly believed in me.’ Musnad Al-Bazzar. Islam considers poverty a danger to a Muslim’s faith, morals, family and society. It has put a remedy for poverty through zakat (obligatory charity), the system of inheritance, endowments, penances and other means. Also with regard to economic development and combating poverty, Islam has worked to bring social classes closer by forbidding forms of extravagance and imposing obligatory charity on the rich. Islam urges people to cooperate and give non-profit loans, seeking God’s pleasure alone. Almighty God says: “Cooperate on good and piety, but do not cooperate on sin or aggression.” T.Q., 5:2. Islam disapproves of miserliness, arrogance, reminding others of your favours on them and all forms of harm. It also fights deceit and monopoly. 44 Extravagance and squandering of resources increases the deterioration of the environment. That is why Islam has laid down many rules that prevent resources being wasted. Remarking on the characteristics of believers, Almighty God says: “And those, at spending, are not extravagant or niggardly, but they hold a just balance between those extremes.” T.Q., 25:67. He also says: “Do not waste through extravagance for God does not like the wasteful.” T.Q., 6:141. “Verily, spendthrifts are brothers of the devils, and the devil is ever ungrateful to his Lord.” T.Q., 17:27. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) once saw one of his companions named Sa’d performing wudu’ (ritual ablution before prayer). ‘Why are you squandering, Sa’d?’ asked the Prophet. Sa’d replied, ‘Is squandering forbidden in wudu’ as well?’ ‘Yes, even if you are at a running river,’ answered the Prophet. Musnad Ahmad. A bedouin asked Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) about wudu’. The Prophet performed wudu’ before him and said, ‘This is how to do wudu’. Anyone who increases in this is considered a transgressor and unjust.’ Musnad Ahmad. Islam forbids squandering in wudu’, which is a condition for performing prayer. So what about squandering in other things that are beyond the lawful and are being done widely by many nations at both individual and group level? Agriculture is one of the basic ways to protect the Earth’s environment. Islam pays great attention to, and interest in, agriculture and considers it a kind of worship. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said, ‘Any Muslim who plants a cutting or grows some seeds, and a human being, a bird or any 45 other animal eats from it, it is considered a charity for the farmer.’ Sahih Al-Bukhari. He also said, ‘If the Day of Judgment is about to take place, and one of you has a cutting and is able to plant it before it takes place, he should plant it.’ Musnad Ahmad. Is there anything higher than this regarding environmental education to protect and enrich the earth botanical resources? At a time when international law neglected to set environmental rules for development, we find that the message of Islam was the pioneer, by recognising the rights of current and coming generations to a decent environment for their health and welfare and by protecting these rights in that it was concerned, through education, to organise the relationship between different environmental components. Islam sets all required regulations and rules for relationships between humans with themselves, with others and even with other creatures. It organises the relationship between humans and natural resources, where it calls for their protection and enrichment through a comprehensive educational process that lasts forever, by providing behavioural engineering for good humans who possess a profound and sound environmental sense. The efficiency of this education is based on a permanent connection with the Originator of this environment and the Designer of its laws. All this makes a Muslim value the human and natural environments and protect them from deterioration and destruction by establishing an environment of security and peace on Earth. Almighty God is most truthful when He says: “We have not sent you [O Muhammad] except as a mercy for all creation.” T.Q., 21:107. All praise be to God, the Cherisher, Fosterer and Sustainer of all the worlds. 46 Towards a World of Peace and Brotherhood His Eminence’s speech at the inauguration ceremony of The World Peace Meeting of Religious Leaders Khartoum, Sudan 17 November 1991 48 In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful May God’s peace and blessings be upon Prophet Muhammad and all of God’s prophets and messengers, their families, companions and true followers until the Day of Judgment. Brother General Umar Ahmad Al-Bashir, President of the Republic of Sudan, brothers and sisters, I thank all those who have worked hard to prepare for this meeting, and our honourable audience from the five continents. We all seek a world in which the spirit of peace and love prevails, but we will not attain it unless we achieve real peace between human beings and their Lord and work on His teachings, which guarantee humanity happiness, brotherhood, love and harmony. Even when jihad was legislated in Islam, its objective was to achieve peace and remove oppression, injustice and dominance of tyrannical powers over weak nations. The desired peace will not be achieved as long as human beings are captives to their desires and selfishness, turning their backs on the commandments of heaven, not caring about the hungry and sick, not spreading knowledge and justice and not treating people with mercy, fraternity and love. Bringing about peace is a great responsibility that should be undertaken by sincere and wise scholars, leaders, professors and media people. There is no benefit in abdicating our responsibility and transferring it to others. We are all responsible and will be questioned. We have to know that peace is not the only aim of heavenly religions; rather, it is to spread mercy to all humanity. Almighty God clarifies the mission of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) in His Book when He says: “And We have not sent you except as a mercy to all the creation.” T.Q., 21:107. 49 Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) says in his traditions, ‘All creatures are God’s dependants, and the most beloved to Him are the ones most beneficial to His dependants.’ Musnad Al-Bazzar. So the clergy have to be solely devoted to God and committed to His attributes by truly having love and peace. They should not seek to sow seeds of discord and enmity, exploit people’s ignorance and goodness, and compel them to abandon their faith by tricks and temptations, making them enemies to their homeland and society. In Islam, human rights are completely guaranteed and especially the freedom of belief. Almighty God says in the Holy Qur’an: “Let there be no compulsion in religion.” T.Q., 2:256. The clergy’s motto should always be, ‘My Lord! You are my goal, and pleasing You is my aim.’ In addition, men of industry and wealth should not work to increase their properties at the expense of the weak and poor, making them sink into debt. As long as exploitation continues, greed is in control, the hungry and deprived are not being cared for and injustice persists, peace will never be made. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) focuses on such social issues when he says, ‘Anyone who sleeps with a full stomach, knowing that his neighbour is hungry, has not truly believed in me.’ Musnad Al-Bazzar. Leaders and politicians should not oppress people; rather they should treat them with mercy, benevolence and love and offer them a decent and honourable life. Caliph Umar, the second successor of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), said, ‘How could you enslave people when their mothers gave birth to them as free!’ 50 Through our experience in this life we have seen that when two groups of people are good, people will be good, and when they are corrupt, people will be corrupt: they are the scholars and the rulers. The people of the media should be the real guardians of peace and love by standing up for truth with no bias or prejudice, thus following the traditions of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) when he said, ‘None of you is a true believer unless he wishes for his brother what he wishes for himself.’ Sahih Al-Bukhari. ‘A Muslim is the one whose tongue and hand people are safe from (he does not harm them by tongue or hand).’ Musnad Ahmad. ‘You will not be a true believer unless your neighbour is safe from your evil.’ Sahih Al-Bukhari. It is also reported that he said, ‘Wisdom is the goal of the believer. Wherever he finds it, he, more than others, has to take it and follow it.’ Sunan Al-Tirmithi. May God’s peace, mercy and blessings be upon all of you. The Way to Peace His Eminence’s lecture delivered during The World Peace Forum of Representatives of World Religious Leaders under the motto “Towards a World of Peace and Brotherhood” Khartoum, Sudan 16–17 November 1991 52 In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful All praise and thanks be to God, the Lord of all worlds, and may His peace and blessings be upon Prophet Muhammad, upon his two brother prophets Moses and Jesus Christ, upon all his brother prophets and messengers and the households, companions and followers of them all. Honoured clergymen and audience, you may have noticed that I have started my speech with the words that Almighty God started the Holy Qur’an with: “All praise and thanks be to God, the Lord (Cherisher and Sustainer) of all worlds.” T.Q., 1:1. Almighty God has not confined His mercy and love to certain people or ethnicity. He did not say that He is the Lord of Arabs alone or non-Arabs alone, but He rather says the Lord of all worlds. This encompasses all members of the human family, east and west, north and south. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) stresses this meaning when he says, ‘All creatures are God’s dependants, and the most loved by Him are those most helpful to His dependants.’ Mu’jam Al-Tabarani. Dear brothers and sisters, we have met here to discuss peace issues at a time when peace has become a persistent human concern. The world experienced two world wars where humans suffered severely. So much blood was shed that it could have made a running river, and scores of millions of souls passed away. All this resulted in an aimless existential philosophy that enjoins evil and forbids good, adorns play and carelessness and tries to convince humans that they have come from nowhere and will pass to nowhere saying, ‘It is merely wombs that give birth and earth that swallows, and only the passage of time will annihilate us.’ However, the truth is what Almighty God says in the Holy Qur’an: 53 “But they have no knowledge of that; they are only conjecturing.” T.Q., 45:24. Then humanity lived for about half a century in the atmosphere of the Cold War, where humans lost their tranquillity. Their fate fluctuated between the selfish desires of the superpowers, whose hands were positioned alert on a button over a barrel of dynamite. Then God willed a periodic end to the Cold War and the establishment of a fragile unsteady peace on earth, more because of a change in the centre of power than in good morals and principles. Here emerges our role as we meet, clergymen, politicians and media people, to alter this condition from a cessation in the Cold War to a constructive, real, constant and fair peace, based on human brotherhood, joint worship of the One God, the Creator and Originator of the universe, and belief in all of God’s prophets and messengers as Almighty God instructs us in many instances: “We make no distinction between any of His Messengers.” T.Q., 2:285. The first step we should take to achieve real peace is for humans to be reconciled with their Lord. We all have witnessed the dreadful collapse of atheism in the Eastern world. However, so far we have not witnessed the appearance of true faith that meets with science and reason, respects humans and their freedom and directs their behaviour and all their life through God’s guidance and light to attain eternal happiness on this earth and in Heaven. This is the inner, or personal, side of making peace in Islam. The wider scope can be summarised in achieving respect between all humans because of their shared membership of one human family since all humans are created and originated by God and should share worship of Him in the light of reason and the facts of science. 54 Depending on that guidance, Islam calls humans to believe in all heavenly messages and prophets. For further explanation, I have selected this text from the Holy Qur’an so that you can recognise how Islam extends its hand to all peoples on earth. Almighty God says, addressing all people: “Say: we believe in God and the revelation that has been sent to us and that which was sent to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob and to the prophets among his children and descendants, and that which was given to Moses and Jesus, and that which was given to the prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and to Him we do submit.” T.Q., 2:136. In this verse, Almighty God mentions some of His prophets specifically, and then He includes them all. God orders us to believe in all of them. If Muslims do not believe in Jesus Christ or honour him, then they are not Muslims. Moreover, if Muslims do not believe in the prophethood of Moses and his heavenly message, then they are not Muslims. This is the case with respecting and believing in all of God’s prophets and messengers. In many places, the Holy Qur’an mentions that the message of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) came to confirm and complement all previous messages. For example, Almighty God says: “To you we have sent the Scripture in truth, confirming the scriptures that came before it, and guarding [and preserving] them in safety.” T.Q., 5:48. Dear participants, this peace that was established by Islam among people of different faiths is not a written invitation in history books, but it was evident to the whole world during the age of the global Islamic State, which extended from ocean to ocean during the Middle Ages. The great capitals of the Muslim world still have the 55 towers of churches and synagogues that were constructed throughout different eras of the history of Islam. These churches and synagogues still preserve their rituals under the patronage of the Islamic community and its state. Many of them were built before Islam entered these countries, and none of them were closed throughout Islamic history, not for a single day. Moreover, the number of churches and synagogues in the time of Caliph Al-Ma’moun reached twelve thousand. Swords lifted by Muslims when they conquered some countries were never directed towards people to force them convert to Islam, but they were directed against colonial tyrants who forced people to do or say things that were against their own will or desire. Accordingly, that sword of Islam was to break the handcuffs of the oppressed and not their hands, to unveil their eyes and not to pluck their eyes out. Thus, when they became free, they were able to choose the religion and doctrine they wanted. Almighty God says in the Holy Qur’an: “Let there be no compulsion in religion. The right path has become clearly distinct from the wrong one. Whoever rejects false gods and believes in God [Allah] has grasped the most trustworthy hand-hold that never breaks. God is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.” T.Q., 2:256. Islamic rule prevailed in the Middle East for a long time, yet we still find various places of worship in good condition and without any trace of force or prejudice. Although the armies of the conquering Arab Muslims left the conquered countries, we find that the peoples of those countries kept their faith and did not revert to their previous idol worship or religion after enjoying the blessings of faith. Dear brothers and sisters, all religions are messages of love and peace. Is there anything more beautiful than 56 God choosing Islam as the name of His religion? This name, Islam, is derived from total submission to God’s commands. Thus, it implies the full meaning of peace. In Islam, the greeting of believers is as-salamu alaykum, which means peace be upon you. For further sacredness of peace in Islam, Almighty God called Himself Peace for He is the source of peace and perfection. Paradise is the House of Peace in the Hereafter. Makkah is also the dwelling of peace. The greeting of the people in Paradise is ‘peace.’ Almighty God commands all believers saying: “O you who believe, enter, all of you, into peace and total submission to God wholeheartedly.” T.Q., 2:208. Dear brothers and sisters, with all its invitation for peace, Islam does not stop at that. Rather it elevates human beings to the status of mercy, brotherhood and cooperation because peace is a kind of truce between two fighting parties, or could be a truce between parties whose hearts are full of rancour. Islam does not accept peace alone. Its objective is to transcend it in mercy, kindness and compassion for all humans regardless of their doctrine. Almighty God addresses His Prophet Muhammad in the Holy Qur’an saying: “We have not sent you except as a mercy for all creation.” T.Q., 21:107. Dear brothers and sisters, if I want to go into detail in this subject, it would take long, and the allocated time would not be enough. But don’t you see with me that our responsibility as clergymen is the greatest responsibility at this time, and that we will one day stand before God and will be asked about our trusts, messages, unity and cooperation in the light of a free, frank and logical dialogue? 57 From this platform, I address all clergymen in the world, asking them to implement the messages of their prophets by spreading love, brotherhood and peace and to emulate their prophets’ teachings. I would also like to address Colonel John Garang and his group in South Sudan, and call upon them to respond to Jesus Christ’s call for love and peace by being true Christians in word and action. Further, I call upon them to sit at the negotiating table with their brothers, be they Muslims, Christians or others, to preserve their people’s welfare. If we are to imagine Jesus Christ (pbuh) being with us, I believe he would undoubtedly work to silence guns and to take people back to dialogue, the negotiating table and love. May God bless this honourable meeting and conference. I pray to Almighty God to inspire us with truth and the right path. All praise be to God, the Lord of the entire universe. Dialogue with the Delegation of the Reforming Church in Switzerland His Eminence’s speech to and discussion with the members of the delegation Damascus, Syria 8 October 1993 60 In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful All praise is due to God, the Lord of the worlds. Peace and blessings be on Prophet Muhammad, on all of his brother prophets and messengers, and their households and companions. I welcome our guests, “the Children of Jesus Christ.” We, the children of Muhammad, welcome you. Islam encompasses all heavenly messages and calls all humankind to believe in them all. Muslims would be considered disbelievers if they believed in Muhammad but not in Jesus, Moses or any other of God’s prophets. Almighty God says in the Holy Qur’an: “We make no distinction between any of His messengers.” T.Q., 2:285. We as Muslims have known this faithful brotherhood through the Holy Qur’an and our Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). The Holy Qur’an criticises those who claim to be followers of Islam, Christianity or Judaism but with no knowledge or practice of their religion. It classifies their followers into two main divisions: true believers and false believers. So there is a true Muslim and a false Muslim. The Holy Qur’an praises true believers from the followers of the three religions and mentions them in different verses. For example, “Verily those who believe, Jews, Christians and Sabians; whoever believes in God [Allah] and the Last Day and does good deeds shall have their reward with their Lord. They shall have nothing to fear, nor shall they grieve.” T.Q., 2:62. Although the three religions have differences, not in essence but in interpreting some of their articles, they all call to monotheism. Monotheism or oneness of God does 61 not differ in its truth and reality, but the difference happens in interpreting it in some religions. This has made many people move far away from faith when monotheism is interpreted in a way that mind and reason reject. In addition to that, there has been a kind of distance and disharmony between religions because we got to know one another from afar. When someone looks at another who is on the top of a mountain, he cannot see his nose, eyes or his beauty. He might even see him as a black dot. In this case and in order to know the truth, we have to come closer to it, and then we will be able to recognise its features and its actual picture. For this reason, I say that Muslims cannot be true Muslims if they do not believe in Jesus (pbuh) and his message and Moses (pbuh) and his message even though Muslims believe that many false things have been attributed to Muhammad, Moses and Jesus, peace be upon them all. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) ordered us to Islam every hundred years. He said, raises for this community, at the end of years, the ones who will renew its religion search for true ‘Almighty God every hundred for it.’ Sunan Abi Dawoud. This renewal is to protect the essence of religion from having false things attached to it so that it is not distorted in the sight of people when it comes to practical life. Islam calls to monotheism or oneness of God, the belief in all the prophets of the Torah, in Jesus and all of his teachings, in addition to the belief in what Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) came with adding to the legacy of previous prophets. Islam does not limit itself to spiritual matters; it also concerns itself with both spiritual and physical matters on the highest levels. 62 Islam also calls for the unity of human beings regardless of colour, ethnicity or religion as it is said, ‘Human beings are brothers and sisters whether they like it or not.’ Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said, ‘You will not be a true believer unless you desire for your fellow humans what you desire for yourself.’ Sahih Al-Bukhari. Islam also calls for the establishment of a global state and family. Early Muslims who were raised by Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) in his school were able to unify half of the Old World under one nationality and state while preserving the freedom of religion and social security among all people; the rich helped the poor, and the learned taught the ignorant. Additionally, under the Islamic understanding of freedom of faith, Islam urges and instructs Muslims to keep and even protect the places of worship of Christians and Jews. The countries of Al-Sham (Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Palestine) were Christian, but when its people found their Christianity in Islam and the Holy Qur’an, they accepted Prophet Muhammad’s (pbuh) teachings because he did not command them to desert the teachings of Christ. Islam, on the other hand, gave full freedom to those who insisted on holding on to their Christian or Jewish doctrine to keep and practise their religion. I work hard with all the power I have to achieve this principle: peace and human brotherhood among all people. I pray to God that the adherents of Christianity and Judaism understand this fact so that we can work together under the banner of Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad, peace be upon them all, to achieve peace and brotherhood of faith. 63 Discussion Question: What change occurred in your life that had the greatest effect on it? Answer: I took religious education from many teachers, most of whom called to one Islamic school of thought which negated the others, but at the last stage of my studies, my final teacher was my father, Sheikh Muhammad Ameen, may God have mercy upon his soul. He was a great Muslim scholar and a Sufi leader. He shifted me from a narrow circle to this vast international one in which I am living now. I have found out, in my travels to America, Europe, the Soviet Union and Japan, that the developed world is ready to accept this idea, which is the spirit of the three heavenly religions. I strongly believe that if Abraham, Moses, the prophets of the Torah, Jesus and Muhammad met, they would hug one another and constitute one entity, and reject anyone who did not follow their unity. Question: Sir, you have talked about the state of respect and mercy which Muslims and Christians lived in in the past. How do you see their relationship at the present time, especially regarding the issue of marriage? Answer: Here in Syria, we Muslims and Christians live as the children of one family. As for the other part of the question, Islam allows a Muslim to marry a Christian or Jewish woman because when she enters his home, she will find respect for her faith, which guarantees that the happiness of the family will grow. However, Islam prevents a Muslim woman from marrying a Christian or Jewish man lest he hurts her through negating or disrespecting her sacred belief. This might cause dissolution of the family and loss to the children. If a Christian or Jew believes in Muhammad and his message as Muslims believe in Moses and Jesus and their messages, then there would not be any objection to that marriage. 64 Question: We know that fundamentalism is growing in Christianity. What is the view of Islam regarding this tendency? And why does it grow in Islam as well? Answer: This movement began during the last ten years. The word “fundamentalism” does not exist either in the Arabic dictionary or that of Islam. Islam always calls for dialogue and forbids the forcing of opinions on others because that distorts the flexibility and ease of Islam, and contradicts freedom of faith, choice and opinion in Islam. Most often, some groups are called fundamentalists when they are not. Some of them call for freedom of citizens and the revival of Islam in this world from a moral viewpoint, so we cannot call such people fundamentalists in the modern terminology. As for extreme fundamentalists who are against other religions or who want to impose their opinion without any dialogue, they do not have any relation to Islam. Once a Christian delegation of seventy members came to Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and wanted to say their prayers. He opened his mosque for them, and they prayed in it. Dialogue with wisdom and argument in the best way are two basics in Islam. Islam does not allow any person, group or country to impose their opinion on others. Almighty God says in the Holy Qur’an: “Let there be no compulsion in religion.” T.Q., 2:256. Islam agrees on freedom and equality of citizens, Muslims and non-Muslims alike. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said, ‘Beware! Anyone who wrongs a non-Muslim citizen, degrades, overburdens or takes anything from him against his will, I will be his opponent on the Day of Judgment.’ Sunan Abi Dawoud. It is narrated in Islamic history that the ruler of Homs (a Syrian city) said to a Christian, ‘May God put shame on 65 you.’ That ruler realised he had done wrong to the teachings of Islam, so he resigned his post because of his fault. Question: What does the word ‘Mufti’ mean? What are your basic interests? Answer: The Grand Mufti in a Muslim country such as Syria is the head of the Higher Council for Fatwa (formal religious orders or advisory opinions), the head of Muslim clergymen and the upper consultant in Islamic affairs. He is the one who represents Muslims at the official councils. Each city has its mufti. He and his assistants are responsible for teaching Muslims their faith and answering their questions. As for my current interests, I am working on introducing true Islam to all people. This true Islam makes people as one family whose members are brothers and sisters who cooperate to solve their problems and overcome life’s difficulties whether they are concerned with finances, politics, science, health or otherwise. I have delivered various lectures regarding the unity of religion in its essence and cooperation between Christianity and Islam in Europe, America and Japan. Question: How do Sunni and Shiite families live in Syria? Answer: They are like brothers and sisters, living in love and harmony. Islam allows ijtihad (using human reason in interpreting Islamic Law and deducing legal rulings from their authentic sources, which is done by specially qualified scholars). If the scholars differ in their ijtihad, they should all respect one another’s opinion. They also perform their prayers in each other’s mosques. Question: I have been so impressed by fundamentalism, but we have a very which isn’t related to the last ten years related to the last fifty years. It is your reply about important issue only; rather it is secularism and 66 materialism. What is your point of view regarding materialistic and secular developments? Answer: The emergence of secularism and materialism is our responsibility as clergymen because we have not been taking religion from its genuine sources. If Muslims take Islam from the Holy Qur’an and Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), and Christians take their Christianity from Jesus Christ and from the Bible revealed to him, then we would never see one atheist who denies true faith. These matters have happened through the interpretations and opinions of the clergy. Later generations have been influenced by the thoughts of some earlier clergymen. One of the reasons that have distanced people from the genuine source of religion is that most people in the past used to follow the clergy blindly, without thinking or using their reason. In recent years, human reason has been freed, and it found out that the faith presented by some clergymen call to what opposes truth, reality and human interest. Some people preferred to abandon religion which did not agree with the interests of human beings. This is what I said to His Holiness Pope John Paul II in 1985. In a meeting which lasted for an hour, I asked him, ‘Do you know who founded atheism and communism in the world?’ He asked, ‘Who?’ I replied, ‘You!’ He was shocked saying, ‘Me?’ I said, ‘Yes, you and me with you!’ He asked, ‘How?’ I replied, ‘Because we as clergymen have presented religion in a way that current reason cannot accept. This has led some people to contradiction and intellectual and mental torment. They preferred to leave religion and be atheist or secular.’ Unless we Muslims and you Christians return directly to the teachings of Prophets Muhammad and Jesus Christ, atheism will still exist. We as clergymen will be held responsible for that before the divine heavenly court on the Day of Judgment. 67 After a long dialogue, the meeting was over, and he shook hands with me and said, ‘I read the Holy Qur’an every day.’ I replied in return that I have the Bible and the Holy Book which I always read. We as clergymen are responsible for secularism and atheism. They have led people to drugs, intoxicants, Aids and wars. Surely, clergymen bear a big responsibility even in our current age. Question: You have talked about tolerance and said that there is no compulsion in religion, but how can we understand that with what we hear about jihad? Answer: Jihad in Islam is not directed against religions or peoples. When the Holy Qur’an and Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) called to jihad, it was a struggle against the Byzantine colonisation in the west, and the Persian one in the east. The aim of jihad was against tyrants and dictatorial rulers who retarded their peoples. The teachings and duties of Islam demand the spread of knowledge to all people. Countries in the Dark Ages restricted reading, writing and knowledge to statesmen and nobility. When Islam freed people, it obliged them all to seek knowledge. That is why a lot of Muslim geniuses in different disciplines of knowledge were from those peoples as well as Arabs, so they shared the honour of spreading knowledge. In the very same time when Islam fought colonial countries, it kept the creeds and places of worship of people, so when they saw Islamic Law in its reality, they accepted and converted to Islam willingly and wholeheartedly. Islam commands the Muslim State to help jobless Christians and Jews and provide them with all means of living. It also guarantees old people sufficient social security even if they do not believe in the religion of the Muslim State. Visit by a Delegation from a Southern German State His Eminence’s dialogue with the delegation The Delegation consisted of a large number of religious scholars, thinkers, politicians, and academics headed by Herr Gerhard Contselman, Director of the Field Studies Programme. Abu Al-Nour Islamic Foundation, Damascus, Syria (now known as the Sheikh Ahmad Kuftaro Islamic Institution) 15 May 1995 70 In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful All praise and glory be to God, the Lord of all Worlds, and the best greetings and blessings be upon our Master Muhammad, upon his forefather our Master Abraham, upon his two brothers our Masters Moses and Jesus, upon all of God’s prophets and messengers and all their households and companions. Islam means submission and obedience to God’s commands, the One and Only, showing Him our surrender and acquiescence to His will and acting upon the messages that His prophets conveyed to humankind. All heavenly messages and all prophets came to make two main noble goals a reality. The first goal is to establish a relationship between the human soul and Almighty God. This relationship can be realised through prayers and meditation, and by directing one’s whole intellect and feelings towards the greatness of God, the Creator of the whole universe. This relationship nourishes the human soul as food nourishes the human body. The human body dies without nourishment. It is the same with the human soul. If the soul does not get connected to God, then its humanity dies away and lives by its animal instinct and brutality. When human souls become alive through their close relationship with God, their owners feel a great happiness that cannot be found in food, drink, beautiful scenery, marriage or any other material thing in normal life. By this connection with God, they can subdue all the desires that harm them, such as taking drugs and alcoholic drinks, sexual abuse, injustice and aggression. When people’s souls communicate with God, they find no difficulty or discomfort in following God’s commands. Therefore, when the Holy Spirit, Angel Gabriel, descended to inform the Holy Prophet (pbuh) that God had forbidden alcohol, for example, Muslims directly and in one day broke all jars and containers of alcohol so that alcohol flowed down Al- 71 Madinah’s streets like water streams once the Prophet conveyed God’s command to them. Sahih Muslim. The second goal is to establish good relationships between human beings. After establishing people’s connection with God, they must treat their fellow humans well regardless of their colour, faith or nationality. On this basis, it is said, ‘Human beings are brothers and sisters whether they like it or not.’ Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said, ‘Shall I tell you about the believer? It is the one who people are safe from in their property and body. The best of Muslims is the one who does not harm people by hand or tongue. The best of the Muhajireen (emigrants) is the one who gives up sins. The best of the Mujahideen (strugglers) is the one who struggles against his own ego to fulfil obedience to God.’ Musnad Ahmad. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) once said, ‘The comparison between me and the preceding prophets is that of a man who built a house and beautified it except for a space of one brick in a corner. People went around it and wondered at its beauty, but said, “If only this brick were put in its place!” So I am that brick, and I am the final prophet.’ Sahih Al-Bukhari. With the effect the passage of time has had on religions, translations from one language to another, and egoism and desires that control humans, the concept of religion has become distant from human reason and conviction. One of the pillars of the Muslim faith is to believe in the messages of all of God’s prophets. For example, as a Muslim, I must believe in the message of our Master Muhammad (pbuh) as much as I must believe in the messages of our Masters Jesus, Moses and Abraham. However, I must use my intellect and logic and not accept irrational things because religion has not been sent to contradict our minds. On the contrary, it has come to develop the mind and to form identical twins with it. 72 With the final brick whereby religion was perfected, Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) established a universal state and community in whose shade all people were equal despite diversity in colour, nationality and faith. The Muslim community was established on such divine principles based on heavenly revelation, which revived the human power of reason and which in turn responded to its enlightenment, that for tens of years there were no prisons, criminals or courts of justice because there were no oppressors or oppressed. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) called for reviewing religious affairs every hundred years. He said, ‘God sends to His people at the beginning of each hundred years someone who reviews its religion.’ Sunan Abi Dawoud. This review by scholars aims at preserving the Divine Law pure of any misunderstanding or misinterpretation. In essence heavenly religions are like rain, which is necessary for survival. However, if this rain is mixed with filth from the earth, it gives death instead of giving life. By the same token, when religion is preserved pure, it gives life to the soul as well as to physical life, but when it is mixed with mistakes and faulty interpretations, it gives the opposite effect to what God has prescribed. Therefore, we find humans in modern times distant from the Divine School and its teachings. The reason for this does not lie in the teachings themselves or because these teachings are not made for the benefit and happiness of humans; it is only due to the mistakes that have been committed by religious scholars — Muslim, Christian and Jewish. Consequently, they have deprived religions of their vitality. When the human mind and the power of reason were liberated, people found religion irrational and inconvenient for their life. Therefore, many have become secular and have distanced themselves from religion. It is not their fault, but rather it is due to the errors of some clergymen. 73 When Islam was truly practised during the time of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and for thirty years after his death, the believers in these genuine heavenly principles were able to establish a united community from Spain to China. Islam with such principles could establish both the universal community and the international state at the same time, achieving security and rights that cannot be realised without having a state. Islam attained this great historical work in thirty years and by primitive means. There were no cars, aeroplanes, wireless communications, space stations, faxes, internet, etc. If Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and the believers who followed him had possessed the means available in the twentieth century such as transportation, printing, media, space stations and so on, I believe they could have unified the whole world into one community and one state in less than thirty years. This is what philosophers had imagined and dreamed of, but they could never make it a reality. In conclusion, I would like to say, if any person in this age from any country or people adopts this divine project and uses contemporary mass media, I think not only peace will be made but also brotherhood, and people all over the world would become one family with no wars, hatred or misery. Discussion Question: We now know how gorgeous Islam and its teachings are, but we see in the West that there is a tendency towards what is called Fundamentalism and Fundamentalists. What is this disposition and how would you describe it? Answer: Islam is a divine programme. If anyone belonging to it does not act upon its perfect plan, it is his responsibility, not that of Islam and its way of life. There are two mistakes: one committed by the governments and 74 the other one by the Islamists. Violence in Islam is not acceptable, yet governments must meet peoples’ needs. Question: Could you point out for us some kinds of disputes in Islam like the difference between Sunnis and Shiites. What is the reason for that and how do you explain it? Answer: This is not part of genuine Islam. This matter could happen in any religious, political or similar group. They start united, then through the differences in people’s thoughts and viewpoints comes this division no matter if it is religious or not. However, these divisions are going to disappear. The Holy Qur’an has not been translated, so it has remained in its original language. Consequently, it has not been and will not be distorted or changed. It is quite distinct. All Muslims with all their groups and schools of thought believe in this. These days, we find all Muslim groups are drawing closer and closer to one another towards Muslim unity concerning creed in the first place. On the other hand, fanaticism between the followers of the two religions, Islam and Christianity is starting to recede because of human and intellectual progress. This closeness between the adherents of the two heavenly religions is very promising and gives glad tidings of all good in the near future for the benefit of faith and humankind. In Syria, for example, we Christians and Muslims feel as if we are the children of one family. We cooperate with each other as the children of the same father and mother do. Question by a German woman: What is the position of women in the Muslim Community? H.E. answers with a smile: Our Master Muhammad (pbuh) said, ‘Women are equal to men.’ Musnad Ahmad. The Holy Qur’an says: 75 “And they [women] have rights over their husbands similar to those of their husbands over them to what is equitable.” T.Q., 2:228. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) also said to someone who came to him asking for permission to go with him to fight the aggressors: ‘Have you got a mother?’ The man replied, ‘Yes.’ The Prophet said, ‘Stay with her (to take care of her) because Paradise is under her feet (by humbling yourself to her and serving her).’ Sunan Al-Nasa’i. He also said, ‘Anyone who has three daughters, is patient with them (their nagging and demands) and takes good care of them, God admits him to Paradise because of his mercy upon them.’ A man asked, ‘What about two daughters, Messenger of God?’ He replied, ‘And two daughters.’ Another asked, ‘And one daughter?’ ‘And one daughter,’ he replied. Mustadrak Al-Hakim. The last words the Holy Prophet (pbuh) said before his soul left his body were, ‘Take good care of women.’ Sahih Al-Bukhari. He kept repeating that until he took his last breath. Question: What is the view of Islam about separating religion from state or church from state? Answer: Islam is a religion and a state simultaneously. It was a political act when religion was separated from state. It is narrated that the Prophet (pbuh) said, ‘Islam and political authority (power) are two twins; neither of them is sound without its companion.’ In another tradition we read: ‘Islam is the basis and authority is a guard. Whatever has no basis will be demolished, and whatever has no guard gets lost.’ Al-Dailami. Muslim Unity against Scholastic Fanaticism His Eminence’s speech delivered on his behalf at The World Muslim Conference Los Angeles, California, USA 2–4 August 1996 78 In the name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful All praise be to Allah, and may His peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, the last of the prophets and messengers, upon his brother prophets and messengers and their households and companions. Almighty Allah says in the Holy Qur’an: “Verily, this religion of yours is one religion, and I am your Lord; therefore worship Me alone.” T.Q., 21:92. Islam is the religion of monotheism and unity because Allah is one, so religion is one and the end is one too. Islam has eliminated all differences among the individuals of its society. It has united them and made them one people. It has also planted the seeds of successful unity among them by stressing the feeling of brotherhood and social, linguistic and cultural unity, and by preventing all kinds of aggression or transgression. Muslim unity is not based on ethnicity, economics or geography. It is rather based on love, sympathy and coherence among all individuals. Through that unity, justice is achieved without any prejudice, and the criterion for preference, nobility and honour is righteousness, good deeds and nothing else. Almighty Allah says in the Holy Qur’an: “O people! We created you from a single pair of a male and a female and made you into peoples and tribes so that you may know one another. Verily, the most honoured of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you.” T.Q., 49:13. Our great Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said, ‘All creatures are Allah’s dependants, and the most loved ones by Him are the most helpful to His dependants.’ Musnad Al-Bazzar. 79 Muslim Unity throughout History When some people speak about Muslim unity as the gathering of all Muslims into one state, they think it a kind of fiction or imagination. If Muslim unity is considered as imagination, then what is the truth? When Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) established his state in the illuminated city of Al-Madinah, he gave glad tidings to his companions that they would extend the Muslim state by conquering Persia, Byzantium and Yemen. Indeed, he turned the whole of Arabia into one state before his death. During his last sickness, he prepared an army to conquer Al-Sham (Greater Syria), and he appointed Usama bin Zaid, a young Muslim fighter, as the leader of that army. Conquests continued during the time of Caliph Abu Baker, and the area of unity expanded. After his death, the state expanded even more during the Caliphates of Umar and Uthman. The result was that Islam reached the borders of China in the east and France in the west, and those peoples became one people: the Arabs, Chinese, Persians and Romans all became brothers and sisters, and they kept that brotherhood as long as they were committed to Allah’s words in the Holy Qur’an: “Obey Allah and His Messenger and do not dispute lest you lose courage and power, and be patient for surely Allah is with the patient.” T.Q., 8:46 and as long as they adhered to the teachings of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) when he said: ‘O people! Your Lord is One, and your forefather is one. You are all the descendants of Adam, and Adam was created from earth. Verily, the most honoured of you in the sight of God is the most righteous. No Arab has a 80 preference over a non-Arab, nor has a nonArab over an Arab. No white person has a preference over a black one, nor has a black one over a white one except in righteousness.’ Then he asked, ‘Have I conveyed the message?’ They replied, ‘Yes, O Allah’s Messenger!’ He concluded, ‘Let those who are present inform those who are absent.’ Musnad Ahmad. When they deviated from this way, they became disunited and scattered, and they lost power after they had ruled half of the Old World because they preferred disputes to agreement and disunity to unity. They simultaneously nominated more than one person as a caliph to rule the Muslim state, and those caliphs used their power against one another. After that, modern colonialism came to destroy what remained of their unity, replace it with seeds of disputes, dispose of the caliphate system and divide the Muslim state into small countries and scattered emirates. Consequently, Muslim unity turned into a dream after it was a reality, but its seeds are still there in the Muslims’ hearts calling for someone to water it, nurture it and bring it back to life. Once, while I was in China, a Chinese Muslim looked at me and noticed my Muslim look and said to me in a nonArabic tone, ‘Allahu Akbar? (Allah is greater!)’ Of course, I understood what he meant by his question. He meant to ask me if I am one of those who say, ‘Allah is greater!’ and I replied, ‘Yes, Allah is greater.’ Then he hugged me crying and reciting Allah’s verse in the Holy Qur’an: “Verily, the believers are but a single brotherhood.” T.Q., 49:10. Brothers and sisters, this age has generated many developments that have affected the form of the unity to which Muslims aspire, but it cannot affect its essence. Muslims can find a suitable way and atmosphere to achieve their unity if they so wish. 81 Requirements and Manifestations of Muslim Unity Worshipping One Great and Almighty God, who is the Most Gracious and Merciful, also makes His servants merciful, compassionate and sensitive to one another’s pains and worries such that they share one dream and one pain. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said, ‘The likeness of believers in their intimacy, mercy and sympathy is like one body; if an organ of it suffers, all the rest of it will sympathise, suffering fever and sleeplessness.’ Sahih Muslim. All acts of worship in Islam call for unity and express it. For example, in prayer, which is a basic pillar of the religion, Muslims have to stand in one line with no preference to anyone: the rich beside the poor and the ruler beside the ruled. All of them put their foreheads on the ground in prostration, showing their submission to Allah because He is the Greatest of all. In pilgrimage, Muslims gather in one place regardless of their colour and ethnicity, leaving behind all their sewn clothes and selfishness, responding to the One and Only God and learning the morals of the Muslim community. Particularly in pilgrimage, there should be no obscenity, sinning or arguing. Also, starting the month of fasting (Ramadan) at one time all over the world strengthens the feeling of unity among Muslims. All Muslims abstain from eating, drinking and committing unlawful actions. Their feeling of hunger and patience leads them to help and support the poor, the weak and the needy. Finally, zakat, which is an obligatory charity on the rich to be given to the poor and indigent without reminding them of their favours or harming them, is a kind of cooperation in seeking Allah’s obedience and pleasure. 82 Islam, in addition to that, establishes the rules of treatment of non-Muslims living in a Muslim community so that they do not feel alienated or oppressed. Moreover, they must feel secure, safe and relaxed, and have peace of mind. There is no compulsion in religion. Any individual is regarded as a human being before any other consideration. Human brotherhood is of a great value in Islam. Nothing can express or prove this like reporting the authentic incident when a funeral procession of a Jew passed by Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). When he stood up for the procession, his companions said to him, ‘It is for a Jew.’ He directly replied, ‘Isn’t he a human being?’ Sahih Al-Bukhari. It is also narrated that Caliph Umar (may God be pleased with him) saw an old Jew begging for alms. Umar asked him about the matter. The man replied, ‘I am a Jew.’ Umar said, ‘We have not been fair with you when we took tax from you as a young man and now neglect you when you have become old.’ Then he took him by hand to the Muslim Treasury and assigned a monthly portion of money for him. Isn’t this what we call nowadays social security or old-age pension? Once the Emir of the Believers, Caliph Ali, accused a Jew of stealing his shield. They came before the judge and sat together side by side. When the judge asked Ali to prove his claim, he brought him his son, Al-Hasan, the grandson of the Prophet (pbuh) as a witness. The judge refused him as a witness. Caliph Ali asked, ‘How can you refuse the testimony of the youth’s master in Paradise?’ The judge said, ‘In the court of law, we cannot accept the testimony of a son for his father.’ Then the judge asked the Jew to prove his point, too. The Jew said, ‘The shield is mine, and it is in my hand now.’ So, the judge ruled by keeping the shield with the Jew because of lack of proof. The Jew was astonished when he saw that Islamic Law gave the shield to him at the expense of the ruler of the whole Muslim people. So, he proclaimed the integrity of 83 the Islamic Law, admitted that the shield was Ali’s, sincerely uttered the words of faith in Allah and converted to Islam. Reasons for Disunity Now that we have talked about unity, it is necessary to talk about its opposite, which is currently controlling the Muslim world. When we define the reasons for disunity, this will be the first step towards unity, just as diagnosing the illness is the first step towards recovery. If we go back to the beginnings of disunity in the history of Islam, specifically in the Caliphate of Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him), we find that it only started when Muslims forgot about the ethics of diversity, which stops sedition and ordeal stirring up. The same situation lasted during the rule of Caliph Ali (may Allah be pleased with him). When the Umayyads took over the Caliphate, disunity became deeply rooted as a result of persecuting and oppressing the non-Arab adherents to Islam and not giving them their full rights. Consequently, those adherents devoted themselves to knowledge, science and jurisprudence and became experts in most of the religious and universal disciplines of knowledge, and kept away from politics and authority. Hence, the seeds of division started to grow through some scientific and intellectual differences, and then they turned into political differences. We can summarise the historical reasons for disunity, the seeds of which were planted during the period of backwardness and deterioration, in the following points. 1. The corrupt rule of some rulers That was clearly reflected in the concept of shura (consultation), which was neglected, and the system of 84 rule, which was turned into a hereditary and monarchic one. That led to anger and disloyalty against the rulers. In turn, it generated many new corrupt rulers in the distant territories, who fought against each other to get power by seeking help from non-Muslims against their fellow Muslims. 2. Factionalism It started after the murder of Caliph Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) when people were divided into many fighting factions. Such a situation encouraged people to rebel against authority and opened the gates for corrupt ideologies and groups. 3. Revival of regional languages, disputes and inclinations The language of traditions, worship and disciplines of knowledge had been Arabic, but new calls appeared to revive regional languages, making Arabic melt away in many Muslim territories. That was why many people there were ignorant of the teachings of Islam. There are also intellectual reasons for disunity. 1. Fanaticism Fanaticism is a blind bias and inclination towards a tribe, people, ethnicity or colour. It works as a destructive axe in the body of Muslim unity. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) defined it as ‘to help your own people to oppress others.’ Sunan Abi Dawoud. So, helping oppressors is evil and fanatic. However, to love your own people and homeland is not fanaticism. On the contrary, we are ordered to do that in Islam. Ubai bin Ka’ab, one of the Prophet’s companions, asked the Prophet (pbuh), ‘Is it fanaticism (tribalism) when a man loves his own people?’ He replied, ‘No, but it is fanatic to help your own people to oppress others.’ Sunan Ibn Majah. 85 When the Prophet (pbuh) wanted to establish the state of Islam, the wind of blind tribal fanaticism was likely to shake it. Immediately and wisely, the Prophet (pbuh) wiped it out at the very beginning. It is narrated that one of the followers of Abdullah bin Abi Saloul, head of the hypocrites in Al-Madinah, wanted to stir up trouble and dispute in the Muslim community. He called on his tribe, Al-Aws, to fight. In response, his opponents called on the tribe of Al-Khazraj to fight, too. Then, the two tribes met to fight each other, reviving a bloody hateful fanaticism, which the Prophet (pbuh) had tried hard to prevent in any form. They pulled out their swords and were about to start when the Prophet (pbuh) came and said angrily, ‘Be conscious of Allah. How come you respond to the call of Ignorance (the pre-Islamic period) though I am still living among you? How come you do so after Allah has guided you, honoured you through Islam, saved you from disbelief and pre-Islamic ignorance and brought your hearts together in harmony and intimacy?’ Tafseer Ibn Kathir. He also said, ‘Leave it (tribal fanaticism), for it stinks.’ Sahih Muslim. Once Bilal Al-Habashi (the Abyssinian), a noble black companion, came to the Prophet (pbuh) complaining about the ill-treatment and fanaticism of Abu Thar, also one of the Prophet’s companions, because the latter rebuked him for his black skin and called him, ‘You, son of a black woman!’ So, the Prophet said to Abu Thar, ‘It has become unbearable; this is too much. No white person has any favour over a black one except through righteousness and good deeds.’ Musnad Ahmad. The Prophet (pbuh) also said, ‘Anyone who calls for fanaticism, fights for it or dies as a fanatic does not belong to us.’ Sunan Abi Dawoud. That is the Islamic attitude towards all kinds of fanaticism, whether nationalism, tribalism or racism. In this respect, 86 we also have to remember how Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) had achieved such integration among all his society members that they did not feel any discrimination in colour, race or language. He associated them with each other as brothers, to the extent that an Ethiopian felt towards a Qurayshi as to his own brother, and the rich felt the same towards the poor. When the seeds of elitism started to grow through belonging to Prophet Muhammad’s (pbuh) household, the Prophet destroyed it by saying, ‘The family of Muhammad includes every pious person.’ Al-Tabarani in Al-Awsat. He replaced lineage and blood relationship with that of faith and piety. It is related that he (pbuh) said, ‘Salman is one of my household,’ Mu’jam Al-Tabarani although he was Persian. When the sun eclipsed at the time of the death of Abraham, the Prophet’s son, people thought that it took place because of his death. However, the Prophet (pbuh) corrected their understanding by saying, ‘The sun and the moon are two signs of Allah’s. They do not eclipse for the life or death of anybody.’ Sahih Al-Bukhari. When a woman from the tribe of Makhzoom stole something and was brought before the court for punishment, somebody came to intercede for her, but the Prophet (pbuh) refused and said angrily, ‘By Allah, if my own daughter Fatimah committed the same crime of stealing, I would also cut off her hand.’ Sahih Al-Bukhari. The Prophet (pbuh) tried to eradicate all traces of fanaticism and considered the fighting and hatred caused by fanaticism a kind of disbelief. He said, ‘Don’t turn into disbelievers after my death by killing one another.’ Sunan Al-Tirmithi. His companions followed his steps as well. History books narrate that, at the time of Caliph Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), his governor Abu Musa Al-Ash’ari punished Annabiga Al-Ja’di by whipping him fifty times because he tried to revive tribal fanaticism by inciting his own tribe, just as the Arabs used to do before Islam. 87 Finally, fanaticism is the bitter enemy of unity, and to achieve unity it is necessary to reject its opponent, namely fanaticism, and to replace it with the brotherhood of faith, following Allah’s words in the Holy Qur’an: “And hold fast, all together, to the rope of Allah [the Holy Qur’an], do not be divided among yourselves and remember with gratitude Allah’s favour on you: for you were enemies, and He joined your hearts in love, so that by His Grace, you have become brothers.” T.Q., 3:103. 2. Scholastic Fanaticism This was one of the reasons that divided Muslims. What we mean by this term is to follow a doctrinal, intellectual or juristic school of thought and to hold fast to it while considering all other schools of thought wrong. Consequently, juristic and doctrinal schools of thought became a means for division despite their representing a great intellectual heritage, which has enriched Islamic Law with inexhaustible gifts over history. Unfortunately, every school of thought was considered a religion in itself, and disagreeing with it was considered disbelief and disobedience to Allah. Muslims divided into Sunni and Shiite. The Sunnis also divided into Malikis, Hanafis, Shafi’is and Hanbalis. The Shiites also divided into Imamis, Zaidis, Isma’ilis and so on. Among all, there are many groups and schools that only Allah knows their number and end. One of the manifestations of this hatred of scholastic fanaticism is burning each other’s mosques, stealing property and making accusations of misguidance and disbelief. What extremely shocked me is that I once read the following question in a book of jurisprudence: ‘Is it acceptable for the followers of a certain school of thought to get married to a woman from a different school?’ The answer was, ‘Yes, it is ok, by analogy with 88 permissibility of marriage of a Muslim to a Christian or Jewish woman!’ Another example is what we witnessed in some mosques that a Hanafi Muslim did not accept to be led by a Shafi’i imam in prayer. These are some of the aspects of detested scholastic fanaticism that divided Muslims and made them into peoples and tribes, fighting and hating one another instead of cooperating and complementing one another. The reason behind all of that is the ignorance of what was revealed to Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). Almighty Allah says in the Holy Qur’an: “And don’t be like those who have become divided among themselves and have fallen into disputations after receiving clear signs: there is a terrible torment for them.” T.Q., 3:105. He also says: “If you differ in anything among yourselves, refer it to God and His Messenger if you do believe in God and the Last Day.” T.Q., 4:59. May God bless Imam Al-Shafi’i who said, ‘No one is fanatic except an ignoramus, and I have never seen a person of knowledge who is fanatic.’ So, those who consider the school of thought as a religion in itself are the furthest people from the teachings of the great imams of those schools. Imam Al-Shafi’i also said, ‘Whatever tradition (saying, action or approval by the Prophet) is authentic, it is adopted in my school of thought.’ Imam Abu Hanifah said, ‘If any of my deductions or thoughts contradicts the teachings of Allah’s Messenger, throw mine away.’ They believed that each mujtahid (a scholar who has the qualifications for making juristic or other deductions from the genuine sources of Islamic Law) might be right or wrong and will get a reward even if the deduction was found to be wrong. They learned the ethics of diversity so 89 well that all their differences remained intellectual and cultural. It helped them to complement one another rather than to fight, quarrel with or hate one another. These are some of the main reasons for intellectual differences. Other reasons like the moral and intellectual ones can be eliminated by love, cooperation and harmony, and by learning the ethics of diversity and dealing with differences. In this regard, we quote some of Imam Al-Shafi’i’s words. ‘I have sought knowledge for two years and sought to learn good manners and rules of conduct for eighteen years. I wish I had spent the twenty years seeking to learn good manners and ethics of knowledge.’ People concerned with knowledge and calling to Islam must learn the ethics of diversity, of which are the following: 1. Bearing love for all people, especially their brothers and sisters of the same faith, regardless of their different opinions or schools of thought. 2. Keeping the differences within scholastic and cultural limits and not expanding them so that they turn into scholastic fanaticism or factionalism. 3. Avoiding the old historical differences and looking for what helps to bring opinions closer and not the opposite, and for what unites and not separates. Almighty Allah says: “That was a community that has passed away. They will reap the fruit of what they did, and you of what you do, and you will not be questioned as to what they did.” T.Q., 2:134. How wise Imam Al-Shafi’i was when he was asked about the battle of Siffeen! He said, ‘Almighty Allah 90 saved me from taking part in that battle, so why don’t I save my tongue from going into it.’ 4. Meeting at what we agree upon and giving excuses to one another on what we disagree upon. 5. It is necessary for those who are sincere and deeply interested in the issues of the Muslim world to get rid of all seeds of disunity and fragmentation, whether they are in the shape of books, articles or opinions. Instead, they must water the seeds of harmony and sympathy, forgetting all the pains of the past and looking forward to the future. The best examples of such ethics are those of the noble imams and founders of the four major schools of thought. For example, Imam Abu Hanifah took some of his knowledge from Imam Ja’far Al-Sadiq, and Imam AlShafi’i took some from Imam Malik and Imam Muhammad bin Al-Hasan, who was a student of Imam Abu Hanifah. He loved him very much and described him by saying, ‘I took a great portion of my knowledge from Imam Muhammad bin Al-Hasan.’ Imam Al-Shafi'i was a contemporary of Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal, and they loved each other. I myself, speaking of Allah’s favours on me, have spent all my life, that is more than half a century now, in calling to Allah, bringing the different schools of Islam closer to one another, working on eliminating the differences and eradicating any wrong or transgression. I have also visited Iran many times and called for the unity of Muslims. Also, after this conference I will be heading for Morocco to attend a conference held by the World Forum for Proximity between the Islamic schools of Islam that belong to the Organization of the Islamic Conference. There, I will lecture on the effects of proximity between the different schools of Islam on the social, economic and political status in the world. In the past, I visited many Islamic countries where I always found many ears to the call for unity and open hearts to the seeds of love, harmony, brotherhood and cooperation. I always call for putting aside all titles and 91 names, like Sufi, Salafi, Sunni, Shiite and so on. I also confirm the need to go back and commit ourselves to what Allah imposed on us in the Holy Qur’an where He says: “It is He (Allah) who has named you Muslims, both before and in this (the Qur’an).” T.Q., 22:78. In confirmation of all these facts, the Abu Al-Nour Islamic Foundation (currently, the Sheikh Ahmad Kuftaro Islamic Institution) in Damascus has always been a home that embraces every sincere caller of Islam who does not call for personal desires or ego. Each of us has mistakes, but how mistaken is he who forgets about the 95% of his brother’s good and sheds light on the 5% of his wrong. Almighty Allah says: “And do not be like those who have become divided among themselves and have fallen into disputations after receiving clear signs: there is a terrible torment for them.” T.Q., 3:105. In conclusion, Muslim unity is an urgent necessity imposed on us by the present international and political circumstances. It also requires sincere and serious efforts from everyone to eliminate all seeds of disunity and go back to the ways and teachings of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) who said, ‘I left for you something that, if you commit yourself to it, will never lead you astray; that is the Book of Allah (the Holy Qur’an) and my Sunnah (the Prophet’s way of practising religion including his words, actions and approvals).’ Mustadrak Al-Hakim. We must do so to regain our unity and be as Allah wants us to be. Each one should do that according to his or her position and ability. By so doing, we will be committing ourselves to the Prophet’s (pbuh) saying, ‘After me you will face selfishness and things that you would deny.’ They asked, ‘So what do you order us to do then, O 92 Allah’s Messenger?’ He said, ‘Fulfil and carry out the rights on you and ask Allah what is for you.’ Sahih Al-Bukhari. All praise be to Allah, the Lord of all worlds. The Birthday of Jesus Christ Peace be upon him An Extract from His Eminence’s speech at Abu Al-Nour Mosque His Eminence Sheikh Ahmad Kuftaro, The Grand Mufti of the Syrian Arab Republic, in his weekly lecture at Abu AlNour Mosque in Damascus, spoke about the birthday of Jesus Christ, son of Mary, peace be upon him. Damascus, Syria 20 December 1996 94 We as Muslims have learnt from the Holy Qur’an how to love Jesus, honour him and believe in him as we believe in all of God’s prophets and messengers. We find in the Holy Qur’an the second longest chapter named after Jesus’ family: The Family of Imran, who was the Virgin Mary’s father. The Holy Qur’an also contains another long chapter under the name of Mary, honouring her and speaking about Jesus’ birth. All that is to indicate that enlightenment consists of successive circles, and that the source of heavenly messages is one despite the diverse legislation. The later legislation came to verify and perfect the former one because of developments over time and so on until the final legislation came with Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). Almighty God says in the Holy Qur’an: “And We have revealed the Scripture to you with truth, verifying the previous scriptures and guarding them in safety.” T.Q., 5:48. Almighty God says in another verse: “The Messenger believes in what has been revealed to him from his Lord, and so do the believers. They all believe in God, His angels, His scriptures and His messengers. They say, ‘We make no distinction between any of His messengers.’” T.Q., 2:285. He also says: “Say [O Muslims], ‘We believe in God and that which has been sent to us and that which was revealed to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob and the prophets among his descendants, and that which was given to Moses and Jesus, and that which was given to the prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and to Him we submit.’” T.Q., 2:136. 95 The Holy Qur’an is a combination of all heavenly messages and a call for belief in all of God’s prophets and messengers. So we can simply say that the Holy Qur’an encompasses the messages of all prophets starting with Adam and ending with Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon them all. The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said in one of his traditions, ‘I am the nearest of all people to Jesus, son of Mary.’ Sahih Al-Bukhari. In another tradition he said, ‘I am the nearest of all people to the son of Mary. Prophets are paternal brothers, and there is no prophet between me and him.’ Sahih Muslim. Celebrating the birthday of Jesus means to rejoice by reviving his teachings and those of his brother prophets and messengers. Some of Jesus’ teachings are as follows. ‘Love your Lord with all your heart, mind and ability.’ ‘Love your kin as much as you love yourself.’ This includes every human being who likes and does goodness to help the weak and support the oppressed. This is Jesus’ religion, message and teachings. So, are Americans and Europeans today Christian? Are they following Christ’s teachings? Do they treat the weak with mercy? Do they treat the needy, hungry and backward nations with help? Do their actions indicate belief in the message of Jesus Christ or disbelief? Did Europe, who colonised the world, east and west, do that to follow Christ’s teachings or to plunder the resources and treasures of those weak people, enslave their children, dominate their cultures and change their national identity? Visit by Pope Shnouda, Pope of the Copts in Egypt A summary of His Eminence’s speech in the presence of a group of patriarchs and bishops from many countries, Muslim scholars, ministers, ambassadors and MPs His Eminence Sheikh Ahmad Kuftaro spoke about the meeting, cooperation and coordination concerning matters in common between Islam and Christianity. The Sheikh Ahmad Kuftaro Islamic Institution, Damascus, Syria 2 May 1997 98 Islam did not come to abolish previous religions; on the contrary, it came to complete and perfect them. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) refers to this meaning when he said, ‘The likeness of me and the other prophets before me is that of a man who built a house and beautified it except for the space of one brick in a corner. People went around it and wondered at its beauty but said, “If only this brick were put in its place!” I am that brick, and I am the final prophet.’ Sahih Al-Bukhari. Almighty God says: “Say, ‘We believe in God, and the revelation which has been sent to us, and what was revealed to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob and the prophets among his descendants, and what was given to Moses and Jesus, and what was given to the prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them and to Him we submit.’” T.Q., 2:136. So the Holy Qur’an is a combination of all the heavenly messages and a call to belief in all of God’s prophets and messengers. Islam came to rectify the false and personal opinions that had distorted religions. All religions agree with regard to truth and logic; they even came to make human minds grow so that they can be the most successful. Heavenly religions, in their essence, came to change primitive minds into mature and enlightened ones. People with primitive minds used to take stones as their gods and worship them. They even were so merciless that they buried their own children alive. Almighty God says: “Do not kill your children on account of poverty.” T.Q., 6:151. Some of those people despised women and buried them alive. Almighty God says: “And when the infant girl, buried alive, is asked for what crime she was killed.” T.Q., 81:8–9. 99 Religions came to make the judiciary, which was controlled by selfish desires and greed, a just and independent one. Almighty God says: “Verily, God commands justice and the doing of good.” T.Q., 16:90. He also says: “O you who believe, stand out firmly for God as just witnesses; and let not the enmity and hatred of others make you avoid justice. Be just; that is next to piety, and fear God. Verily, God is Well-Acquainted with what you do.” T.Q., 5:8. Religions came to rule all people according to equity in matter of duties and rights. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said, ‘If Fatimah (Muhammad’s daughter) stole, I would have her hand cut off.’ Sahih Al-Bukhari. Religions also tackled people’s affairs and problems and transferred them from poverty to richness, from backwardness to progress, from ignorance to knowledge and from weakness to strength. For these noble reasons religions came, and to these targets prophets and messengers called. Therefore, if we find objectives other than these, we should realise that religions have become distorted and we have expressed them incorrectly. This means that they need to be renovated and brought back to their fundamental essence, as the noble Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said, ‘This knowledge will be passed on by the elite of every generation; they would clear it from the distortion of extremists, the misrepresentations of the wrong-doers and the misinterpretations of the ignorant.’ Sunan Al-Baihaqi. Indeed, heavenly religions called for and realised human rights. Religion did not come to hold humans back, but to make them civilised, enlightened and happy, and those 100 who claim otherwise are lying to people in regard to religion. Actually, philosophers founded Utopia only on paper, while prophets realised it on the level of the individual, society and nation. If the clergy work to return religion to its authentic nature and clear it of everything that distorts it, the whole world would certainly unite and become one world in its belief in the One Glorious God. I believe that, if we make a revolution in religion by returning it to its original form, we will not find any atheist in the whole world. I also believe that Muslim-Christian cooperation in the twenty-first century will start very soon. Currently, we share many Arab issues and anxieties, the most important of which is Jerusalem. Jerusalem must be the focal point of peace in the region as well as in the world. In fact, defending Jerusalem and its holy sites is a basic element in our religious doctrine. This element cannot be weakened or doubted. It must be a blood-like belief that runs in our veins and is born into our children. Indeed, we are heralds of peace. We seek peace for ourselves and for others, but at the same time we reject having our rights taken away by force. We cannot allow any hand-span of our lands to be abandoned. We as Muslims and Christians in our joint struggle against the treacherous Zionist aggression, which is directed against Jerusalem and its holy sites, against Palestine and its people, against Christianity and its churches and against Muslims, Islam and the Holy Qur’an, desperately need to solidify our front and hold fast to God’s strong rope so that we constitute one front line defending the rights of our nation and homelands. Each Arab, whether Muslim or Christian, must work with the utmost power — material and non-material — to support the struggle and perseverance of the Arab nation, specifically in Palestine. We pray that Almighty God will show us our nation dignified and victorious, and we will witness justice prevailing all over the world. Yet this cannot be achieved without the correct belief. Indeed, I 101 call for the abolition of the so-called right of veto in the Security Council, which has been used against weak nations. The most obvious example of this is the United States’ use of it twice in only one week and against the will of the whole world in support of Israel, who took Palestinian territories by force and established their own settlements on them. Is this equity? Is this democracy? Are these the human rights which they call for? Therefore, we think that if international law is not carried out truthfully, honestly and justly, the word peace is sure to be a big lie and a mockery of people. Humanity will keep living in confusion, and wars will continue, unless we return to God’s teachings. Arab and Muslim nations must move in the right direction to support and defend Arab rights without any negligence or lenience. I think we have been negligent in the field of world media. I am absolutely certain that if we prepare sufficient and efficient media and use them in defending Arab rights by uncovering injustice and aggression committed against Arabs, showing the bright face of Arab culture and clearing up any misconceptions about Arabs, especially in the West, we will surely replace many stereotypes and misconceptions with truth, especially where media are available, such as satellite TV channels, the Internet and such like. Almighty God has granted Arabs all the material and moral powers they need. Our land contains the cradle of heavenly religions, and we have supporters all over the world. On the other hand, we have to know that if we are negligent towards ourselves, we cannot ask others to do the duty on our behalf. Establishing a prosperous, advanced and strong Arab people is enough to take our rights back and to resist our enemies, and this is better 102 than thousands condemnations. of conferences, speeches and The Western Christian world and the Western Church in particular have to fulfil their duty in supporting the Palestinians’ rights in their homeland in a way that conforms to the teaching of Jesus Christ (pbuh). They also have to call for the USA to change its attitude towards Arab rights in Palestine. From this position, I welcome our guests again, the leaders of the Eastern churches, and I appreciate their attitude towards Palestine and Arab issues, particularly that of Jerusalem. I am so happy for this historic meeting here in Abu AlNour Islamic Foundation (the previous name of the Sheikh Ahmad Kuftaro Islamic Institution). I pray to Almighty God to make this meeting an introduction for the meeting between Islam and Christianity in the twenty-first century. The True Concept of Islam His Eminence’s lecture at The Islamic conference Buffalo, New York 23–27 May 1997 104 In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful All Praise be to God, the Lord and Sustainer of all worlds, and may God’s blessings and peace be upon our masters Prophet Muhammad, his forefather Abraham, his two brothers Moses and Jesus and upon all of God’s prophets and messengers. May the same peace and blessings be upon their households, companions and true followers until the Day of Judgment. Islam came to complete humans’ happiness and guidance. Almighty God says in the Holy Qur’an: “We did not send you except as a mercy for all creation.” T.Q., 21:107. Islam cares for all humanity. It aims at turning the world into a better and more virtuous place by guiding humanity towards those things that make it happy. This is evident in Islam’s guarantee of rights and freedoms in the fields of knowledge, education and well-being. It is further evident in Islam advocating the unity of humanity, and in its overall care for human rights, starting with supporting and liberating women, defending freedom of thought and belief, and advocating peaceful coexistence between Muslims and members of other religions. 1. Islam’s Guarantee of the Right to Knowledge Islam has come to awaken people from a state of ignorance to a state of knowledge. The Messenger of God, Muhammad (pbuh), said, ‘Seeking knowledge is an obligation on every Muslim.’ Sunan Ibn Majah. He also said, ‘My followers are all either learned or learners.’ Ibn Al-Najjar. Through such a guarantee, Islam has set a great rule by making knowledge available for everyone and not limiting it to a certain group. This great rule is clearly revealed when Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) asked, ‘Why do some people not educate, call and give advice to their neighbours? Enjoin good and forbid evil!’ 105 In this tradition, the Prophet (pbuh) clearly shows that scholars are responsible for teaching, educating and enjoining good and forbidding wrong. There is also an obligation and responsibility on the ignorant to learn and get knowledge since the Prophet asked, ‘Why do some people not learn and seek understanding from their neighbours? If they don’t, God will surely punish them in their worldly life before they die.’ Al-Tabarani. This prophetic guidance shows the obligation to learn and teach in the Islamic system. Not only that, Islam makes clear the negation of good from those who do not learn. The Prophet (pbuh) said, ‘Two categories of people share the same reward: the teacher and the learner, and there is no good in anyone other than them.’ Al-Tabarani. 2. Islam’s Guarantee of the Right to Education and Morality Islam considers moral education and fighting evil as social obligations, which can be attained by all individuals working together in society. Therefore, the knowledgeable should teach others, and the rich should pay money to the poor. Almighty God says: “Let those with plenty spend according to their abundance.” T.Q., 65:7. 3. Islam’s Guarantee of Decent Living and WellBeing for Citizens Regardless of their Religion Islam aims to turn people from being poor into being rich, so it fights against poverty rather than the poor in the same way as it does against disbelief. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said, ‘Poverty was about to be a kind of disbelief,’ and in another narration, ‘Being in need was about to be a kind of disbelief.’ Sunan Al-Baihaqi. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) once reminded his noble companions of the favour of becoming rich through 106 accompanying him and following his guidance sent from God. He said, ‘Did I not find you poor and God made you rich through me?’ Sahih Al-Bukhari. He also turned society into a cooperating power and a force for mutual assistance in struggling against poverty and helping the poor. He said, ‘He who goes to bed with a full stomach, knowing that his close neighbour is starving, has never believed in me.’ Musnad Al-Bazzar. This rule is considered as a law and a belief for people to embrace and act upon. In addition, part of his legislation was to enrich the poor by assigning them a prescribed portion of the money of the rich. He said, ‘A charity is to be taken from the rich and be given to the poor.’ Sahih AlBukhari. Islam does all of that not only for poor Muslims but also extends it to members of other religions living in the Muslim state. Once when Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was giving charity to people, a Jew came up to him and asked for a share. The Prophet refused to give him any, saying, ‘You cannot have any share from the charity of Muslims!’ The man went sadly away. How could the Prophet refuse to give to the poor Jew while he was sent as a mercy for all creation? Immediately, the Prophet received a revelation with new legislation supporting human rights and announcing the universal brotherhood of the human race: “It is not for you [O Muhammad] to set them on the right path, but God sets on the right path whom He pleases. Whatever you spend in good will benefit yourselves, provided that you spend only to seek God’s pleasure. And whatever you spend in good will be paid back to you in full, and you shall not be wronged.” T.Q., 2:272. Almighty God is reminding His Prophet that his mission is only to convey the message not to judge people or punish them. 107 In another verse Almighty God says: “And they give food, in spite of their need for it (seeking God’s love), to the indigent, the orphan and the captive.” T.Q., 76:8 though captives in the Muslim state are not Muslim. 4. Islam’s Guarantee of the Unity of People Islam came to convert the Arabs from a state of disunity into a state of unity. The Prophet (pbuh) said, ‘Believers are similar to one body in their love, mercy, sympathy and feeling for one another. If one part of it feels pain, the whole body suffers from fever and lack of sleep.’ Sahih Muslim. The Prophet (pbuh) also mentioned the favour of Islam on Arabs because it united them after they were scattered tribes. He said, ‘Did I not find you going astray and disunited, and then God guided you and united you through me?’ Sahih Al-Bukhari. 5. Islam’s Guarantee of Human Rights In this field, the Prophet (pbuh) taught us to respect human beings. Once a funeral procession for a Jew passed by the Prophet, so he stood up. The companions of the Prophet told him, ‘O Messenger of God, the deceased is a Jew.’ He replied, ‘Isn’t he a human being?’ Sahih Al-Bukhari. By this response, the Prophet (pbuh) educated the whole society to respect human rights as an Islamic law and behaviour and a reality in the life of the Muslim society. 6. Islam’s Guarantee of Liberating and Supporting Women For the first time in history and just with the advent of Islam, oppressed women, who were always deprived of 108 their rights, came to the stage of being liberated and given their rights. It was something new and unique in history; it had never happened before. Before Islam, some female babies used to be buried alive while others were deprived of their rights in sharing the family property and inheritance. When Islam came, killing females was strongly disapproved of and forbidden. Almighty God says in the Holy Qur’an: “When the infant girl, buried alive, is questioned for what crime she was killed.” T.Q., 81:8–9. Also, Islam gives women their rights in family inheritance. Almighty God says: “There is a portion for men and a portion for women from what is left by parents and nearest relatives; an assigned portion of whatever there is of it, be it a little or a lot.” T.Q., 4:7. Almighty God also promises a great and distinctive reward for those who honour girls. The Prophet (pbuh) said, ‘He who has three daughters and endures the difficulties of raising them up patiently will be rewarded with Paradise because of his mercy towards them.’ A man asked, ‘O Messenger of God, what if I have only two daughters?’ Another asked, ‘Or only one daughter?’ He replied, ‘Even if it is only one daughter.’ Mustadrak Al-Hakim. This brief tradition, which is very great in its implications, has changed society so drastically that believers always prefer to have girls in order to get that great reward from God. Islam has also given women the right to claim their rights. It happened that Khawlah bint Th’alabah, the wife of Aws bin Al-Samet, complained to the Prophet about her husband saying, ‘O Messenger of God, Aws married me when I was a beautiful young lady, and now that I have got old and my looks have changed through having many 109 children, he has divorced me by zihar (saying, ‘You are to me like my mother’s back,’ which means unlawful), and he has deserted me.’ This was a common nasty habit among pagan Arab husbands who wanted to desert their wives at home before the advent of Islam. So she asked the Prophet to help her by finding a solution or permission, but the Prophet (pbuh) told her that he thought she was divorced, and that was it. Yet, she kept arguing with the Prophet, telling him that her husband did not utter the words of divorce. Then she complained directly to God, raising her head to heaven and supplicating God in the following words: ‘O God, to You I complain about my distress. O God, send your Prophet a solution for me.’ She did not leave until God revealed some verses concerning her problem. The Prophet (pbuh) said, ‘O Khawlah, be happy and rejoice.’ She asked, ‘Why?’ He recited to her the newly revealed verses at once: “God has indeed heard the statement of the one who pleads with you concerning her husband and carries her complaints [in prayer] to God. God has heard the argument between both sides of you for He is AllHearing, All-Seeing. If any men among you divorce their wives by zihar (saying, ‘You are to me like my mother’s back’), should know that they cannot be their mothers. None can be their mothers except those who gave birth to them. In fact, they use words both ill and false, but truly God is Most Pardoning, Most Forgiving. As for those who divorce their wives by saying, ‘You are to me like my mother’s back,’ but then go back on the words they uttered, they are to free a slave before the couple touch each other again. That is what you are admonished with, and God is All-Aware of whatever you do. And if any has 110 not [the means], he should fast for two months consecutively before they touch each other. But whoever is unable to do so, he is to feed sixty indigent people. That is in order that you may show your faith in God and His Messenger. Those are the limits set by God, and there is a grievous penalty for those who reject.” T.Q., 58:1–4. The story finished, but the verses have been kept by God in the Holy Qur’an as a deterrent to every husband who thinks or tries to do the same to his wife. 7. Islam and Other Heavenly Religions and Freedom of Thought Brothers and sisters, Almighty God sent Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) with the message of knowledge and human civilisation. That message is complementary to the previous heavenly messages; it is the seal and last of them. The Prophet (pbuh) expressed this meaning when he said, ‘The likeness of me and the other prophets before me is that of a man who built a house and beautified it except for a place of one brick in a corner. People went around it and wondered at its beauty, but said, “If only this brick were put in its place!” So I am that brick, and I am the final prophet.’ Sahih Al-Bukhari. So, Islam came to complete what previous prophets started. It did not come to take Christians and Jews away from their Scriptures or religions. On the contrary, it glorifies Jesus, Moses and their revealed Books and presents their heavenly, true and genuine versions. Almighty God says: “O you who were given the Scriptures, believe in what We have revealed [now to Prophet Muhammad], confirming what was [already] with you.” T.Q., 4:47. He also says: “It is the truth, confirming what is with them.” T.Q., 2:91. 111 Brothers and sisters, this is Islam, which has completed what previous prophets started. Almighty God says in the Holy Qur’an: “This day I have perfected your religion for you.” T.Q., 5:3. So Islam is the assembly of heavenly messages since it placed the last brick in that great divine mansion, just as the Prophet said: ‘So I am that missing brick, and I am the final prophet.’ Sahih Al-Bukhari. This Islam with its pure essence and perfect legislation has been unknown and lost even for some Muslims. Muslims have been negligent in understanding, learning and practising their religion. Islam aims at building a perfect and virtuous Muslim society that becomes the centre of attraction for the whole world in all fields — a society whose members enjoin what is good and forbid what is evil, embodying the following two Qur’anic verses: “Let there arise out of you a band of people inviting to all that is good, enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong. It is they who are the successful.” T.Q., 3:104. “Invite all to the way of your Lord with wisdom and beautiful advice.” T.Q., 16:125. When the Arabs accepted Islam and made it their way of life, their enmity changed into harmony and love, their brutality and savagery into leniency and mercy and their illiteracy and ignorance into knowledge. Thanks to their first teacher, Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), they became as God describes them in the Holy Qur’an: “You are the best community ever raised up for humankind: you enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong, and you believe in God.” T.Q., 3:110 112 and as described by Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) when he said, ‘They are so scholarly and wise that they are almost prophets.’ Mustadrak Al-Hakim. Shouldn’t Muslims answer the call of God and follow His orders in practising the following Qur’anic verse: “Invite all to the way of your Lord with wisdom and beautiful advice.” T.Q., 16:125. Brothers and sisters, the understanding of Islam has been distorted over the previous centuries even among some of its own followers. After being united, Muslims have broken into many groups. Most followers of one Muslim group or school of thought see the followers of another group or school of thought as followers of a different religion, as if every school has become a different and independent Islam, even though the imams of those Islamic schools were not fanatic. All of them invited followers to seek the truth. They used to say, ‘When the tradition that is transmitted to me is authentic, it is my school of thought.’ They considered their schools and the schools of others as schools for interpretations which are fallible; they might have some wrong opinions, yet all of those schools can be of a great benefit for Muslims. So, we should go back to the true Islam, which is derived from the Holy Qur’an and Sunnah (Prophet Muhammad’s authentic words and acts), and we should address people at the right time, place and circumstances, following the Qur’anic wisdom and using the prophetic way of education, whose fruit is what the Prophet (pbuh) says about his companions: ‘They are so scholarly and wise that they are almost prophets.’ Mustadrak Al-Hakim. This is the pure concept of Islam in its reality and essence. I pray to God to inspire us to feel this duty, the duty of introducing the true Islam to others and calling them to God for the community of knowledge, wisdom and purity to be established, not only in one country but in the whole world. 113 Finally, I pray to God to respond to our hopes. All praise be to Him, the Lord of all worlds. The Ethics of Dialogue and Diversity His Eminence’s speech at The Islamic Conference Buffalo, New York 23–27 May 1997 116 In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful All praise be to God, the Lord of all worlds, and may His peace and blessings be upon Prophet Muhammad, his family members and companions. Brothers and sisters, all people are God’s dependants. He created them from one person, but with diverse characters. Their origin is one, namely earth. Their minds can conceive distant horizons and deep insight, which cannot be confined except by Almighty God. He says: “And among His Signs are the creation of the heavens and the earth and the diversity of your tongues and colours. Verily, in that are signs for those who have knowledge.” T.Q., 30:22. The diversity that God created should not be a reason for enmity or conflict. Intelligent and wise people can make this diversity a starting point for complementariness and cooperation in the interest of good and truth. This fact, which was best practised in the life of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), should be the source of our agreement and unity. Today’s world is full of different religions and ideologies. On the Islamic level too, we have many different groups and movements in Muslim countries and among the Muslim communities in the West. However, have Muslims been able to learn the ways of cooperation, dialogue and understanding despite their differences of opinion? The painful situation that we see today in Afghanistan, Algeria and other Muslim countries reflects the bitter fact that the relationships between the Islamic movements are not based on the dialogue and understanding that were followed by early righteous Muslims. The companions of 117 Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) were transformed, after him, into dynamic schools that spread knowledge all over the places Islam had reached. Though, sometimes, they had different fatwas (official religious opinions) due to diversity of interpretative abilities, they succeeded in maintaining respect and fraternity and in realising the means for their cooperation and brotherhood. Lady A’isha (the Prophet’s wife) would many times criticise the companions’ fatwas and express her own opinions. Imam Al-Suyouti wrote a book called Ayn AlIsaba, in which he gathered Lady A’isha’s opinions, which were different from those of many companions, such as Abu Huraira, Ibn Abbas, Abuddarda and others. This diversity of opinion was no more than a dialogue to seek truth and never had any shades of enmity, hatred or mistrust. When we review the companions’ lives, we find it a garden of beautiful different flowers. They each had their own opinion and achievement without any dispute or discord between them. Uthman bin Affan, the third caliph of the Muslims, used to lead the Eid prayers (prayers at the beginning of the two main Muslim festivals) and then give the Eid sermon. However, when he found that many people just prayed and left without listening to the sermon, he thought it was not a good scheme. So he ordered the Eid prayer be postponed to the end of the sermon. When Abu Thar, one of the Prophet’s companions, heard of that while fulfilling his duty in defending one of the Muslim borders, he got angry and declared that Uthman was wrong and that the Prophet used to start with the Eid prayer not with the sermon. However, when the Festival of Adha (sacrifice) came, Abu Thar himself ordered that the sermon be given 118 before the Eid prayer, exactly as Uthman did. People expressed their surprise saying, ‘Did you not criticise Uthman when he did so?’ ‘Yes,’ answered Abu Thar, ‘but this is better than dissension.’ What fine words sum up the companions’ understanding of unity! Muslims maintained this religious order for a while then reversed it later on. Dear brothers and sisters, historically, Muslims in most countries of the Muslim world have followed four major schools of thought. They used to respect and give excuses for one another. The Shafi’is, for example, would say, ‘Our opinion is this, but the Hanafis’ opinion is different.’ The Malikis said likewise. They all lived an atmosphere of love, affection and fairness, which reflected the social and civilised consciousness and excellent education and upbringing they received from Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). You will not find a Shafi’i (a follower of Imam Shafi’i’s school) but respecting Imam Abu Hanifah (founder of the Hanafi school), and you will not find a Hanafi but respecting Imam Malik (founder of the Maliki school) despite the different opinions of these schools in major and minor issues, of which the books of jurisprudence are full. In addition to the four major schools of thought in Islam, Islamic jurisprudence has been enriched by the efforts of other great scholars such as Imam Al-Tabari, Imam Ja’far Al-Sadiq, Imam Al-Awza’i and other great imams who, through their interpretative abilities, provided Muslims with a precious intellectual heritage. Maybe the only exception to this intellectual freedom in Islam was that dark era in which Al-Mu’tazila (a Muslim theological school) controlled some Abbasid Caliphs urging them to ruthlessly suppress the followers of opposing schools of thought and resist any opinion that 119 contradicted theirs. Thus, the Muslim global community over history has known how to benefit from this juristic diversity and how to deduce from it the rulings and solutions needed for new issues. With regard to those movements which rejected their opponents and accused them of disbelief and insisted on one way of understanding and implementing religious texts, they had been cast into the dark side and named Al-Khawarij, which means the dissenters. These people kept their method till they had established their own doctrine and jurisprudence in which they declared that killing their opponents and taking their property was lawful even if they were among the most righteous ones. Dear brothers and sisters, we have to seek today the means for our unity and cooperation, but we should not build this unity on the basis of ignoring others and rejecting them or freezing people’s minds and asking them to approve our prejudgments. Our religious duty requires us to unify our efforts and hearts so as to serve our religion and meet its noble objectives. We should all meet: the Sufi Muslims with the Salafis, the interpreters and their opponents (two schools of theology), the Zahiriyya and the other jurists, and the Sunnis and Shiites, just as we used to do during our history, which is full of live experience and shining with constructive and purposeful dialogue. It is useful in this regard to remind ourselves of the following points. 1. Sincerity and devotion to Almighty God in our ideas, intentions and deeds, and using as a motto of our dialogue: ‘My Lord! You are my aim, and pleasing You is my goal.’ 120 2. Cooperating in serving the Muslim global community and exerting the best efforts and abilities for its crucial issues. Almighty God says: “Help one another in righteousness and piety, but do not help one another in sins and transgression.” T.Q., 5:2. 3. Cooperating on common points, and exchanging advice on different ones. 4. There are no differences in the basic issues, and the difference in the minor ones is an intellectual diversity, which often provides ease and mercy to Muslims. So we should not criticise scholars for their interpretative opinions or fatwas in the area of jurisprudence. 5. Distancing ourselves from exaggeration, extremism and rigidity or petrifaction. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said, ‘Make things easy for people and do not make them difficult. Give glad tidings to people and do not repulse them (not make them run away from Islam by being harsh, stern or otherwise).’ Sahih AlBukhari. 6. Reflecting on opponents’ opinions with objectivity and deliberation. 7. Arguing with others in the best ways. Almighty God says: “And debate with them in the most dignified manner. Verily, your Lord knows best those who have gone astray from His path, and those who are guided.” T.Q., 16:125. 8. In dialogue, there is not a ruler and a ruled, nor a judge and a culprit. Two people came to a debate. One said to the other, ‘Do you really like debating?’ The other replied, ‘Yes, but on condition that you do not get angry, protest, get astonished or give a verdict, that you do not make your view as a proof in itself and that we make truth our goal.’ 121 9. Almighty God’s address to His servants is that of the Absolute Master whose commands and words cannot be rejected. Yet, He mentions in His Book many examples of dialogue between Himself and His servants to show us the importance of dialogue in reaching truth and following it. 10. The Muslim State and its political authority, from the time of the Prophet (pbuh) until today, has witnessed many periods of weakness and strength, and we notice that the stronger the Muslim State, the more active the dialogue. 11. Committing ourselves to the opinions of ancestors, scholars and traditional teachers despite their contradictions with textual and mental evidence is one of the basic reasons for failure in dialogue and missing the point. Ibn Al-Qayyim, a prominent ancient scholar once issued a fatwa which contradicted his sheikh’s opinion. When some people reproached him for doing so, he said, ‘I love Ibn Taymiyyah (his sheikh), but I love truth more.’ 12. The oneness and uniqueness of truth does not mean that there is only one way to reach it or one way to express it. That is why diversity in ways and means that do not affect the essence of truth or distort it is not always rejected. Finally, I hope that Muslims realise the meaning of this verse: “And hold fast, all of you together, to the Rope of God (the Holy Qur’an), and be not divided among yourselves.” T.Q. 3:103 and that they take the Holy Qur’an as a light that unifies their word. 122 I conclude my speech by looking forward to a day in which a comprehensive Islamic meeting is held under the banner of the Qur’anic verse that says: “Do not say to the one who greets you with peace (telling you that he is a Muslim, even by word), ‘You are not a believer!’” T.Q. 4:94. All praise and thanks be to God, the Lord of the creation. Islam and Other Heavenly Religions His Eminence’s lecture delivered at The Islamic Conference Buffalo, New York 23–27 May 1997 124 In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful All praise is due to God, the Lord of all worlds. Peace and blessings be upon Prophet Muhammad, the pure and true one, who was sent as a mercy to all creation, upon his forefather Abraham, his two brothers Moses and Jesus, their families, their companions and upon those who truly follow their guidance until the Day of Judgment. I am thankful to those who have arranged this conference, and I really appreciate their efforts in calling for dialogue to build a happier and more civilized future for humankind, who is a trustee and vicegerent on earth. “And remember when your Lord said to the angels, ‘Verily I am going to create a vicegerent on earth.’” T.Q., 2:30. God created this universe and everything in it and subjected it to serve His best of creation on earth — humans Almighty God says in the Holy Qur’an: “Do you not see that God has subjected to you whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is on earth?” T.Q., 31:20. Human beings are God’s most honoured creatures. God says: “And verily, We have honoured the children of Adam.” T.Q., 17:70. To perfect His honour on human beings, God sent them many messengers to guide them to the path of goodness and to warn them about the path of evil, so all God’s prophets and messengers have called humankind to one heavenly religion whose aim is to achieve human happiness in this life and in the Hereafter. God has named this divine religion Islam. Religion in its essence is based on three fundamentals: creed, legislation and code of ethics. All of God’s prophets and messengers came with the same creed and 125 code of ethics, while the changing element was legislation because of the different circumstances of peoples to whom that legislation was revealed. The concept and pillars of the creed were the same on the tongues of all prophets and messengers. Thus, there are no various heavenly religions; rather there is only one, its name being Islam. God says in the Holy Qur’an: “Truly, the religion with God is Islam.” T.Q., 3:19. God has chosen this religion for all His creatures from the time He created them until the end of time. God says: “This day I have perfected your religion for you, completed My favour upon you and have chosen for you Islam as your religion.” T.Q., 5:3. As Islam means the absolute submission to God’s orders and commands, God does not accept any religion other than Islam from any human being. God says: “And whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted of him, and in the Hereafter he will be one of the losers.” T.Q., 3:85. We find this fact clear and obvious in the Holy Qur’an: “He has prescribed for you the same religion which He ordained for Noah, and which We have revealed to you [O Muhammad], and that which We ordained for Abraham, Moses and Jesus, saying you should establish religion and make no divisions in it.” T.Q., 42:13. Islam is the only divine religion that all of God’s messengers have called to. We find that they all share the same beliefs, namely belief in the existence of one great Creator with no partners and Who possesses the ultimate perfection, belief in the Day of Judgment as the day of accountability for people, belief in the angels, belief 126 in all of God’s prophets and messengers, and belief in all the heavenly revealed Books. God says: “Righteousness does not consist in whether you turn your face [in prayers] towards the east or the west, but it is when one believes in God, the Last Day, the Books and the Prophets.” T.Q., 2:177. The Holy Qur’an calls all the believers to this concept when it says: “Say, ‘We believe in God and the revelation which has been sent down to us and that which was sent down to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob and to the prophets among his children and descendants, and that which was given to Moses and Jesus and that which was given to the prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them and to Him do we submit.’” T.Q., 2:136. So the Holy Qur’an calls all of His prophets and their true and sincere followers by one name, which is Muslims, namely those who surrender their whole selves to God. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) referred to all these facts when he gave this example: ‘The likeness of me and the other prophets before me is that of a man who built a house and beautified it except for a place of one brick in a corner. People went around it and wondered at its beauty, but said, “If only this brick were put in its place!” So I am that brick, and I am the final prophet.’ Sahih AlBukhari. Islam and Humankind God ended all the messages of the previous prophets with the message of the final Prophet — Muhammad (pbuh). He gave him the creed, legislation and the code of ethics. He called his religion Islam and declared that all people were created from a single person, which 127 means that Islam emphasises the unity of the human origin. The Holy Qur’an clarifies this fact when it says: “O humankind, be dutiful to your Lord who created you from a single person (Adam), and of its kind created his mate (Eve), and from them both scattered [like seeds] countless men, and women.” T.Q., 4:1. So all human beings are full brothers and sisters, and this human origin gives each member of the human family the right to dignity without any kind of discrimination. God says: “And verily, We have honoured the children of Adam.” T.Q.,17:70. The following rights are endowed to every human being: the right to life, the right to food and drink, the right to clothing, the right to shelter, the right to security and the right to freedom and safe residence. Some of these rights are clear in God’s words to Adam: “Verily, there is therein [enough provision] for you not to go hungry or to go naked, or to suffer from thirst or from the sun’s heat.” T.Q., 20:118–119. God has allowed the diversity of people in ethnicity, language and colour as signs indicating His greatness. He says: “And among His signs are the creation of the heavens and the earth and the diversity of your tongues and colours. Verily, in that are signs for those who posses knowledge.” T.Q., 30:22. God clarifies that this diversity should not be used as a means to split the human family and persecute one another; rather it should be a means for humans to meet, communicate, know one another and cooperate to 128 achieve goodness and benefit for all people. This is what the Qur’an states as an eternal human principle: “O humankind! We have created you from a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes that you may know one another.” T.Q., 49:13. So all people are equal as human beings, but they differ in their piety and the goodness they offer to human happiness. God says: “Verily, the most honourable among you in the sight of God is the most pious.” T.Q., 49:13. The Holy Qur’an, regardless of ethnicity, colour or nation, has distinguished between those who follow the message of heaven, which calls to faith, goodness, peace, knowledge and human happiness, and those who refuse it, rejecting all that it calls for. God says: “It is He who has created you, then some of you have rejected the faith and some have accepted it, and God is All-Seeing of all that you do.” T.Q.,64:2. So a Muslim in the sight of the Holy Qur’an is the one who submits his heart and life entirely to God and follows His commands, believes in the Last Day, angels, heavenly revealed books and His prophets, with no distinction between them, and the non-Muslim is the one who upsets these divine scales. The Holy Qur’an and the Previous Faiths The Holy Qur’an addresses the followers of the heavenly messages of previous faiths (Christians and Jews) with the best statements and kindest of words. It always describes them by saying, “O People of the Scriptures.” This term occurs thirty-one times in the Holy Qur’an, and they are also described thirty times as “those who received the Scriptures.” This expresses a high level of respect for it means they are people of knowledge. The 129 Holy Qur’an mentions two kinds of “the people of the Scriptures.” The first have believed in the truth and accepted all prophets, even the last prophet, Muhammad (pbuh). The second have ignored the truth and rejected the prophets. This fact is clear in the following verse: “The people of the Scriptures are not all alike. Some of them stand for the truth, recite the verses of God during the hours of the night and prostrate themselves in prayer. They believe in God and the Last Day, enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong, and they compete with one another in doing good deeds. These are among the righteous ones.” T.Q., 3:113–114. The Holy Qur’an praises those who follow the truth among them and calls them well-grounded in knowledge. This is obvious in the following verses: “And verily, among the people of the Scriptures there are some who truly believe in God and in that which has been sent down to you, and in that which was sent down to them, humbling themselves before God. They do not sell God’s verses for a trifling gain. These will be rewarded by their Lord. Verily, God is swift in reckoning.” T.Q., 3:199. “But those among them who are wellgrounded in knowledge, and the believers, believe in what has been sent down to you [O Muhammad] and what was sent down before you, and those who perform prayers and give charity and believe in God and in the Last Day, to them We shall give a great reward.” T.Q., 4:162. The Holy Qur’an also speaks about their humility and soft hearts in the following verses: 130 “And verily, you will find the nearest in affection to the believers are those who say, ‘We are Christians.’ That is because among them are priests and monks, and they are not arrogant, and when they listen to what has been sent down to the Messenger, you see their eyes overflowing with tears because of the truth they have recognised therein. They say, ‘Our Lord! We have believed, so write us down among the witnesses.’” T.Q., 5:82–83. The Rule of Relations between Muslims and NonMuslims The Holy Qur’an sets the basic rule of relations between Muslims and non-Muslims, saying: “God does not forbid you to deal kindly and justly with those who do not fight against you on account of religion nor expel you from your homes. Verily, God loves those who deal with equity.” T.Q., 60:8. This verse does not only encourage us to deal justly with others (by giving people their rights); it rather advises us to deal with them with kindness and generosity (by giving them more than their rights). We notice in this verse that God mentions kindness before justice in a remarkable hint at the way to treat non-Muslims in Islam. Islam calls non-Muslims who live in a Muslim society by a beautiful name: ‘Ahl Al-Thimmah,’ which means the people of the pledge — a pledge of security, care and protection. They are under the pledge of God, His Messenger and the Muslim people since they live under the banner of the Muslim society. We are surprised at some people who feel that this name smacks of inferiority. This opinion is rejected because, when an Arab says to someone, ‘You are in my thimmah,’ he means, ‘You are under my protection, care and patronage; you will see no harm from me, nor will I allow 131 anyone to harm you.’ We can nowadays replace this word with what is known politically as ‘Muslim citizenship holders’ since they are actual citizens in a Muslim society just like Muslims. Islam and Non-Muslims within Muslim Society Muslim jurists have set an important rule to clarify this relation, which is based on reciprocity. As the old proverb says, ‘He who treats you as himself does not oppress you.’ This important rule says, ‘They have what we have since they have to do what we have to.’ We cannot interpret this statement literally; rather it means that they have rights and freedom as we have, but they do not have to do all the duties we have to. This rule has been clarified in the following points. Protection against External Aggression Muslim jurists declare that it is obligatory on Muslim society to offer all means of protection to those who live in it. Ibn Hazm Al-Andalusi, a great Muslim scholar, said, ‘If the enemies come to our land seeking to harm Ahl AlThimmah, we have to defend and protect them even with our blood and life because they are living under the protection of God and His Messenger, and handing them over to their enemies is considered as negligence in fulfilling our pledge of protection.’ There are wonderful examples from history that indicate this fact. The people of Homs, a Syrian city, paid money to Abu Ubaida bin Al-Jarrah, a great Muslim leader, in return for protecting them from any external attack. He gave the money back to them when he could not defend and protect them, so they said, ‘May God bring you back to us and curse the Romans. By God, if they were in your 132 place, they would never give the money back but would plunder our city instead.’ Another example is when the Tartars wanted to release only the Muslim captives and keep the Christian ones. Ibn Taymiyyah, a great Muslim scholar, did not accept that, saying, ‘We don’t accept any release unless you release all Muslim and non-Muslim captives as they are under our protection, and we don’t leave any of our people captive.’ Offering Protection inside Society This includes the following. 1. Protection of blood and body Many prophetic traditions, besides the manners of the Prophet’s (pbuh) companions, emphasise the prohibition of harming or oppressing any non-Muslim citizen or visitor when they are under the care and pledge of Muslims. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said, ‘Any Muslim who wrongs a non-Muslim citizen, either by humiliating him, overburdening him, or by taking away anything from him by force, I will be his opponent on the Day of Judgment.’ Sunan Abu Dawood. He also said, ‘Whoever oppresses or harms a thimmi (a non-Muslim citizen), I will be his opponent on the Day of Judgment, and I will defeat my opponents.’ Al-Khatib. In their speeches with their leaders and caliphs, Muslim scholars have emphasized the importance of good and kind relations with non-Muslims. Abu Yousuf, a wellknown Muslim judge, wrote to Caliph Haroun Al-Rashid reminding him that a caliph should take care of Ahl AlThimmah: ‘O Emir of Believers, you should be very kind to Ahl Al-Thimmah. Your Prophet and cousin Muhammad (pbuh) commands you to take measures so that they are not wronged, injured or overburdened, or that any property of theirs be taken away unwillingly except for due right.’ Al-Kharaj. 133 We have many examples from history. When the Abbasid leader Salih bin Ali harmed some of Ahl AlThimmah, Al-Awza’i, a great Muslim scholar, stood firmly against him. 2. Protection of honour In Islam, you cannot harm or hurt a Muslim or non-Muslim by cursing, insulting, abusing, slandering or even backbiting him. The Hanafi (an Islamic school of thought) jurists say, ‘Treating a thimmi well is obligatory, and backbiting him is prohibited just as it is with a Muslim.’ The Maliki (another Islamic school of thought) jurists say, ‘Our covenant with Ahl Al-Thimmah gives them rights over us, so whoever harms them in any way even with one bad word or backbiting or helps anyone in that regard, he is considered to have broken the covenant of God.’ 3. Protection of property It is so close to the protection of body and honour that it was included in the pledge signed between the Prophet (pbuh) and the Christians of Najran: ‘To Najran and its people I give the pledge of protection from God and His Messenger, Muhammad, protection for their property, land, religion, for its people who are absent and present, for its clans, churches and all that they possess whether little or much.’ AlKharaj. This protection is very obvious in the practice of the Islamic law that protects non-Muslims’ property. They have the right to do trade and carry out transactions with complete economic freedom with regard to the right of ownership. 134 4. Guardianship and guarantee of the public treasury A Muslim society guarantees its entire people (Muslims and non-Muslims alike) the fulfilment of their needs, especially when they are unable to afford them. The Prophet (pbuh) said, ‘Each of you is a guardian and responsible for his/her people; a ruler is a guardian for his citizens and will be asked about them [on the Day of Judgment].’ Sahih Al-Bukhari. So Ahl Al-Thimmah have the right to be treated well and kindly. The guarantees provided by Muslim society are clear especially for the decrepit, poor, and disabled, regardless of whether they are Muslims or not. When Khalid bin Al-Waleed, a great Muslim leader, made a pledge with the people of Al-Heera in Iraq, the Caliph asked him about it. Khalid said, ‘If any of Ahl Al-Thimmah is decrepit, unable to make a living or has become poor after being rich, he will be exempt from jizya (Islamic taxation for non-Muslims — Muslims pay zakat instead), and he and his family will be provided for from the coffers as long as they live in the Islamic society.’ The notion of helping the disabled among Ahl Al-Thimmah from the coffers has been agreed upon by all Muslim scholars. Another example of this is when the Caliph Umar bin Abdel-Aziz ordered the governor of Al-Basra, an Iraqi city saying, ‘Be kind to Ahl Al-Thimmah, and when any of them gets old and has no money, spend on him.’ Public freedom This includes the following: 1- Freedom of belief, freedom to practise religious rituals and protection of places of worship Islam acknowledges freedom of belief to all people. Although Islam calls people to accept it, there is no compulsion to embrace it. Calling to Islam is permitted while forcing people to accept it is prohibited. God says in the Holy Qur’an: 135 “Call to the way of your Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching and debate with them in the best manner.” T.Q., 16:125. “Let there be no compulsion in religion. Verily, the right path has become distinct from the wrong one.” T.Q., 2:256. Imam Ali, the fourth caliph, said, ‘We leave them to their faith.’ There are many examples from the time of the Prophet (pbuh) until the present time that prove this. The pledge between the Prophet (pbuh) and the Jews of AlMadinah stated, ‘Muslims have their own faith and Jews have their own faith. They together with their slaves are free except those who transgress or betray.’ Also in his pledge to the Christians of Najran we read: ‘No bishop shall be removed from his bishopric, nor a monk from his monastery, nor a priest from his priesthood. They should not be humiliated.’ Al-Kharaj. The Christian and Jewish clergy were protected from the influence of war. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) used to instruct his companions before going on battles saying, ‘Do not kill children or those who live in hermitages.’ Musnad Ahmad. Caliph Abu Bakr in his speech to his armies heading to liberate Al-Sham (Greater Syria) and Iraq said, ‘You will pass by people who have dedicated themselves to their hermitages. Do not harm them.’ Tarikh Al-Rusul wal Muluk. Also Caliph Umar in his pledge to the people of Al-Quds (Jerusalem) guaranteed their religious freedom. His pledge reads: ‘This is the pledge of protection given by the servant of God, Umar bin Al-Khattab, the Emir of Believers, to the people of Eiliya (Jerusalem). Protected are their lives, properties, churches, crosses, their sick 136 and healthy, and all their co-religionists. Their churches must not be inhabited, destroyed or diminished in size, crosses or property. They are not to be forced to change their religion, nor are any of them to be harmed.’ Tarikh AlRusul wal Muluk. One of the most outstanding examples of sublime tolerance of Islam is when the Christian delegation of Najran, numbering 60 people, entered the Prophet’s mosque, stayed there for some days and said their prayers facing east without any objection from the Prophet. Al-Sirah Al-Nabawiyyah. The truth that should be loudly declared is that the most realistic evidence of the freedom of faith in Islam is what we see today, after fourteen centuries, of different places of worship: churches, temples and monasteries. These places are found everywhere in Muslim countries. They are witnesses that prove the freedom of faith that Islam came with. If Muslims had behaved as the followers of other faiths had done, you would not have seen any church tower or heard a church bell. Other people used to eradicate Muslims in their own lands. Andalusia (southern Spain) is a close example, and Bosnia and Herzegovina is a current one. Freedom of Thought and Education When Islam laid down the foundations of Islamic society, spreading knowledge among all categories of people was one of its basics. The clearest evidence of this is the abundance of various scientific productions by nonMuslims, and the renown of many Christian, Jewish and other scientists. Nothing in Islam violates non-Muslims’ freedom of thought and education. They have the right to educate their children on the principles of their faith and establish their own schools. The earliest manifestations of this freedom appeared in the practice of the Prophet (pbuh), especially when he ordered a large section of the Torah 137 to be returned to their Jewish owners after the conquest of Khaybar. Universities and Islamic institutes have been, throughout history, widely open for non-Muslims, many of whom took knowledge from Muslim scholars and jurists. For example, Hunayn bin Ishaq took Arabic from Al-Farahidi and Sibaweih until he became an expert in Arabic, Yahya bin Adi took knowledge from Al-Farabi, and Thabit bin Qurrah took knowledge from Muhammad bin Musa. Muatinun La Thimmiyyun. Freedom of Movement Non-Muslims living in the Islamic society have freedom of movement and travel. They can travel to any place at any time. In the pledge of the Prophet (pbuh) given to the Christian people of Aylah, near Al-Aqaba, we read: ‘In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. This is a pledge of protection and safety from God and Muhammad, God’s Messenger to Youhannah bin Ru’ba and the people of Aylah; their ships and means of transportation on land and in sea. They have God and His Prophet’s pledge of protection and their fellows in Al-Sham and Yemen. It is forbidden to deny them access to a well that they need or a path they want to take whether on land or sea.’ Siratu Ibn Kathir. Freedom of Work, Earning and Government Positions The doors for work and professions are open to Muslims and non-Muslims alike. This has made non-Muslims within Islamic society aspire with full confidence and tranquillity to jobs that give the best income. Many of 138 them were goldsmiths, money changers, traders and physicians. This also applies to state positions where they have the freedom to assume such positions except religious posts such as imams and judges. They also have the right to be elected to parliament because their membership benefits it as they can give their views to the government, and discuss and solve citizens’ problems. This is well proved by the testimony of Sir Thomas Arnold in his book, The Preaching of Islam, where he points out that non-Muslim citizens who lived in Islamic society had long prosperous periods because of the tolerance they enjoyed in practising their religious rituals, building churches and monasteries and in being equal to Muslims in the area of government positions. The number of nonMuslims who occupied government posts sometimes reached an extent that made Muslims have some doubts on the issue. Social Freedom This includes the right to practise all kinds of social activities, such as festivals, holy days, visits, pilgrimages, etc. The prominent characteristic of Islamic society has been the peaceful coexistence between all its diverse groups. Almighty God says: “God does not forbid you to deal kindly and justly with those who do not fight against you on account of religion or expel you from your homes. Verily, God loves those who deal with equity.” T.Q., 60:8. The Holy Prophet (pbuh) used to visit his non-Muslim neighbours and sick people and care for them. He used to give to the needy among them, forgive the wrong-doers and call them to Islam gently. 139 The celebration of festivals and social occasions by nonMuslims in an atmosphere of freedom and tolerance was one of the common aspects of Islamic society. Islam and non-Muslims Living outside Islamic Society Non-Muslims who live outside the Islamic society consist of three categories: neutral, pledged and hostile. A summary of the relationship between Muslims and these categories of people follows. Those in the neutral category are not in a state of war or of a declared enmity with Muslims. They have no relations or treaties with Muslims. These people should be safe as long as they are neutral, and Muslims are ready to accept any initiative to make friendship and cooperation with them. Originally, the relationship between Muslims and others should be based on peace, cooperation and benevolence. All these rulings are deduced from the above mentioned verse: “God does not forbid you to deal kindly and justly with those who do not fight against you on account of religion nor expel you from your homes. Verily, God loves those who deal with equity.” T.Q., 60:8. Another case of neutrality arises when Muslims are in a state of war with an enemy, and there is a neutral third party that has relations with the Muslims’ enemy. If this party keeps its neutrality and does not get involved, they should be safe from the side of Muslims. Almighty God says: “Except those who join a group with whom you have a treaty [of peace], or those who approach you with their hearts restraining 140 from fighting you as well as fighting their own people. Had God willed, indeed He could have given them power over you, and they would have fought you. So if they withdraw from you, and fight not against you, and offer you peace, then God has opened no way for you against them.” T.Q., 4:90. Those in the pledged category have treaties and agreements with Muslims. They should be shown peace, complete fulfilment of pledges and cooperation based on justice and mutual respect. As long as they are committed and loyal to their pledges, Muslims have also to fulfil theirs since keeping pledges is a major Islamic duty. Almighty God says: “Except those of the polytheists with whom you have a treaty, and who have not subsequently failed you in aught, nor have supported anyone against you. So fulfil their treaty to them to the end of their term. Surely God loves the conscientious.” T.Q., 9:4. If such people break their pledges, they have to be dealt with in the same way even if that leads to a declaration of war against them. Those in the hostile category are in a state of war with Muslims because of their aggression, oppression and harm against humans whether Muslims or non-Muslims. They are also considered hostile when they prevent Islam being introduced to others. Conclusion After this explanation of Islam’s attitude towards the followers of other faiths, we must point out that if any deviation took place in history, such as poor relations between Muslims and others, indifference in dealing with them, harshness in communication or even outright warfare, this deviation has to be attributed to other factors unrelated to the essence of Islam and its true message. 141 Some Muslim rulers, over history, have done wrong to Muslims and non-Muslims alike. Such people are not representative of Islam or Muslims, yet Muslim scholars have always stood against them as we mentioned about Imam Al-Awza’i and Ibn Taymiyyah when they rectified the situation and brought things back to normal. If Muslims committed some mistakes, we have to look at the reason that made them do so. Most often, such a change in relationship was a reaction towards other mistakes committed against them by non-Muslims. At some time in history, ordinary Muslims committed aggression against some churches and temples in Syria and Egypt, but the Muslim rulers at those times stopped the mischief and offered the necessary aid to those nonMuslims. However, such mischievous actions were a reaction to the burning of some mosques and houses by non-Muslims. The testimony of the historian Runciman is the best demonstration of what we have mentioned. He said, ‘Islamic fanaticism has not been motivated except by Christian fanaticism that was shown through the bloodshed committed by the crusaders.’ The fact that cannot be denied is that Islam respects the existence of all other people, even if they oppose its doctrine and views, and always acknowledges their existence, both on the individual and national level. Almighty God says: “You have your religion and I have Mine.” T.Q., 109:6. Almighty God also says: “To each among you, We have prescribed a law and a clear way. If God willed, He could have made you a single community, but that He may test you in what He has given you; so strive as in a race in good deeds. The return 142 of you [all] is to God; then He will inform you about that in which you used to differ.” T.Q., 5:48. The Holy Qur’an mentions non-Muslims in detail and recognises their right to existence. It instructs us to deal justly with them and to call them to Islam with wisdom, beautiful admonition and argument in the best way. Almighty God says: “Verily, those who believe (Muslims) and those who are Jews, and the Sabians, and the Christians, and the Magians, and those who worship others besides God — truly, God will judge between them on the Day of Resurrection. Verily, God is Witness over all things.” T.Q., 22:17. So the relationship between Muslims and others is based on human brotherhood. This bond is shared not only by followers of heavenly religions but also by followers of man-made ideologies and by all humans. From the Islamic point of view, agreement on faith and doctrine is not a condition for the continuity of our existence on earth. So, differences in faith never mean that they are by themselves enough to end our life on earth. Almighty God says: “Say, ‘O Lord! Creator of the heavens and the earth! All-Knower of the unseen and the seen. You will judge between Your servants in those matters about which they have differed.’” T.Q., 39:46. Recommendations for Fruitful Meetings and Dialogues 1. I urge the followers of the heavenly religions to look at the moral teachings in their religions, strive to translate them into actions with all humans, and use the media and education to promote these teachings to save humanity from the nightmare of war, and the 143 consequences of disparity, hunger, disease and backwardness. 2. I wish the followers of the heavenly religions to reflect with courage, honesty and sincerity on the fact that, with the passing of time, the various translations of their Scriptures and the existence of people with personal desires and interests have affected the genuine basics of the heavenly revealed religions. This has opened the door for seeds of fanaticism and enmity to grow among God’s servants. This should all be corrected, and all wrong interpretations should be reviewed through the help of knowledgeable and openminded people and modern scientific research. 3. I call upon all followers of the heavenly religions to study God’s last revelation, namely the Holy Qur’an, thoroughly and seriously, and without any thoughts of fanaticism or stereotyping. By doing so, we can all achieve the principle of reciprocity. We Muslims believe in all God’s prophets and messengers, and it is time for their followers to look at us in the same way and join us in believing in the last prophet, Muhammad (pbuh). All praise be to God, the Lord of all worlds. Future Horizons and Consolidating Dialogue between Muslims and the West His Eminence’s speech in the ninth conference of The Higher Council for Islamic Affairs under the title “Islam and the West: Past, Present and Future” Cairo, Egypt 16 July 1997 146 In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful All praise be to God, the Lord of all worlds. Peace and blessings be upon the Prophet Muhammad, upon his forefather Abraham, upon his two brothers the Prophets Moses and Jesus, upon all of God’s prophets and messengers, their families and all their companions and followers. Honoured audience, may God’s peace, mercy and blessings be upon you all. I thank all those who have convened this conference for the purpose of introducing Islam to the West and discussing the essential issues that Muslims need. I also supplicate Almighty God to give the Egyptian Arab Republic success, prosperity and happiness together with all Arabs and Muslims. Amen. Honoured delegates, Muslims and Christians constitute half the population of the world. Therefore, they must have a united front to tackle contemporary life’s problems and challenges rather than having two competitive fronts. The spiritual and moral duty requires every Muslim and Christian throughout the world to try all ways and means to generate mutual understanding, rapprochement and cooperation for building the world of the new century, which we are going to witness in a few years. Under no circumstances must we tolerate conflicts and fights because of religious misunderstanding. Muslims and Christians have much in common. This commonality arises because Islam and Christianity come from one source. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) indicates his special relationship to Jesus Christ saying, ‘I am the nearest of all people to Jesus, the son of Mary, both in this world and in the Hereafter because there is no prophet between him and me.’ Sahih Al-Bukhari. This special relationship between Islam and Christianity and between the Prophets Muhammad and Jesus is testified by the Holy Qur’an and its principles. Almighty God says: 147 “And verily, you will find the nearest in affection to the believers those who say, ‘We are Christians.’ That is because among them are priests and monks, and they are not arrogant.” T.Q., 5:82. Besides Muslims and Christians sharing the same source, they share the same aims, which are derived from both faiths and from the current reality that imposes itself on each sincere person who loves humanity. These common things between Muslims and Christians are, in our view, represented by the following points. 1. Common beliefs The Holy Qur’an always stresses that all heavenly messages and prophets’ calls come from the one and the same source, namely the heavenly source. All of God’s prophets and messengers came with one heavenly religion, which aims at making humans happy in this world and in the Hereafter. The law or legislation of this one heavenly religion changed with the changing circumstances of nations and peoples, but the pillars and doctrine of this religion were exactly the same and never changed between one prophet and another. Therefore, we read this fact in the Holy Qur’an when God says: “He has prescribed for you the same religion which He enjoined on Noah, and which We have revealed to you [O Muhammad], and that which We enjoined on Abraham, Moses and Jesus, saying you should establish religion and make no divisions in it.” T.Q., 42:13. The noble Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) set an example of the one faith of all prophets and their diverse laws when 148 he said, ‘All prophets are paternal brothers; their mothers (laws) are different, but their religion is one.’ Sahih Al-Bukhari. Therefore, all of God’s prophets and messengers have the same truths concerning belief. They can be summed up in the following items: a) Belief in the One and Only God who has no partner, the Creator of the whole universe, the Perfect One who has no flaw. b) Belief in the Last Day, the Day of Judgment and recompense, the day of reward and punishment. c) Belief in the pure angels. d) Belief in all prophets and messengers who came to guide people to Almighty God starting with Adam (pbuh) and ending with Muhammad (pbuh). e) Belief in all heavenly books and messages that were revealed to God’s prophets and messengers. Almighty God says: “Say, ‘We believe in God, and the revelation which has been sent to us, and what was revealed to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob and the prophets among his children and descendants, and what was given to Moses and Jesus, and what was given to the prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them and to Him we submit.’” T.Q., 2:136. This truth stated by the Holy Qur’an is also very obvious in the current Jewish and Christian scriptures. The Ten Commandments of the Old Testament clearly state the following: ‘I am the lord, your God…. You shall have no other God before Me.’ Exodus 20:2–4. We also read that clearly in the current Christian Bible: ‘The most important of all commandments,’ answered Jesus, ‘is this: Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord.’ Mark 12:29. It is also mentioned in the Gospel of John that Christ said, ‘Now this is eternal life: that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent.’ John 17: 3. 149 Therefore, the Holy Qur’an always invites the people of the Scriptures (Jews and Christians) to meet and agree with Muslims on the grounds of this common heavenly foundation: belief in the One and Only God. It says: “Say, ‘O people of the Scriptures! Come to a common [and equitable] proposition between you and us that we worship none but God, that we associate no partners with Him, and that none of us shall take others as lords besides God.’ Then, if they turn away, say, ‘Bear witness that we have submitted ourselves to God.’” T.Q., 3:64. The equitable proposition here is the pure oneness of Almighty God, and this is the first common principle that all heavenly messages advocated. There is another common principle — belief in all of God’s messengers. The Holy Qur’an says: “The Messenger believes in what has been revealed to him from his Lord, and so do the believers. They all believe in God, His angels, His scriptures and His messengers. They say, ‘We make no distinction between any of His messengers.’” T.Q., 2:285. The Holy Qur’an has not come to destroy the messages of the previous prophets. On the contrary, it considers that the foundations of faith were laid down by all of God’s prophets and messengers. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said, ‘The likeness of me and the other prophets before me is that of a man who built a house and beautified it except for a place of one brick in a corner. People went around it and wondered at its beauty, but said, “If only this brick were put in its place!” So I am that brick, and I am the final prophet.’ Sahih Al-Bukhari. 150 This truth, namely every prophet recognising the prophets before him, was stated by Jesus Christ when he said, ‘Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law of the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfil them.’ Matthew 5:17. This is a clear declaration by Jesus Christ (pbuh) that he came to confirm the belief in the messages of previous prophets and messengers. A third common principle is belief in the Last Day, the Day of Judgment. This is another truth that both the Holy Qur’an and Bible share. On that day all people will be brought to account and then rewarded or punished. Almighty God says: “And fear the Day when you will all be returned to God; then every soul will be paid in full what it has earned, and they will not be wronged.” T.Q., 2:281. This was the last verse revealed to Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). Almighty God also says: “So whoever does an atom’s weight of good will see it, and whoever does an atom’s weight of evil will see it.” T.Q., 99: 7–8. We also read in the Gospel of John about the end of believers and disbelievers. It says, ‘They will come out [from graves]. Those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned.’ John 5:29. 2. Honouring Jesus Christ and his family The Holy Qur’an honours and exalts Jesus Christ, his virgin mother, and his family to a great degree. Indeed, the respect given to Jesus Christ and his family in the Holy Qur’an is undoubtedly greater than that stated in the current Torah and Gospel. In the Holy Qur’an there is a chapter with the title The Family of Imran, which is the name of Jesus Christ’s family. It is the second longest 151 chapter in the Holy Qur'an. Another chapter has the title Mary, Jesus Christ’s mother, whereas the Holy Qur’an does not mention the name of Prophet Muhammad’s family or mother. So, there is no chapter with the title The Family of the Hashimites or Amina bint Wahab (Prophet Muhammad’s mother). The Holy Qur’an mentions Jesus Christ’s family starting with his maternal grandmother, that is, Imran’s wife. It describes her as a humble believer who made a vow that if she got pregnant she would dedicate the child to serve God’s House. Almighty God says: “Remember when Imran’s wife entreated: ‘My Lord, I have vowed to dedicate to Your service that which is in my womb, so accept it from me. Indeed You alone hear all and know all.’” T.Q., 3:35. Then the Holy Qur’an describes Jesus Christ’s mother as having the ever noblest attributes: the pure, the lofty, and the exalted one. Almighty God says: “And remember when the angels said, ‘O Mary! Verily, God has chosen you, purified you and chosen you over the women of all peoples. O Mary! Keep to Your Lord’s obedience humbly and devoutly, prostrate yourself to Him and bow down [in worship] with those who bow down.’” T.Q., 3:42–43. He also praises her in another chapter saying: “And another example set for the believers is Mary, the daughter of Imran, who guarded her chastity, so We breathed into her body of Our spirit (through Gabriel), and she believed in the words of her Lord and His scriptures, and she was of those who keep to their Lord’s obedience devoutly and humbly.” T.Q., 66:12. 152 Moreover, the Holy Qur’an clarifies the honourable character of Jesus Christ, the and it draws attention to the great honour that Almighty God has endowed him with. represented in the following. truth of the son of Mary, and miracles This truth is Jesus Christ, the son of Mary, was a created human being and a servant of God. God says: “Then she pointed to him, but they replied, ‘How can we talk to one who is an infant in the cradle?’ He said, ‘I am indeed the servant of God! He has given me the Scripture and made me a prophet.’” T.Q., 19:29–30. In another verse we read: “He (Jesus) was no more than a servant whom We favoured and made an example to the Children of Israel (i.e. his creation without a father).” T.Q., 43:59. The miraculous birth of Jesus Christ with a mother, but with no father is only because he is a sign to people. Almighty God says: “Verily Jesus, in the sight of God, is like Adam; He created him of dust, then said to him, ‘Be!’ and he was.” T.Q., 3:59. This Qur’anic fact, namely Jesus Christ being the servant of Almighty God, is obvious in the current gospels. Jesus Christ says, ‘Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent.’ John 17:3. The Holy Qur’an testifies that Jesus Christ was a good role model and had an excellent example of faith, worship and sincerity to God. God says about him: “He (Jesus) said, ‘I am indeed the servant of God! He has given me the Scripture, made me a prophet and made me blessed wherever I am. He prescribed prayer and charity for me as long as I live, to be kind to my mother as 153 well and did not make me arrogant or miserable.” T.Q., 19:30–32. The Holy Qur’an praises Jesus Christ when calling him God’s word and a spirit from Him. This indicates additional honour to him. Almighty God says: “Verily, the Messiah, Jesus the son of Mary, was no more than God’s Messenger and His word which He bestowed on Mary, and a spirit from Him.” T.Q., 4:171. Jesus, the son of Mary in the Holy Qur’an was a prophet and messenger sent by God like other prophets and messengers. He called to the oneness of God, the Creator and to rectify the deviation of people from their religion after having distanced themselves from God’s Law. Almighty God says: “We favoured some of those messengers over others. God spoke directly to some of them, elevated some others to high ranks of honour, and gave Jesus, the son of Mary, clear signs and strengthened him with the Holy Spirit.” T.Q., 2:253. The Holy Qur’an praises the book that He revealed to Jesus Christ (pbuh), namely the heavenly Gospel. It describes it as guidance, light and admonition. Almighty God says: “And We caused Jesus, the son of Mary, to follow in their tracks, verifying what was there before him of the Torah; and We gave him the Gospel, with guidance and light in it, also confirming the Torah, and guidance and an admonition to the pious ones.” T.Q., 5:46. The Holy Qur’an mentions Jesus Christ’s miracles. They are seven in the Holy Qur’an: speaking to people in his cradle; healing those who were born blind; healing lepers; 154 bringing the dead back to life; making the shape of a bird out of clay, then breathing life into it by God’s leave; foretelling some unseen things; and having a table spread sent down from heaven in response to his supplication. Not all these miracles were mentioned in the current Gospels. So, what an honour the Holy Qur’an has bestowed upon Jesus Christ! The Holy Qur’an does not only praise Jesus Christ, his family, his Scripture and his call, but it also praises the disciples who are Jesus Christ’s followers, and it calls them the helpers. Almighty God says: “O you who believe! Be the helpers in working for God’s cause, as Jesus, the son of Mary said to the disciples, ‘Who are my helpers for God?’ The disciples said, ‘We are the helpers for God.’” T.Q., 61:14. The Holy Qur’an describes these disciples saying: “And We put compassion and mercy in the hearts of those who followed him.” T.Q., 57:27. 3. Common good morals As long as the source of the heavenly religions is one, good manners and moral teachings must also be the same. Every prophet urged his people to do good in all its forms and directions and warned of evil in all its shapes and shades. Therefore, we find moral codes and high manners in common between Muslims and Christians. They both seek to bring humans together under the banner of love, cooperation and brotherhood. We can mention some of these good morals that both Jesus Christ and Islam spoke about. - Human dignity and mercy. Almighty God says: “O people! We created you from a single pair of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes that you may know one another. Verily, the most honoured of you in 155 the sight of God is the most pious of you.” T.Q., 49:13. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said, ‘O God, please make me live poor, die poor and be gathered with the poor ones on the Day of Judgment.’ Al-Tabarani. In the Gospel, Jesus Christ said, ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.’ Matthew 5:3. - Spreading love and benevolence among people. Almighty God says: “And do good for God loves those who are benevolent.” T.Q., 2:195. He also says: “And give relatives their due, and also the poor and the traveller in need.” T.Q., 17:26. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said, ‘None of you is a true believer unless he desires for his brother what he desires for himself.’ Sahih Al-Bukhari. The Gospel says, ‘A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.’ John 13:34. It also says, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and love your neighbour as yourself.’ Luke 10:27. - Forgiveness. It is one of the great morals that the Holy Qur’an urges us to follow in many verses. It praises the believers saying: “Those who spend in both prosperity and adversity, who restrain their anger, and who forgive people, and God loves those who do good.” T.Q., 3:134. It also says: 156 “A good deed and an evil one cannot be equal. Repel the evil deed with one which is better, then he, between whom and you there is enmity, will become an intimate friend.” T.Q., 41:34. In the gospel we read, ‘You have heard that it was said, “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.” But I say to you, do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if someone shall compel you to go a mile, go with him twain. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.’ Matthew 5:38–42. - Abstaining from fornication and commitment to chastity and modesty. Almighty God says: “And do not approach fornication, for it is a major sin [of indecency] and an evil way.” T.Q., 17:32. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said, ‘Eyes commit adultery by looking.’ Sahih Muslim. In the Gospel we read that Jesus Christ said, ‘You have heard that it was said, “Do not commit adultery.” But I say to you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully, he has already committed adultery with her in his heart.’ Matthew 5:27–28. - Honesty and Trustworthiness. Almighty God describes the believers saying: “And those who faithfully observe their trusts and their pledges.” T.Q., 23:8. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said, ‘Hand in the trust to the one who has entrusted it to you and do not betray the one who has betrayed you.’ Sunan Al-Tirmithi. In the Gospel we read, ‘Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has 157 something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go and be reconciled with him; then come back and offer your gift.’ Matthew 5:23–24. - Keeping the tongue safe from sins. Almighty God says: “Tell My servants to say what is best, for Satan sows dissension among them; indeed Satan is an open enemy to humankind.” T.Q., 17:53. Warning of the evils of the tongue, Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said, ‘Are not people thrown into Hellfire on their noses only because of the consequences of their tongues’ utterances?’ Sunan Al-Tirmithi. In the Gospel we read that Jesus Christ (pbuh) said, ‘Again, anyone who says to his brother, “Raca (worthless),” is answerable to the supreme judicial council. But anyone who says, “You fool!” will be in danger of the fire of hell.’ Matthew 5:22. If anyone wants to count the moralities in common between Islam and Christianity, he will find them so many. The Ten Commandments may be the clearest example of the shared good morals between Islam, Christianity and even Judaism. Almighty God says: “Say, “Come! I will recite to you what your Lord has prohibited you from: do not join anything in worship with Him; be good and dutiful to your parents; do not kill your children on account of poverty, for We provide sustenance for you and for them; do not approach indecent and shameful deeds, whether open or secret; and do not take life, which God has made sacred, except for a just cause. Thus He commands you, so that you may understand.’” T.Q., 6:151. 158 We find these commandments obvious in the Gospel of Luke where Jesus Christ addresses one of his disciples asking, ‘Why do you call me good? None is good, except one, that is, God. You know the commandments: do not commit adultery; do not murder; do not steal; do not give false testimony; honour your father and mother.’ Luke 18:19–21. We find these very commandments in the book of Exodus: ‘You shall have no other gods before Me. Honour your father and mother. You shall not kill. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour. You shall not covet your neighbour’s house or his wife.’ Exodus 20:3– 17. 4- Peace and human brotherhood This is an obvious issue in the Holy Qur’an and Sunnah (words, acts and life of Prophet Muhammad). Almighty God sums up the mission of His Messenger, Muhammad, in a few clear words. He says: “And We have not sent you save as a mercy for all creation.” T.Q., 21:107. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) told us about himself saying, ‘I am only a gift of mercy from God.’ Mustadrak Al-Hakim. He even calls himself the Prophet of Mercy. Therefore, this mercy that Almighty God characterises His prophet with is not a specific but rather a comprehensive one that includes all humans regardless of their religion, colour and nationality. God created them so that they show His glory and not a reason that vindicates discrimination. God says: “And among His signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the diversity of your languages and colours. Verily in that are signs for people who have knowledge.” T.Q., 30:22. 159 Therefore, the Prophet (pbuh) informed us of the loss of those whose hearts are void of love, dignity and mercy for all humans. He said, ‘Any servant of God who has no mercy for humans in his heart is a failure and loser.’ Tarikh Ibn Asaker. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) laid the foundation for a universal charter of how people should deal with one another all over the world. He said, ‘Those who have mercy on people will have mercy from God. If you have mercy on those on earth, the One in heaven will have mercy on you.’ Sunan Al-Tirmithi. He also said, ‘The one who does not have mercy on people, will not have mercy from God. The one who has no mercy is wretched.’ Sunan AlTirmithi. It is related that he also said, ‘All creatures are God’s dependants; the ones most loved by Him are the ones most helpful to His dependants.’ Musnad Al-Bazzar. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and Muslims after him applied these principles. We see them clearly in his words, ‘Anyone who sleeps with a full stomach, knowing that his neighbour is hungry, has not truly believed in me.’ Musnad Al-Bazzar. Moreover, the Holy Prophet (pbuh) showed mercy to his enemies who fought against him. It happened that a year of famine and drought struck the region of Quraish (the Prophet’s tribe) and its disbelieving people. The poor and the weak were about to perish, so the Holy Prophet (pbuh) sent a lot of money to Abu Sufyan, the pagans’ leader in Makkah, to help those poor pagans, and he did not ask them for anything in return. Ibn Asaker. These human tokens of spreading peace and brotherhood among people are clearly understood by Jesus Christ (pbuh). In his Sermon on the Mount, he said, ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the 160 earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God.’ Matthew 5:3–9. Honoured delegates, what we have seen of the things in common between Muslims and Christians urges us all to have a common consciousness and shoulder the serious responsibilities that the following question asks: What does humanity need today? First, and on the basis of things in common between Muslims and Christians, humanity truly and desperately needs to spread true faith, which agrees with the intellect and constitutes identical twins with science; they support each other and seek to construct a happy and comfortable life for humanity. On the other hand, destruction of humanity happens when faith is presented away from logic and reason, in a disgusting and repulsive way that sound minds reject. Furthermore, when religion is displayed as fanatic, egocentric and egoistic and when it disregards the presence of others and rejects tolerance with them, it will absolutely finish and will never be able to confront the challenges of the world today with all its progress, technology, problems and disasters. True religion is the one that appeals to both mind and heart. Anything that contradicts this state is false even if it claims the name of religion. Who hates beautiful flowers and their fragrances? Who rejects civilisation and progress? Who calls truth falsehood? The one who says so is an unjust person. On the other hand, do shrivelled-up and broken flowers appeal to anyone? Does anyone accept to be married to a dead bride? They present a rotten, stinking dead woman claiming her to be a bride! A sound mind rejects false pearls! 161 Second, it is obligatory for all Muslims and Christians all over the world to unite and stand firm in one steadfast front so as to solve contemporary world problems. This will be achieved through the following: a) Seeking to achieve security and peace in all parts of the world. They can never be achieved unless truth and justice get number one priority with no prejudice or preference to anyone and with no bias to one people at the expense of others. Actually, duty compels us to confine the sinful aggressor and deter him from his oppression, persecution and tyranny. b) Seeking to provide a dignified life for all humankind by assuring a supply of basic needs such as food, shelter, health and honourable jobs, and not allowing some people to waste or squander the world’s resources, be it in the East or West merely to fulfil their lusts and desires. We must also tackle the destruction, burning or drowning of the world’s resources by some greedy people who fear that high prices might fall and consequently their excessively huge profits decrease. We also must stop the waste of resources caused by manufacturing weapons of mass destruction. c) Seeking to confront the moral and social diseases that affect most societies in the world, and most importantly diseases caused by fornication, dissoluteness, pornography and drug abuse. We must also fight both organised and unorganized crime. d) Seeking to protect life on our globe by looking after our environment. Honoured audience, as a matter of fact, these responsibilities need sincerity and bravery so that each individual can partake in preserving humanity. 162 Finally, I pray to Almighty God for our good and happiness. Surely, He has power over all things. All praise and thanks be to Him, the Lord of all worlds. The Gifts of Religion to Society His Eminence’s Lecture at the meeting of The Religious Summit Kyoto, Japan 5–7 August 1997 24 December 1998 164 In The Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful All praise be to God, the Lord of all the worlds, and may His best blessings and peace be upon our master Prophet Muhammad, upon all of God’s prophets and messengers and upon their families and followers until the Day of Judgment. I thank the corporation that has helped to hold this meeting — the summit meeting and religious gathering — on Mount Hiei to pray for peace. I greet all my brothers and sisters, the scholars and clergymen, who have responded to this invitation to discuss all the ways to rectify the situation for humankind in the twenty-first century. I have been asked to talk about the gifts of religion to society. I say that these gifts have several levels: the family, the national and the international community. With respect to the family, the first thing that religion contributes is that it brings up the family members with high morals, and a high sense of sacrifice and self-denial for the sake of others. This is in compliance with Prophet Muhammad’s tradition, which says: ‘All creatures are God’s dependants, and the ones most loved by Him are the ones most helpful to His dependants.’ Musnad AlBazzar. Building the foundation of a family will not be perfect unless humans believe in God the Creator, Who has given them the abilities to hear, see and think in order to know Him through the universal signs that surround them. This complies with Almighty God’s words: “Verily! In the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the alternation of night and day, are signs for people of understanding.” T.Q., 3:190. Almighty God commands humans to purify their hearts and souls. He says: 165 “Whoever purifies it (the soul) is truly successful.” T.Q., 91:9. This purification of heart and soul can be achieved by performing the five daily prayers. Almighty God says: “Recite what has been revealed to you of the Scripture and establish regular prayer, for prayer restrains from indecency and evil.” T.Q., 29:45. God’s Messenger (pbuh) said, ‘If there were a river that passed by the door of any person, and he took a bath in it five times a day, would any dirt remain on him?’ They said, ‘No dirt would remain on him.’ The Prophet (pbuh) added, ‘That is the likeness of the five prayers, with which God abolishes evil deeds.’ Sahih Al-Bukhari. One can also achieve the purification of heart and soul through meditating on God’s amazing creation and remembering Him all the time. This is clear in God’s words: “Those who remember God while standing, sitting and reclining, and reflect on the creation of the heavens and the earth, saying: ‘Our Lord! You have not created all this without purpose! Glory be to you (exalted are you above all defects)! Save us from the torment of Hell-Fire!’” T.Q., 3:191. Thus, a person becomes as close to his Creator as an angel is, having no evil tendencies such as envy, hatred, greed, arrogance or egotism. This would make a person love for others what he loves for himself as the Prophet (pbuh) stated: ‘None of you is a true believer unless he wishes for others what he wishes for himself.’ Sahih AlBukhari. Moreover, human beings can reach a higher level, which is to prefer others over themselves to the extent that they 166 are content to go to bed hungry in order to feed other people. Almighty God expresses this meaning eloquently, and briefly, when He says: “And they prefer [others] to themselves, even if it means hardship for them. Whoever is saved from the miserliness of his own soul, such are the successful.” T.Q., 59:9. Indeed, I believe that unless peace is accomplished between a human being and his Lord, peace will never be achieved among human beings. In that case, humans will live evilly and sinfully and will fear their fellow humans more than the beasts of the jungle. They will only be afraid of the police and prisons, but when the sword of law is absent, corruption and oppression will prevail everywhere. On this issue, Muhammad Iqbal says, ‘If faith is lost, there will be no security. No happy life for those who do not follow faith. When anyone is content to lead a lifestyle void of faith, they bring it to total ruin.’ Therefore, God sent prophets and messengers and made them symbols of purity, sanctity and knowledge so that they would be the role models for humans. Almighty God says: “Those (prophets and messengers) are the ones whom God guided, so follow their guidance.” T.Q., 6:90. He also says: “Verily, you have in God’s Messenger an excellent example for anyone whose hope is in God and the Last Day, and who remembers God a lot.” T.Q., 33:21. Almighty God also provided them with His scriptures and messages so that they could teach people and guide them to the happiness of soul and body, in this world and the hereafter, using the shortest way. Almighty God says: 167 “Indeed, We sent our messengers with clear proofs and sent the scriptures and the balance [between right and wrong] with them so that people may conduct themselves with equity.” T.Q., 57:25. He also says: “It is He who reveals to His servant (Muhammad) manifest signs so that he may lead you out of darkness into light. Verily, God is to you Most Kind and Merciful.” T.Q., 57:9. Also with regard to the family, Islam raises spouses to shoulder the responsibilities of caring for each other as well as looking after their children, relatives and neighbours with love and sacrifice. A prophetic tradition says, ‘Each one of you is a guardian and responsible for what is under your care. A man is the guardian of his family and will be asked about them [on the Day of Judgment]. A woman is the guardian of her husband’s house and will be asked about that.’ Sahih Al-Bukhari. Islam commands children to be dutiful to their parents by being kind and merciful to them and taking good care of them especially when the parents get old. Almighty God says: “Your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him, and that you be dutiful to your parents. If one of them, or both of them, attain old age with you, do not say to them ‘uff’ (the slightest gesture of annoyance and impatience), nor shout at them, but address them in gracious words, and lower to them the wing of submission and humility through mercy, and say, ‘My Lord! Bestow on them Your Mercy as they did bring me up when I was small.’” T.Q., 17:23-24. 168 Almighty God mentions in the Holy Qur’an that the mission of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is to extend mercy to all creatures. This is obvious in God’s words: “And We have not sent you [O Muhammad] but as a Mercy for all creation.” T.Q., 21:107. All these procedures are taken to establish the world peace that prevails on our globe. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) condemns every Muslim who goes to bed with a full stomach knowing that a neighbour near him is hungry. He even excludes such a person from the circle of true believers. He said, ‘Anyone who sleeps with a full stomach, knowing that his neighbour is hungry, has not truly believed in me.’ Musnad Al-Bazzar. According to the above prophetic tradition, we understand that since our earth has become a global village, it is the duty of every rich individual, group, country or international organization to take care of and feed each poor and needy person in this global village since we all have become like neighbours. Indeed, this is what we understand of God’s command: “Worship God and join none with Him in worship, and do good and show kindness to parents and relatives, to orphans and to the needy person, to related and distant [or unrelated] neighbours, to those that keep company with you (such as your wives), to the traveller in need and to your servants [and those under your care]. Verily, God does not love the arrogant and the boastful.” T.Q., 4:36. Islam has freed women of oppression and given them their rights. In Islam, a woman might be the winner even if she is alone with the parliamentary majority against her. This actually happened during the caliphate of Umar bin Al-Khattab. He once wanted to limit women’s dowries to a certain amount of money. Khawla bint Tha’laba stood 169 up and said, ‘You can’t do that, O Ibn Al-Khattab, because Almighty God says: ‘“If you decide to take one wife in place of another, even if you had given the latter a great amount of gold (as dowry), take not the least bit of it back.” T.Q., 4:20. ‘Do you know how much this amount is?’ Caliph Umar said, ‘The woman is correct and Umar is wrong.’ Tafseer Ibn Katheer. Islam forbids adultery and all unlawful sexual intercourse in order to preserve the sanctity and rights of the family. Almighty God says: “Do not approach fornication because it is a great indecent sin and an evil way.” T.Q., 17:32. Therefore, a woman cannot sell her body to men, whether they are single or married because this is an obstacle in the way of many other girls getting married. It also destroys the sacred marital bond and causes loss and fragmentation for children and family. This also results in the spreading of sexually transmitted diseases, which have increased immensely nowadays and are almost impossible to cure. Islam takes great care of children. In paradise, there is a house called “Joy”. Only those who fill children’s hearts with joy are admitted to it. It is related that Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said, ‘There is a house in Paradise called the ‘House of Joy’. No one is admitted to it but the ones who gladden children.’ Al-Kamel by Ibn Adi. Islam does not permit anyone, even the ruler of a country, to violate a child’s rights or to take his or her turn if the child’s turn precedes the ruler’s. In regard to the community, Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) urges all people to cooperate and work for the good of 170 their community. He said, ‘God’s support is for the congregation.’ Sunan At-Tirmithi. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) considered wisdom and knowledge the link connecting the members of his community. It is narrated that he said, ‘The one who is neither learned nor learning does not belong to me.’ Ibn AlNajjar. On the issue of wisdom, Almighty God indicates that the mission of His Messenger includes three things: teaching the Scripture, teaching wisdom and purifying the soul. He says: “It is He who sent the unlettered a Messenger from among themselves to recite to them His verses and to purify them, and to teach them the Scripture and wisdom even if they had indeed been in manifest error before.” T.Q., 62:2. Good morals are one of the fruits of purifying the soul. The Prophet (pbuh) said, ‘The perfect believers are the ones who have the best morals.’ Sunan Al-Tirmithi. Because the progress of a society is measured by knowledge and scientific progress, Islam commands a Muslim to seek knowledge continuously from the cradle to the grave. God’s Messenger (pbuh) said, ‘Seeking knowledge is obligatory on every Muslim.’ Mu’jam Al-Tabarani. Islam does not confine seeking knowledge to the religious field solely, but rather it urges and encourages all kinds of useful knowledge, even if it requires a Muslim to travel from one country to another in pursuit of it, as one of our righteous ancestors said: ‘Seek knowledge even if it were in China.’ Islam makes it obligatory on a Muslim to teach the ignorant without monetary gain. It threatens him of a punishment if he is content to be in the company of an ignorant person without imparting knowledge to him. It is 171 related that God’s Messenger (pbuh) said, ‘I swear by God that knowledgeable people must teach their neighbours, draw their attention to the best of their interest, get them to have a deep understanding of religion, enjoin them to do good and forbid them from doing evil. If they do not do that, I will be quick to punish them in this world.’ Mu’jam Al-Tabarani. He also said, ‘Anyone who hides beneficial knowledge, God bridles him on the Day of Judgment with reins of fire.’ Mustadrak Al-Hakem. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) exalts scholars by mentioning that the most honoured people after God’s messengers are those who acquire knowledge and transmit it to others, i.e. they do not monopolize knowledge. This exaltation is clear in this tradition: ‘Shall I tell you who is the most bounteous? God is the Most Bounteous, and I am the most bounteous among Adam’s children, and the most bounteous one after me is a person who acquires knowledge and then spreads it out to others. Such a person will be resurrected on the Day of Judgment equal to a nation.’ Kanz Al-Ummal. Islam makes it mandatory on a Muslim to be active and productive and not idle or lazy. A man must exert his effort to earn a lawful and decent living for himself and his family. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said, ‘Indeed, God loves the believer who has a craft (or any good job).’ Mu’jam Al-Tabarani. A Muslim should not wait for other people’s help because the giving hand is better than the receiving one as Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said, ‘The upper (giving) hand is better than the lower (receiving) hand.’ Sahih AlBukhari. Islam forbids a Muslim from being a source of evil or harm to others whether by tongue or by hand. The Holy Prophet (pbuh) said, ‘A Muslim is the one from whose hand and tongue people are safe.’ Musnad Ahmad. 172 Islam forbids a Muslim from committing theft. Therefore, God’s penalty for theft is to cut off the thief’s hand under certain conditions detailed in the Islamic Law. Almighty God says: “Cut off [from the wrist joint] the hand of the thief, male or female, as a recompense for that which they committed, and as a deterrent from God. He is All-Powerful, All-Wise.” T.Q., 5:38. Almighty God also prohibits the earning of illegal money. It is related that Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said, ‘Anyone who eats a mouthful of illegal money, his prayers are not accepted for forty days, nor are his supplications answered for forty mornings. Every flesh that is nourished with illegal money, only Hell-Fire deserves it.’ Musnad Al-Dailami. Islam also forbids aggression against others. All this guidance from Almighty God transforms a Muslim into an angel walking on the surface of the earth. Such a situation led to the resignation of judges from their positions in the courts of law because no adversaries came to them for a long period of time. This actually happened to Umar bin Al-Khattab, who was a judge during the rule of Caliph Abu Bakr. He was in that capacity for a whole year during which no plaintiffs came to him. Therefore, he asked the Caliph to accept his resignation saying, ‘O Emir of believers, there is no need for me in a community where each one keeps to his limits.’ Consequently, security and peace prevailed, and there was no need for police or prisons. If a Muslim commits a sin, even though nobody sees him, he becomes a judge over his own self. He becomes the police officer who forces himself to keep within the law. We see such a person coming to the Prophet (pbuh) asking him to pass sentence over him for committing adultery. This was also evident in someone who betrayed what was entrusted to him, as in the case of 173 Abu Lubaba bin Al-Munther, who was sent by the Holy Prophet (pbuh) to negotiate with the people of Quraiza. Abu Lubaba unwittingly committed a mistake during the negotiations in which he passed on some state secrets. That noble companion felt he betrayed God and His Messenger, so he went to the Prophet’s Mosque, and he tied himself to one of its columns, saying, ‘I swear by God that I am not going to eat or drink until God forgives my sin or I perish.’ He remained so for several days until God revealed a Qur’anic verse accepting his repentance. In reference to this incident, Almighty God says: “And there are others who have acknowledged their sins. They have mixed a deed that was righteous with another that was evil. Perhaps God will turn to them in forgiveness. Surely, God is Most Forgiving, Most Merciful.” T.Q., 9:102. This level of self-reproach was also evident when the ruler of Homs wronged a non-Muslim citizen, so he asked Caliph Umar bin Al-Kattab to accept his resignation, for he felt he was not worthy of such a position. Islam urges the people endowed with wealth to support the needy and the sick and to answer their needs. It is related that God’s Messenger (pbuh) said, ‘Give part of your money as a charity in order that God may purify you, perform prayer, give to the beggar, the neighbour, the poor and the traveller in need and do not squander your wealth in the manner of a spendthrift.’ Kanz Al-Ummal. Islam also commands wealthy Muslims to contribute towards the construction of hospitals, orphanages, houses for the disabled and to assist in finding jobs for the unemployed. It also urges the rich to help young people to get married and establish virtuous families. Almighty God says: 174 “And marry those among you who are single (males and females), and also the pious of your servants and maids. If they are poor, God will enrich them out of His Grace. God is All-Sufficient for His creatures’ needs, AllKnowing.” T.Q., 24:32. Islam enjoins wealthy Muslims to pay out 2.5% of their profits and capital as compulsory charity. This is mentioned in numerous Qur’anic verses and prophetic traditions, such as the following verses where Almighty God describes some of the characteristics of believers: “And those who are payers of Zakat (the poordue or obligatory charity).” T.Q., 23:4. “Those who perform regular prayer, give Zakat and believe with certainty in the Hereafter.” T.Q., 27:3. “O you who believe! Spend of the good things which you have (legally) earned and of that which We have produced for you from the earth.” T.Q., 2:267. The Prophet (pbuh) also said, ‘In order to complete your adherence to Islam, you must offer the Zakat (obligatory charity).’ Mu’jam Al-Tabarani. Moreover, this charity is paid yearly by those who fulfil special conditions and is spent for humanitarian purposes and on specific categories of people (such as the poor, travellers in need, etc.), and it is referred to as “Al-Zakat” in Islam. At the community level, Islam calls Muslims to care about human rights and to make knowledge available to everybody. The Holy Prophet (pbuh) said, ‘To learn something and then teach it to others is considered as a charity from your side.’ Kanz Al-Ummal. It is related that he also said, ‘The best of people are those who are most skilful in reciting the Qur’an and 175 understanding God’s religion, and the most righteous ones are those who enjoin good and forbid evil and those who keep the best relationships with their relatives.’ Musnad Ahmad. Islam guarantees job for all citizens, Muslims and non Muslims alike. This is confirmed by God’s Messenger’s words: ‘All of you are guardians and responsible for those under your care. A ruler is a guardian and responsible for people under his care.’ Sahih Al-Bukhari. So if a citizen is unemployed, the government should support him until he finds a job, and if he becomes indebted and incapable of paying back his loan, the government should pay it on his behalf even if he is nonMuslim. This appears clearly in the ‘Reconciliation Document’ that Khaled bin Al-Waleed made with the people of Hira. In this document, we read: ‘Any man who is unable to work because of old age, or a disease or infection or was rich and became so poor that his own people give him charity, in this case, he is exempted from paying Al-Jizyah (a tax that non-Muslim citizens pay, and it is much less than Zakat), and he (the jobless nonMuslim) and his family are provided for from the public treasury of the Muslim state so long he lives in it.’ AlKharaj. It is also said that Muslim scholars have unanimously agreed that a non-Muslim citizen who is unable to make a living must be provided for from the Muslim public treasury. Islam forbids all types of discrimination or prejudice whether based on ethnicity, faith, religion, language, colour or otherwise. All people are brothers and sisters belonging to the same mother and father. Almighty God says: “O people! Be dutiful to your Lord who created you from a single man (Adam), and from him (or of the same kind of his) He created his 176 wife (Eve), and from them both He scattered many men and women.” T.Q., 4:1. He also says: “O people! We created you from a single pair of a male and female and made you into peoples and tribes that you may get to know one another. Verily, the most honoured of you in the sight of God is the most righteous of you.” T.Q., 49:13. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) guaranteed justice and equity for all, and he set an ideal example that has never been surpassed. Once he, by mistake, hit one of his companions while lining them up. That companion, named Sawaad, claimed to have been hurt, and he asked for retaliation. The Prophet revealed his abdomen and said, ‘Retaliate, O Sawaad!’ Sawaad immediately hugged the Prophet’s abdomen and kissed it saying, ‘I sacrifice my life for you! I only wanted to touch your skin fearing that I might die and not meet you after this battle.’ Siratu Ibn Ishaq. The aim of Islam is to establish a sound, strong community which is cooperative, sincere and truthful. Therefore, Islam forbids compelling people to accept any faith. The freedom of thought and belief is guaranteed in a Muslim community. In reference to this, Almighty God says: “Let there be no compulsion in religion.” T.Q., 2:256. Islam condemns fanaticism and extremism. Almighty God says: “O people of the Scripture (Christians)! Do not transgress the limits of your religion, and do not say anything about God except the truth.” T.Q., 4:171. He also says describing the Muslim community: “Thus We have made you a moderate (just and justly balanced) community.” T.Q., 2:143. 177 God’s Messenger (pbuh) said, ‘Beware! Those who exceed the limits will be ruined.’ Sahih Muslim. In another tradition he said, ‘This knowledge will be passed on by the elite of every generation; they will clear it from the distortion of extremists, the misrepresentations of the wrong-doers and the misinterpretations of the ignorant.’ Sunan Al-Baihaqi. Islam urges Muslims to be moderate in everything; in eating and drinking. Almighty God says: “Eat and drink, but waste not by extravagance. Certainly He likes not the extravagant.” T.Q., 7:31. In worship, it is related that Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said, ‘How good moderation is in the case of richness, poverty and worship!’ Musnad Al-Bazzar. He also said, ‘I swear by God that I am more afraid and submissive to God than you all. Yet, sometimes I fast and sometimes I don't. I perform prayers at night, but sometimes I sleep, and I marry women. So, the one who turns away from my way does not belong to me.’ Sahih Al-Bukhari. In spending Almighty God says: “And let not your hand be tied (like a miser) to your neck, nor stretch it forth to its utmost reach (like a spendthrift), lest you become blameworthy and destitute.” T.Q., 17:29. Islam fights superstition and irrationality. The Holy Prophet (pbuh) said, ‘Whoever goes to a fortune-teller and believes anything he or she says, then they have rejected what was revealed to Muhammad (the Holy Qur'an).’ Musnad Ahmad. He also said, ‘Whoever goes to a fortune-teller and asks him or her about something, their prayer will not be accepted for forty days.’ Sahih Muslim. Islam fights paganism and ignorance in all their forms, and it forbids Muslims from approaching alcoholic 178 beverages or any substance that causes intoxication, such as drugs, so that they do not become victims of such substances. Almighty God says: “O you who believe! Intoxicants, gambling [and games of chance], idols and divining arrows (by seeking luck or decision in them) are abominations [and uncleanness] from the work of Satan. Therefore, avoid them so that you may succeed.” T.Q., 5:90. This prohibition aims to produce healthy individuals and communities that are sound in body, mind and soul. Islam calls all people in charge — fathers, mothers, teachers and rulers — to keep away from oppression and injustice and to act according to what is just and even benevolent because a society where injustice prevails will sooner or later break and collapse. These teachings are clear in this comprehensive verse: “Verily, God commands justice, performing good deeds [purely for God’s sake and to all creatures] and giving help to relatives, and he forbids all indecent and evil deeds and injustice. He admonishes you so that you may take heed.” T.Q., 16:90. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) considered acting justly for one day better than sixty years of ritual worship. Kanz AlUmmal. At the level of the international community, Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) confirmed human brotherhood. He sometimes used to supplicate after performing his prayers saying, ‘I testify that all servants of God are brothers and sisters.’ Musnad Ahmad. Islam does not limit its gifts to humans; it actually enjoins a Muslim to take care of animals and all creatures. This is clear in the following traditions by Prophet Muhammad (pbuh): ‘A woman will enter Hell-Fire because of a cat that she imprisoned to death. She did not feed it or leave 179 it to find its own food.’ Sahih Al-Bukhari. ‘God has forgiven a prostitute who passed by a dog at a well about to die of thirst. She took off her shoe, tied it with her scarf and brought up some water for it. God has forgiven her because of that.’ Sahih Al-Bukhari. Islam also calls us to take care of trees and preserve a clean, green environment. God’s Messenger (pbuh) said, ‘If the Day of Judgment takes place while one of you has a seedling, you should plant it.’ Musnad Ahmad. Islam prevents people from throwing rubbish under trees and into rivers and emphasizes the need for non-polluted rivers and earth. In this regard, Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said, ‘Faith consists of over seventy parts; the least one is removing waste from roads.’ Sahih Muslim. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) also forbade urinating in water. Sahih Muslim. It is also narrated that he forbade urinating in running water. Mu’jam Al-Tabarani Al-Awsat. He also said, ‘Avoid the three deeds that cause a curse to their doer; defecating in watercourses, in the streets and in the shadows.’ Sunan Abi Dawoud. It is related that the Noble Prophet (pbuh) also forbade a person from defecating or urinating under a fruitful tree or at the bank of a river with running water. Kanz Al-Ummal. Islam calls for spreading peace among all people. If two parties or states quarrel, Islam urges them to be reconciled and does not allow war to break out between them. Islam forbids us from standing by and doing nothing. Instead, it pushes us to act as a mediator seeking to achieve justice and equity. In the Holy Qur’an, Almighty God says: “And if two parties of believers fall into fighting, make peace between them.” T.Q., 49:9. Last but not least, I wonder whether humans are serious in their efforts to study the Heavenly Law that calls to the 180 belief in all of God’s prophets and messengers in the light of reasoning, wisdom and useful knowledge so that humans of the twenty-first century can enjoy the heavenly peace and heavenly gifts that result in universal brotherhood with no judges, police or prisons but instead with progress and prosperity. I think if a committee is formed for the purpose of thoroughly and rationally studying Islam, which raises the banners of all God’s prophets and messengers, that committee will realize that the united message of heaven is intended to construct human beings, families and societies, and even the whole world, on the basis of virtue, compassion, mercy and love. All of us know that hundreds of billions of dollars are being spent on exploring the surfaces of the Moon and Mars. Why not make a journey led by specialists who love peace and humanity to explore the gifts of religion? I truly believe that humans will discover treasures that will make them happy not only in this temporal life, but these treasures will accompany them to make them happy when they are transferred to the heavenly world. I earnestly hope that the mass media will contribute to this humanitarian, earthly and heavenly deed, and use satellite channels to call to goodness, wisdom, science, good morals and purification of the soul from vices and enriching the soul with virtues. Hence, the Lord of heaven and earth will be pleased with us and our globe will become an earthly paradise where we can all enjoy a happy living before moving to the world of eternity in the Hereafter. A Letter to His Holiness Pope John Paul II A letter from His Eminence to His Holiness Pope John Paul II on the occasion of the birthday of Jesus, peace be upon him. 24 December 1998 182 Damascus Your Holiness Pope John Paul II Good greetings Christians and Muslims these days are celebrating Jesus’ birthday. On this great occasion, people’s hopes in achieving the prophets’ objectives are being renewed. These prophets were sent by God, the Lord of Creation to bring about human brotherhood. Almighty God says: “O people, We created you from [a single pair of] a male and a female, and have made you into nations and tribes that you may get to know one another. Surely, the most honourable of you in the sight of God is the most righteous of you.” T.Q., 49:13. The honourable messengers conveyed their messages perfectly. Afterwards, their successors and followers have continued their missions by conveying these messages to all human beings to guide and save them from atheism, misguidance and corruption, and to transfer them to the world of brotherhood, cooperation and love where no injustice, aggression or oppression prevails. The more these successors are able to commit themselves to these messages, the closer humans will be to their united aim. In 1986, I was so optimistic when I met you and got to know from Your Holiness the regret your church and congregation have about the Crusades and the aggressive wars that took place in the Middle Ages and the pains and harms they caused to humanity and civilisation. We both agreed on the necessity that each of us has to shoulder the responsibility of conveying the message to humanity so as not to be questioned about the spreading 183 of atheism that has happened because the followers of religions neglect their duties towards humanity. I was so pleased at your attitude towards many human issues in this world, such as your condemnation of the injustice and aggression committed against some nations by tyrannical powers which claim to belong to Christianity and modern civilisation. We as Muslims in the Arab and Muslim worlds still commit ourselves to respecting human values since they are basic in our doctrine. For any Muslim who does not believe in Moses and his Torah, and Jesus and his Gospel, his faith is invalid because belief in all of God’s prophets and messengers and belief in their scriptures are two essential pillars of the Muslim faith. Once I was asked by one of the ambassadors in my country about the number of Christians in Syria. I replied that our people in Syria are all Christian because a Muslim has to believe in Christ and his message. We feel a lot of pain and grief when the West in general and the United States in particular support the Zionist aggression on Palestine and especially on Jerusalem. We still remember the US Congress’s decision in recognising Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. We cannot forget how the US rewards Israel with billions of dollars, modern weapons and sophisticated technology while at the same time Israel rebels against the world and the tens of resolutions taken by the United Nations and its Security Council. Israel continues amassing huge amounts of chemical and nuclear weapons of mass destruction, and it goes unaccountable while the Iraqi people are being hit, blockaded and starved. Iraqi children and old people are being blockaded and killed through some lame excuses that most countries have been condemning and rejecting. 184 Witnessing all that, most Western churches have done nothing to stop or even condemn this unjust situation imposed on the Muslim world, whether in Palestine, Iraq, Sudan or Libya. This situation has made a British MP condemn the aggression on Iraq by warplanes and missiles and described it as a new crusade not by Richard the Lionheart but by Bill Clinton and Tony Blair. Your Holiness, today we live in a different world. We are likened to the dwellers of one house where each one lives in his or her room. We gather around one screen through which we view the whole world at the same time. So today we cannot ignore the truths or delay taking decisions. Your Holiness has been adopting a magnificent stance against injustice and aggression and for truth, justice and freedom. So can we keep silent towards what is happening? Is it a new Crusade? If it is not so, why do we accept the one-pole world system, which uses the international organisations in a contradictory way and applies double standards to achieve its unjust colonial interests? Are human beings in some countries more honoured than, or superior to, those in other countries? Why are double standards being applied to Muslim issues? Will we need, with the passing of time, to hear the apology for practices and mistakes that we make today? Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said, ‘Do not get involved in anything that you might need to apologise for.’ Mustadrak AlHakim. The question at issue now is this: for how long will this decline and deterioration continue? What will our state be when we are brought to account before our Lord? Your Holiness, I am addressing my Christian brothers and sisters in the world through you to make them aware of this responsibility. We, like yourselves, believe in Jesus Christ (pbuh) and sanctify his message. Jesus Christ and 185 Muhammad, peace be upon them, are mere brothers who complete each other’s messages. Let us stretch the hands of brotherhood and cooperation instead of the hands of aggression and killing, and let us offer humanity love and peace instead of hatred and bloodshed. The world is looking forward to see a strong stance from your side against making Jerusalem Jewish and expelling its Christian and Muslim indigenous people. In 1967 the Christian population was 38,000 in Jerusalem alone. Today, instead of increasing to 120,000, it has fallen to a mere 12,500. As for Muslims, they have faced an even larger expulsion. You may recognise the danger of this matter when you know that in 1918 the number of Jews in Palestine was not more than 55,000 out of 700,000 (the total population at that time). This means they constituted only 8% of the population. The world is looking forward to hearing your attitudes against corruption, evil and aggression on people especially on women, children and the aged regardless of their religion, colour or ethnicity. Such an action accords with your opinions expressed in your letter sent on the occasion of the 32nd World Peace Day, in which you point out that respecting human rights and ensuring world peace are strongly connected, and that the basis of freedom, justice and peace is in recognising dignity for all human beings. Finally, may you accept my best congratulations! A Happy and Merry Christmas. Muslim Unity and Juristic Schools of Thought His Eminence’s speech to The International Symposium for Setting a Joint Strategy for Bringing Closer Muslim Juristic Schools of Thought In response to an invitation by Al-Imam Al-Khou’i Charitable Foundation Ebla Cham Hotel, Damascus, Syria 10–12 April 1999 188 In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful All praise be to Allah, Lord of all the worlds. Peace and blessings be upon Prophet Muhammad, his forefather Prophet Abraham, his two brother prophets Moses and Jesus and their families. Dear members of the committees for bringing Islamic juristic schools of thought closer, dear honourable attendees, may Allah’s peace, mercy and blessings be upon you. This meeting is being held in Damascus under the auspices of the Qur’anic verse: “Verily, this religion of yours is one religion, and I am your Lord and Cherisher, so worship Me alone.” T.Q., 21:92. It is being held in critical circumstances of change that come over the world, and choosing Syria for this great event is truly wise because on this land the history of all Islamic schools of thought meets, and here rest the companions of Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) and his pure family in honourable nearby graves. We are happy that Syria is one of the richest countries in the Muslim world with regard to diversity of Islamic juristic schools of thought. Syria has lived throughout its history within the bliss of brotherhood, which is being confirmed today through the wise leadership of President Hafez Al-Assad. On this occasion, I am honoured to welcome my brothers and sisters — people of knowledge and intellect who are interested in Muslim unity — as they arrive in Damascus, and I hope they spend some happy, fruitful and blessed days here. Dear brothers and sisters, a quick reading of the large Muslim world today shows us what features of the global Muslim community are sought today by the callers to truth 189 and justice on earth, as they look forward to the rise of the Muslim world as a power equivalent to the new world order. Such Muslim power is the guarantee of support for truth and justice, defending the oppressed in the world and spreading love and brotherhood. The rise of the Muslim world as a united power on earth, although dependent on political will, is primarily a responsibility placed on the shoulders of scholars and people of intellect. They are the ones who instruct new generations and represent the hope of the youth in the Muslim world in understanding and reaching the desired Muslim unity. If the mission of decision makers in the Muslim world is to achieve such desired unity, it is the duty of scholars and people of intellect to search in the roots for shared intellectual links and to exert their efforts in warning against ways of dispute among schools and groups. Does the Muslim world contain roots for real unity, which would qualify it for joint work? Some sceptics see Muslim unity as one great illusion by thinking that disagreements among Islamic schools are so strong that they hinder closeness and unity. However, a correct reading of history reveals the illusions of such sceptics. Islam has achieved a society of secure tolerance and human brotherhood despite the existence of several religions within the Muslim society. Almighty God says: “Allah does not forbid you to deal justly and kindly with those who do not fight you on account of religion nor drive you out of your homes. Verily, Allah loves those who are just.” T.Q., 60:8. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) passed away while his armour was still mortgaged to a Jew for some barley, which clearly indicates that co-existence is possible 190 despite basic intellectual differences. So how could such people doubt our ability to achieve Muslim brotherhood within the Muslim group? The 1.5 billion Muslims we are speaking about, who are the largest religious group in the world, have been methodologically united by Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) when they all face one direction in their prayer and when they all have one message to deliver, one Qur’an, one Messenger and one worship. These huge numbers of Muslims all agree on more than 90% of the basics of their religion. The pillars of faith for them all are to believe in Allah, His angels, His scriptures, His messengers, the Day of Judgment and divine destiny. The pillars of Islam are to testify that there is no god to be worshipped but Allah and that Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is His servant and messenger. They are also to perform ritual prayers, pay zakat (compulsory charity), fast in the month of Ramadan and make pilgrimage to the sacred House in Makkah. These pillars are points of unanimous agreement among all Muslims. The Western world differs in so many aspects of culture, national language and religion, yet the West holds on to what are common points for the sake of securing its interests. I am amazed at a community that is so united in its direction of prayer, worship, scripture and its Prophet’s traditions, yet it does not find sufficient ways to achieve unity whereas other nations or communities have achieved such unity without having one tenth of its shared links. I have declared on many occasions that I object to the phrase “Bringing closer Islamic schools of thought”, because bringing closer means to push together separate parts and to decrease disagreements. I do not think that this applies to the Islamic schools of thought in that they already agree on more than 90% of their goals and means. Bringing closer is something that we have surpassed a long time ago. Here, therefore, I call for a 191 complete unity among Muslims on the levels of intellect, strategy and building the present and future according to the words of Almighty Allah: “And hold fast, all together, to the Rope of Allah (the Holy Qur’an), and be not divided among yourselves; and remember with gratitude Allah’s favour on you; for you were enemies one to another, and He joined your hearts in love, so that by His Grace, you became brothers.” T.Q., 3:103. However, I would like to assure you that this call for Muslim unity should not aim at cancelling juristic schools of thought since they are a source of great intellectual wealth for the global Muslim community, and they prove the richness and diversity of Islamic jurisprudence. They are a form of Allah’s mercy, as stated by the righteous Muslim caliph, Umar bin Abdel Aziz: ‘I would not have liked it if the companions of Allah’s Messenger had not differed, for had it not been for their difference, there would not have been comfort and mercy in our jurisprudence.’ It is such a beautiful and wise rule that states that we work on what we agree upon, and we make excuses for each other on what we differ in. In fact, the differences in some schools of thought are restricted to small issues that open the door for ease in applying the teachings of Islam. This integration grants legislators in departments of fatwa in the Muslim world juristic and scientific richness which guarantees that they can find solutions to the most complicated problems in society. This does not hinder us from respecting and glorifying the choices of all imams of Islamic jurisprudence, whether their opinions are adopted in our legislation or not. According to what has been agreed upon by Muslims, when a mujtahid (a qualified independent scholar who deduces rulings from the 192 religious texts) is found to be wrong, he takes one reward, and if he is correct, he gets two rewards. Dear brothers and sisters, the axe of intolerance is shattering much of the hope for unity in the Muslim world. Some foreign elements are taking charge of reviving the spirit of hatred and enmity among half-educated people who are living under the yoke of the mistakes and illusions of the past. We wish that those people who deduce their judgments from the past chose its shining pages, where the interests of the community were favoured over personal benefits and consideration of schools, instead of narrating stories of disparity that divide our community. The attitudes of the leaders of Muslim unity have always been a safe and true haven that protects people from separation and disunity by bringing them into unity and brotherhood. The hero of Muslim unity, Imam Al-Hasan bin Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) stretched his hand to Mua’wiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) and invited him to unity, whereas other voices were calling for war and violence. However, the call of Muslim brotherhood made him raise Muslim unity above all other considerations. While 43,000 of the companions of Imam Al-Hasan were around the mosque of Al-Kufa, waiting for his return to lead them to war against his opponents in AlSham (Greater Syria), everybody was surprised at his entry into Al-Kufa mosque, hand in hand with Mua’wiyah. The Imam ascended the stairs of the tribune, to the astonishment of people, and said: ‘O people! We, the family of Prophet Muhammad, are the ones through our first one of whom you got your guidance, and by the last of whom your blood has been spared. It is us whom Almighty Allah meant in the Qur’anic verse: “For Allah only wants to remove all kinds of uncleanliness (sins, defects, etc.) from you, O members of the Family [of the Prophet], and to purify you with a thorough purification.” T.Q., 33:33. 193 People started crying until the mosque echoed their weeping. Then Imam Al-Hasan said in a great heroic attitude, ‘Oh people, this matter of disagreement between Mua’wiyah and me is one of two things: he having a right over me, which I give back to him, or I having a right over him, which I give up in the interests of all Muslims.’ Mustadrak Al-Hakim. This was how he presented a great example to the world of a Muslim rising above interests and seeking the unity of all Muslims, regardless of their differences. When one of the people said to him, ‘You have humiliated Muslims!’ he answered with an attitude of confidence and trust, ‘Humiliation is better than hellfire. By Allah, I am not pleased to be the leader of this state over the bloodshed of even one Muslim.’ This is why the great Muslim civilisation that flourished during such days of peace and stability owes a lot to the great Imam Al-Hasan. Thus, the glad tidings of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) came true when he said, ‘This son of mine will be a master, and may Allah use him to make peace between two great parties of Muslims.’ Sahih Al-Bukhari. This great imam found the way to unite with the other party by relinquishing leadership, despite being better than his rival as all Muslims believe, because unity is one of the most important objectives of this pure religion. Muslims recognised the favour of this great imam and named the whole year “the Year of Unity”, in memory of his heroic act, which is a lesson to all Muslim leaders in every generation. I call on my brothers in the committees to take the initiative in commemorating the anniversary of Imam AlHasan’s great stance, which is 16 Rabee’ Al-Akher 41 AH (after the hijrah, or migration, of the Prophet), and to recommend this conference to make that day the Day of Muslim Unity, to be celebrated every year. 194 Dear brothers and sisters, what is required here is not to fight schools of thought, but to combat scholastic intolerance. So, keeping the different opinions in jurisprudence after examining them closely and deleting the invalid ones does not contradict the goal of achieving Muslim unity, which is the hope of all honest people. I said in my meeting with scholars and seekers of knowledge in the city of Qom, ‘If being a Sunni means following Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) with all that he received from His Lord, we are all Sunnis, and if being a Shiite means loving Muhammad and his family, we are all Shiites.’ It is time that people of awareness, intellect and callers to Islam were able to distinguish the voice of advice from the horns of scandal and to differentiate between voices calling for unity and voices calling for dispute and division. I do not deny that Islamic history contains instances of division, but there are also situations of unity that should surface. We need to reconsider the actions of people of the past in order to take the positive and avoid the negative. I would like to conclude with one great example of Muslim unity so as to use our heritage as a source of light and not as a store of division. A certain man spoke badly about the companions of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) in the presence of Imam Ja’far As-Sadiq, with the intention of wakening ill feelings of division. Imam Ja’far looked at him and wisely replied, ‘Are you among those mentioned in the Qur’anic verse: “[A share of the spoils must also be given] to the poor emigrants (refugees), who were expelled from their homes and their property while seeking Allah’s grace and His good pleasure, and aiding Allah (striving in His cause) and His Messenger. They are the ones who are truly sincere.” T.Q., 59:8?’ 195 The man said, ‘No,’ so Imam Ja’far asked, ‘Then are you among those who are mentioned in the other verse: “And those who, before them, had homes in [Al-Madinah] and had adopted the faith, love those who emigrated to them, and entertain no desire in their hearts for things given to them, but rather prefer them (the emigrants) above themselves, even though they are in need. Whoever is saved from the miserliness of his own soul, such are the successful.” T.Q., 59:9?’ The man answered, ‘No,’ so Imam Ja’far said, ‘Nor do I think you are among the ones in the verse: “And those who came after them say: ‘Our Lord! Forgive us, and our brothers who have preceded us in faith, and leave not, in our hearts, any hatred towards the faithful. Our Lord, You are indeed full of Kindness, Most Merciful.’” T.Q., 59:10.’ At the end of my speech, I would like to thank Almighty Allah for facilitating the meeting of people of unity in the field of Islamic intellect on the good land of Al-Sham. I wish you an enjoyable stay and accomplishment of your goals. “Our Lord! Accept from us; for You are the AllHearing, the All-Knowing.” T.Q., 2:127. All thanks and praise be to Allah, Lord of all the worlds. Relationships between the Followers of Heavenly Religions His Eminence’s speech at Abu Al-Nour Mosque in the presence of Dr George Carey, Archbishop of Canterbury, and the delegation accompanying him Damascus, Syria 29 September 1999 (12/10/1419 AH) 198 His Eminence Sheikh Ahmad Kuftaro, Grand Mufti of Syria and Head of the Higher Council of Fatwa, gave his weekly lecture at Abu Al-Nour Mosque in Damascus. The lecture was attended by Dr George Carey, Archbishop of Canterbury, the delegation accompanying him, the Ambassador of the United Kingdom, some members of the Middle East Council of Churches, some Muslim clerics and a large audience. After His Eminence welcomed his guests, he spoke in detail about the relationships between the followers of the two heavenly religions: Islam and Christianity. In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful Great meetings should have a great outcome, which should be on a par with the people holding them. Heavenly religions came to work on educating human beings and preparing them correctly on spiritual, materialistic and intellectual levels to enable them to become the foundation for building modern civilised human societies. That is why religions recommend everything that benefits humans and forbid everything that harms them. Heavenly religions came in their original form with the aim of freeing people’s minds and developing them into enlightened and open ones. It never came to contradict logic or truth, but rather to develop, support and harmonise with it. If the peoples of the world are looking forward to achieving world peace, they need to follow the prophets’ messages, which are all based on establishing peace between humans and their Lord and between humans themselves. Jesus Christ (pbuh) said, ‘Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God.’ Matthew 5:7–9. 199 Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said, ‘Those who have mercy on people will have mercy from God, the Most Merciful. If you have mercy on those on earth, the One in heaven will have mercy upon you.’ Sunan Al-Tirmithi. Almighty God describes the mission of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) saying: “We have sent you only as a mercy for all the creation.” T.Q., 21:107. Almighty God also says in the Holy Qur’an: “God calls to the Home of Peace.” T.Q., 10:25. Islam has made its salutation a call and prayer for peace and mercy (the Islamic greeting is ‘May God’s peace, mercy and blessings be upon you’), and Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) has called for extending peace. Both Islam and Christianity call people to compassion, cooperation and love. Jesus Christ (pbuh) said, ‘A new commandment I give you: love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.’ John 13:34. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said, ‘You will not be a true believer unless you wish for your brother whatever you wish for yourself.’ Sahih Al-Bukhari. In the first letter of John we read: ‘Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has an eternal life in him.’ 1 John 3:15. All heavenly messages call for forgiveness, tolerance and opposing injustice. With regard to fighting injustice, Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) narrated that Almighty God says, ‘Oh My servants! I have made injustice forbidden on Myself, and I have made it forbidden on you, so do not wrong one another.’ Sahih Muslim. 200 Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said, ‘All creatures are God’s dependants; the most loved ones to Him are those who are most helpful to His dependants.’ Musnad Al-Bazzar. Jesus Christ (pbuh) said, ‘You, my brothers, have been called on by God to be free, but don’t make freedom an excuse to fulfil the desires of the body, but serve one another.’ He also said, ‘He who has two garments, let him give away one to someone who has none. He who has food, let him do the same.’ John Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said, ‘Whoever goes to bed full while he knows his close neighbour is hungry has not truly believed in me.’ Musnad Al-Bazzar. In the Gospel of Mathew we read, ‘What would a man gain if he won the world but lost himself?’ In fact, Islam did not come to abolish the religions that came before it, but rather to renew and complete them. Jesus Christ (pbuh) said, ‘Do not think that I have come to abolish the Laws of the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfil them.’ Matthew 5:17. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said, ‘The likeness of me and the other prophets before me is that of a man who built a house and beautified it except for a place of one brick in a corner. People went around it and wondered at its beauty but said, “If only this brick were put in its place!” So I am that brick, and I am the final prophet.’ Sahih Al-Bukhari. Almighty God says in the Holy Qur’an: “Say, ‘We believe in God, and the revelation which has been sent to us, and what was revealed to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob and the prophets among his descendants, and what was given to Moses and Jesus, and what was given to the prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them and to Him we submit.’” T.Q., 2:136. 201 Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said, ‘I am the nearest of all people to Jesus, the son of Mary, both in this world and in the Hereafter. There is no prophet between me and him.’ Sahih Al-Bukhari. He also said, ‘All prophets are paternal brothers; their mothers (laws) are different, but their religion is one.’ Sahih Al-Bukhari. Thus, Jesus Christ did not come to abolish the message of Moses, nor did Muhammad come to abolish the message of Jesus Christ. Every prophet came to verify all the prophets before him and to pave the way for the coming prophet. The Holy Qur’an is a combination of all the heavenly messages and a call for belief in all prophets since they all graduated from the same school, and their teacher is one, namely Almighty God. Religions have come for the well-being of people. A Muslim scholar said, ‘Almighty God has created people to benefit from Him not for Him to benefit from them.’ Almighty God says in the Holy Qur’an, describing the mission of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh): “And We have sent you only as a mercy for all the creation.” T.Q., 21:107. The heavenly teachings establish mercy and success for people, so when true faith exists, it is as pure as the drops of rain that give life to humankind. However, if it mixes with the dirt of people, it gives sickness instead of health and death instead of life. Therefore, Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) called for a review of religion every 100 years when he said, ‘Almighty God sends at the start of every hundred years someone who renews religion for my community.’ Sunan Abu Dawoud. This is a kind of instruction from God and a concern from the Prophet (pbuh) to keep faith pure and intact because time 202 changes the nature of things and often covers their realities. The mission of the renewers of religion has been defined by Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) when he said, ‘This knowledge will be inherited by the elite of every generation; they will clear it from the distortions of extremists, the misrepresentations of the wrong-doers and the misinterpretations of the ignorant.’ Sunan Al-Baihaqi. Thus, we, as religious leaders, have a huge responsibility in bringing back to religion its originality, which is loved by humans and harmonises with the mind. We need to perform our duty in restoring religion to its truth and essence, in the same way our prophets did. We should not accept to find one person suffering from hunger while Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said, ‘Whoever goes to bed full while he knows his close neighbour is hungry has not truly believed in me.’ Musnad Al-Bazzar. It is also not acceptable to have a person staying in ignorance while Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said, ‘None belongs to me except the one who is learned or is a learner.’ Al-Dailami. It is not acceptable that truth is defeated instead of falsehood, and injustice is the victor while Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said, ‘Shouldn’t we be with the one who has a right? The one who has a right has indeed the right to speak!’ Sahih Al-Bukhari. Caliph Umar said to one of his governors, ‘How could you enslave people when their mothers gave birth to them as free!’ Therefore, we, leaders of the world’s religions, need to come together periodically within the framework of an international convention that works on restoring religion to its genuineness because all religions came out of the same spring. We specifically have to do our share in supporting the wronged and oppressed people in the world, especially in protecting Jerusalem and its holy 203 areas, as well as in backing the Palestinian people who have been suffering a great injustice during this century. Their houses are being demolished, their lands are being confiscated, and they have been displaced and scattered all over the world. Almighty God is absolutely not pleased with a world in which the wronged are not supported. If we, leaders of religions, do our job well, the world will enjoy more than peace; it will enjoy brotherhood and mercy. I hope that this meeting is the good seed that will grow into a tree that has deep roots, high branches in the sky, and fruit of justice, peace, goodness and blessings not only for our people, but also for all people in the world. This would not only help in making peace and ending wars, but also will help humans to get rid of sickness, ignorance, backwardness and all the other problems they are suffering from. Humanity suffered a lot during the 20th century because of the huge conflicts that led to two world wars, killing tens of millions of people, ruining many cities and important establishments, and developing weapons of mass destruction. Humanity has been torn apart because of contradictions and differences of thought, ethnicity, nationalism, materialism and philosophies. Religion was not a part of such conflicts. Humans have reached the end of the century to find out that the only thought and belief that suit humanity is the religion that God, the Creator of humanity, has sent for His creation. All heavenly religions come from one source and aim at one goal. The coming century, the 21st, is the century of faith. All leaders of the world and in particular, the religious leaders need to exert sincere efforts to make the coming century one of harmony, dialogue and cooperation among the followers of religions, not one of conflict or contradiction among them. 204 We have been very happy to hear the ideas that Prince Charles and after him the Foreign Minister, Robin Cook, called for. They both stressed the need to open channels of a new dialogue between Islam and the West, and that western culture owes Islam a debt that should not be forgotten as a great deal of the civilisation in the West was founded thanks to Islam. In addition, they declared that one of the biggest mistakes the West may make is to think that Islamic culture is alien to it. They added that Islamic and Christian cultures are intermingled and have many things in common that should persist. In Britain, there is a prosperous Islamic society, 900 mosques, and more than 2 million Muslims who greatly contribute to the British and Western societies with major roles in cultural, political and economic life. We should not let misunderstanding grow between Islam and the West. In our world of today, we have no choice but to live together in cooperation and peace, in the face of the moral, environmental and economic challenges, and we have a lot to learn from one another. If such calls and declarations make us pleased and hopeful for a better future for relationships, the great barrier before such hope is the practical policies that are being adopted by Western governments in general in relation to the Muslim world, especially regarding the central issue of Palestine. The Muslim world cannot overlook the ultimate support the West grants to Israel. It can also clearly see the flow of weapons and billions of dollars to Israel, whereas Israel is ignoring tens of international resolutions issued by the Security Council and the United Nations, let alone the insults directed at American and British politicians. This is in addition to the policy of double standards and the unreasonable attitudes against the Muslim people in general. This leads to all the bridges being destroyed that sincere people in the Muslim and Western worlds are trying to build. We are heralds of peace and tolerance. We want a good life for ourselves and for others, but we absolutely refuse 205 to let our lands be occupied, our rights denied and our holy sites violated. The holy sites of both Muslims and Christians in Jerusalem are being violated daily. Religious Muslim and Christian leaders need to work together so that Jerusalem becomes the city of peace and the capital of its Palestinian people. Religious leaders need to coordinate their efforts so that the values of justice, freedom, and equality prevail among all people of the world to achieve what the heavenly religions came for. Heavenly religions call for human rights. They are not revealed to take people backwards, but to make them enlightened and happy. So those who call for the opposite are mere liars. If leaders of religions brought back religion to its essence and threw away all that does not belong to it, the world would be united under the banner of faith in Almighty God. Finally, I would like to warmly welcome again our honoured guest and wish him a pleasant stay in our country. Muslim-Christian Brotherhood: a Historical Fact and Social Necessity His Eminence lecture was one of the activities in the symposium “Brotherhood of Religions’ Followers” at Al-Assad Library Damascus, Syria 24 – 25 January 2000 208 In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful All praise be to God the Lord of all Worlds, and the best greetings and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his forefather Prophet Abraham, his two brothers, Moses and Jesus, upon all of God’s prophets and messengers, and all their family members and companions. Excellencies, Eminences, Reverends, Beatitudes, Patriarchs and honoured audience, I greet you all with the greeting of Islam: As-salaamu alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh (May God’s peace, mercy and blessings be upon you all). I thank all those who have contributed to make this meeting a reality, invoking Almighty God, the Most Glorious, the Most High to guide us all to what is best for our countries and peoples. Muslim-Christian coexistence throughout fifteen centuries has been one of the Islamic postulates with regard to creed, legislation and moral code. The Holy Qur’an has established a system of coexistence, which Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) put into practice in his lifetime. His companions were also in harmony with the same straight path. This system of Muslim-Christian coexistence has persisted perfectly throughout long centuries except for some instances where relationships sank into dark negativity, abhorrent fanaticism and hateful sectarianism. They occurred because of ignorance about the heavenly religion, deviated interpretations, interpolations, personal desires and interests, and the egotism of some clergymen. Additionally, interfering outsiders sought to sow the seeds of sectarianism, thus paving the way for colonialism and exploitation of resources in both Muslim and Christian countries. Honoured ladies and gentlemen, the Holy Qur’an and the Prophet’s traditions have laid down the principles for 209 coexistence with non-Muslims, and specifically with Christians. These principles are clear and based on preserving a sacred right, which is the right to human dignity. Almighty God says in the Holy Qur’an: “And verily, We have honoured the children of Adam.” T.Q.,17:70. This points out that members of the human race are all equal. He further says: “O people, We created you from a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes that you may know one another. Verily, the most honourable of you in the sight of God is the most righteous of you.” T.Q.,49:13. In what could be considered the great Islamic Charter of Human Rights, the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said, just a few months before his death, at his farewell pilgrimage: ‘Certainly your Lord is One; your father is One. You all belong to Adam, and Adam was created from earth. The most honoured of you in the sight of God is the most righteous of you. An Arab has no preference over a non-Arab, nor a non-Arab over an Arab; a white one is not to be preferred over a black one, nor a black one over a white one except in righteousness. Have I informed you? O God, please bear witness. Let the people present inform those who are absent. ’ Musnad Ahmad. God’s Messenger (pbuh) would supplicate a lot: ‘O God, I bear witness that you are the Only God. There is no God but you. I also bear witness that all humankind are brothers and sisters.’ Sunan Abu Dawood. Hence, immunity from injustice has been given to all humankind regardless of their colour, nationality, language or faith. God says: 210 “O you who believe, stand out firmly for God as just witnesses; and let not the enmity and hatred of others make you avoid justice. Be just; that is nearer to piety, and fear God. Verily, God is Well-Acquainted with what you do.” T.Q., 5:8. Respect for human character is an obvious fact in the Islamic texts: “Because of that, We ordained for the Children of Israel that if anyone killed a person not in retaliation for murder or for spreading corruption on earth, it would be as if they killed all humankind; and if anyone saved a life, it would be as if they saved the life of all humankind.” T.Q., 5:32. Islam has determined this fact without any discrimination on the grounds of colour, ethnicity or religion. The Prophet (pbuh) said, ‘God torments the people who torture their fellow humans in this world.’ Sahih Muslim. Harm and aggression against human dignity is considered in Islam one of the worst crimes in this world and in the hereafter. One day, the Prophet (pbuh) stood up respectfully for a funeral that passed by him. Immediately, Muslims stood up. Someone told the him, ‘This is the funeral of a Jew.’ He responded, ‘Is he not a human being?’ Sahih Al-Bukhari. For the sake of codification, when we talk about the way Islam undertook coexistence with others, we notice that it stems from the following principle: “God does not forbid you to deal kindly and justly with those who do not fight against you on account of religion nor expel you from your homes. Verily, God loves the just ones.” T.Q., 60:8. This verse refers to all religions and sects. It guides us to be good to others, communicate with them and treat them 211 justly because God loves just, kind and benevolent people. Tafseer At-Tabari. Guarantees for non-Muslims are distinct in the Islamic community. They fall into three parts: 1. protection against any outside aggression 2. protection within society 3. public freedoms. With regard to external protection, God says in the Holy Qur’an: “For had it not been that God checks one set of people by means of another, monasteries, churches, synagogues and mosques, wherein the name of God is much mentioned, would surely have been pulled down. Verily, God will help those who help His [Cause]. Truly, God is All-Strong, All-Mighty.” T.Q., 22:40. Muslims are supposed to fight aggressors, keep them away from the Islamic community and protect all members of this community, Muslims and non-Muslims alike. Monasteries, churches and synagogues are places of worship for Christians and Jews while mosques are places of worship for Muslims. These places must be guarded against any aggression. Tafseer Al-Qurtubi. Muslim jurists say that all residents in the Islamic State, including citizens, visitors and strangers, Muslims and non-Muslims, must be protected when the enemies want to transgress against these people in body, property or otherwise. Muslims must fight the aggressors with all their capabilities to fulfil God’s and His Messenger’s pledge of protection granted to non-Muslims living in the Islamic State. Al-Furouq. The second part is protection within society, including protection against any injury to body, honour or property. 212 Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said, ‘Any Muslim who wrongs a non-Muslim citizen, either by humiliating him, overburdening him, or by taking away anything from him by force, I will be his opponent on the Day of Judgment.’ Sunan Abu Dawood. Throughout history scholars counselled caliphs, emirs and rulers to treat non-Muslims well and to look after their affairs. For example, Abu Yusuf, a judge, wrote to Caliph Haroun Al-Rashid reminding him that a caliph should take care of Ahl Al-Thimmah (people under the pledge of protection, i.e. non-Muslims living in the Islamic State): ‘O Emir of Believers, you should be very kind to Ahl AlThimmah. Your Prophet and cousin Muhammad (pbuh) commands you to take measures so that they won’t be wronged, injured or overburdened, or that any property of theirs should be taken away unwillingly except for due right.’ Al-Kharaj. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) did not stop at giving instructions, but rather he made a practical step when he gave the Christians of Najran his pledge of protection: ‘To Najran and its people I give the pledge of protection from God and His Messenger, Muhammad: protection for their properties, lands, religion, absent and present ones, clans, churches and all that they possess whether little or much.’ Al-Kharaj. Islam guarantees non-Muslims, just as Muslims, a good life in case of inability to make a living; this is what we call social security today. The story of the rightly guided Caliph Umar bin Al-Khattab is well-known — when he came to Damascus and found some Christian lepers there, he ordered them lifetime sufficient means of living. Futouh Al-Buldan. The just Caliph Umar bin Abdul-Aziz wrote the following to one of his governors: ‘Take care of Ahl Al-Thimmah. When one of them gets old and has no means of living, spend money on them.’ Al-Tabaqat Al-Kubra. 213 The third part is the guarantee of public freedom, and particularly religious freedom, which includes the freedom to practise one’s own rituals and the guarding of places of worship. The Holy Qur’an cautions Muslims against denying the rights of others through its divine rule: “Let there be no compulsion in religion. Truth is now distinct from error.” T.Q., 2:256. We see the confirmation of this rule in Muslims’ agreements with others. The reconciliation document between God’s Messenger (pbuh) and the Christians of Najran included the following words: ‘No bishop, monk or priest is to be removed from his position unjustly.’ Al-Kharaj. Another example is the pledge given to the Christians of Jerusalem by Caliph Umar: ‘This is the pledge of protection given by the servant of God, Umar bin AlKhattab, the Emir of Believers to the people of Eiliya (Jerusalem). The protection is for their lives, properties, churches, crosses, the sick and healthy, and for all their co-religionists. Their churches must not be inhabited, destroyed or diminished in size, number of crosses or property. They are not to be forced to change their religion, nor are any of them to be harmed.’ Tarikh Al-Rusl wal Muluk. One of the most outstanding examples of this lofty religious tolerance, despite there being no treaty or contract, was the act of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) who permitted the Christian delegation of Najran, numbering sixty people, to enter his holy mosque and stay in it for a long period. When it was time for their prayers, they stood up facing east to offer their prayers. Some Muslims were about to prevent them, but the Prophet (pbuh) stopped them and let the Najrani people perform their prayers peacefully. Al-Sirah Al-Nabawiyya. 214 As for the other freedoms, the freedom of thought and education appears to be the most important. Muslims and non-Muslims had equal rights in the scientific field. The most obvious evidence of this is found in the abundant scientific research and discoveries by nonMuslims in various fields and the fame of many nonMuslim scientists living in Muslim communities. Other freedoms given to non-Muslims were the freedoms of movement, travel and work, earning money, and occupying prominent positions in the Islamic State, except for specifically Islamic religious positions like Imams. They were also given the freedom to conduct festivals, celebrations, visits and communications with Muslims. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) would visit his nonMuslim neighbours, especially when they were sick, help their needy ones, and call them to Islam very kindly. Sahih Al-Bukhari. If we would like to be more specific, we can shed some light on the history of Muslim-Christian relations in our countries, the blessed Al-Sham (Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Palestine), where we see an ideal that we, as Muslims and Christians, should be proud of and try to make it followed by others. We invite all countries that have multi-religious societies to study this marvellous ideal of coexistence that we have been enjoying since the first moment of our existence in this land. The incident in which Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) offered hospitality to the Christian delegation of Najran numbering sixty people, allowing them to stay at his mosque for a long period, eat, drink, sleep and perform their Christian prayers, was reciprocated at St John's Cathedral in Damascus which later became the Umayyad Mosque. Christians at the time of the Islamic conquest accepted to have Muslims share half of their church with them. You would see the followers of the two religions, Islam and Christianity, performing their own prayers simultaneously and adjacently: Muslims directing 215 themselves to the Holy Ka'ba (to the south) and Christians facing east. Min Rawae’ Hadaratina. During certain periods, some non-Muslims might have been exposed to troubles, mischief and oppression by some individuals or some men in power. These offences do not represent Islam, Muslims or the wise scholars who are fully conscious of true Islam. We should not forget that the injustice caused by some people in authority throughout history was not directed at non-Muslims solely but rather befell all people in the Islamic communities including Muslims. Gustaf Lupon, Islamic Civilization. The most significant thing to be mentioned in the history of Muslim-Christian relations in the countries of Al-Sham is their steadfast solidarity against aggressors, oppressors, transgressors and colonizers. This solidarity was obvious at the time of the Crusades a thousand years ago, and it was repeated when the French colonized Syria. Mr Fares Al-Khouri delivered a speech at the Grand Umayyad Mosque in a gathering held against the French colonization. He said, ‘The justification for the French presence in this country is claimed to protect Christians. I am Fares Al-Khouri; on behalf of Christians, I demand your protection, O Muslims, and I reject the French protection.’ Arab Christians, a Journalist Symposium. Honoured audience, a history of positive Muslim-Christian co-existence in Al-Sham persists and should be protected to grow mutually. Such forums, meetings, discourses and conventions should be fruitful for the benefit of all people in this honoured country. I have thrown light on some major incidents and landmarks, hoping to push Muslim-Christian principles of coexistence forward for the betterment of all peoples and to establish a bright new future, taking into consideration the following remarks: 216 1. Muslims and Christians in our homeland and abroad should try to preserve the positive coexistence based on mutual recognition and respect. The saying ‘Cancelling the other’ is rejected. 2. Futile arguments between Muslims and Christians must be ended. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) did not have such arguments; on the contrary, he made dialogue with the Christians of Najran implementing the Qur’anic verse: “Do not dispute with the people of the Scriptures except in a way that is better.” T.Q., 29:46. 3. Both Muslims and Christians must seek to confront any seeds of discord and division so that no place is made for any outsider to devastate our communities. 4. Muslims and Christians must band together against Zionist arrogance, which allows for the seizing of Arab lands, Jerusalem in particular, by force and aggression, resulting in the tyrannical oppression of the followers of Islam and Christianity, depriving them of their religious and human rights by using ‘cleansing’ practices, which wipe out the historical and religious identity of the Arab lands. 5. Muslims and Christians together must confront every kind of pressure exercised by an entity that attempts to devastate the religious and human freedoms of any human being or to exploit people’s basic needs in order to dominate nations or minorities. 6. The whole world today lives in an extreme crisis from many perspectives and on many levels. Therefore, all people, particularly the followers of the heavenly religions, should seriously cooperate with deliberate consideration and hard work to solve this crisis through the following steps: 217 A. B. C. D. E. F. G. H. I. J. K. Confronting the danger of famine, poverty, ignorance and backwardness throughout the world. Confronting natural catastrophes, and helping those afflicted and injured by earthquakes, hurricanes, etc. Fighting all kinds of crimes and sectarian sedition, and putting an end to the religious and ethnic cleansing and genocide practised by some groups. Confronting the danger of the moral and behavioural dilemmas and corruption that threaten human beings, starting with individuals and families and ending with societies. Confronting the dangerous spread of plagues and deadly contagious diseases. Urging the countries that possess economic and technical powers to direct their capabilities towards serving human society and to abandon the arms race. Confronting the danger of some major world powers that attempt to control and exploit peoples’ natural resources by military and economic force. Protecting the environment from all kinds of destruction, depletion and pollution. Doing our best to prevent the possession, maintenance and spread of nuclear weapons, and particularly to make the Middle East a nuclear-weapons-free zone. Working hard to prevent the manufacture and spread of chemical and biological weapons Exerting our joint efforts to urge governments to introduce international legislation under the supervision of the United Nations to control 218 scientific research in the areas of genetic modification, cloning and production of crossbred animals and plants and those augmented by dangerous hormones. We also must establish the regulations that ensure a dangerfree future for humankind. In conclusion, I would like to pray that God, the Most High, would preserve the blessings of security and the good co-existence of Muslims and Christians under the patronage of the wise leadership of President Hafez AlAssad, who always sponsored, encouraged and supported this co-existence and love between the followers of the two universal Messages, Islam and Christianity, acting upon the Holy Qur’an’s teachings and Jesus Christ’s message. He is a loving father to his people, Muslims and Christians alike, and a role model that is perpetually keen on having all people live in complete harmony and constructive cooperation according to the instructions of these heavenly Messages. May God guide us to what benefits all peoples and countries. All praise be to God, the Lord of all Worlds, and may God’s peace, mercy and blessings be upon you all.