Principled Co-Existence
| Khatib : | Sadullah Khan |
| Khutbah No: | 272 |
| Khutbah Date: | 04/18/08 |
وَتَعَاوَنُواْ عَلَى الْبرِّ وَالتَّقْوَى وَلاَ تَعَاوَنُواْ عَلَى الإِثْمِ وَالْعُدْوَانِ
Help one another in furthering virtue and God-consciousness,
and do not help one another in furthering evil and enmity. [Qur’ān 5:2]
Element of Truth
Of all the principles that guide communication; truthfulness and the proper use of words are most important. Though we have made tremendous scientific and technological advances in the past few decades, etiquette and moral values still seem to be in their primitive stages. If good manners and feelings had advanced along with reason and science, then humankind would indeed have advanced in their humanity too. Truthfulness is one of the pillars on which the moral survival of the world depends. Allah has created the heavens and the earth with truth. [Qur'an 16.3]
Two weeks ago we lauded the honesty and courage of the Vatican in announcing that “Muslims made up 19.2 percent of the world's population and Catholics 17.4 percent; the first time in history we are no longer at the top: the Muslims have overtaken us.” Religious groups often having the tendency to inflate their numbers and give an impression of themselves as being larger than they really are; and that is dishonest. Facts are facts, and people of faith must have the moral consciousness to honest; for honesty is the hallmark of faith, the foundation of praiseworthy characteristics, the foundation of Prophet hood. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) has been known amongst his people for his honesty and truthfulness; to such an extent that he was known amongst them as as-Saadiq (the truthful) and al-Ameen (the trustworthy).So, when Heraclius, the ruler of Rome, asked the Muslim envoy about the characteristics of the Prophet, one of the things he asked was, ‘Did you ever accuse him of lying before he said what he said?’ The envoy said, ‘No.’ Heraclius said: ‘If he refrained from telling lies about people he would not go and tell lies about God.’ [Tafseer Ibn Kathir] Allah mentioned truthfulness in over a 100 places in the Qur'an: “O You who believe, heed God and be of those who are truthful” [Q9:119]. “O You who believe, guard your duty to God, and speak words straight to the point.” [Q33:70], “So God may reward the truthful for their truthfulness” [Q33:24].
The Pope comes to Town
Regarding Pope Benedict XVI's visit here, Vatican's ambassador to America, Archbishop Pietro Sambi, said “The pontiff intends his visit to signify a time of spiritual renewal for all Americans.”
But two issues have bothered Muslims
- should they meet with the Pope who has made unprovoked statements falsely accusing the Prophet?
- were his statements true, if not; why did he say it?
People of the Book
As Muslims, we consider all human beings part of one human family, and within that family there exists a special ideological, historic connection between members of the Abrahamic Faiths that the Qur’an respectfully refers to as ahlul-kitaab.
The lingering sting of the pope’s words in September 2006, when he quoted a Byzantine emperor as saying that the Prophet Muhammad brought “Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached.”
This stems from either gross ignorance of history or a blatant attempt to undermine the mission of the Prophet.
Christian-Muslim Relations
From the outset of the Prophet’s mission, there has been outstanding examples of Christian-Muslim interaction that were most positive and led to understanding and respect. In the very life of the Prophet and throughout his mission we find outstanding examples:
Waraqah bin Naufal : (the testifying Christian priest) ~ who verified the Prophet’s mission when Khadijah approached him regarding the Prophet’s first revelation and he bore testimony that this was the same experience that Moses had with Gabriel.
Negus : (the just king) ~ when Muslims were severely persecuted in Makkah, the Prophet instructed some of his companions under the leadership of Ja’far bin Abu-Talib to find refuge in north-east Africa under the protection of a just Christian king Negus; who provided Muslims safety and security despite efforts of the Quraish to sabotage their efforts.
Delegation from Najran: A group of Christians who came to discuss religious differences and were hosted in the mosque of the Prophet in Madinah.
The Fallacy of the Sword
One of the most heinous fallacies that have been repeated (and do note that constant repetition of a lie may lead people to assume that it is a fact), is that Islam was spread by the sword. O, there has been fighting and there have been instances in history of atrocities perpetrated by people in the name of religion, but to assume that Islam became a world religion due to force of arms is preposterous, to say the least. Let me quote what Christian historians have testified to about Prophet Muhammad and the spread of Islam.
A well known writer, Bosworth Smith, in his well known book "Mohammad and Mohammadanism", adds: "Head of the State as well as of the Church, he was Caesar and Pope in one; but he was Pope without Pope's pretensions, Caesar without the legion of Caesar. Without a standing army, without a body-guard, without a palace, without a fixed revenue, if ever any man had the right to say that he ruled by the right divine, it was Mohammad, for he had all the power without its instructions and without its supports."
W. Montgomery Watt writes in his "Mohammad at Makkah" :
"His readiness to undergo persecution for his beliefs, the high moral character of the men who believed in him and looked up to him as leader, and the greatness of his ultimate achievement - all argue his fundamental integrity. To suppose Muhammad as imposter raises more problems than it solves. Moreover, none of the great figures of history is so poorly appreciated in the West as Muhammad. Thus, not merely must we credit Muhammad with essential honesty and integrity of purpose, if we are to understand him at all: if we are to correct the errors we have inherited from the past ..."
Allah testifies; “You have indeed in the Messenger of Allah an excellent exemplar, for any one whose hope is in Allah and the Final Day, and who engages much in the glorification of the Divine.” [Quran 33:21]
So the notion of the Prophet being a harbinger of evil who instructed the spread of his faith by the sword; as Pope Benedict XVI has stated is a blatant lie and a grave error; made worse by the fact that he leads over a billion people, the second largest denomination after Islam; and a person whose followers consider him infallible.
Muslims in the meantime must declare their agenda for interfaith dialogue with the Catholics and others and realize that the current pope has a political agenda that may be more suitable to a not necessarily suit the best interests of dialogue. However, the path of dialogue must be pursued to ensure that people at the grass roots continue to relate with each other on the basis of a genuine desire to understand, know, and respect each other.
Wrongful Assertion
An age where, despite the tremendous collation of facts and the proliferation of the means of communication, truth is still a rare commodity and facts are distorted to further empower the powerful and perceptions are embellished to the extent that truth seems stranger than fiction.
Those who assert that Islam has always been at “war” with non-Muslims. In Islam Peace is the standard, Islam itself implies ‘peace’. Peace is the principle, and each person of faith has the moral obligation to maintain peace, without compromising on justice and truth. Islam invites [Q5:15] to the subul as-salaam (pathway of peace); peace of mind, peace of conscience, peace in the family and society, peace with one's Creator and His creation. The very fact that Islam considers Christians and Jews endearingly as “People of the Book” clearly indicates the ecumenical attitude of Islam.
Islam is a divinely revealed faith that commands its adherents to follow the principles of monotheism, justice, equality, and peace in all aspects of their life. As the Qur’an, Islam's revealed text, states: “O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes so that you may come to know one another. The best of people are those most righteous.” [Quran, 49:13]