Muslims Required To Honour Other Faiths & Their Scriptures

By T.O. Shanavas, New Age Islam 17 July 2024 Muslims Should Show Respect And Reverence Towards All Other Faiths, Their Holy Books, And Followers. Islam Should Be Embraced As A Personal Choice And Not As A Means To Belittle Or Discredit Other Faiths. It Is Crucial To Foster Understanding And Unity Among Diverse Religious Beliefs. ------ Muslims should show respect and reverence towards all other faiths, their Holy Books, and followers. Islam should be embraced as a personal choice and not as a means to belittle or discredit other faiths. It is crucial to foster understanding and unity among diverse religious beliefs. Criticizing or fault-finding in other faiths is not the responsibility of Muslims. It is not necessary for Muslims to strive to be more devout in their Islamic beliefs than the Prophet (peace be upon him) himself. Muslims should follow the guidance of the following sources of wisdom in their conduct. Muslims are reminded not to insult the deities worshipped by non-Muslims, as doing so may lead to wrongful insults towards Allah without proper knowledge. This verse from Surah Al-An'am (“Abuse not those to whom they pray, apart from Allah, or they will abuse God in revenge without knowledge…-Qur’an 6-106) emphasizes the importance of respecting the beliefs of others and refraining from disrespectful behaviour. Hadith sources also demonstrate that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) respected the Torah and advised Jews to adhere to its teachings in a case involving a Jewish couple and extramarital relations, as illustrated in the following hadiths. “Narrated 'Abdullah bin 'Umar: The Jews came to Allah's Apostle and told him that a man and a woman from amongst them had committed illegal sexual intercourse. Allah's Apostle said to them, ‘What do you find in the Torah (old Testament) about the legal punishment of Ar-Rajm (stoning)?’ They replied, ‘(But) we announce their crime and lash them.’ Abdullah bin Salam said, ‘You are telling a lie; Torah contains the order of Rajm.’ They brought and opened the Torah* and one of them solaced his hand on the Verse of Rajm and read the verses preceding and following it. Abdullah bin Salam said to him, ‘Lift your hand.’ When he lifted his hand, the Verse of Rajm was written there. They said, ‘Muhammad has told the truth; the Torah has the Verse of Rajm.’ The Prophet then gave the order that both of them should be stoned to death. ('Abdullah bin 'Umar said, ‘I saw the man leaning over the woman to shelter her from the stones.’" Ref: (Bukhari: Book #56, Hadith #829); (Muslim: Book #017, Hadith #4211). Narrated Abdullah Ibn Umar: A group of Jews came and invited the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) to Quff. So he visited them in their school. They said: AbulQasim, one of our men has committed fornication with a woman; so pronounce judgment upon them. *They placed a cushion for the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) who sat on it and said: Bring the Torah. It was then brought. He then withdrew the cushion from beneath him and placed the Torah on i* saying: I believed in thee and in Him Who revealed thee. He then said: Bring me one who is learned among you. Then a young man was brought. The transmitter then mentioned the rest of the tradition of stoning similar to the one transmitted by Malik from Nafi'(No. 4431). REF: Sunan Abu Dawud, Book 38 (Kitab al-Hudud, i.e., Prescribed Punishments), No. 4434. It is important to note that instead of enforcing the Qur'anic decree of 100 lashes for extramarital relations, the Prophet (peace be upon him) recommended stoning to death in accordance with the Torah for the Jewish couple, as their punishment was based on the laws outlined in the Torah. Prophet‘s (peace be upon him) judgment is guided by the Quranic verse “To you your religion, and to me my religion!'” It is crucial to highlight that instead of implementing the Qur'anic decree of 100 lashes for extramarital relations, the Prophet recommended stoning to death in accordance with the Torah for the Jewish couple, as their punishment was prescribed by the laws of the Torah. The Prophet's decision was guided by the Quranic principle of "To you your religion, and to me my religion–Qur‘an 109:6.“ Based on the Hadiths, Prophet's (peace be upon him) reverence for the Torah is evidenced by his act of placing it on the cushion where he was seated. His request for a Jewish Torah scholar to interpret the scripture for him signifies that Muslims should refrain from interpreting the scriptures of other faiths. ---- T.O. Shanavas is a native of Kerala, but is now based in the USA. He is the author of “Islamic Theory of Evolution The Missing Link Between Darwin and The Origin of Species.” Co-author of the book, And God Said, "Let There Be Evolution!": Reconciling The Book Of Genesis, The Qur'an, And The Theory Of Evolution. Edited by Prof. Charles M. Wynn and Prof. Arthur W. Wiggins. URL: https://newageislam.com/interfaith-dialogue/muslims-honour-others-faiths-scriptures/d/132725 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism