It is a presentation about interreligious behaviour specially behaviour of islam with other religions in the light of Quran and Sunnah of the prophet.

1. ATTITUDE OF ISLAM TOWARDS OTHER RELIGION
Dr. Sanjan Ali Hazarika
Retired Prof. of Physics
Jorhat Engineering College
Ex Prof. of Physics Kaziranga University

2. ISLAM FACED FIERCE OPPOSITION FROM THE PAGAN ARABS OF MECCA (NON
MUSLIMS) FROM ITS NASCENT STAGE
 They threatened him to stop the spread of the message.
 They asked other people not to listen to the Prophet (SAS) and accept his
call for Islam
 They requested his uncle and guardian Abu Talib to withdraw his support
to the Prophet so that they can harm him at any time, which his uncle
refused.
 They offered him wealth and promised to provide him whatever he
wanted if he stops the spread of Islam.
 They tortured their relatives and the poor whoever accepted Islam.

3. When they failed in all respect to compel the prophet in stopping the
spread of Islam they offered a proposal for compromise. They agree to
worship the God of Prophet Muhammad(SAS) and in return asked the Prophet
to worship their gods(idols). Surah Kaferun was reveled after this proposal
 Q109:
1. Say : O ye that reject Faith!
2. I worship not that which ye worship,
3. Nor will ye worship that which I worship.
4. And I will not worship that which ye have been wont to worship,
5. Nor will ye worship that which I worship.
6. To you be your Way, and to me mine.

4. Allah commanded not to deviate from the path of Islamic monotheism also
commanded not to impose the message of Islam on others by force
Q53: 29.
Therefore shun those who turn away from Our Message and desire nothing
but the life of this world.

5. During the initial stage in Mecca the poor people who accepted Islam
were tortured by the leaders of Mecca. But they never gave up Islam even
at the cost of their lives. But Allah commanded to be patient.
Hisham and Ayash two Meccan youths accepted Islam But they gave
up due to the torture of the Meccans. Then the following ayat was reveled.
 Q16:106
 “Any one who, after accepting faith in Allah, utters Unbelief, except under
compulsion, his heart remaining firm in Faith - but such as open their breast
to unbelief, on them is Wrath from Allah, and theirs will be a dreadful
Penalty.”

6. After this ayat was reveled the two youths returned to Islam and prophet(SAS)
accepted them. Similar cases are happening in different parts of the world,
where some people pressurize muslims to shout slogans in praise of their gods
There is no harm in shouting such slogans in praise of gods of other religions or to
eat something forbidden in Islam or pretend to be a non muslim under
compulsion in order to save ones life.

7. Allah commands to behave politely and kindly to any religion unless they
prohibit you from following your belief.
 Q60:8
 Allah forbids you not, with regard to those who fight you not for (your) Faith
nor drive you out of your homes, from dealing kindly and justly with them: for
Allah loveth those who are just.

8. In order that people of other religion do not insult your God or your Books
do not insult gods of other religions.
6: 107. Had He willed they would not have been idolaters. We have not
appointed you their guardian, nor are you their pleader.
6:108. Do not revile those who invoke others apart from God, lest they
begin to revile God out of malice and ignorance. We have made
attractive their deeds to every people. They have to go back to their
Lord, when He will tell them what they used to do.

9. Many a time some Islamic clerics and fanatics call the followers of
other religions by the terms bedin, kafer etc.
42:13. He has laid down for you the (same) way of life and belief
which He had commended to Noah, and which We have enjoined
on you, and which We had bequeathed to Abraham, Moses and
Jesus, so that they should maintain the order and not be divided
among themselves. Heavy is to idolaters what you invite them to.
God chooses whom He please for Himself, and guides to Himself
whoever turns to Him.

10.  2:136. Say: "We believe in God and what has been sent down to us, and
what had been revealed to Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac and Jacob
and their progeny, and that which was given to Moses and Christ, and to
all other prophets by the Lord. We make no distinction among them,
and we submit to Him.“
 3: 84. Say: "We believe in God, and in what has been revealed to us, and
in what had been sent down to Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac and
Jacob and their offspring, and what had been revealed to Moses and to
Jesus and to all other prophets by their Lord. We make no distinction
between them, and we submit to Him and obey."

11.  4: 136. O believers, believe in God and His Messenger and the Book
He has revealed to His Apostle, and the Books revealed before. But
he who believes not in God and His angels and the Books and the
prophets and the Last Day, has wandered far away.
 Give the Sebians the same treatment as for the people of holy
scripture.
(Malik’s Muwatta Book 17, No -42)
Sebian was a pre-islamic religion which vanished before the advent
of Islam

12. What the Quran meant by the word ‘kafer’ or ‘munafiq’ were the desert
Arabs who were perverse to the message of guidance and were
hypocrites.
 9: 97. The Arabs of the desert are the worst in Unbelief and hypocrisy,
and most fitted to be in ignorance of the command which Allah hath
sent down to His Messenger. But Allah is All-knowing, All-Wise.
The adjectives like ‘Kafer’, ‘Bedin’ best suite for these people only

13. During Prophet’s time the Arabs had trade with India. It is due to
the Arab traders that the Chera King in Kerala came to know about
prophet Muhammad(SAS) and accepted Islam after meeting him
personally in Medina. On his return journey he died in Oman. It was due
to his wish that Islam spread to India and Cheraman Jumma Masjid was
established in Kerala in AD 629. (During the life time of the prophet).

14.  First Mosque in China was established in AD628 in Canton or
Guangzhou during the Prophet’s(SAS)life time.There is a saying of the
prophet
“Earn knowledge even if you have to go to China”
Though the Prophet (SAS) knew about the religion of the people of China
and India he never called them ‘kafer’ or ‘bedin’ and their countries
‘country of kafer or bedin.

15.  During the Caliphate of 1st Caliph Hadra Abu Bakkar(RA) when he sent
army for conquest of Syria and Iraq he gave special instruction to the
army “As you advance you will encounter men of religion who inhabit
the monastries and who serve god in seclusion from the world, leave
them be. Do not take their lives and do not destroy their monastries.”
 In 711AD during the Umayad rule of caliphWalid I, Muhammad ibn
Qasim conquered Sind of India(which is a state of Pakistan now). The
Hindu religion was recognized by the Umayad Caliph as an established
religion.

16. Important points
 Islam recommends maintaining friendly relation with all the established
religions.
 In countries where muslims are minority, there is no harm if a muslim
performs some un islamic rituals for saving his live under compulsion, his
faith remaining same.
 The words ‘kafer’ and ‘bedin’ should not be applied to the followers of
established religions.
 Religious places and the people of other religion should not be disturbed
without a cause.