SIMPLICITY

The Prophet said to Zayd: “There are still three more days to go for the date of payment”. The gracious nobility of the Prophet attracted Zayd to accept Islam.

 This shows how the Prophet, the very head of the religion and regime, lived in indebtedness though the use of public funds was at his pleasure. The fearless manner in which the Jew forced the Prophet to return the loan is a tacit testimony to the tolerance and justice enjoyed by the Jews and Christians in the days of the Prophet. In those days mostly the Jews in Medina were rich and the Christians owned lands.

 Caliph Umar further expounded the tolerance of Islam. One day, the Patriarch of Jerusalem and Caliph Umar were  touring holy places. While they were in the Church of Resurrection, the Patriarch bade the Caliph to say his prayer there , as it was the appointed hour of prayer. But the Caliph Umar thoughtfully refused, saying that if he were to do so, his followers in future might claim it as a place of Muslim worship. He prayed on the steps of the Church.

 The Caliph Umar would periodically place before his Christian servant the beauty and simplicity of Islam to persuade him to become a Muslim. The servant would also say: “No, I don’t accept”. On his refusal, Umar would assure him that Islam does not condone compulsion. This is an excellent example of tolerance beginning at home.

 Another towering example of Muslim tolerance can be seen in the tale of the broken nose of the statue of Christ.

One morning, in Egypt, the nose of a statue of Christ was found broken. As a result, a tumultuous commotion erupted in the Christian quarters of Alexandria. It was suspected to have been done by a Muslim miscreant.

  Amr-al-As, the Arab Commander of Egypt condemned the act and requested the Archbishop to repair or renew the statue. Amr offered to meet the cost.

 The Bishop said: “You know the Christ is son of God, so vulgar money cannot compensate the vandalism done to his image. There is only one remedy. We shall build the statue of your Prophet and break its nose”.

 Amr, in unbearable agony, observed: “You elect to erect the statue of one whose sole mission was to abolish idol worship. Better still, I am prepared to cut of the nose of any one of us for the nose of the image”. The Bishop accepted the offer!

 The Caliph stunned the stupendous crowd by offering his own nose lamenting the laxity in his administration. As the Bishop was about to cut the nose, the dreadful silence was suddenly broken by a Muslim soldier who confessed the crime and produced the broken nose and also his own nose for cutting.

 The Bishop dramatically dropped the sword and said: “Blessed is the soldier, and the Commander and above all, blessed is the noble Prophet whose ideal has created men like you. It is indeed wrong to break the image, but it will be a greater wrong to mangle a man’s face”.

 There are countless examples of the impartiality of Muslim rulers. The rulers had also at many times acted as protectors of the Churches. Mu’awiyah (611-680) set an enlightened example by largely employing Christians in his service.

 Later reigning houses followed his good example. A Christian Arab was court poet and another advisor to Caliph Abd-al-Malik (685-705). In the service of the Caliph Mu’tasim(833-842) there were two Christian brothers, one served as Chief Secretary and the other as keeper of the privy seal. He also headed the Public Treasury which was the preserve of the Muslims. When he died his body was placed in the palace and all religious rights were accorded with great solemnity.

 At the close of the eighth century, a Christian secretary to Abu Musa Mus’ab, Governor of Mosul, used his powerful influence for the benefit of Christians. During the days of Al-Mu’tamid (870-892), administration of the army was entrusted to a Christian and his son was secretary to the Government.

 In the reign of Al-Mu’ladid (892-902), the Governor of Anbar was a Christian. In this case preference was given to a Christian against Muslim and Jew or Zorastrian since he was found competent for the post. This appears to have been to have been the policy in the matter of appointment under many Caliphs.

During the reign of Al-Muqtadir (908-932), a Christian was again in charge of the war office. Nasar bin Harun, Prime Minister of Adud-al-Dawlah (949-982) who ruled Southern Persia and Iraq, was a Christian.

 During the days of Saladin (1169-1193), Egyptian Christians crowded into the public offices as secretaries, accountants and registrars. They also became personal physicians to Caliphs and Governors. Christians accumulated enormous wealth in private pursuits.

 Religious differences did not stand in the way of learning under some Caliphs. When Caliph Al-Mamun designated a Christian as the principal of the College of Damascus, he said: “I chose this learned man not to be my guide in religious matters but to be my teacher of science”.

 Christians were bodyguards to the Sultan of Tunis. These Christians were congratulated for their adherence to Christianity by Charles V when he captured Tunis in 1535.

 Several Popes recommended the care of native Christian populations to Arab rulers and exhorted the Christians to serve their Muslim rulers faithfully. Arab rulers of the various North African kingdoms employed Christian soldiers and granted frequent treaties to Christian merchants and settlers for the free exercise of their religion.

 New synagogues, churches and monasteries were built and renewed in all the countries that come under Muslim rule during the days of the Prophet, the Caliphs and thereafter.

Some of them were built even in Muslim localities and new capital cities. Where the entire population became Muslim, they voluntarily converted their churches into mosques.

 The Muslim administrators often restored churches to their rightful owners from the possession of rival sects. When differences arose among various churches, the Muslim rulers were impartial and dealt fairly with all their Christian subjects.

 Nestorian Christians developed renewed religious vigour after becoming subjects of Muslims. The security they enjoyed under the Caliphs enabled them to venture abroad. Their missionaries spread across Asia and went to China and India, and also gained a foothold in Egypt. Similar religious activities were open to other Christian churches.

                                                                              ACTIVITIES

Muslim Governments throughout history had given to non-Muslim communities autonomy in their internal affairs. Christians were tried by their own judges and in accordance with their own laws.

 In some countries their Courts imposed fines, imprisoned offenders and in certain cases even condemned to capital punishment. The churches, synagogues and monasteries were, for the most part,  not interfered with and allowed freely to follow all the solemnities of their religious rituals and festivals.

 In the days of the Prophet, the Muslims gave protection to forbidden articles like liquor which belonged to Jews and Christians. When a Jew committed adultery, the Prophet asked him to read his Jewish scripture and made him accept the punishment mentioned therein.