Now, in order to show you how a true Muslim should behave, we shall translate a letter of our Prophet ‘sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sallam’: The letter which our master the Prophet ‘sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sallam’ had written (by his secretary) addresses to all Muslims and reads as follows: [The original copy of the letter exists on the thirtieth page of the first volume of Majmû’a-i-Munshaa-tus-salâtîn, by Feridun Bey.]
“This letter has been written to inform of the promise that Muhammad ‘sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sallam’, the son of Abdullah, has made to all Christians. Janâb-i-Haqq has given the good news that He has sent him as His compassion, and has assigned to him the task of safekeeping the deposit entrusted to mankind. This Muhammad ‘sall- Allâhu ’alaihi wa sallam’ has had this letter recorded for the purpose of documenting the promise he has given to all non-Muslims.
“If anyone acts contrary to this promise, whether he be a sultan or else, he will have revolted against Janâb-i-Haqq and derided His religion, and will therefore deserve His condemnation. If a Christian priest or tourist is fasting with the intention of worship in a mountain, in a valley, in a desert, in a verdure, in a low place or in the sand, I, on behalf of myself, my friends and acquaintances and all my nation, have revoked all sorts of obligation from them. They are under my protection. I have forgiven them all sorts of taxes that they have had to pay as a requirement of the agreements that we made with other Christians. They may not pay jizya or kharâj, or they may give as much as they wish. Do not force or oppress them. Do not depose their religious leaders. Do not evict them from their temples. Do not prevent them from travelling. Do not demolish any part of their monasteries or churches. Do not confiscate things from their churches or use them in Muslims’ mosques. Whoever does not obey this will have disobeyed the command of Allah and His Messenger and will therefore be sinful. Do not impose such taxes as jizya or gharâmat on those people who do not trade but are always busy over worshipping, no matter where they are. I will preserve their debts on sea or land, in the east or in the west. They are under my protection. I have granted them immunity. Do not impose (the taxes called) kharâj and ’ushr [tithe] for the crops of those who live in mountains and are busy with worship. Do not allot a share for the Bayt-ul-mâl [the State Treasury] out of their crops. For, their agriculture is intended only for subsistence, not for making profit. When you need men for Jihâd (Holy War), do not resort to them. If it is necessary to impose jizya [income tax] (on them), do not take more than twelve dirhams yearly, however rich they may be and however much property they may have. They are not to be taxed with troubles or burdens. If there should be an argument with them, they shall be treated only with pity, kindness and compassion. Always protect them under your wings of mercy and compassion. Whereever they are, do not maltreat Christian women married to Muslim men. Do not prevent them from going to their church and doing the worships prescribed by their religion. Whoever disobeys or acts contrary to this commandment of Allâhu ta’âlâ will have revolted against the commandments of Allâhu ta’âlâ and His Prophet ‘sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sallam’. They shall be helped to repair their churches. This agreement shall be valid and shall remain unchanged till the end of the world, and no one shall be allowed to act contrary to it.”
This agreement was written down by ’Alî ‘radiy-Allâhu ’anh’ in the Masjîd-i-sa’âdat in Medina on the third day of the month of Muharram in the second year of the Hijra. The signatures affixed are:
Muhammad bin ’Abdullah ‘sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sallam’.
Abû Bakr bin Ebî Kuhâfa, ’Umar bin Hattâb, ’Uthmân bin Affân, ’Alî bin Ebî Tâlib, Abû Hurayra, ’Abdullah bin Mes’ûd, ’Abbâs bin ’Abd-ul-muttalib, Fadl bin ’Abbâs, Zubayr bin Awwâm, Talha bin ’Abdullah, Sa’d bin Mu’âz, Sa’d bin Ubâda, Thâbit bin Qays, Zayd bin Thâbit, Hâris bin Thâbit, ’Abdullah bin ’Umar, ’Ammar bin Yâsir ‘radiy-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’anhum ajma’în’.
As is seen, our exalted Prophet ‘sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sallam’ commands that people of other religions should be treated with utmost mercy and kindness and Christian churches should not be harmed or demolished.
Now let us read the translation of the Immunity which ’Umar ‘radiy-Allâhu ’anh’, who is alleged to have destroyed four thousand churches, granted to the people of Elijah during his caliphate. The name of Ilyâs ‘alaihis-salâm’ is known as ‘Elijah’ among Christians. Likewise, they call Jerusalem ‘Ilyâ (Elijah)’.
“Herein is the letter of immunity granted by ’Umar ul-Fârûq ‘radiy-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’anh’, the Emîr of Muslims, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and has been written so as to comprehend their existence, their lives, churches, children, the invalid ones as well as the healthy ones, and all other people; as follows:
“Muslims shall not intrude into their churches, demolish any part of their churches, appropriate even a tiniest piece of their property, or use any sort of enforcement to make them change their religion or modes of worship or convert to Islam. No Muslim shall give them the smallest harm. If they want to leave their hometown by their own accord, their lives, property and chastity shall be protected till they have reached their destination. If they want to stay here they shall be in total security. Only they shall pay the jizya [income tax] which is incumbent upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem. If some of the people of Jerusalem and Byzantines want to leave here together with their families and portable property and evacuate their churches and other places of worship, their lives, churches, travel expenses and possessions shall be protected till they reach their destinations: The aliens shall not be taxed at all till harvest, no matter whether they stay here or go away.”
Signature:
Muslims’ Khalîfa ’Umar bin Hattâb
Witnesses:
Khâlid bin Welîd
’Abd-ur-Rahmân bin ’Awf ’Amr ibn-il ’Âs
Mu’âwiya bin Ebî Sufyân
’Umar ‘radiy-Allâhu ’anh’ attended the siege of Jerusalem with his blessed presence. Christians accepted to pay the jizya and went under the protection of Muslims. They handed the keys of Jerusalem to ’Umar ‘radiy-Allâhu ’anh’ himself. Thus they were freed from the heavy taxations, persecutions, torments, oppressions and cruelties of their own state, Byzantium. Soon they saw the justice and mercy in Muslims, whom they had been looking on as enemies. They realized that Islam was a religion commanding goodness and beauty and guiding people to happiness pertaining to this world and the next. Without the least compulsion or threatening, they accepted Islam in large groups which were mostly the size of a quarter of a town.
A close examination of the two documents provided above will show you once again that the true Muslims, the true religious guides showed great toleration towards all the other religions, helped Christians and Jews, and even repaired their churches and temples, how much less to force them to convert to Islam or destroy their temples. Were not there any Muslims who maltreated Christians? Perhaps, there were some. Yet they were only a small number of ignorant people who were unaware of the commandments of our religion. Those people did so in consequence upon their sensuous indulgences, and were chastised by other Muslims. No Muslim with common sense and with sufficient knowledge of the commandments of Islam followed them. Those people, who were Muslims only in name, persecuted not only Christians but also Muslims. Their misdemeanour has nothing to do with Islam. Allâhu ta’âlâ declares in the hundred and sixty-eighth âyat of Nisâ Sûra of the Qur’ân al-kerîm: “Those who reject Faith and do wrong, –Allah will not forgive them, nor guide them to any way.” (4-168)
If explanations of the Qur’ân al-kerîm are examined, it will be seen that Allâhu ta’âlâ commands (Muslims) always to treat other people with mercy, compassion and forgiveness, to forgive those who harmed you, always to smile benignly and to speak softly, to be patient, and to prefer amity in social relations. It is written in the annals of the world that our Prophet ‘sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sallam’ always recommended amity and offered a compassionate hand even to those who were opposed to him. =>
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RELATED BOOK ONLINE: WHY DID THEY BECOME MUSLIMS?
CHAPTER : ISLAM IS NOT A RELIGION OF SAVAGERY
PAGE : 266-296
