Interfaith harmony
These days, unfortunately due to the behaviour of fanatical religious factions, messages are spreading in the media that "Islam does not say that all men are equal in the sight of God".
According to the Holy Qur'an, salvation cannot be monopolised by any religion. The question of salvation, however innocent it may seem in the aggregate, is important in terms of its potential against peace in the inter-religious world. It is quite a different thing for a religion to declare that those who seek to be redeemed from Satan and attain salvation should hasten to the safe haven of that religion, where they will find salvation and eternal deliverance from sin, than for the same religion to then declare that those who have not sought refuge in its doctrine will be eternally condemned without remission: however much they may do to please God, however much they may love their Creator and His creation, however much they may try to lead a life of purity and piety, they will be condemned with absolute certainty to eternal Fire. Whenever such a rigid, intolerant and strict viewpoint is expressed in provocative language, as is often uttered by religious fanatics, violent riots ensue.
A large number of religiously inclined people, both educated and illiterate, tend to react violently when they feel that their religious sensibilities are offended. Unfortunately, the latter seems to be the attitude of the clerics of almost all religions towards those who do not subscribe to their faith. Even Islam is presented by most of its medieval scholars as the only door to Salvation in the sense that all descendants of Adam who have lived outside the realm of Islam are denied Salvation. Christianity does not offer a different view, nor does any other religion to our knowledge. But let me assure readers that the attribution of this intolerant and strict view to Islam is unwarranted.
The Holy Qur'an has a completely different account to offer in this regard. According to the Holy Qur'an, Salvation cannot be monopolised by any religion of the world. Even if new truths are revealed and new ages of light are born, those who live a life of ignorance without being guilty of it, and those who try to lead a life of sincerity even though they have inherited false ideologies, these God will not deny Salvation to.
The following verses of the Holy Qur'an reflect this belief:
"For every people We have appointed modes of worship which they observe; let them not therefore dispute with thee concerning the Islamic mode of worship; and call thy people to thy Lord." (Q. 22: Al Hall: 68)
In another verse, the Holy Qur'an states in the same context:
"Verily, those who have believed in Muhammad, and the Jews, and the Sabeans, and the Christians: those who believe in Al-lah and the Last Day and do good deeds, on them shall not fear befall nor shall they be afflicted" (Q.5: Al-Maidah: 70).
Let me remind you that, although the People of the Book is a term that applies to Jews and Christians, it potentially has a wider scope of application. In the context of the Qur'anic statement that "there is no people in the world to whom We have not sent a Messenger" and similar verses mentioned above, there is no doubt that it is not only the people of the Old Testament and the Gospel (the Torah and the Injeel) to whom the Book was given, but indeed, other Books were revealed for the benefit of mankind. Therefore, all religions that have claimed to be based on Divine revelation are to be included among the People of the Book.
Likewise, the Holy Qur'an employs the term "Sabi" which sheds additional light on the subject and clears the doubt. "Sabi" is a term used by the Arabs that applies to the followers of all non-Arab and non-Semitic religions that possess their own revealed Books. Thus, all followers of religions based on Divine revelation, provided they have not genuinely refused to recognise the light of a new religion and have sincerely and honestly adhered to the values of their ancestral religion, will have nothing to fear from God and will not be denied Salvation.
The Holy Qur'an, speaking of any group among the believers: Jews, Christians and Sabeans, promises:
"They shall have their reward from their Lord, no fear shall overtake them, nor shall they be afflicted (Q.2: Al-Baqarah: 63)".
To prevent Muslims from indiscriminately censuring those who do not belong to Islam, the Holy Qur'an emphatically states:
"They are not all alike. Among the People of the Book there is a group who fulfil their covenant; they recite the word of Allah during the night hours and prostrate themselves before Him. They believe in Allah and the Last Day, they enjoin what is good and forbid what is evil, and rival one another in good deeds. And these are among the righteous. And of their good deeds they will not be denied due reward; and Allah knows well those who guard against evil (Q.3: Al-Imran: 114-116)".
There is a great misunderstanding today, originating in the recent political disputes between Jews and Muslims, that according to Islam, all Jews will be condemned to hell. This is completely false in the light of the above verse from the Holy Qur'an and in the light of the following verse:
"Of the people of Moses there is a group that exhorts the nations with truth and establishes justice (Q.7: Al-A'raf: 160)"
We wish to conclude that the Holy Qur'an declares in no uncertain terms that it is not only Muslims who stand firmly on truth and who commend and dispense justice and virtue among the followers of other faiths. There are also other people who are in the same situation.
Referring to the religions of the world in general, the Holy Qur'an states:
"Among those whom We have created there are people who guide men with truth and do justice with it (Q.7: Al-A'raf: 182)."
Let us therefore seek what unites us and not what differentiates us, in order to escape the polarisations into which religious fanaticisms want to plunge us.