Duty of civility towards other faiths

A MIASMA of sadness and tragedy has enveloped the nation due to the devastating floods and the never-ending Covid-19 pandemic. What is heartening, however, is that in the aftermath of the destructive floods, so many Malaysians reached out to each other with compassion, love and generosity that transcended race and religion.

Due to the circumstances, Christmas celebrations this year were subdued. With a new year around the corner, let us hope and pray that it will restore hope and happiness in our homes and hearts.

Let us hope that we will find the reservoirs of strength in the recesses of our souls to reach new destinations.

Let us pray that as a nation, we will rebuild bridges of understanding and tolerance.

It is sad to note that year after year around Christmas time, the issue is raised by some narrow-minded people whether Muslims can offer felicitations to Christians on their holy day of Christmas. The issue is raised despite the good example of our Yang di-Pertuan Agong, who is the Head of the religion of Islam in eight regions, and several Sultans who head the religion in their own States, who send out warm greetings to their subjects on the tapestry of holy days our country proudly celebrates.

Many enlightened Muslim religious leaders have also issued fatwa on this point. I read with satisfaction the learned advice of Dec 24, 2018 from the mufti of the Federal Territories and the June 2007 advice of the Fatwa Committee of the Islamic Religious Affairs Council that it is permissible for Muslims to wish Merry Christmas to Christians subject to some guidelines.

The guidelines are that Allah does not forbid Muslims from those who do not fight them and do not expel them from their homes. Towards such non-Muslims, there is a duty to be righteous and to act justly (Surah 60:8-9).

Another guideline is that the greetings should not praise or glorify non-Muslim religions and should not use any of their religious symbols in the posting.

My own humble search of the religious texts reveals the following facts.

Islamic civilisation accepts and honours previous religions. The Prophets of all revealed religions are regarded as brothers. Muslims are obliged to believe in them all. “Every nation has its messenger” (10:47). “Nothing has been said to you save what was said to the messengers before you” (41:43).

In Surah 2:136, it is stated: “We believe in Allah and that which has been sent down to us and that which has been sent down to Ibrahim (Abraham), Ismail (Ishmael), Ishaq (Isaac), Yaqoob (Jacob), and to Al-Asbaat (the offspring of the 12 sons of Yaqoob), and that which has been given to Musa (Moses) and Esa (Jesus), and that which has been given to the Prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and we are Muslims in submission to Him.”

The Hebrew prophets and Jesus Christ are deeply respected by Islam. The tombs of the Hebrew prophets are revered by Muslims. The Virgin Mary is given an exalted spiritual position in the Quran; a whole chapter is named after her. All Christians and Jews are given the special status of ahle-kitab (believers in a book).

In this regard, it is instructive to note that the Quran says the Torah contains “guidance and light” (5:44). The Quran refers to the Bible in several places and in Surah 26:196 talks about “ancient books”.

There is a duty of civility towards adherents of other faiths. “And do not argue with the People of the Scripture except in a way that is best” (29: 46). “And insult not those who invoke other than Allah, lest they should insult Allah wrongfully without knowledge” (6:108).

Cooperation with and courtesy towards other religions is recommended (5:5, 6:108).

There is no bar to visiting non-Muslim places of worship. It all depends on the purpose of one’s visit. If the purpose is aesthetic or to seek knowledge or to negotiate goodwill, there is no religious bar. Muslim texts exquisitely state that “the whole earth is a mosque.”

Differences of religion should not make people fight one another or commit aggression, rather they should cooperate in doing good and warding off evil (5:2, 5:5).

In innumerable passages, the Quran recognises religious pluralism. In Surah 11:118, it is declared: “If thy Lord had so willed, He could have made mankind one people: but they will not cease to dispute.”

In Surah 10:99, there is this admonition: “Had your Lord willed, those on Earth would have believed, all of them together. Will you then compel people against their will to believe?”

In 18:29, it is commanded: “Let him who will, believe; and let him who will, disbelieve.” “Allah alone is the One who will judge between them on the Day of Resurrection” (2:113).

In 2:256, it states: “There is no compulsion in religion.”

In 109:6, there is the exquisite passage: “Unto you your religion, unto me mine.”

All places of worship are sacred and must be defended. In Surah 22:40, the Quran speaks of monasteries, churches, synagogues and mosques “as places in which God is commemorated in abundant measure.”

In a well-known verse in the Quran, God says: “O men! Behold, We have created you all out of a male and a female, and have made you into nations and tribes, so that you might come to know one another.”

Indian scholar Waris Mazhari suggests that “knowing each other” means that people from diverse backgrounds must come closer to each other and assist one another. This verse can also be read as a call for interfaith and inter-community understanding and cooperation.

According to Mazhari, by underscoring the fact that human diversity is a God-given phenomenon, the Quran teaches us about the importance of unity in diversity.

In the early history of Islam, Muslims and Christians often prayed simultaneously in many churches, for example, the Cathedral of Saint John in Damascus. Likewise, Prophet Muhammad allowed the Christians of Najran to pray in Muslim mosques.

When Prophet Muhammad migrated to Madinah, one of the first affairs of state that he dealt with was to establish a treaty with the Jews, according to which their beliefs were to be respected and the state was obliged to ward off harm from them.

Prophet Muhammad’s message to the Monks of Saint Catherine in Mount Sinai is a shining example of religious tolerance.

In sum, devotion to one’s religion does not require hating others who love God differently. The character of faith is not a sense of superiority over others because of what you have and they have not.

The character of faith is not violence towards and vitriol for “the other”. The character of faith is to recognise that love of God and fidelity to religion are manifested in kindness towards all humanity.

A truly religious person must reject hatred, ill-will and prejudice. At least this is the message of Islam that many of us were brought up in.

The author is the Holder of the Tunku Abdul Rahman Chair at UM. He wishes all Malaysians a Happy New Year. The views expressed here are the writer’s own.