Should Christians
and Muslims be archenemies?
Christians
have no reason whatsoever to persecute anyone; they are mandated to love their
neighbors. However, Islamic State’s (ISIS) persecution of Christians has
probably amplified the Islam-Christianity divide – the notion that Islam constantly
endeavors to persecute Christians.
During the few
years I lived in the Kingdom of Bahrain, I was constantly thankful to God for
the peaceful ambiance offered by the rulers of Bahrain to the Christians. My Christian
friends living in the Arabian Peninsula would affirm this perception from their
location.
Sincere Muslims
abide by Prophet Muhammad’s mandates. Hence, examining Prophet Muhammad’s
attitude towards Christians is an appropriate vantage point to study the dynamics
of relationship between Muslims and Christians.
“Achtiname of Muhammad” is a letter
written by Prophet Muhammad upon the request of a delegation from St.
Catherine’s monastery - world’s oldest monastery located at the foot of Mt.
Sinai. St. Catherine’s monastery is a treasure house of Christian history and a
world heritage site that remained safe for 1400 years under Islamic protection.
Prophet
Muhammad’s letter to St. Catherine's monastery, affirmed for its historical
authenticity and preserved in the Topkapi Museum in Istanbul, states his firm support
to the Christians then and now, “This is
a message from Muhammad ibn Abdullah, as a covenant to those who adopt
Christianity, near and far, we are with them. Verily I, the servants, the
helpers, and my followers defend them, because Christians are my citizens; and
by Allah! I hold out against anything that displeases them…
…No one is to destroy a house of
their religion, to damage it, or to carry anything from it to the Muslims’
houses. Should anyone take any of these, he would spoil God’s covenant and
disobey His Prophet. Verily, they are my allies and have my secure charter
against all that they hate…
…Their churches are to be respected.
They are neither to be prevented from repairing them nor the sacredness of
their covenants. No one of the nation (Muslims) is to disobey the covenant till
the Last Day (end of the world).” [1]
This is the
English translation of the “Achtiname” by Anton F. Haddad:
“This is a letter which was issued
by Mohammed, Ibn Abdullah, the Messenger, the Prophet, the Faithful, who is
sent to all the people as a trust on the part of God to all His creatures, that
they may have no plea against God hereafter. Verily God is the Mighty, the
Wise. This letter is directed to the embracers of Islam, as a covenant given to
the followers of Nazarene in the East and West, the far and near, the Arabs and
foreigners, the known and the unknown.
This letter contains the oath given
unto them, and he who disobeys that which is therein will be considered a
disobeyer and a transgressor to that whereunto he is commanded. He will be
regarded as one who has corrupted the oath of God, disbelieved His Testament,
rejected His Authority, despised His Religion, and made himself deserving of
His Curse, whether he is a Sultan or any other believer of Islam. Whenever
monks, devotees and pilgrims gather together, whether in a mountain or valley,
or den, or frequented place, or plain, or church, or in houses of worship,
verily we are [at the] back of them and shall protect them, and their
properties and their morals, by Myself, by My Friends and by My Assistants, for
they are of My Subjects and under My Protection.
I shall exempt them from that which
may disturb them…nor the monks disturbed in exercising their religious order,
or the people of seclusion be stopped from dwelling in their cells.
No one is allowed to plunder the
pilgrims, or destroy or spoil any of their churches, or houses of worship, or
take any of the things contained within these houses and bring it to the houses
of Islam. And he who takes away anything therefrom, will be one who has
corrupted the oath of God, and, in truth, disobeyed His Messenger…for they are
under My Protection and the testament of My Safety, against all things which
they abhor.
No taxes or tithes should be
received from those who devote themselves to the worship of God in the
mountains, or from those who cultivate the Holy Lands. No one has the right to
interfere with their affairs, or bring any action against them. Verily this is
for aught else and not for them; rather, in the seasons of crops, they should
be given a Kadah for each Ardab of wheat (about five bushels and a half) as
provision for them, and no one has the right to say to them this is too much,
or ask them to pay any tax.
As to those who possess properties,
the wealthy and merchants, the poll-tax to be taken from them must not exceed
twelve Dirhams a head per year (i.e. about 45 cents).
They shall not be imposed upon by
anyone to undertake a journey, or to be forced to go to wars or to carry arms;
for the Muslims have to fight for them. Do no dispute or argue with them, but
deal according to the verse recorded in the Koran, to wit: ‘Do not dispute or
argue with the People of the Book but in that which is best’ [29:46]. Thus they
will live favored and protected from everything which may offend them by the
Callers to religion (Islam), wherever they may be and in any place they may
dwell.
Should any Christian woman be
married to a Musulman, such marriage must not take place except after her
consent, and she must not be prevented from going to her church for prayer.
Their churches must be honored and they must not be withheld from building
churches or repairing convents.
They must not be forced to carry
arms or stones; but the Muslims must protect them and defend them against
others. It is positively incumbent upon every one of the Islam nation not to
contradict or disobey this oath until the Day of Resurrection and the end of
the world.” [2]
Dr. Muqtedar
Khan, Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, University of
Delaware, and founding director of Islamic Studies program, asserts the
implications of Prophet Muhammad’s letter, “The
first and the final sentence of the charter are critical. They make the promise
eternal and universal. Muhammed asserts that Muslims are with Christians near
and far, straight away rejecting any future attempts to limit the promise to
St. Catherine alone.
By ordering Muslims to obey it until
the Day of Judgment the charter again undermines any future attempts to revoke
the privileges. These rights are inalienable.
Muhammed declared Christians, all of
them, as his allies and he equated ill treatment of Christians with violating
God’s covenant.
A remarkable aspect of the charter
is that it imposes no conditions on Christians for enjoying its privileges. It
is enough that they are Christians. They are not required to alter their
beliefs, they do not have to make any payments and they do not have any
obligations. This is a charter of rights without any duties!” [3]
Sincere Muslims
revere Prophet Muhammad and abide by his teachings. Therefore, Muslims, namely
the ISIS and the likes, who persecute Christians despite the “Achtiname” are
disobeying their Prophet.
Another
significant implication of the “Achtiname” is upon the existence of Christian churches
in Islamic nations. Islamic nations should not prevent the existence of the Christian
church.
In other words,
Christians should be allowed to worship their God in public and in the
community of fellow Christians in Islamic nations. Islamic nations should allow Christians to worship
without inhibition.
If Prophet
Muhammad had indeed affirmed his support to Christians, there should be an indestructible
brotherly relationship between Muslims and Christians, despite the
irreconcilable differences in theology.
Endnotes:
[1]
http://newsrescue.com/letter-to-all-christians-from-prophet-muhammad-sa/
[2] Ibid.
[3] http://www.faithstreet.com/onfaith/2009/12/30/prophet-muhammads-promise-to-christians/125
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