People
of the Book are One Another's
Trusted Friends
Islam is the religion of peace, love and
tolerance. However, nowadays certain circles are trying
to give Islamic morality the wrong image. The religion of
Islam commands people to create an "abode of peace and well-being"
on the face of the Earth, but those circles try to show
the opposite of this as if there was a conflict between
followers of other religions and Muslims. However, the view
Islamic morality takes of Jews and Christians known in the
Qur'an as the "People of the Book" is extremely just and
merciful. God makes this known in the Qur'an as follows:
God does not forbid you from being good to those who
have not fought you in the religion or driven you from
your homes, or from being just towards them. God loves
those who are just. (Qur'an, 60:8)
Only argue with the People of the Book in the kindest
way - except in the case of those of them who do wrong
- saying, "We believe in what has been sent down to us
and what was sent down to you. Our God and your God are
one and we submit to Him." (Qur'an, 29:46)
The Qur'an states that there are those
among the People of the Book who are sincere in their belief:
Among the People of the Book there are some who believe
in God and in what has been sent down to you and what
was sent down to them, and who are humble before God.
They do not sell God's signs for a paltry price. Such
people will have their reward with their Lord. And God
is swift at reckoning. (Qur'an, 3:199)
... There is a community among the People of the Book
who are upright. They recite God's signs throughout the
night, and they prostrate. They believe in God and the
Last Day, and enjoin the right and forbid the wrong, and
compete in doing good. They are among the righteous. You
will not be denied the reward for any good thing you do.
God knows those who guard against evil. (Qur'an, 3:113-115)
Those who believe and
those who are Jews and the Sabaeans and the Christians,
all who believe in God and the Last Day and act rightly
will feel no fear and will know no sorrow. (Qur'an, 5:69)
In the books of truth sent by God as guidance
to His people, a community model is described that is based
on love, peace, tolerance and justice. For example, in the
Qur'an God tells that the Torah brought down to the Jews
is a guidance for people:
We sent down the Torah
containing guidance and light, and the prophets who had
submitted themselves gave judgment by it for the Jews -
as did their scholars and their rabbis - by what they had
been allowed to preserve of God's Book to which they were
witnesses... (Qur'an, 5:44)
The arguments and conflicts between Jews,
Christians and Muslims based on historical problems, prejudices,
misunderstandings and misapprehensions should be put to
an end once and for all. Followers of all three religions
should live in mutual understanding and tolerance. What
is important is to bring up points in common rather than
differences, to be helpful rather than troublesome, constructive
rather than destructive, cooperative rather than obstructive,
integral rather than separate, and to cause unity rather
than segregation. In the Qur'an God makes known as follows
this responsibility of the believers:
Those who do not believe
are the friends and protectors of one another. If you do
not act in this way there will be turmoil in the land and
great corruption. (Qur'an, 8:73)
God has ordered the believers to be the
peacemakers and protectors of peace on Earth. He has condemned
those who disturb peace on Earth, declare war without just
cause (such as defense or salvation from oppression), disrupters,
and killers of innocent people. Our Lord has ordered believers
to create a world where all people can live in peace and
it is one of the important responsibilities to ensure peace
and security for mankind.
At the root of wars, conflicts and all
forms of corruption is man's distancing from the true religious
moral values. Sometimes the perverse interpretations of
certain individuals allegedly in the name of religion can
influence people who have insufficient knowledge of the
true religious ethic. And this may cause them to commit
acts that are totally inappropriate in terms of religious
ethic. The solidarity of the believers gains importance
in the face of people who believe in the necessity of solving
disagreements and problems by violent means, those who persecute
people with oppressive and despotic implementations.
Every Christian, Muslim or Jewish believer
is obliged to do his utmost to strive to this end. It is
right for those Muslims, Jews and Christians who believe
in one God, who try to gain His approval, who have surrendered
to Him, whose hearts are bound to Him, who praise Him, and
who essentially defend the same values, to act in partnership.
Sincere believers should unite in order to live according
to the moral values of religion, prevent the disasters caused
by irreligion, struggle intellectually against atheism and
materialism.
Prejudices arising from ignorance or the
provocations of those who are against the religious moral
values should be banished. Jews, Christians and Muslims
should try to cooperate to spread the high moral values
on Earth. This cooperation should be built on the founding
principles of love, respect, tolerance, understanding, harmony
and cooperation. It is necessary to consider the immediate
need for action, and to keep far away from elements that
can lead to conflict, argument and dissidence. In the Qur'an
the Muslims' call to the People of the Book for unity is
made known as follows:
Say: "People
of the Book! Come to a proposition which is the same for us
and you - that we should worship none but God and not associate
any partners with Him and not take one another as lords besides
God." (Qur'an, 3:64) |
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