Month: April 2016

In a society where religion and knowledge in general and science in particular do not go hand in hand, it seems necessary to briefly describe the position of Islam vis-à-vis knowledge, Islam, in theory as well as in practice, has always promoted knowledge. Distinctive mark of human beings over the an­gels is knowledge:

“And Allah taught Adam all the names…” (2:31)

The first verses of the Quran began with the word:

“Read. Read in the name of thy Lord who created; [He] created the human being from blood clot. Read in the name of thy Lord who taught by the pen: [He] taught the human being what he did not know.” (96: 1-5).

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Religious Tolerance in Islam Religious Tolerance in Islam
One of the most important aspects of the Human Rights issue is the respect and tolerance which society must show towards the religions of other people; this, of course, includes the issue of freedom of reli­gion. Tonight I would like to talk very briefly about the Islamic point of view on religious tolerance.

The Qur’anic Point of View

Islam, like Judaism and Christianity, believes in prophets and messengers of God- One inter­esting way of understanding the Islamic view on freedom of religion is to look at the role of the prophets and messengers.

Had they been sent to forcefully bring the people into their teachings? Were Moses, Jesus and Muhammad ordered by the Almighty to impose their teachings upon the people by sword? Absolutely not! Look at the Qur’an, the holy scripture of Islam; the revealed words of God where He clearly outlines the duty of his mes­sengers by saying:

“(And as for My messenger,) there is no (obligation) on him except to deliver (the. message). God knows what yon expose and what conceal”. (5:99).

 

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