Prophet Mohammad and Early Muslim Rulers Supported Religious Freedom and Diversity

By Grace Mubashir, New Age Islam

28 October 2023

A New Book On Prophet's Covenants And That Of Early Muslim Rulers Proves The Fact. The Book Reveals Historical Importance Of Religious Tolerance For Muslims. Contemporary Muslims Have To Learn From Exemplary Religious Tolerance Shown By Prophet.

Major Points:

1.        The new book analyses the interfaith covenants of early Islam in scientific terms

2.        The book refutes the allegation that these covenants were forges

3.        The book is an addition to explore interreligious approach of Islam

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The Covenants of the Prophet Muḥammad From Shared Historical Memory to Peaceful Co-existence

By Ibrahim Mohamed Zein, Ahmed El-Wakil

Publisher: Routledge

Year of publication: 2022

Price: 3780 Indian Rupee

Pages: 326

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‘The Covenants of the Prophet Muhammed From Shared Historical Memory to Peaceful Co-existence’ is a research-oriented study of early Islam by accurately determining the analysis and historicity of the covenants of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) that offered protection to diverse faith communities. This book, published by Routledge, focuses on the analysis of both structural and linguistic changes in the documents, which have not received much attention in the academic world, and traces the relationship of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) to other faith communities.

In this, it is seen that the treaties of many Muslim rulers like Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), Umar bin Khattab, Ali bin Abi Talib, and Muawiyatu bin Abi Sufyan are being analysed. The authors present their findings broadly in relation to contemporary historical writings, historical testimonies, archaeological evidence, historical inscriptions, date calculations, textual parallels, and references in Muslim and non-Muslim sources. This study attempts to strengthen this field of history by incorporating new and updated translations of the various covenants issued by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Literary and historical analysis shows that the text also establishes that the surviving copies of the letter should not be viewed as fakes.

Chapter 1 provides an overview of the covenants and related Islamic texts. The second chapter moves into an extended discussion of the Prophet's covenant with the hermits on Mount Sinai. The next chapter covers the Prophet's relationship with the Christians of Najran. Later it looks into Ali's treaty with the Christians of Iraq.

Also, it examines the Prophet's covenants with Armenian Christians, Copts, and Jacobites, his rebuke to the Armenian Patriarch Abraham, and six separate covenant documents: Yuhanna ibn Ruba and Tamimul Dari. This chapter introduces an extensive description, listing the names of the witnesses of all the covenants of the Prophet. the details of the covenant with the Samaritans, the covenant with the Banu Sakan, the covenant with the Jews of Khyber and Makhna, the covenant with the Israelites, and the covenant with the Magi are divided into chapters five and six. The sixth chapter covers in detail the policies and attitudes of Umar (RA) and his governors. It describes how they followed the Sunnah of the Prophets during their lifetime and how they translated them to the general public.

Khalid bin Waleed's treaty with the people of Damascus, Umar's surrender treaty with the Christians of Jerusalem, and the Jacobite treaty, all offer an account of the coexistence of the Islamic world, religiously diversity, with emphasis on how they should be interpreted and understood even though many Hadiths and Qur'anic verses apparently contradict such policies.

Finally, concluding this, the book adds how Islam made possible the co-existence model and spread it through the society through the Prophets.

Morrow's book, The Covenants of the Prophet Muhammad with the Christians of the World, describes documents that the Prophet Muhammad allegedly gave to non-Muslim communities promising protection of their lives, wealth, and property. Since the terms and conditions of the treaties are applicable from the time they are written until the end of the world, they guarantee inalienable rights to the non-Muslim communities living under Islam. Islam gives great tolerance and authenticity to other communities through these fascinating documents. That led to the reaction of most Western academics to dismiss such sources as falsifications.

The argument that these documents were fake was acceptable in the last century. Because these documents were in the possession of only a few at that time. For the first time, researchers are able to closely compare different versions of these documents from specific religious communities. Accusations that they are Islamic forgeries or equivalent to Constantine's forgeries are historically unhelpful and scientifically unfounded.

So, the fair question is, are these treaties authentic? and what is meant by 'authentic'? Authenticity refers to the claim that the copies we have today are the same as those of the Prophet and the first Caliphs of Islam. The answer to this question is clearly 'no'. Are the copies of the covenants we have today faithful copies of the original covenants given by the Prophet and the first caliphs of Islam to the non-Muslim communities of their time? That would be a great question. The answer to this question, the reader will answer as a categorical 'yes'.

Ahmadul Waqil has spent eight years studying the social ethics of the Prophets and the covenants specifically in the Islamic world. Co-author Muhammad Sain has spent five years extensively researching such treaties. Hence there is no doubt that the book has a general authenticity in approaching them. Together, they extensively examine manuscripts that have not been studied or possessed by scholars who generalize covenants as essential to the survival of society. In the absence of hard evidence, it remains acceptable in academia to this day to reject the authenticity of such treaties, and sometimes even to reject them altogether. Moreover, the allegation that the forged treaties were forged is an insult to the clerics and Muslim scholars of the religious communities that inherited them. Despite unfair accusations of insulting them, the Greek Orthodox Church, which has supported the treaty for centuries, has stood firm on this matter and is to be commended.

Criticism of the covenants of the Prophet Muhammad is not new. Ibn al-Jawzi reports a relevant account of Khatib al-Baghdadi (10 May 1002 – 5 September 1071) in his 'al-Muntasim fi Tariq al-Muluqi wal-Umam'. Khatib al-Baghdadi was the first Muslim scholar to reject the authenticity of the Treaties. Once he returned to Baghdad, he was on very good terms with the minister Abul Qasim bin Maslama. During that period, the Jews presented a copy of a text claiming to be from the Prophet, exempting the Jews of Khyber from paying jizya. They claimed that this treaty was witnessed by the Companions and written by Ali bin Abi Talib. When the minister showed this, he accused it of being fake. When he was asked why his reply was as follows: "How can Muawiyah (RA) who embraced Islam after the conquest of Makkah and Sa'd Banu Ubadah who died in the battle of Khaibar in 7 A.H. be witnesses to this treaty?"

Khatib al-Baghdadi's rejection of the document, which he found to be a forgery, is also relevant to the study. Bernhard Moritz, Ahmad Zaki Pasha, Louis Chieco, Muhammad Hamidullah, Fred Astren, and Philip Wood follow the same line of argument. It is a fact that doubts about prophetic covenants still exist.

The authors have tried their best to collect digital copies of the manuscripts of the Treaties of the Prophet and the first Caliphs of Islam. The book attempts to integrate discussions of interfaith relations, Islamophobia, civil security studies, and the relationship between Orthodox and Oriental Christianity with Islam, as well as Muslims, Christians, Jews, and South Africans, with a precise scientific approach methodology.

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A regular columnist for NewAgeIslam.com, Mubashir V.P is a PhD scholar in Islamic Studies at Jamia Millia Islamia and freelance journalist.

 URL:    https://newageislam.com/books-documents/prophet-muslim-rulers-religious-freedom-diversity/d/130999

 

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