Skip to main content

TOLERANCE

 

      Peace, tranquility and calmness can only be attained through tolerance. Human beings are found on the surface of the earth with different habits, colours, nations, ideologies and faiths. In a small society, multi-religion may be embraced. Without any doubt, the religion beliefs may create gap among the people and lead to inevitable crises among them if care is not taken. From immemorial period, tolerance has been adopted by our ancestors to avoid crisis, controversy and a war.

          Tolerance is willingness to allow people to do, say or believe what they want without criticizing them. Several lives have been terminated because of intolerance show up in our our society. Many mistakenly believe that Islam does not tolerate the existence of other faith or religion present in the modern world. This article discusses some of the foundations of the prophet Muhammad (peace of Allah and blessings be upon him) laid in dealing with people of other faiths, with a practical example from his lifetime.

        The dealings of the Prophet Muhammad with other religions can best be described in Qur'an 109 verse 6 “ Lakum dinukum waliyadin” “To you be your religion, to be mine ”.

     The Arabian peninsula during the time of the prophet was a region in which various faiths were present. There were christian, Jews, Zoroastrianism, polytheists and others not affiliated with any religious. When one looks into the life prophet, one may draw many examples to portray the high level of tolerance displayed to people of other faiths.

       Moreover, tolerance may be confirmed from the Islamic tenets laid down by the prophet due the period in which Islam was a formal state. When prophet Muhammad was a political leader of a state, he laid down some specific laws which details the responsibilities, obligation and certain restrictions of all inhabitants of Medina regardless of their religion.

      The laws stated that all the inhabitants Medina, the Muslims as well as those who had entered the pact from the Jews, christians and idolaters, were “one nation to the exclusion of all others”.

            The lives of the practitioners of other religions in the Muslim society were also given protective status. What of multi-religions society! The prophet said : “Whoever kills person who has a truce with the Muslims will never smell the fragrance of paradise.”(saheeh Muslim).

           Since the upper hand was with the Muslims, the prophet strictly warned against any maltreatment of people of other faiths. He said: “The Jews have their religions and the Muslims have theirs”.

      Beware! Whoever is cruel and hard on non-muslim minority, or curtails their rights or burden them with more than they can hear, or takes anything from them against their free will. I (prophet Muhammad) will complain against the person on the day of judgement.

      In this, it is clear that anything other than tolerance would not be tolerated. In accordance with the tenets of Islam, everybody is allowed to practice his/ her belief freely without any hindrance, and no acts of provocation would be tolerated.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

When the Classroom Is Silent: What Happens When Education Fails Society

     In a small rural town, a child wakes up before dawn, not to the sound of an alarm clock, but to the sound of duty — fetching water, helping with chores, and preparing to walk five kilometers to school. But when she arrives, the classroom is empty. No teacher. No books. No hope. This is not fiction. This is the reality many students across Nigeria and other parts of Africa face daily. Education, the supposed key to opportunity, has become a locked door for millions. At EGGCROWN Media, we believe that every story like this deserves to be heard — not as a pity piece, but as a call to action. The Hidden Crisis in Our Schools Government promises come and go. Campaigns speak of reform. Yet year after year, children sit on bare floors, learn under leaking roofs, or sometimes, never get to school at all. But the tragedy isn't just the absence of infrastructure — it’s the absence of belief. A child who grows up seeing education as broken may lose faith not just in school, but...
Post a Comment
Read more

WHEN SOCIETY NORMALIZED PAIN AND CALLED IT STRENGTH

  Somewhere along the way, our society learned a dangerous habit: we started calling pain “strength” and silence “maturity.” People are expected to endure, to move on quickly, to stay quiet, and to survive without complaint. If someone speaks about their struggles, they are often told to “be strong,” “stop overthinking,” or “focus on the positive.” While these words may sound supportive, they often dismiss real pain instead of understanding it. This is how emotional suffering becomes invisible. The Silent Rule We All Follow There is an unspoken rule in society: Don’t show weakness. From a young age, many are taught to hide tears, suppress emotions, and solve problems alone. Over time, this creates individuals who look fine on the outside but feel deeply exhausted inside. They keep going, not because they are okay, but because stopping feels unacceptable. Pain doesn’t disappear when ignored. It simply learns how to stay quiet. When Pain Becomes Normal What happens when a s...
Post a Comment
Read more

WE ARE THE CHANGE WE KEEP TALKING ABOUT.

   Everyone wants a better society. We complain about corruption, lack of empathy, broken systems, and lost values. We share posts, argue in comments, and blame leaders, technology, or “this generation.” But one uncomfortable question remains mostly unanswered: Are we willing to change ourselves? The Gap Between Words and Actions As a society, we speak beautifully about humanity. We talk about kindness, unity, and respect. Yet in daily life, we ignore each other’s pain, judge quickly, and stay silent when speaking up matters. We want honesty—but punish it. We want peace—but fuel anger. We want change—but resist discomfort. This contradiction is one of the quiet reasons real progress feels slow. Social Problems Start Small Big problems don’t begin overnight. They start with small behaviors we normalize: Ignoring injustice because it doesn’t affect us Staying silent to “avoid trouble” Choosing convenience over conscience Treating empathy as weakness When these habits repeat, the...
Post a Comment
Read more