Islam and Religious tolerance are related somehow. One Quran was revealed on Prophet Mohammad for the first time, he had gone through different feelings. His body was shivering. To receive the word from Allah was itself an unusual experience. When he came back home from Hira Cave, he told Hazrat Khadeejah رضی اللہ عنھا about it. Hazrat Khadeejahرضی اللہ عنھا advised him to go to Warqa bin Nofal رضی اللہ عنہ as he was the expert in all religious books. Warqa bin Nofal was the cousin of Hazrat Khadeejah رضی اللہ عنھا and was Christian by nature. When he was told about the incident, he confirmed that it was God’s word revealed on Prophet Mohammad (Peace be upon Him). This is an example of religious tolerance.
Another example of religious tolerance was Madina Agreement (Meesaak-e-Madinah) in which Jews were given rights. There are many incidents that narrate the religious tolerance of Muslims during the time of Khulfa-e-Rashdeen. Egypt was conquered during the time of Hazrat Omar (رضی اللہ عنہ) where the majority was Christians. There was a sculpture of Hazrat Isa (علیہ السلام) in Qahira. Some Muslims had broken the nose of the sculpture in anger. The Christians society came with the complaint to the governor and said that they want Muslims to keep the sculpture of Prophet Mohammad (صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم) in the same place so that they can take revenge by doing the same. The governor informed the people that Muslims dot make sculpture of their prophet. He said to the people that this is not possible however they can break his nose if this is their revenge. The Christians were very much impressed with the justice and decided to forgive Muslims.
We can even found similar example in near past. Professor Ornold was faculty of philosophy in Government College Lahore. He advised Allama Iqbal to go to Britain for his further education. He took up the advice of his teacher and got admission in Cambridge University. He decided to live with a Jews family there for the reason that they eat slaughtered meat which they call it as Koshar. Allama Iqbal told them that he is Muslim but also believe in Hazrat Musa and a Prophet of Allah and respects him whole heartedly. He lived with this family for 3 years and had very good relations with them.
Hazrat Maulana Ubaid Sindhi was a great scholar of Islam. You were born in a Sikh family but served his life in serving religion in Sindh and this is why was called Sindhi. His cousin Maulana Ahmed Ali was also born in a Sikh family however converted to Islam. Maulana Ubaid Sindhi’s mother did not accept Islam however her Muslim son was taking care of her and served her all her life. Now let’s come to an incident which shows the tolerance of Christians. This was narrated to me by Major General Haq Nawaz in 1975. General Haq Nawaz was busy in religious activities after his retirement. I was working as a secretary in the embassy at Denmark. He narrated that during the time of Ayub Khan many Muslims went to France for preaching Islam. There was only one mosque in Paris at that time and the imam of the mosque was from Egypt. Usually the people who travel for the purpose of preaching will stay in Mosque. The imam of the only mosque in Paris refused to serve the group because the relation between Pakistan and Egypt were not good during that time. Now the groups of Muslims preacher were roaming on the road of Paris where they met a Christian preacher (Father of a church). After knowing the reason of their tension, the father offered them to stay at Church. He also served them breakfast the next morning. He said that he could not tolerate that the people who believe in God should suffer and decided to help them regardless of their religion.
This incident is during 1966 when the conflict between Hindu and Sikh were rising in eastern Punjab. The reason was that the Hindu Punjabi was showing their irrelevance to Punjabi language. The changing environment in eastern Punjab was the center of attention in Pakistan. The Sikh travelled to Lahore for their pilgrimage. I was in government college Lahore during that time. Some of my friend advised me to meet these Sikhs and inquire about the situation in eastern Punjab. When we reached there we had talk with so many people. One of them was basically from Sialkot and shift to India during partition. He was very keen to meet Sahbzada Faiz ul Hasan Aaf Aalo Mahar Shareef. The reason was that Sahabzada Faiz ul Hasana was his neighbor and supported them in difficulty times. He also took them to the border safely during partition.
Maulana Qasim Nanatwi ( رحمۃ اللہ علیہ ) was the founder of Darul Uloom Deoband, when ramadhan came he wished to pray Salat Taraweeh in a masjid whose maslik was different. Followers said that he should change his decision that the khateeb of that masjid has not good opinion for him. But Maulana answer was that the third person has diffident him, he has doing good recitation of Quran. First thing this is month of ramdhan and listening his recitation and may be his diffident will be removed during this period. So Maulana prayed whole Salat taraweeh on that masjid behind that khateeb Qari of baralwi maslik. Recently Senator Iytazaz Hussain told his childhood story about Lahore and that were Muslim was in majority there was a statue of Queen Victoria and no one tried to do harm that statue. Our time of college that statue was there in front of Provincial assembly. At that time many Anglo Indian residing but now they have shifted. But we have to remember this truth that Prophet of Allah ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ) gave protection to the jews in Madina and in the time of Hazrat Umar bin Alas ( رضی اللہ عنہ ) any Christian has not shifted from Egypt because religious tolerance and Islamic relationship.
