Daniyal Kahlon, Al Hakam
Key takeaways
- Islamic teachings emphasise equality and justice for all, including minorities.
- Historical examples, such as the Charter of Medina and Ottoman policies, demonstrate this commitment.
- Misinterpretations and modern critiques often overlook the positive legacy of Muslim treatment of minorities.
Minorities in Syria respond to their new Sunni rulers
The recent upheaval and collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s government in Syria, and its replacement by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) led by Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa (better known as al-Jolani or al-Julani on social media) has sparked concern amongst the West about the potential treatment of Christian, Druze, Shia and other minorities by the new Sunni Muslim rulers.
The Wall Street Journal alluded to this in an article, stating that “Islamist rebels promise religious tolerance, but people in Syria’s Christian communities don’t know if they can trust them” (“What Islamist Control Spells for Syria’s Christians”, www.wsj.com, 16 December 2024). Reuters made similar claims, as well as other news outlets.
These sentiments were echoed by many social media accounts, with one outlet sharing a clip of a famous Jewish pundit, Ben Shapiro, stating that he “acknowledges Syria’s Christian minority could be slaughtered now that Assad has been deposed…”
Whether these fears are justified or not, and what we can expect from HTS with regard to how it treats its minorities, is not something easily predictable, nor within the scope of this article. The focus, however, will be on what the correct Islamic teachings are regarding the treatment of minorities and those of other faiths, along with some examples of how and when these teachings were correctly implemented.
Islamic teachings based on the Quran and hadith
The first and obvious source of guidance for a Muslim is the Holy Quran. Allah the Almighty states:
لَا یَنۡہٰٮکُمُ اللّٰہُ عَنِ الَّذِیۡنَ لَمۡ یُقَاتِلُوۡکُمۡ فِی الدِّیۡنِ وَلَمۡ یُخۡرِجُوۡکُمۡ مِّنۡ دِیَارِکُمۡ اَنۡ تَبَرُّوۡہُمۡ وَتُقۡسِطُوۡۤا اِلَیۡہِمۡ ؕ اِنَّ اللّٰہَ یُحِبُّ الۡمُقۡسِطِیۡنَ
“Allah forbids you not, respecting those who have not fought against you on account of your religion, and who have not driven you forth from your homes, that you be kind to them and act equitably towards them; surely Allah loves those who are equitable.” (Surah al-Mumtahina, Ch:60: V.9)
Prophet Muhammadsa practiced and preached religious tolerance and kind treatment of minorities and non-Muslims. In a hadith, he is narrated to have said:
مَنْ قَتَلَ مُعَاهَدًا لَمْ يَرَحْ رَائِحَةَ الْجَنَّةِ، وَإِنَّ رِيحَهَا تُوجَدُ مِنْ مَسِيرَةِ أَرْبَعِينَ عَامًا
“Whoever killed a person having a treaty with the Muslims, shall not smell the fragrance of Paradise though its smell is perceived from a distance of forty years.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 3166)
This categorically proves that according to Islamic teachings, Muslims are required to treat minorities and non-Muslims fairly and with respect. This was practiced by Muslims throughout the centuries, since the beginning of Islam in 7th century Arabia.
The Prophet’ssa personal example
Perhaps the most practical example of this teaching, exemplified by the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa himself was the constitution of Medina, a treaty documented as a written text between the nascent Muslim community and non-Muslim (Jews specifically) inhabitants of Medina in the year 622 CE. The following clause was a part of this treaty:
وأن يهود بني عوف أمة مع المؤمنين لليهود دينهم وللمسلمين دينهم مواليهم وأنفسهم إلا من ظلم أو أثم فإنه لا يوتغ إلا نفسه وأهل بيته
“The Jews of Banu Auf are an Ummah with the believers. The Jews have their own religion and the Muslims their own. This applies to their clients and to themselves with the exception of anyone who does wrong or acts treacherously, he brings evil on himself and his family members.” (Ibn Hisham, As-Sirah an-Nabawiyyah, 2001, pp. 93-94)
As long as the Jews adhered to this treaty, they prospered in peace and security alongside the Muslims of Medina.
In addition to the Constitution of Medina with the Jews, another covenant was made with the Christians of Najran in the year 631 CE, who were granted religious freedom, protection of their churches, and autonomy in legal matters. Additionally, in exchange for paying the jizya (a form of tax), they were exempt from military service. (John Andrew Morrow, The Covenants of the Prophet Muhammad with the Christians of the World, 2013, p. 33)
Rashidun Era
After the Prophetsa passed away, he was succeeded by four righteous Caliphs. In 636 CE (15AH) during the reign of Hazrat Umarra ibn al-Khattab – the second Caliph – the Rashidun army and the Byzantine empire were engaged in a military struggle over the land of modern day Syria.
Although the Muslims had captured the strategically significant city of Emesa – later to be known as Homs – Abu Ubaidahra ibn al-Jarrah , the commander of the Muslims in this campaign, decided to strategically withdraw from the city for the time being. Before doing so, in an act of almost unparalleled fairness and kindness, he returned all of the jizya collected from its inhabitants, proving that the jizya was always linked to the provision of protection of non-Muslims, rather than extortion. (Thomas Walker Arnold, The Preaching of Islam, p. 61)
The Christians of Homs greatly appreciated this gesture and prayed to God that the Muslims would return to rule over them once again, after being victorious over the Christian Romans. (Ibid.)
Al-Andalus
The Umayyad Caliphate also occasionally treated their dhimmi, or non-Muslim subjects, well at various points of their reign. One of the best examples of this is the treatment of Jews and Christians who were granted Dhimmi status in the Umayyad region of al-Andalus (under Muslim rule from 711 to 1492 CE), modern day Spain. This allowed them to have religious autonomy and the right to govern their own communities under their religious laws in exchange for jizya.
In result of this, both the Christians and the Jews flourished under Muslim rule for centuries, a fact recorded by historians in detail, such as María Rosa Menocal in her book, The Ornament of the World: How Muslims, Jews and Christians created a Culture of Tolerance in Medieval Spain.
Mughal India
Another example can be found during the Mughal rule of the Indian subcontinent. During the rule of Aurangzeb (1618-1708 CE) the Mughal court saw a 50% increase of Hindu officials, bringing the total number to 31.6% of Mughal nobility (Audrey Truschke, Aurangzeb: The Life of and Legacy of India’s Most Controversial King, 2017, p. 58). In addition to that, he protected the interests of Hindu religious groups and even ordered his fellow Muslims not to harass Brahmans (Ibid, p. 12). Notably, these facts are quite contrary to the usual anti-Hindu image Aurangzeb is portrayed in by modern scholarship.
Ottoman Empire
Even during various periods of the Ottoman Empire (1299-1922 CE), their minority subjects were treated with justice and fairness. One example is from the 19th century regarding which one author writes:
“In the nineteenth century, as part of the great Ottoman reforms, the famous millet system, developed in the main for the governance of the Greek and Armenian communities, was extended in similar form to the Jews […] each of the religious communities of the empire was organized internally, subject to its own laws in matters of religion and personal status, administered under the authority of its own religious chief.” (Bernard Lewis, The Jews of Islam, 1984, p. 125)
Conclusion
The above are merely a few examples of how and when Muslim powers followed the correct guidance of the Holy Quran and the example of the Prophet Muhammadsa, his Caliphsra and his Companionsra. It would be factually incorrect to claim that, aside from the Rashidun era, the above mentioned empires always emulated the trait of religious tolerance and respect for minorities, but the objective of this article was to provide evidence of how peaceful and prosperous a society can become when Islamic injunctions are followed properly.
The fact that the majority of the above mentioned events were quoted from non-Muslim sources further strengthens the claim that Islam promotes peace and justice amongst its rulers and subjects.
The Ahmadiyya Khilafat (caliphate) has always promoted this same religious tolerance, as can be deduced from the words of the Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra who stated that those Muslims who do not fulfill the rights of minorities and other communities, are in fact moving away from Islam. (Al Fazl, 20 September 1952, p. 5)
Whatever the future of the minorities in Syria might be, and how HTS decides to govern, there are undoubtedly many lessons that can be derived from the history of Islam on how to create an inclusive and tolerant society.