Islam’s Message, How Holy Prophet Conveyed It Full of Peace, Tolerance: Scholar
Hojat-ol-Islam Yahya Jahangiri, an Islamic seminary and university Scholar, made the remark in an address to an international webinar on Tuesday.
The “15 Centuries of Following the Messenger of Light and Mercy” webinar was organized by the International Quran News Agency (IQNA) on the occasion of the 1,500th anniversary of the birth of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
“The Global Mission of the Prophet of Islam (PBUH) from the Perspective of the Quran and Hadiths”, "Tolerance, Lenity and Moderateness in the Prophet’s Life”, “The Holy Prophet (PBUH); A Good Example for All Ages”, “The Life of the Prophet (PBUH) and Recognizing Religious Identity”, and “The Immortality of Islam and a Unified Ummah against the Idea of Western Globalization” were among the topics discussed in this online seminar.
Ayatollah Sheikh Muhammad Yaqubi, a grand source of emulation based in Iraq’s holy city of Najaf, Dr. Juan Cole, a professor of history at the University of Michigan, Dr. Salama Abd Al-Qawi, a senior Al-Azhar scholar, and Sheikh Ghazi Hanina, head of Lebanon’s Muslim Scholars Association, were the other speakers at the webinar.
Following is the text of Hojat-ol-Islam Jahangiri’s speech at the scholarly event:
The religion that the Holy Prophet (PBUH) brought to his Ummah is called Islam. Islam is a religion of peace, and so is the entire content of his religion. When we look at the Quran and also his Hadiths, we see that it all includes the message of peace for the Ummah. When we read the Quran; when we read the Hadiths, we see that it is recommended that we should treat others peacefully.
Now, if someone who reads the Quran is violent towards others, it means that he does not understand Islam. He is not following the true path of Islam. The more a true Muslim reads the teachings of Islam and engages in Islamic teachings, the more peaceful his behavior should be. He should be more tolerant towards others.
Regardless of the content of the message of Islam, which is full of peace, what is more important, and what I want to share with you in this short opportunity, is that the way the Prophet of Islam conveyed the message was also full of peace and tolerance. So, not only is the content of the message of Islam peaceful, but the way the message was conveyed to the Ummah was also full of peace.
When we look at the Prophet (PBUH), we see that peace in his life from two angles. One is the content of the message and the second is the way he conveyed the message to the Ummah. As the Quran says: “You prophets are good ears (adhan khair).”
The Prophet (PBUH) heard the voices of others. He listened to what others said. Sometimes some companions would come to the Prophet (PBUH) and say, “Why do you listen to everyone? You are the Prophet. You should talk to them. They should listen to you, but you listen to them.” God says, “Don’t worry about others criticizing you. Be a good listener.”
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God praises His Prophet (PBUH) in the Quran because he was a good listener. He listened to others. One way to promote tolerance in society is that we should listen to others. We should respect other opinions. Whether they are good or bad. We should listen and respect them. Then we should examine and discuss it in a polite way.
The Quran says that you should speak to others with wisdom and understanding. Listen to them. Respect them and then argue with wisdom. The Quran says that one of the characteristics of the Prophet of Mercy is that he is tolerant towards others. Tolerance is part of the characteristics of the Prophet (PBUH) in the way he listened to others. It was not only the message of the Prophet (PBUH) that was full of peace, but also the way he delivered the message was tolerant.
When we look at the Quran, it says that the way the Prophet (PBUH) preached was full of peace and tranquility. His message was absolutely right. He was the absolute right for all humanity. But the point is that he never forced others to accept the truth. It is important to be right, but never force others to accept your truth. The Quran says that the Prophet (PBUH) taught the Quran to the Ummah in this way.
In the way that he said: “I am the one who is right, and you are the one who is in clear error. Whether I am right or you are wrong, let us talk.”
He never considers himself to be the absolute truth. He does not say that you should accept me, the whole truth is with me and you are full of negligence and ignorance. He never said that.
So although he was full of truth, his way of conveying his message to others is full of tolerance and peace, as if he were saying, come share your views with me. I can hear your voice and you will hear mine. Then we can find the truth. This is the Prophet of Islam, not only is his message peaceful, but his way of conveying the message is also peaceful.
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You see how much the Prophet’s (PBUH) way of life is based on tolerance towards others. That is why the Prophet of Islam, in this short period of time, just 23 years, which is not a very long time, when there was no social media, there was no means to convey his message to others, was able to spread Islam all over the world in such a way that he started Islam with three people but by the end of his life, he had more than 100,000 Muslim followers.
His followers were only three at the beginning of Islam. But eventually a large number of Arab and non-Arab people joined his religion and accepted him. What is the reason for that? Is only the content of the message important or is the method of delivery also important? The method of the Prophet’s (PBUH) delivery is very important. Sometimes we teach Islam, but the method of our teaching distorts Islam and deprives others of the truth.
This is not the way of propagating Islam. We see some radical groups. They read the Quran and propagate it, but their way of conveying the message deprives others of understanding the truth. This is not the way of the Prophet (PBUH). God says in Verse 159 of Surah Al-Imran: “Only through the Divine Mercy have you (Muhammad) been able to deal with your followers so gently. If you had been stern and hard-hearted, they would all have deserted you a long time ago.”
Therefore, on the anniversary of the birth of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), we should pay attention to the fact that it is very important to know how to propagate Islam.
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