THE AMBASSADOR OF INTERFAITH HARMONY
God gave the following commandment to Prophet Muhammad :Say: ‘O People of the Book (i.e. Christians and Jews), come to that matter which is common between us and you (namely that): we shall worship none other than God, and we shall not associate any partner with Him. Nor shall anyone of us take one another as Lords apart from God. Then if they turn away, say: Bear witness that we are but God’s obedient servants. [Q.64:3.]
In his lifetime, Prophet Muhammad permitted a Christian delegation from Najrān to pray in his mosque when they visited Medina. This delegation came to debate him and challenge his message, but in spite of this, he permitted them to pray in his mosque, thus showing the importance of fostering dialogue and co-operation between the adherents of different religions.¹
I Set forth by al-Bayhaqī in Dala’il al-Nubuwwa, 5:382. Ibn Sa’d in al-Tabaqāt al-Kubrā, 1:357. •Ibn Hishām in al-Sīra al-Nabawiyya, 2:239-240.
Aal-e-Qutub Aal-e-Syed Abdullah Shah Ghazi 