Another question which usually arrises after the Quran’s view on freedom of belief is that if leniency and tolerance of different views is favourabe, then why did Prophet Ibrahim break the idols of the polytheists and, according to what is reported in verses 57 and 58 of Surah Al-Anbiya, he did not respect their freedom nor their beliefs:
وَتَاللَّهِ لَأَكِيدَنَّ أَصْنَامَكُم بَعْدَ أَن تُوَلُّوا مُدْبِرِينَ فَجَعَلَهُمْ جُذَاذًا إِلَّا كَبِيرًا لَّهُمْ لَعَلَّهُمْ إِلَيْهِ يَرْجِعُونَ.
’And, by Allah, I will certainly plan against your idols after you go away turning your backs’. So he broke them into pieces, all excpet the chief of them, that perhaps they may return to it.
In order to answer this question, contrary to the conventional justifications, it should be noted that in explaining the teachings of each school, it is necessary to separate principles, foundations and definite matters from subsidiary matters, ambiguities, exceptions and rare instances. For example, we can never give up on the clear grounds that such punishments are wrong by only referring to one instance where, as reported in verse 74 of Surah Al-Kahf, in the story of Musa and Khizr[1] an individual was executed before committing any crime. It is for this reason Prophet Musa did not remain silent in response to that event, even though he had promised not to object or ask any questions, as he was not willing to violate the firm principles of his faith (inner conscience) even though he wasn’t aware of the wisdom behind this specific incident.
Those who are familiar with the Quran and the Sunnah (Prophet’s traditions) know very well that principles such as human dignity and freedom are among the most basic and definitive foundations of this school, and all divine decrees and orders gain meaning and relevance by relying on these principles. Similarly cursing and insulting other people’s holy values is forbidden and one of the definite teachings of the Quran, as stated very clearly in verse 108 of Surah Al-Anam:
وَلَا تَسُبُّوا الَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ فَيَسُبُّوا اللَّهَ عَدْوًا بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ كَذَٰلِكَ زَيَّنَّا لِكُلِّ أُمَّةٍ عَمَلَهُمْ ثُمَّ إِلَىٰ رَبِّهِم مَّرْجِعُهُمْ فَيُنَبِّئُهُم بِمَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ.
And do not curse those whom they call upon besides, or they will curse Allah in revenge without any knowledge. Thus unto every nation have We made their behaviour seem fair. Then unto their Lord is their return, so He will inform them of what they used to do.
The necessity of tolerance and respecting different beliefs as long as they do not violate anyone’s rights is not only clearly understood from our intellect, reasoning and experience, but it is also confirmed and emphasized by the Quran many times. One of the clearest of these is stated in verse 8 of Surah Al-Mumtahanah:
لَّا يَنْهَاكُمُ اللَّهُ عَنِ الَّذِينَ لَمْ يُقَاتِلُوكُمْ فِي الدِّينِ وَلَمْ يُخْرِجُوكُم مِّن دِيَارِكُمْ أَن تَبَرُّوهُمْ وَتُقْسِطُوا إِلَيْهِمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ الْمُقْسِطِينَ.
Allah does not forbid you to deal justly and kindly with those who fought not against you on account of religion nor drove you out of your homes. Indeed, Allah loves those who deal with equity.
If we pay attention to these points, when we are faced with a situation such as the destruction of the idols which we are unaware of the background and aspects, we understand that we should interpret these situations in a way that doesn’t contradict the definite principles and basis of the quran. The reason being that in this situation, there are numerous possibilities for exceptions, due to different circumstances, or the idols could have been the source of injustice and tyranny towards the people. And so, it is by considering these aspects that help us to understand the reasoning behind the learning from the event of destruction of the idols, yet generally being encouraged towards peaceful coexistance between different religions, leaving no room for inconsistency.
With this viewpoint, even if someone cannot interpret the nature of the destruction of the idols as anything other than an act of hate and believes that this act is essentially insulting the polytheists and creating distress and offence, it would be sufficient for them to understand this point that such a divine mission given to a unique inidividual in an exceptional context, does not contradict the overall principle of Islam. Therefore, in no instance can anyone use this as an excuse to offend others and insult their sanctities, as seen by the acts of ISIS that destroyed all which they viewed as polytheism, and deprive others of their rights and present an immoral image of religion.
It is here that another question or yet, objection arrises which occupies the minds of those who believe in religious tolerance. They while acknowledging the incorrectness of insulting the sanctities of others, do not like the use of the word ”respect” when dealing with superstitious and false beliefs of others, and believe that respecting a creed means to honour, raise, and view the beliefs as non-critisizeable. But such an impression is not correct and this outlook does not have such meanings. When someone interprets their outlook as one of respect for the beliefs which they view as false, it certainly does not mean that they have accepted or agreed with those beliefs. But rather, it means that they have merely considered the beliefs to be a private matter and created an obstacle to insults, and destructive behaviour that would usually have taken place with people deprived of their natural rights.
When someone has no respect for a belief, they give themselves the right to insult and ridicule that belief instead of reviewing them critically and distancing themselves them. Thus if someone says that they respect an individual, without respecting their beliefs, they have only played with words. This is because the personality and identity of a human being is not defined by their physical material body, but it is their beliefs and outlooks which shape their viewpoint and circumstances.
The Quran is the word of a God which understands the human being very well and recognises that people’s mindset is within the frame of the circumstances that surround them and other limitations. It is therefore natural for each person to think that their beliefs are the truth, yet other peoples’ beliefs are superstitious and falsehood. And so if we were to allow oursleves to insult those who think differently to us, there would be no end to any war or dispute.
The only exception that exists in the concept of respecting other people’s beliefs, is our method of treatment with beliefs that deprive and endanger others of their natural rights. Hence, dealing with tyranny and injustice and defending the rights which widely held is something favourable and recognised by all individuals. And just as we read in Surah Al-Mumtahanah, the only exception which the Quran mentions when living peacefully alongside people with different beliefs and mindsets, is injustice and the violation of others’ safety and rights.
The fact that some think that respecting other people’s beliefs means to validify them and list a complete page of contents by mentioning the beliefs of the likes of ISIS, other criminals and deviants to prove that not all beliefs are worthy of respect. Yet this stems from their lack of attention to the fact that our environment influences our viewpoints. They also don’t pay attention to the fact they themselves consider individuals as examples of badness and deviance whom their key characteristic is not paying respect to the beliefs of others.
These fellows have not realised that in essence, the truth is not in our possession as normal human beings and no-one can claim that they have gained the correct belief, after which it would be impossible to find any other belief more lofty or truthful than that. The greatest of thinkers and scientists are conflicted in their opinions and have realised their mistakes numerous times, and without falling into the trap of relativenss or de-valuing their beliefs, they regard their latest views with criticism.
In this case, the only solution left in wanting to correct beliefs is through rational conversations whilst relying on our common share of human conscience. We are obliged to do our utmost to gain more awareness and to understand our mistakes in order to reduce our distance from the truth.
Although not all individuals have equal access to truth-telling sources and their cicumstances as well as their viewpoints towards reality is different, all do understand the importance of human conscience and the ugliness of disregarding what they have understood. So the only criterion we have for determining the level of value and respect given to others, is our ethical reasoning, not the level of conformity of their belief to the actual truth. The main problem of the likes of ISIS and other criminals and what makes them most hated is not their false beliefs, but rather their immorality, arrogance and disregard for human conscience and dialogue.
The only instance in which we are permitted to not respect someone’s belief is if we aware of all their limitations and their conditions. This would only be if we were certain they had been neglectful or stubborn in response to their awareness and the truths presented to them. This jugdement is a very difficult task, except in the case of a very few people, of which only Allah the ’knower of unknown’ or the companions of Allah would be able to do for them.
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Islamic Library: Introduction to Islam
[1]. Surah Al-Kahf, verse 74:
«فَانطَلَقَا حَتَّىٰ إِذَا لَقِيَا غُلَامًا فَقَتَلَهُ قَالَ أَقَتَلْتَ نَفْسًا زَكِيَّةً بِغَيْرِ نَفْسٍ لَّقَدْ جِئْتَ شَيْئًا نُّكْرًا»
So they twain departed; until, when they met a lad, he slew him. He said: ‚You slew an innocent person who had slain none? You have indeed done a horrible thing’.