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Spirit of Islam
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The Spirit of Islam Here is a fine paragraph from The Spirit of Islam by Syed Amir Ali, characterizing the supreme toleration and justice of Islam as proclaimed to the vanquished enemy after a grand victory:"To the Christians of Nazareth and the surrounding territories the security of Allah and the pledge of His Prophet  are extended
for their lives, their religions, and their property--the present as well as the absent,
and other besides; there shall be no interference with the practice of their faith or
their observations; nor any change in their rights or privileges; no bishop shall be
removed from his bishopric, nor any monk from his monastery, nor any priest from his
priesthood, and they shall continue to enjoy everything, great and small, as heretofore;
no image or cross shall be destroyed; they shall not oppress nor be oppressed; they shall
not practice the rights of blood vengeance as in the Days-of-Ignorance; no titles shall be
levied from them, nor shall they be required to furnish provisions for the troops."
Can
there be a nobler example of the religious toleration of Islam than this? It can certainly
not be the attitude of one who wanted to thrust onto others his religion at the point of
sword. After the death of the Holy Prophet of Islam , who was the founder of true democracy in the world, his four
succeeding Caliphs also followed in their master's sacred traditions most scrupulously,
upholding the dignity of Islam both in letter and spirit by granting complete freedom of
conscience and protection of life and property to their non-Muslim brethren.
In spite of all the wealth of their expanding empire, these noble Caliphs--Abu Bakr, ‘Umar, Usman and Ali, lived the life of ordinary humble citizens, and ruled in true democratic spirit, unseen and unheard of in the history of the world. No ruler of the world has ever lived such an austere and self-denying life. Indeed the history of Islam under these four Caliphs is the history of a new era, a new civilization and a new prosperity in the life of a medieval and savage mankind. Their selfless rule was strictly dedicated to the noble cause of human welfare. But for their exemplary character and sacrifices, there would have been no such progress which Islam was destined to make within 30 years of its birth.
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