Recently when I travelled to the Maldives , the customs people did not allow me to carry my Bible or prayer book (Christian) rosary(prayer beads) into the country. You sat that Islam is a tolerant religion therefore please explain.
Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,
As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.
(May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)
One of our brothers/sisters has asked
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Dear Burhan,
Recently when I travelled to the
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Answer:
In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His
help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide,
and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear
witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear
witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His
Messengers.
Respected brother in humanity, even in a perfect Islamic
State which follows Shariah Law, it would be absolutely legal and permissible
for the followers of other faiths to practice their own religion and perform
their religious rites as they wish and please.
It would only be prudence and intelligence to study the
religion or Laws of Islam and then judge the actions of the people who call
themselves ‘muslims’ or ‘muslim nations’ rather than look at one’s experiences
with an individual ‘muslim’ or an individual ‘muslim nation’ and blame the
religion of Islam for their shortcomings!
If an over-zealous immigration officer prohibited you from
taking your religious books or prayer beads into his country, the shortcoming
is in that person or even maybe in the laws of that specific country……not the
religion of Islam.
For one to blame Islam of intolerance just because one
person or one nation chose to stop one of another faith taking his religious
articles into their country would be as much intelligence and wisdom if I were
to blame Christianity of intolerance if I was frisked or thoroughly
investigated by a US or UK custom officer only because I happened to have a
‘muslim’ name, or adorned a beard, or was carrying a copy of the Quran!
Thus brother, prudence would be to study the laws of a
faith and judge those who claim to follow that faith, rather than judge a faith
by the actions of an individual who claims to follow that faith.
Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only
due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me
alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is
the Only Source of Strength.
Your brother and
well wisher in Islam,
Burhan
Wister