The impact of tolerance in Islam

All praise be to Allah who pardons those who turn to Him in repentance, the Most Forgiving, the Accepter of repentance, and the Severe in punishment. I praise Him for good and bad, I show gratitude for Him to have more blessings, I repent to Him and seek His Pardon, and I ask Him to ease His Judgment. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone who has no partner, who guided the people of faith to the best manners and purified their hearts from imperfections of foolishness and the discord. I bear witness that our master Muhammad is His Servant and Messenger who was among his people an example for living perfection and a headline for good manners. He spread in his nation the spirit of virtue, warned them against vices, guided them to the best of the two ways, and showed them the way to get happiness (in the world and in the Hereafter). May Allah send peace and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, Companions, and those who follow his example so they led a good life and followed his way honorably. They are the true believers who have degrees, forgiveness, and honorable sustenance at their Lord.

Allah (Blessed and Exalted be He) says, and He is the Most Truthful: "So, overlook (O Muhammad peace be upon him), their faults with gracious forgiveness. [This was before the ordainment of Jihad holy fighting in Allah's Cause]." [Surat Al Hijr: 85].

He also says: "And to forego (and give her the full Mahr) is nearer to At-Taqwa (piety, righteousness). And do not forget liberality between yourselves." [Surat Al Baqarah: 237].

He also says: "Those who spend (in Allâh's Cause) in prosperity and in adversity, who repress anger, and who pardon men." [Surat Al `Imran: 134].

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "The strong is not the one who overcomes the people by his strength, but the strong is the one who controls himself while in anger."

He also said: "If you gain power over your enemy, make pardon a gratitude for gaining power over him."

O servants of Allah, tolerance, forbearance, patience, pardon at gaining power, forbearance and modesty, controlling oneself, and observing patience for hateful matters, all these are good manners and praised virtues in the sight of Allah and in the sight of His Prophet. They have many benefits that carry goodness to humanity, for the confirm love among loving people, combine the hearts of different people, draw near between the separate, comfort the hearts of the confused, abate the souls of rebels, annul the cunning of the cunners, and resolve insolvable problems. "The good deed and the evil deed cannot be equal. Repel (the evil) with one which is better (i.e. Allâh orders the faithful believers to be patient at the time of anger, and to excuse those who treat them badly) then verily he, between whom and you there was enmity, (will become) as though he was a close friend. * But none is granted it (the above quality) except those who are patient - and none is granted it except the owner of the great portion (of happiness in the Hereafter i.e. Paradise and of a high moral character) in this world." [Surat Fussilat: 34 - 35].

Of good fruits which a man of good manners gains in this world is people's love, praise, abstaining from harming him, cooperating in fulfilling his needs, facilitating his matters, and achieving his desires. As for the fruit which a person gains in the Hereafter is the garden of the bliss and nearness from the Lord of mankind.

Indeed we have a good example in the Messenger of Allah for those who hope for the pleasure of Allah and the Last Day. This honorable Messenger, the affectionate and the most merciful was the best of all creatures and showed the highest rank in tolerance, mercy, forbearance, and compassion. He received harm from people and faced the troubles of the call, observed patience for Jihad in the cause of Allah and bore pains and troubles to please the world and to become an example to every believer and guidance to everyone is attributed to this pure religion.

The Prophet (peace be upon him) was very forbearing, tolerant, and very generous. He maintained the ties of kinship, comforted who prevented him, gave who deprived him, forgave who oppressed him, lowered his gaze from defaults, prevented himself from harm, and observed patience for difficult things and what he hated. He always increased patience and forbearance with foolish people. He never avenged for himself unless the sanctities of Allah are violated, and when he was given choice between two things, he chose the easier of the two as long as it does not contain a sin. Gabriel came down to him and said: O Muhammad, I came to you with comprehensive manners in the world and in the Hereafter. "Show forgiveness, enjoin what is good, and turn away from the foolish (i.e. don't punish them)." [Surat Al A`raf: 199].

Take the easy of peoples' actions and manners, do not ask them to do hard things so as not to turn away from you, command them of good actions, and turn away from the foolish by nice treatment and meeting a bad deed with a good one. "And by the Mercy of Allâh, you dealt with them gently. And had you (Muhammad peace be upon him) been severe and harsh-hearted, they would have broken away from about you; so pass over (their faults), and ask (Allâh's) Forgiveness for them; and consult them in the affairs. Then when you have taken a decision, put your trust in Allâh, certainly, Allâh loves those who put their trust (in Him)." [Surat Al `Imran: 159].

That discipline had a great impact on the Prophet's soul. Look at him when his people expelled him out of At-Ta'if while he was calling them to their happiness in the world and in the Hereafter, they commanded their slaves and children to beat him until his feet bled and his head was injured. Angels were troubled by the harms which the Prophet (peace be upon him) faced and the angel of mountains came down and said: O Muhammad, Allah commanded me to obey you, so what would you need me to do with them? He replied: I hope that Allah would bring out from among them some people who would worship Allah. O Allah, guide my people for they know not. The angel said in amazement of his forbearance: The One who called you the compassionate and the merciful is truthful.

Look at him (peace be upon him) when he entered Makkah victorious after he had come out forcibly and after the entire tribe of Quraysh was in his hand until many of them thought that it was the day of their destruction. After they had expelled him out of Makkah, broken his fore-teeth, killed his uncle Hamzah in the battle of Uhud, conspired against him, and fought him in Medina, he released and pardoned them and said to them as Joseph said to his siblings: "He said: No reproach on you this day, may Allah forgive you, and He is the Most Merciful of those who show mercy!" [Surat Yusuf: 92]. By doing that, he had gained their hearts, cured their stubbornness, and people embraced Islam in groups.

Look at him (peace be upon him) when a bedouin came to ask about something. He pulled him from his collar and said: O Muhammad, give me of the money of Allah, for it is not your money nor the money of your father. The Prophet (peace be upon him) remained silent then said: The money belongs to Allah, I am His Servant, and you shall be punished. The bedouin said: No. The Messenger (peace be upon him) said: Why is that? He said: Because you do not meet the bad deed with a bad deed. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) laughed and commanded that a camel is loaded with barely and another is loaded with fresh dates for him.

One day, a Bedouin (ignorant man) came to Prophet (peace be upon him) and asked for financial help. Prophet (peace be upon him) gave him lot of wealth and then asked him.

Do you feel happy now? But the Bedouin replied rudely, It is nothing, you gave me too little.

When Companions of Prophet (peace be upon him) saw Bedouin's rude and disrespectful reply, they became very angry and they were about to punish him but Prophet (peace be upon him) forbade them. Then he took Bedouin to his home and gave him even more wealth and then asked him. Are you happy now? When Bedouin got some more money, he became happy and said. Yes, I am happy now. You treated me well. May Allah (Glory be to Him) reward you and your family. Prophet (peace be upon him) then asked Bedouin. See, you asked me for help and I helped you but you made my companions sad and angry by your senseless replies, then I gave you more and made you happy. Now when you meet them then show your happiness the same way you are showing to me now, so that my Companions also become happy.

Bedouin said, I am sorry for my indecent replies, I will surely show my happiness in front of them. Then Prophet (peace be upon him) took the Bedouin to Companions and Bedouin showed his happiness and prayed for Prophet (peace be upon him) and his family. Companions also got happy to see decent and glad behavior of Bedouin.

Then Prophet (peace be upon him) said: The example of this Bedouin and Me is like a man whose camel has run away. People try to help the man catch his camel but camel gets frightened of people and starts running away from them. At last, man says to people, you get away from my camel, I know the nature of my camel. How my camel behaves and how should I call him back!

So, man takes some grass and starts calling his camel with his soft sounds which makes the camel relaxed and it gets back to his owner. He grabs its rope and binds it.

In the similar way, when this Bedouin became angry at first, if I let you punish him, he would run away from us even more and eventually go in hell.

It was reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him) was distributing the spoils of Khaybar, then a man said to him: O Messenger of Allah, be just. `Umar stood up and said: Let me strike his neck, for he is a hypocrite. The Messenger (peace be upon him) said: God forbid, lest people would say that Muhammad is killing his companions. May Allah bestow mercy on my brother Moses who was afflicted with more hardships and he observed patience.

These examples which I mentioned to you about the Prophet's tolerance are few from many that filled the books of the Sunnah and were reported in history. Indeed, they contain a lesson and admonition, mercy and guidance to people who believe in Allah and in the Last Day.

O servants of Allah, fear Allah, follow his manners, have forbearance and pardon, and keep away from wrath for it eats up good deeds, magnifies small mistakes, generates hatred, and stirs sedition among people because it is one of the evil acts of Satan. When someone assaults you, take it easy and do not meet a bad deed for a bad deed. Know that goodness is full of deep thinking and not hastening things as it helps abating sedition and deterring Satan. "Truly, Allâh defends those who believe. Verily, Allâh likes not any treacherous ingrate to Allâh [those who disobey Allâh but obey Shaitân (Satan)]."[Surat Al Hajj: 38].

Abu Dawud reported on the authority of Abu Umamah Al Bahily (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "I guarantee a house in Paradise for one who gives up arguing, even if he is in the right; and I guarantee a home in the middle of Paradise for one who abandons lying even for the sake of fun; and I guarantee a house in the highest part of Paradise for one who has good manners."