The dialogue with the followers of Jesus traces back to Prophet Muhammad’s
lifetime. He frequently dialogued with the followers of all religions,
especially Christians. A group of Christians from Najran near Yemen once
arrived in Madinah and argued with the Prophet regarding the divinity of Jesus.
Although it was explained to them that Jesus was not divine, was not born to Allah, and was not a part of a divine trinity, they continued arguing until the following verse of the Qur’an was revealed:
Then
whoever argues with you about it after [this] knowledge has come to you
– say, “Come, let us call our sons and your sons, our women and your
women, ourselves and yourselves, then supplicate earnestly [together]
and invoke the curse of Allah upon the liars [among us].” (Aal `Imran 3:61)
Because of the word “nabtahil” in the
verse, this event has been referred to as the “Mubahalah” or mutual
cursing, an act in which each side asks Allah to curse their opponents
if they are lying.
According to various commentaries:
When the Messenger of Allah recited this verse to the delegation from Najran and invited them to engage in the Mubahalah,
they said, “Give us some time to return and reflect about the matter
and we will come back to you tomorrow.” They met privately with one
another and asked Aqib, their highest scholar among them, “O servant of
the Messiah (Abd al-Masih), what do you think?” He said, “O Christians,
by Allah you know that Muhammad is a prophet who has been sent and who
has brought you the decisive word about your companion (i.e. Jesus). By
Allah! No prophet has cursed a tribe except that its people, young and
old, were destroyed. I see it best for you to remain in your religion
and to return to your land.” The next morning, the Messenger of Allah
arrived, carrying Husayn in one arm, while holding the hand of Hasan
with the other. Fatimah was walking behind them, and behind her was
`Ali. The Prophet told them, “When I call (for them to be cursed), you
say, ‘Amen!’” The high priest of Najran said, “O Christians! If the
faces I am seeing ask Allah to make a mountain disappear, Allah would do
it! Do not engage in the Mubahalah, otherwise you will all die and no Christian would be left on earth until the Day of Judgment!”
So the Christians said, “O Abu Al-Qasim,
we have decided not to curse you. Rather we will leave you alone with
your religion while we remain on ours.” The Prophet said, “Now that you
have avoided the Mubahalah, become Muslims so that what is to
the benefit of the Muslims would be to your benefit, and what is their
loss would be to your loss.” They declined. He said, “Then I will invite
you to war.” They replied, “We do not have the ability to fight the
Arabs. However, we will enter a treaty with you so that you would
neither fight us in war nor threaten us, and so that you would not force
us to abandon our religion. In return, we will pay two thousand coins,
one thousand in the month of Safar and the other thousand in the month
of Rajab.”
The dialogue with the followers of Jesus traces back to Prophet Muhammad’s lifetime
The Messenger of Allah made peace with
them according to these terms. He then said, “By the One in Whose hand
is my soul, divine punishment was close to take over the people of
Najran. Had they engaged in the Mubahalah, they would have
turned into apes and pigs and the land would have become fire for them!
Allah would have extended this to all the inhabitants of Najran, even
the birds on their trees, and this would have afflicted all Christians
until they would all perish.” (Tafsir Thalabi 3:61)
Prophet Muhammad sent letters to many
rulers of the world, inviting them to Islam. He sent ambassadors with
such letters to Heraclius, the Ceasar of Byzantium, Chosroes II, the
Khosrau of Persia, the Negus of Ethiopia, Muqawqis, the ruler of Egypt,
Harith Gassani, the governor of Syria, Munzir ibn Sawa, the ruler of
Bahrain and to the Maharajah of Kashmir.
The following are the texts sent to the Christian rulers:
To the Byzantine emperor
Letter of Prophet Muhammad to Heraclius
In the name of God, the Beneficent, the
Merciful: (This letter is) from Muhammad, son of `Abdullah, to Heraclius
the Great (ruler) of the Romans (Byzantines). Peace be upon him, he who
follows the right path. Furthermore I invite you to submit your will to
God; submit your will to God and you will be safe, and God will double
thy reward, and if you reject, you bear the sins of persecuting Arians.
(And I recite to you God’s Statement:)
(O Muhammad): ‘O people of the scripture! Come to a word common to you
and us that we worship none but God and that we associate nothing in
worship with Him, and that none of us shall take others as Lords beside
God. Then, if they turn away, say: ‘Bear witness that we are Muslims’
(those who have surrendered to God).
To the king of Ethiopia
Letter of Prophet Muhammad to the Negus
In the name of God, the Beneficent, the
Merciful: From Muhammad, the Prophet of Allah to the Negus, the king of
Ethiopia: peace be on you, I thank God for you, The God, Who is no god
but Him, the King, the Holy, the Guardian, and I witness that Jesus, the
Son of Mary, is the Spirit of God and His Word. The word He gave to the
pure, the believer “Mary”, and from this word she gave birth to Jesus.
God made Jesus from His soul just as He made Adam with His hand. I
invite you and your soldiers to believe in God, the Almighty. I wrote
and advised you, so accept my advice. Peace be upon those who follow the
right way.
To the Muqawqis of Egypt
Letter of Prophet Muhammad to the Muqawqis
“In the name of Allah, the Gracious, the
Merciful. From the Messenger of Allah to the Muqawqis, Chief of the
Copts. Peace be upon him who follows guidance. Next, I invite thee to
the message of Islam: submit your will to God and you will attain peace.
God shall give thee thy reward twofold. But if thou decline then on
thee is the guilt of the Copts. O ye people of the Book, come unto an
equal arrangement between us and you, that we should serve none save
God, associating nothing with Him, and not taking one another for Lords
besides God. And if ye decline, then bear witness that we are Muslims.”
Allah teaches Muslims in the Qur’an that
when dialogue with non-Muslims reaches an impasse they should continue
to do justice to them for religious disagreement does not justify
injustice according to Islam.
Allah says in the Qur’an:
So
to that [religion of Allah] invite, [O Muhammad], and remain on a right
course as you are commanded and do not follow their inclinations but
say, “I have believed in what Allah has revealed of the Qur’an, and I
have been commanded to do justice among you. Allah is our Lord and your
Lord. For us are our deeds, and for you your deeds. There is no [need
for] argument between us and you. Allah will bring us together, and to
Him is the [final] destination.” (Ash-Shura 42:15)
Allah commands Prophet Muhammad to
continue to make peace with non-Muslims who even insist on refusing
conversion to Islam. Allah says:
And [Allah acknowledges] his saying, “O my Lord, indeed these are a people who do not believe.”
So turn aside from them and say, “Peace.” But they are going to know. (Az-Zukhruf 43:88-89)
The dialogue with the followers of Jesus traces back to Prophet Muhammad’s
lifetime. He frequently dialogued with the followers of all religions,
especially Christians. A group of Christians from Najran near Yemen once
arrived in Madinah and argued with the Prophet regarding the divinity of Jesus.
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