DEAR PLEASE FO NOT PUT BLAME ON ISLAM BECAUSE SOME HURT OTHERS .ISLAM IS FREE OF VIOLANCE AND AGGRESSION.IT RATHER CALLS FOR BROTHERHOOD , FREEDOM OF THOUGHT AND CHOICE. . Being good to neighbors is not only restricted to those who share the same building with you. Your roommate at the dorm is your neighbor; the person sitting behind you or next to you in a bus or at a bus stop is your neighbor; the one sharing your office at work is your neighbor; the person enjoying fresh air next to you in a public garden is also a neighbor. You ought to treat all of those people kindly and socialize with them within the permitted scope of Shari ah. 2. Introduce yourself and your family to your neighbors when you move into a new place or when new neighbors move in. This will also help to relieve any fears or tensions they may have about Muslims. Also, dont forget to say good-bye when you or they move away. 3. Care for them continually, especially at times of need and distress, as the neighbor in need is a neighbor indeed. If a neighbor is elderly or chronically ill, offer to run errands or shop for him or her. 4. In dealing with neighbors, it is safer to deal with those of the same sex as yourself. This does not mean that you should stop socializing at work or school with your non-Muslim workmates or classmates of the opposite sex, but be aware of Satanic snares. After-hours socializing should be with your same sex. 5. While socializing with non-Muslims, be cautious of becoming too lenient at the expense of your creed and principles. For example, dont go out drinking with them. They will respect you more for sticking to your principles than for breaking the rules. Common grounds should be enhanced, and areas of dissension should never be raised. 6. In addition to sharing ideas, you can share meals with them by inviting them to dinner on the weekend or accepting their invitation to the same, provided that you let them know about your dietary restrictions as a Muslim. 7. Conduct mutual visits so that the families can interact in a constructive way. If the discussion does turn to religion, focus on areas of common ground. For example, if your neighbors are Christian, then you should not enter into a futile argument with them about whether Jesus is God incarnate or not. Rather, tell them to what extent Islam honors all Gods Prophets and Messengers as a whole, and that Jesus is granted a special status among Gods Prophets and Messengers. 8. While socializing with neighbors, present your deen (Islam) in the best way. If you are faced with a difficult question or a distortion about Islam, do not be ashamed to stop for a while and tell them that you will try to contact a more knowledgeable person to seek the guidance regarding the issue raised. Thus, common grounds should be enhanced, and areas of dissension should never be raised. 9. If your neighbors show an interest in Islam, invite them to attend Islamic events, and even to accompany you to the mosque to see what it is like. It may be that their hearts become softened to Islam, and if they remain non-Muslim, at least you have succeeded in breaking the barrier. You can also visit the church where your neighbors pray if they invite you to do that, but here you should be cautious not to perform any act that your religion prohibits. In brief, be only a watchful monitor. 10. Always keep in mind the mighty reward that is in store for you in the Hereafter when you show kindness to a neighbor

Description: Many mistakenly believe that Islam does not tolerate the existence of other religions present in the world. This article discusses some of the foundations the Prophet Muhammad himself laid in dealing with people of other faiths, with a practical examples from his lifetime. Part 1: Examples of religious tolerance for people of other faiths found in the constitution which the Prophet laid in Medina. The dealings of the Prophet, may God praise him, with other religions can best be described in the verse of the Quran: ?To your be your religion, to me be mine.? The Arabian Peninsula during the time of the Prophet was a region in which various faiths were present. There were Christians, Jews, Zoroastrians, polytheists, and others not affiliated with any religion. When one looks into the life of the Prophet, one may draw on many examples to portray the high level of tolerance shown to people of other faiths. In order to understand and judge this tolerance, one must look into the period in which Islam was a formal state, with the specific laws laid down by the Prophet in accordance with the tenets of religion. Even though one can observe many examples of tolerance shown by the Prophet in the thirteen years of his stay in Mecca, one may incorrectly think that it was only due to seeking to raise the profile of the Muslims and the social status of Islam and in general. For this reason, the discussion will be limited to the period which commenced with the migration of the Prophet to Medina, and specifically once the constitution was set. The Saheefah The best example of the tolerance shown by the Prophet to other religions may be the constitution itself, called the ?Saheefah? by early historians.[1] When the Prophet migrated to Medina, his role as a mere religious leader ended; he was now the political leader of a state, governed by the precepts of Islam, which demanded that clear laws of governance be laid out to ensure harmony and stability in a society which once had been distraught by decades of war, one which must ensure the peaceful coexistence of Muslims, Jews, Christians and polytheists. Due to this, the Prophet laid down a ?constitution? which detailed the responsibilities of all parties which resided in Medina, their obligations towards each other, and certain restrictions which were placed on each. All parties were to obey what was mentioned therein, and any breach of its articles was regarded as an act of treachery. One Nation The first article of the constitution was that all the inhabitants of Medina, the Muslims as well as those who had entered the pact from the Jews, Christian, and idolaters, were ?one nation to the exclusion of all others.? All were considered members and citizens of Medina society regardless of religion, race, or ancestry. People of other faiths were protected from harm as much as the Muslims, as is stated in another article, ?To the Jews who follow us belong help and equity. He shall not be harmed nor his enemies be aided.? Previously, each tribe had their alliances and enemies within and without Medina. The Prophet gathered these different tribes under one system of governance which upheld pacts of alliances previously in existence between those individual tribes. All tribes had to act as a whole with disregard to individual alliances. Any attack on other religion or tribe was considered an attack on the state and upon the Muslims as well. The lives of the practitioners of other religions in the Muslim society was also given protective status. The Prophet said: ?Whoever kills a person who has a truce with the Muslims will never smell the fragrance of Paradise.? (Saheeh Muslim) Since the upper hand was with the Muslims, the Prophet strictly warned against any maltreatment of people of other faiths. He said: ?Beware! Whoever is cruel and hard on a non-Muslim minority, curtails their rights, burdens them with more than they can bear, or takes anything from them against their free will; I (Prophet Muhammad) will complain against the person on the Day of Judgment.? (Abu Dawud) To Each Their Own Religion In another article, it states, ?the Jews have their religion and the Muslims have theirs.? In this, it is clear that anything other than tolerance would not be tolerated, and that, although all were members of a society, each had their separate religion which could not be violated. Each was allowed to practice their beliefs freely without any hindrances, and no acts of provocation would be tolerated. There are many other articles of this constitution which may be discussed, but emphasis will be placed on an article which states, ?If any dispute or controversy likely to cause trouble should arise, it must be referred to God and His Messenger.? This clause maintained that all inhabitants of the state must recognize a higher level of authority, and in those matters which involved various tribes and religions, justice could not be meted out by individual leaders; rather it must be adjudicated by the leader of the state himself or his designated representatives. It was allowed, however, for individual tribes who were not Muslims, to refer to their own religious scriptures and their learned men in regards to their own personal affairs. They could though, if they opted, ask the Prophet to judge between them in their matters. God says in the Quran: ?If they do come to you, either judge between them or decline to interfere.? (Quran 5:42) Here we see that Prophet allowed each religion to judge in their own matters according to their own scriptures, as long as it did not stand in opposition to articles of the constitution, a pact which took into account the greater benefit of the peaceful co-existence of the society.