The Corridor to Religious Tolerance in Islam

Embracing a new religion is indeed a beautiful event. Soon after, however, as we become more socially involved, mixing and mingling with certain folk is not always a “bowl full of cherries”. Sometimes, we witness religious discussions which are not the least bit productive, but instead a less than graceful ‘war of words’ among people with opposing views. And, if we’re not careful, it is easy to get caught up in these tirades—it is at that point we must stop and ask ourselves what would our prophet Mohammad (saaws) do? What does Islam suggest? The answer usually comes from within ourselves, without having to ask–if we do a little soul searching. For instance, it wasn’t until I began reading more Islamic literature that I realized much of this fighting, due to intolerance of another’s belief, is simply not what the Man upstairs calls for—Allah. Therefore, I’m offering readers a firsthand affidavit of my experience, in which I had to come to terms with my own deep-seated intolerance, with examples of Quranic ayahs that led me down a tranquil corridor towards religious tolerance in Islam.

More