MUTUAL RESPECT
Mutual respect is necessary to strengthen societal structures through stable and enduring human relationships.
For harmony to prevail in a multi-religious society, individuals living in it must be broadminded, respectful, compassionate, and well-wishers of others. Only with these virtues can members of society relate positively with others, including those whose belief system is different from theirs. This indicates the importance of mutual respect.
The principle of mutual respect is natural and applies to all areas of social life. This natural principle needs to be upheld and acted upon by the adherents of different religions so that societal structures may be strengthened by stable and enduring human relationships.
For much of his life, the Prophet of Islam lived in a society where adherents of other religions existed alongside believers in Islam. However, when most of the denizens of Makkah subscribed to different beliefs, his conduct consistently conveyed his high moral character. He communicated to the people the message of Tawheed (the Oneness of God) with love and kindness and fulfilled their rights. That is why the people of Makkah, irrespective of their religious beliefs, had great confidence in him. They continued to do this up to the last days of his stay in Makkah.
After being appointed as a prophet, the Prophet lived in Makkah for thirteen years and later migrated to Madinah, where he lived for ten years until his death. For about half his period in Madinah, he lived among people of different religions. The Prophet devised a Constitution for these people, known in history as Mīthāq al-Madina or Ṣaḥīfat al-Madīnah, also referred to as the Madinah Charter. This Charter expressly mentioned that issues concerning the different groups in Madinah would be decided based on their religious traditions—those of Muslims according to their Islamic traditions and those of the others according to their respective traditions.
This sunnah or practice of the Prophet for a plural society carries the same moral authority as other practices of his.
