At this website by various means we seek to defend life, to encourage Christian faith, to promote Catholic tradition, to edify Marriage in its link to the Creator, to encourage families and individuals, and to support missionary disciples of Jesus. G.S.
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Jan. 10, 2014
https://newsrescue.com/letter-to-all-christians-from-prophet-muhammad-sa/#ixzz3EjSMNmZ0
How should Muslims treat Christians? With
violence? Anger? Hatred? The answer is none of the above. Below is
the English rendering of a letter written by the Prophet Muhammad (sa) to all
Christians.
In a time when tensions between Islam and
Christianity seem to be at an all time high, we remind our Christian friends
that a true Muslim cannot hurt a Christian in any way, neither by his hand, nor
by his tongue.
The below letter requires no explanation. We
hope it provides credence and comfort that Prophet Muhammad (sa) truly
celebrated his Christian friends. (The original letter is now in the Topkapi
Museum in Instanbul)
“This is a message from Muhammad ibn Abdullah, as a
covenant to those who adopt Christianity, near and far, we are with them.
Verily I, the servants, the helpers, and my followers defend them, because
Christians are my citizens; and by Allah! I hold out against anything that
displeases them.
No compulsion is to be on them. Neither are their
judges to be removed from their jobs nor their monks from their monasteries.
No one is to destroy a house of their religion, to
damage it, or to carry anything from it to the Muslims’ houses. Should anyone
take any of these, he would spoil God’s covenant and disobey His Prophet.
Verily, they are my allies and have my secure charter against all that they
hate.
No one is to force them to travel or to oblige them
to fight. The Muslims are to fight for them. If a female Christian is married
to a Muslim, it is not to take place without her approval. She is not to be
prevented from visiting her church to pray.
Their churches are to be respected. They are
neither to be prevented from repairing them nor the sacredness of their
covenants. No one of the nation (Muslims) is to disobey the covenant till the
Last Day (end of the world).”
This document is the Achtiname of
Muhammad, also known as the Covenant or (Holy) Testament (Testamentum)
of the Prophet Muhammad, a document or ahdname which is a charter or writ ratified by the Islamic
Prophet Muhammad granting protection and
other privileges to the monks of Saint
Catherine’s Monastery, Mount Sinai. It is sealed
with an imprint representing Muhammad’s hand. -wikipedia
Read more: http://newsrescue.com/letter-to-all-christians-from-prophet-muhammad-sa/#ixzz3EjSMNmZ0
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Achtiname_of_Muhammad
- Muhammad the son of ‘Abd Allah, the Messenger
of Allah, and careful guardian of the whole world; has wrote the present
instrument to all those who are in his national people, and of his own
religion, as a secure and positive promise to be accomplished to the
Christian nation, and relations of the Nazarene, whosoever they may be,
whether they be the noble or the vulgar, the honorable or otherwise,
saying thus.I.
Whosoever of my nation shall presume to break my promise and oath, which
is contained in this present agreement, destroys the promise of God, acts
contrary to the oath, and will be a resister of the faith, (which God
forbid) for he becomes worthy of the curse, whether he be the King
himself, or a poor man, or whatever person he may be.
- That whenever any of the monks in his travels
shall happen to settle upon any mountain, hill, village, or other
habitable place, on the sea, or in deserts, or in any convent, church, or
house of prayer, I shall be in the midst of them, as the preserver and
protector of them, their goods and effects, with my soul, aid, and
protection, jointly with all my national people; because they are a part
of my own people, and an honor to me.
- Moreover, I command all officers not to
require any poll-tax on them, or any other tribute, because they shall not
be forced or compelled to anything of this kind.
- None shall presume to change their judges or
governors, but they shall remain in their office, without being deported.
- No one shall molest them when they are
travelling on the road.
- Whatever churches they are possessed of, no
one is to deprive them of them.
- Whosoever shall annul any of one of these my
decrees, let him know positively that he annuls the ordinance of God.
- Moreover, neither their judges, governors,
monks, servants, disciples, or any others depending on them, shall pay any
poll-tax, or be molested on that account, because I am their protector,
wherever they shall be, either by land or sea, east or west, north or
south; because both they and all that belong to them are included in this
my promissory oath and patent.
- And of those that live quietly and solitary
upon the mountains, they shall exact neither poll-tax nor tithes from
their incomes, neither shall any Muslim partake of what they have; for
they labor only to maintain themselves.
- Whenever the crop of the earth shall be
plentiful in its due time, the inhabitants shall be obliged out of every
bushel to give them a certain measure.
- Neither in time of war shall they take them
out of their habitations, nor compel them to go to the wars, nor even then
shall they require of them any poll-tax.
- In these eleven chapters is to be found
whatever relates to the monks, as to the remaining seven chapters, they
direct what relates to every Christian.
- Those Christians who are inhabitants, and with
their riches and traffic are able to pay the poll-tax, shall pay no more
than twelve drachms.
- Excepting this, nothing shall be required of
them, according to the express order of God, that says, ‘Do not molest
those that have a veneration for the books that are sent from God, but
rather in a kind manner give of your good things to them, and converse
with them, and hinder everyone from molesting them’ [29:46].
- If a Christian woman shall happen to marry a
Muslim man, the Muslim shall not cross the inclination of his wife, to
keep her from her church and prayers, and the practice of her religion.
- That no person hinder them from repairing
their churches.
- Whosoever acts contrary to my grant, or gives
credit to anything contrary to it, becomes truly an apostate to God, and
to his divine apostle, because this protection I have granted to them
according to this promise.
- No one shall bear arms against them, but, on
the contrary, the Muslims shall wage war for them.
- And by this I ordain, that none of my nation
shall presume to do or act contrary to this my promise, until the end of
the world.
English Translation of the Achtiname
by Anton F. Haddad:
This is a letter which was issued
by Mohammed, Ibn Abdullah, the Messenger, the Prophet, the Faithful, who is
sent to all the people as a trust on the part of God to all His creatures, that
they may have no plea against God hereafter. Verily God is the Mighty, the
Wise. This letter is directed to the embracers of Islam, as a covenant given to
the followers of Nazarene in the East and West, the far and near, the Arabs and
foreigners, the known and the unknown.
This letter contains the oath
given unto them, and he who disobeys that which is therein will be considered a
disobeyer and a transgressor to that whereunto he is commanded. He will be
regarded as one who has corrupted the oath of God, disbelieved His Testament,
rejected His Authority, despised His Religion, and made himself deserving of
His Curse, whether he is a Sultan or any other believer of Islam. Whenever
monks, devotees and pilgrims gather together, whether in a mountain or valley,
or den, or frequented place, or plain, or church, or in houses of worship,
verily we are [at the] back of them and shall protect them, and their
properties and their morals, by Myself, by My Friends and by My Assistants, for
they are of My Subjects and under My Protection.
I shall exempt them from that
which may disturb them; of the burdens which are paid by others as an oath of
allegiance. They must not give anything of their income but that which pleases
them—they must not be offended, or disturbed, or coerced or compelled. Their
judges should not be changed or prevented from accomplishing their offices, nor
the monks disturbed in exercising their religious order, or the people of
seclusion be stopped from dwelling in their cells.
No one is allowed to plunder the
pilgrims, or destroy or spoil any of their churches, or houses of worship, or
take any of the things contained within these houses and bring it to the houses
of Islam. And he who takes away anything therefrom, will be one who has
corrupted the oath of God, and, in truth, disobeyed His Messenger.
Poll-taxes should not be put upon
their judges, monks, and those whose occupation is the worship of God; nor is any
other thing to be taken from them, whether it be a fine, a tax or any unjust
right. Verily I shall keep their compact, wherever they may be, in the sea or
on the land, in the East or West, in the North or South, for they are under My
Protection and the testament of My Safety, against all things which they abhor.
No taxes or tithes should be
received from those who devote themselves to the worship of God in the
mountains, or from those who cultivate the Holy Lands. No one has the right to
interfere with their affairs, or bring any action against them. Verily this is
for aught else and not for them; rather, in the seasons of crops, they should
be given a Kadah for each Ardab of wheat (about five bushels and a half) as
provision for them, and no one has the right to say to them this is too much,
or ask them to pay any tax.
As to those who possess
properties, the wealthy and merchants, the poll-tax to be taken from them must
not exceed twelve Dirhams a head per year (i.e. about 45 cents).
They shall not be imposed upon by
anyone to undertake a journey, or to be forced to go to wars or to carry arms;
for the Muslims have to fight for them. Do no dispute or argue with them, but
deal according to the verse recorded in the Koran, to wit: ‘Do not dispute or
argue with the People of the Book but in that which is best’ [29:46]. Thus they
will live favored and protected from everything which may offend them by the
Callers to religion (Islam), wherever they may be and in any place they may
dwell.
Should any Christian woman be
married to a Musulman, such marriage must not take place except after her
consent, and she must not be prevented from going to her church for prayer.
Their churches must be honored and they must not be withheld from building churches
or repairing convents.
They must not be forced to carry
arms or stones; but the Muslims must protect them and defend them against
others. It is positively incumbent upon every one of the Islam nation not to
contradict or disobey this oath until the Day of Resurrection and the end of
the world.
[Haddad, Anton F., trans. The
Oath of the Prophet Mohammed to the Followers of the Nazarene. New York: Board
of Counsel, 1902; H-Bahai: Lansing, MI: 2004]
Read more: http://newsrescue.com/letter-to-all-christians-from-prophet-muhammad-sa/#ixzz3Eju5Utra
At this website by various means we seek to defend life, to encourage Christian faith, to promote Catholic tradition, to edify Marriage in its link to the Creator, to encourage families and individuals, and to support missionary disciples of Jesus. G.S.
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