Islam Rediscovered
22. The Role of Non-Muslims in Islamic Development
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22. THE ROLE OF NON-MUSLIMS IN
ISLAMIC DEVELOPMENT
Islam is the religion of Nature, and in treading its
path, it is non-discriminatory, finding room within
its scheme of things for every segment of society.
Rigidity is quite alien to its process of development.
There is a meaningful
hadith
in
Sahih al-Bukhari
to
this effect. According to this
hadith
, Prophet
Muhammad, may peace be upon him, said: “God
Almighty will strengthen this religion [Islam]
through a
fajir
(one who is not a true Muslim)
person as well (Bukhari).
This is a very important declaration because in this
world, any natural process begins with the
involvement of different elements—as happened in
the case of Islam. Humanity as a whole is an
interdependent body and Islam is not an exception.
Islam is an ideology aimed at human development,
and no process of human development can endure
without involving humanity at large. There are
