Principles of Islam
50. Society
~ 150 ~
places where Muslims lived along with adherents of
other religions. This
sunnat,
or practice of the
Prophet, for a plural society carries the same moral
authority as other of his practices.
Islam recognises no difference between Muslims
and non-Muslims from the ethical standpoint. The
rights granted to a Muslim are exactly the same as
those granted to a non-Muslim.
A tradition in
Sahih al-Bukhari
gives us a telling
example of how this principle should in practice be
followed. According to this tradition, when the
Prophet was in Madina, he saw a funeral procession
passing along a street. The Prophet was seated at
that time. On seeing it, the Prophet stood up in
deference to the deceased person. One of his
companions said: “O God’s messenger, it was the
funeral of a Jew (not a Muslim).” The Prophet
replied: “Was he not a human being?”
This tradition of the Prophet of Islam tells us that
every human being is worthy of respect. There
might be differences between people in religion,
culture and traditions but it is incumbent upon
everyone to accord equal respect to others as all
