To illustrate the goodwill that is characteristic of an authentic Islamic society, today's edition of the Gulf News has an article on a new Evangelical Church that was built in the Abu Dhabi Emirate recently. This building is the home of thousands of Christian worshippers in Abu Dhabi, uniting 21 denominations under one roof. The Pastor, Cameron Arensen, remarked: "The land was granted to us by the rulers of this country, who have been very generous". It is indeed an act of charity and goodwill for Muslims to allow Christians to worship as they choose, even on Islamic soil. The article can be found at:
But, this reminds me of the verse in the Holy Qur'an that makes it clear to Christians that acts like these are not meant to suppose Islamic acceptance of the Christian heresy. Unlike many other religions, Islam is not unclear about what it accepts and endorses as truth. In Aal-e-Imran (chapter 3:64) we read the following inspired words:
64
قُلْ يَا أَهْلَ الْكِتَابِ تَعَالَوْاْ إِلَى كَلِمَةٍ سَوَاءٍ بَيْنَنَا وَبَيْنَكُمْ أَلاَّ نَعْبُدَ إِلاَّ اللّهَ وَلاَ نُشْرِكَ بِهِ شَيْئًا وَلاَ يَتَّخِذَ بَعْضُنَا بَعْضاً أَرْبَابًا مِّن دُونِ اللّهِ فَإِن تَوَلَّوْاْ فَقُولُواْ اشْهَدُواْ بِأَنَّا مُسْلِمُونَ
قُلْ يَا أَهْلَ الْكِتَابِ تَعَالَوْاْ إِلَى كَلِمَةٍ سَوَاءٍ بَيْنَنَا وَبَيْنَكُمْ أَلاَّ نَعْبُدَ إِلاَّ اللّهَ وَلاَ نُشْرِكَ بِهِ شَيْئًا وَلاَ يَتَّخِذَ بَعْضُنَا بَعْضاً أَرْبَابًا مِّن دُونِ اللّهِ فَإِن تَوَلَّوْاْ فَقُولُواْ اشْهَدُواْ بِأَنَّا مُسْلِمُونَ
64
Qul ya ahla alkitabi taAAalaw ila kalimatin sawain baynana wabaynakum alla naAAbuda illa Allaha wala nushrika bihi shayan wala yattakhitha baAAduna baAAdan arbaban min dooni Allahi fain tawallaw faqooloo ishhadoo bianna muslimoona.
64
Say: O People of the Scripture! Come to an agreement between us and you: that we shall worship none but Allah, and that we shall ascribe no partner unto Him, and that none of us shall take others for lords beside Allah. And if they turn away, then say: Bear witness that we are they who have surrendered (unto Him).
It is the Muslim call to Christians to come to the truth of Islam that is essentially encapsulated in the shahadah [testimony] that makes one a Muslim: we shall worship NONE but Allah, and we shall ascribe NO partner unto Him, and that NONE of us shall take others for lords beside Allah. Acts of Muslim generosity to Christians would be entirely insufficient without extending to them the ultimate generosity - the privilege of embracing Islam and bowing the knee to the one true God.
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