Badges mark quoted or attributed material (Qur'an, hadith, another author, an opposing view). Unbadged passages are Maulana Wahiduddin Khan's own words.
The Role of Non-Muslims in Islamic Development
I
slam 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 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 several phases in the history of Islam which illustrate this point.
Prophet Muhammad spent his first thirteen years of prophethood in Makkah. At that time in Makkah, there existed a tribal system. There was no organized state in the modern sense. It was necessary for everyone to have protection under one of the tribal chiefs. So, according to this prevalent custom, the Prophet availed himself of the protection of two of the local chieftains—Abu Talib and Mut’im bin Adi alternatively, both of whom happened to be non-Muslims.
After spending thirteen years in Makkah, the Prophet migrated to Madinah. It was a very risky journey because his opponents had announced a reward of a hundred camels to anyone who would bring them the Prophet’s head. In spite of this, the Prophet chose a member of the rival group to be his guide for the journey, because this guide was known to be an honest person in his profession. He is known in Islamic history as Abdullah bin Urayqit. He was a non-Muslim and died as a non-Muslim in Makkah.
After the migration of the Prophet, a series of armed conflicts broke out between the Prophet and his opponents. One of the military campaigns of his opponents, known in Islamic history as Ghazwa al-Ahzab, was so devastating that even the Quran refers to it as one of the most terrifying moments in Islamic history. At the time, the Muslims had become quite helpless against their opponents. The only thing that eased this most difficult of situations was the role a Madinite played—that of a middleman.
This man came to the Prophet in the night when Madinah was surrounded by enemy forces. He said, “I have become a Muslim in my heart, but I have not made it public yet. So the mushriks and the Jews both have trust in me.” Realizing that this man was in a position to play a peace-making role between the two parties, since he was trusted by both, the Prophet said, “You are the only one in this position among us.”
This man began, therefore, to negotiate between the two parties and history tells us that it was he who cleared the path to peace at this juncture between the two rival parties. It was because of his efforts that the enemy decided to lift the siege of the city of Madinah and return to their homes.
Islamic history contains many examples of the role played by non-Muslims in the development of Islam. This principle of non-Muslim involvement in Islamic development can also be extended from an individual level to the level of an entire group.
In the present-day context, Western Civilization is an appropriate example. Although Western Civilization developed in non-Muslim societies without any direct contribution from the Muslim minds, it is helpful for Islam in many aspects. For example, it is this Western Civilization that finally ended religious persecution and opened the door for religious freedom and dawah. Similarly, it is this Western Civilization which has developed the modern means of communication that has made it possible for Muslims to do dawah work on a global scale. Also, modern scientific discoveries made in the West have paved the way to proving the beliefs of Islam on a scientific basis.
In previous times, it was assumed that the truths of Islam, or religion for that matter, could be supported only by arguments that were inferential in nature and not by arguments that were direct. But modern science, in bringing human thought from a macrocosmic level to a microcosmic level, has made it possible to accept that inferential reasoning is as valid as direct reasoning. This development has allowed Islam to prove its truth on the same level as scientific theories are proven.
From these few examples, it is clear that non-Muslims are also helpful to the cause of Islam in many ways. Islamic development is such a universal process that all Muslim and non-Muslim forces contribute towards its fulfillment.
This aspect of a role for those other than Muslims in the development of Islam serves a moral end as well. It makes Muslims sympathetic towards the rest of the world so that the hearts of Muslims are filled with love for others instead of hate, enmity and distrust.
The contribution of non-Muslims to Islam has not been of a temporary nature. It has continued throughout Islamic history. In present times these contributions made by non-Muslims, especially in the field of scientific discoveries, have been far greater than ever before.
What are these scientific discoveries? They are, in actual fact, the discoveries of nature. Nature, or in the words of the Quran, “all the things of the heavens and the earth” are signs of God. Accordingly, all the things of the universe serve as scientific argument for Islamic teachings. In this respect the discoveries of nature are in fact the discoveries of the divine realities which testify to the truth of the teachings of Islam. I have gone into considerable detail on this point in other books I have written. Here I wish to give only one example to illustrate my point.
There is a verse in the Quran:
We shall save your body this day, so that you may be a sign for those who come after you. (10:92)
This refers to the Egyptian ruler, Pharaoh, a contemporary of the Prophet Moses. As we know, Pharaoh had been drowned by God in the deep waters of the sea. At that moment God had decreed the preservation of Pharaoh’s body in order that it might be a sign of God for future generations.
However, neither at the time of revelation of the Quran, nor even a thousand years later, did anyone have had any knowledge regarding Pharaoh’s body; it remained absolutely unknown to the Muslim world. It was not until the end of the nineteenth century that this preserved body was discovered. This prediction of the Quran had been fulfilled to the letter. However, this task was performed entirely by non-Muslims.
It was a French scholar, Prof. Loret, who discovered this mummified body of Pharoah at Thebes in the King’s Valley, from where it was transported to Cairo. Prof. Elliot Smith removed its wrapping on the 8th of July 1907. He gives a detailed description of this operation and examination of the body in his book, The Royal Mummies (1912).
In June 1975, Dr. Maurice Bucaille was allowed by the Egyptian authorities to examine Pharoah’s body. Special investigations were made during this examination of this mummified body along with a team of specialists. By means of several modern techniques like radiography, Carbon-dating, and endoscopy, the exact period of this body was established. After study and research lasting several years by a team of western experts, it was scientifically proved that this body definitely belonged exactly to the period of Moses.
It was also established beyond any doubt that this Pharoah died either from drowning or from very violent shocks preceding the moment when he was drowned.
The French author, Dr Maurice Bucaille, rounds off the chapter called ‘The Exodus’ in his book, The Bible, the Quran and Science, with these thrilling words:
Those who seek among modern data for proof of the veracity of the Holy Scriptures will find a magnificent illustration of the verses of the Quran dealing with the Pharoah’s body by visiting the Royal Mummies’ Room of the Egyptian Museum, Cairo. (p. 241)