Islam and the Freedom of Conscience — Page 50
~ 50 ~ Prophet sa , which he had established to look after the feelings of his own as well as the others. At times, preference was given to the sentiments of others. Practical examples of the conduct of the Holy Prophet sa with regard to establishment of human values and religious tolerance There is another example of his establishment of human values and of fairness. ‘Abdur Ra h m a n bin Ab i Lail a narrates that Sahl bin H an i f and Qai s bin Sa‘d were sitting at a place called Q a dsia when a funeral procession went by. They both stood up. When they were told that the funeral was that of a non- Muslim, they replied: 'Once a funeral procession went by the Holy Prophet sa who stood up as a mark of respect. He was told that it was the funeral of a Jew. To this the Holy Prophet sa replied: Was he not human?' 22 Thus should be the respect for the religion of others as well as for humanity. Such expressions and such models create an atmosphere of religious tolerance. In conveying such feelings, kind sentiments for others are generated and it is these sentiments that create an atmosphere of love and peace. Unlike the actions of the worldly people 22 S a hih Bukh a r i , Kit a bul ‐ Jan a’ iz b a bo man q a ma ‐ lijan a zat ‐ e ‐ yah u d i