Islam and the Freedom of Conscience — Page 48
~ 48 ~ gave the slaves their rights, and if one could not fulfil them then one had to set them free. A tradition recounts that once a Companion ra was beating up his slave which the Holy Prophet sa happened to see. He expressed great anger. On this the Companion ra freed his slave. The Holy Prophet sa remarked that if he had not freed the slave he would have come under the chastisement of God. 20 So this is what freedom is! An example of freedom of expression for people of other religions can be found during the times when the Prophet’s sa government was established in Medina. In a tradition, Hadrat Ab u Hurairah ra narrates that two men were quarrelling. One was a Muslim and the other a Jew. The Muslim said, 'I swear by the Being Who chose Muhammad sa over all the worlds and granted him excellence over others. ' The Jew retorted, 'I swear by that Being Who granted excellence to Moses over all the worlds and chose him. ' On this the Muslim slapped the Jew. The Jew took the complaint to the Holy Prophet sa , who asked the Muslim for the details and then said: 20 S a hih Muslim , Kit a bul ‐ I m a n b a bo s u h batil ‐ mam a l i k, Hadith No. 4308