Islam and the Freedom of Conscience — Page 52
~ 52 ~ • Some conditions of the pact that he made with the Jews upon reaching Med i na were that Muslims and Jews would live with mutual sympathy and sincerity, and would refrain from oppression against each other. Despite the fact that the Jews continually breached this clause, the Holy Prophet sa continued to treat them with kindness, until the time the matter reached to such an extreme that he was forced to take severe actions against the Jews. • The second condition was that each people would have religious freedom. Despite the Muslims being in the majority the others were free to practice their religion. • The third condition was that the life and property of all inhabitants would be safe and would be respected, unless someone committed a crime or transgression. In this matter too there would be no discrimination, whether the criminal was a Muslim or a non-Muslim, punishment would be given anyhow. Additionally, protection was to be a mutual task. It was to be the government's task. All sorts of disagreements would be brought to the Holy Prophet sa for decision and each decision would be made in accordance with the respective people's own religious law. As the Holy Prophet sa was the Commander-in-Chief at the time, all cases were to be presented to him anyhow. Objections are now raised by Christians and other opponents that the decisions given for some Jews, which