Islam and Human Rights — Page 166
Isl am and Hum an R ights 166 the right thereto, it shall be an expiation for his sins. Whoso judges not by what Allah has sent down, these it is who are the wrongdoers. “We caused Jesus, son of Mary, to follow in their footsteps, fulfilling that which was revealed before him in the Torah, and We gave him the Gospel which contained guidance and light, fulfilling that which was revealed before it in the Torah, and a guidance and an admonition for the God-fearing. Let the People of the Gospel judge according to what Allah has revealed therein, and whoso judges not by what Allah has revealed, these it is who are the rebel lious” (5:45-48). The Prophet permitted a Christian delegation from Najran to hold their service, in accordance with their rites, in his mosque at Medina, and they availed themselves of the permission. 72 The Quran invites, indeed enjoins, reflection and the exercise of reason, understanding and judgment at every step. Failure to do so counts as a serious default for which an individual is accountable. It thus seeks to foster the development of these faculties and actively promotes free dom of thought, opinion and expression. “In the creation of the heavens and the earth and in 72 Zarqani IV, p. 41.