Through Force or Faith? — Page 258
?— A Reply to Pope Benedict XVI 258 may receive God’s mercy. The Muslims believe the founders of all religions to be truthful, and in this way Islam lays down the foundation of mutual respect among all peoples of the world. Moreover, glad tidings are given to the followers of other religions that, though Islam is preferred by God, still God will not ignore the good works of anyone who may not have heard about Islam or was not fully aware of the true teachings of Islam or was una- ble to accept Islam for any other reason provided he believed in God and did good works. Such a person will be rewarded by God ( S u rah al-Baqarah, 2:63). Is there any other religion that has made such a provision for the followers of other religions? Under the command of God, the Holy Prophet Muhammad proclaimed aloud, ‘O mankind! Truly I am a Messenger to you all from Allah to Whom belongs the kingdom of the heavens and the earth’ ( S u rah al-A‘r ā f, 7:159). It was not merely a verbal proclama- tion; he indeed proved it through his actions. Among his compan- ions were Arabs, Persians (Salman), Romans ( S uhaib), Ethiopians (Bil ā l), Egyptians (Mariah), and Israelites (‘Abdull ā h bin Sal ā m). He wrote letters to the chiefs and kings of Arabia, Persia, Rome, Ethiopia and Egypt, peacefully inviting them to Islam (Sīrat ibn Hish ā m). No founder of any religion has ever invited anyone other than his own people to his religion. Neither Jesus, nor Moses, nor any other has done that. The self-made claims of universality for- warded by their followers are mere excuses to hide their embar- rassment and to increase the numbers of converts; nothing more than that. Prior to Islam, other religions had described only a few major attributes of God, but in contrast, Islam not only stated, ‘To Allah alone belong all perfect attributes’ ( S u rah al-A‘r ā f, 7:181), it also