Absolute Justice, Kindness and Kinship — Page 178
Freedom of Conscience in Matters of Faith 173 Some of the Prophets as mentioned in this regard include Hadrat N uh (Noah) as , Hadrat Ibr ahi m (Abraham) as , Hadrat L ut (Lot) as , Hadrat H u d as and Hadrat Sa li h as. But this list is far from being exhausted. In fact, while on the subject, the Holy Quran refers to all the Prophets as generally without specifically mentioning their names. It clearly states that no Prophets as , born at different epochs of history, ever permitted compulsion in matters of faith. In spite of tremendous suffering, all the Prophets as always held fast to the basic principle of freedom of conscience. If a tyrant ever attempted to coerce others into changing their faith, he found, and will find them always ready to defend their fundamental rights, even at the cost of immense sacrifices. The same goes for the crime of apostacy. The following far-reaching Quranic verse is worthy of note: And those who disbelieved said to their Messengers, 'We will, surely, expel you from our land unless you return to our religion. ' Then their Lord sent unto them the revelation: 'We will, surely, destroy the wrongdoers. ' (S u rah Ibr a h i m; Ch. 14: V. 14) In addition to banishment from the homeland, other