FIRST REMINDER. Yaumul Ahad, 29th day of RAJAB (Sunday, 15th April). RELIGIOUS TOLERANCE IN ISLAM. Bismillahir Rahmaanir Raheem. Our beloved Prophet Mohammed sallallahu alaihi wasallam to mankind, faced much difficulty and opposition in his own birth place, the city of Mecca. He was eventually forced to migrate to Medina. But in spite of all the opposition and even physical torture that he himself and his followers suffered in Mecca, Prophet Muhammad always approached the unbelievers of Mecca with tolerance. At one stage of his mission, the Prophet read to them a short chapter from the revelation: “O you who do not believe! I worship not what you worship, and you are not worshipping what I worship; nor am 1 worshipping what you worship; neither -art you worshipping what I worship. Therefore, to you your religion; and to me my religion!” (chap. 109). When Prophet Muhammad migrated to Medina, he found that besides those who had accepted Islam, there was a large Jewish community in that, city but this did not bother him. He did not contemplate on forcing them into the Fold of Islam, instead, he made a peace agreement with them and called them ahlul kitab, the people of the Scripture. This was indeed the supreme example of tolerance shown towards the followers of other religions. The peace agreement between the Prophet and the Jews of Medina dearly guaranteed the physical safety and security of the Jewish community and also the freedom to practise their religion freely as long as that community also abided the terms of the treaty. So we see that even historically, the Prophet of Islam was prepared to live in peace with the followers of other monotheistic religions, especially Judaism and Christianity in an effort to get them to understand Islam and revert to Islam peacefully and willingly through his kind actions and teachings. Many physically abused him, insulted him and even spoke badly about ALLAH but the Prophet Muhammed sallallahu alaihi wasallam was always gentle and kind to them and through that he managed to turn the whole Arabian Peninsula from idol worship into The Worship of One true God. To be continued in Shaa ALLAH. May ALLAH keep guiding us all and increases us in beneficial knowledge. Aameen.