Playing God

"All rights of this book are reserved for the publisher and the author. This copy is for reading purpose only. This copy cannot be uploaded on any website except those of the publisher and the author." Playing God: Misreading a Divine Practice 53 It is held by many Muslims that one should not initiate salutations with non-Muslims because this would be showing respect to them. In all probability, their view is based on the following narrative: + - 3 = 7 @ { ! , @ F -8 HJ N / ~7 c - K 231 Ab ū Hurayrah reported from the Prophet: “Don’t initiate salutatio ns to the Jews or the Christians.” 37 If this narrative is unde rstood in the light of the divine practice discussed in this treatise, one can conclude that this was a form of humiliation for the Jews and Christians of the Prophet’s times who had deliberately denied the truth. This attitude of course cannot be adopted with other non-Muslims. Even in the time of the Prophet (sws), before the non- Muslims had deliberately rejected the truth, they too were greeted by taking the initiative. In this period, the Prophet (sws) himself said al-sal ā mu ‘alaykum to the non-Muslims of his times: @ o]@ > ! F ? @ @ {- F + - 3 4H +23 + /< K 231 - jB /B1 F? ]@ 3<- > B ? ‘Urwah reports that Us ā mah ibn Zayd informed him that the Prophet (sws) [once] passed by a mixed gathering of Muslims and Jews and said al-sal ā mu 37 . Muslim, Al-J ā mi‘ al-sah ī h , vol. 4, 1707, (no. 2167). www.javedahmadghamidi.com www.al-mawrid.org