Page 42 - Justice and Compassion in the Qur'an

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JUSTICE AND COMPASSION IN THE QUR'AN

Umar ibn al-Khattab, who succeeded Abu Bakr, was
famous for his justice and made contracts with the indigenous
people of conquered countries, just like the Prophet
Muhammad (saas) did. Each one of these contracts was an
example of understanding and justice. For instance, in his
declaration granting protection to Christians in Jerusalem and
Lod, he ensured that churches would not be demolished and
guaranteed that Muslims would not worship in churches in
groups. Umar granted the same conditions to the Christians of
Bethlehem. During the conquest of Medain, the declaration of
protection given to the Nestorian Patriarch Isho'yab III (650 -
660 AD) again guaranteed that churches would not be
demolished and that no building would be converted into a
house or a mosque. The letter written by the patriarch to the
bishop of Fars (Persia) after the conquest is most striking, in
the sense that it depicts the compassion and compassion
shown by Muslim rulers to the People of the Book in the
words of a Christian:

The Arabs to whom Allah has given at this time the government of
the world... do not persecute the Christian religion. Indeed, they
favor it, honor our priests and the saints of the Lord and confer
benefits on churches and monasteries. 12
The following document by Umar shows us the kind of
love and compassion Allah grants to man, provided that he
adopts the character traits described in the Qur'an:
This is the security which ‘Umar, the servant of Allah, the
commander of the faithful, grants to the people of Ælia. He grants
to all, whether sick or sound, security for their lives, their
possessions, their churches and their crosses, and for all that