Page 108 - Seekers Guide Book
P. 108
Islam and the Quran
26 Why do Muslims only respect
the Prophet Muhammad?
believing Muslim is bound to respect all the prophets.
A He cannot differentiate between the messengers of
God.
God had sent a prophet or messenger to every group and
community of people in this world. All the messengers
of God enjoy an equal status. In the chapter al-Baqarah
(The Heifer), the Quran says:
We do not differentiate between any of His
messengers. We hear and obey. Grant us
Your forgiveness, Lord, to You we shall all
return! (Quran 2:285)
The Prophet is recorded to have said, Do
not give me superiority over other prophets.
(Sahih al-Bukhari, hadith no. 4638)
This Quranic verse and the hadith relate directly to the
messengers or the prophets of God. But both also have
a broader application, according to which, every person
is worthy of respect, regardless of creed or culture.
Such belief promotes a culture of equal respect among
mankind. Difference in belief is necessarily subject to
discussion, but not a reason for discrimination. If your
belief system is different from that of others, you have
every right to engage in discussion and dialogue on the
subject, but in the process, you have no right to show
disrespect to others. This holds true even if you believe
that your ideology enshrines the supreme truth. The
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