Religious Tolerance in Islam and Its Historical Implementation

✦ Religious Tolerance in Islam and the Historical Realities ✦
Derived from various classical Islamic sources and historical records

❖ Respect and Protection of Religious Places in Islam​

Islamic teachings emphasize respecting places of worship, even those belonging to non-Muslims. The Qur’an strictly prohibits attacking religious sites without just cause, and the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ explicitly forbade such actions.
History confirms that the Companions and Muslim caliphs adhered to these principles, and there is no precedent in Islam of destroying non-Muslim places of worship solely out of prejudice.


If temples or churches were ever demolished, there were contextual, social, or legal reasons behind those decisions—not blind fanaticism.

❖ Fiqh and the Construction of Mosques​

Islamic jurists have clearly ruled that:

• A mosque cannot be built on disputed or illegally acquired land.
• A mosque constructed on the basis of a will not accepted by the heirs is also invalid.

Source:
Shaykh Yusuf al-Qaradawi, Islam, Muslims, and Non-Muslims, pp. 48–49

❖ Rights of Non-Muslim Worship Places​

• Imam Abu Yusuf writes in Kitab al-Kharaj that non-Muslims are not permitted to build new places of worship in newly established Muslim cities without the Sultan's permission. However, the ruler may choose to allow or remove such a structure based on broader policy and public welfare.

Kitab al-Kharaj, p. 88

• Ibn ʿAbbās (RA) stated that non-Muslim religious buildings should not be constructed in newly established Muslim cities, but existing agreements in older cities must be honored.

❖ Historical Evidence of Religious Coexistence​

Despite theoretical restrictions, history shows that:

• Churches and temples were constructed and repaired under Muslim rule in cities like Cairo and Iraq.
• Non-Muslims paid jizya (tax) and, in return, were granted full religious freedom under Islamic governance.

❖ Protection of Temples in India​

✔ Policies of Indian Muslim Rulers:​

• Muslim sultans in India showed religious tolerance, granting land endowments for temples.
• Aurangzeb, often misrepresented, provided ghee and oil for temple lamps.

Source: Saʿīd Ahmad Akbarābādī, Nafsat al-Masdur, p. 57

✔ Misrepresentations by Biased Historians:​

• Some historians falsely accused Muslim rulers of religious bigotry and temple destruction.
• The truth, however, is that temples were only destroyed when they became centers of immorality or political conspiracies.

❖ Case Studies:​

✔ Firoz Shah Tughlaq:​

• He demolished temples in newly founded cities because they became hubs of societal corruption.
• His actions were not religiously motivated, but intended for public welfare.

Source: Ishwar Topa, Hindi Muslim Hukmaranon ke Siyasi Usool, p. 89

✔ Jahangir and Shah Jahan:​

• Occasionally restricted temple construction, but overall upheld religious tolerance.

✔ Muhammad bin Qasim:​

• Allowed repairs of temples in Sindh and granted donations for their upkeep.

❖ Non-Muslim Aggression Toward Mosques​

History also records incidents where non-Muslims destroyed mosques in Muslim-ruled lands. Yet, Muslim rulers continued to protect their religious structures without retaliatory attacks.

❖ Conclusion:​

✔ Islam prohibits unjust harm or desecration of religious places.
✔ Muslim rulers historically upheld these principles.
✔ Where places of worship were removed, moral, legal, or social reasons justified the action—not religious intolerance.
✔ Meanwhile, several historical instances show non-Muslims vandalizing mosques, but Muslims did not reciprocate indiscriminately.


Thus, Islam promotes religious tolerance based on justice, peace, and mutual respect, and this is evident in historical practice, not just theory.


وَاللّٰهُ أَعْلَمُ بِالصَّوَابِ