In [the] early days, Muslims did not see Islam as a new, exclusive religion but as a continuation of the primordial faith of the People of the Book, the Jews and Christians. In one remarkable passage, God insists that Muslims must accept indiscriminately the revelations of every single one of Gods messengers: Abraham, Isaac, Ishamel, Jacob, Moses, Jesus and all the other prophets. The Quran is simply a confirmation of the previous scriptures. Nobody must be forced to accept Islam, because each of the revealed traditions had its own din; it was not Gods will that all human beings should belong to the same faith community. God was not the exclusive property of any one tradition; the divine light could not be confined to a single lamp, belonged neither to the East or to the West, but enlightened all human beings. Muslims must speak courteously to the People of the Book, debate with them only in the most kindly manner, remember that they worshipped the same God, and not engage in pointless, aggressive disputes.
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About Karen Armstrong
Karen Armstrong was a contemporary English author. Karen Armstrong is a British author and commentator known for her books on comparative religion. A former Roman Catholic religious sister, she went from a conservative to a more liberal and mystical Christian faith. Read more on Wikipedia →