Dr. Nadeem Ashraf
Assistant Professor, Department of Sunni Theology
Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh
When we look at the Muslims on the global level, we find that they are part of one of the following two situations; Either they are part of the Muslim-majority country or they have to settle down in a country where society, civilization and government are made up of a maturity of non-Muslim. In short, Muslims are a minority. In such an environment and society, Muslims have to face all kinds of problems. In some places, they are free to practice their religion, and in others, they have bound to follow restrictions.
Much of the Prophet's (peace be upon him) Madῑnan life was modeled on an environment in which power was in the hands of the Muslims. Therefore, Muslims living in an environment with a Muslim government and a Muslim majority can take the Prophet's (peace be upon him) Madῑnan life as an example for themselves and improve their religious and worldly life. On the other hand, if one examines the life of the Prophet (peace be upon him),it provides a map for the Muslims who stand between their power and their enemies. The early period of the Madῑnan life as well as the conditions of those who migrated to Abyssinia are a born example for Muslims living in a non-Muslim society with a treaty of mutual peace and religious freedom with people of other faiths. These Muslims can learn from the Makkan life of the Prophet (peace be upon him)too that Muslims were few in number, dominated by the enemies. Conspiracies were being hatched to uproot Islam and the Muslims. They were being massively oppressed. Attempts were being made to shake their religious base or foundation. They were stoned and socially isolated. However, instead of withering, the flower of Islam blossomed. Instead of being saddened by the oppression of the enemies,a model of high moral character was presented to them, and all kinds of problems were solved in the light of the Islamic teachings.
Half of the Muslim population currently resides in non-Muslim-majority countries. These Muslim minorities face such problems and issues which Muslims did not come across in the past. This is because in the bygone days, each empire had a religion. Therefore, a study of the Qur'an reveals that most of the Prophets (peace be upon them) were subject to the conflict of time, although they did not seek power. As stated in various places in the Qur'an, their preaching was accompanied by the proclamation of My reward is only from Allah(Yūnus, 10:72, Hūd, 11:29). Despite of this, governments were reluctant to oppose them. Even when the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was sent, the great empires(Rome, Iran, and so on)were followers of a particular religion. This is probably why the Jews took refuge in the Arabian Peninsula, where no formal government was established.It can be said that the covenant which the Prophet (peace be upon him) made between the muhājirῑn (Emigrants) and the anṣār(Helpers) and the Jews was an attempt to create a society in which people of different religions would respect each other’s human rights, refrain from reporting pressure to in each other's religious affairs and respect humanity in all circumstances so that the society is free from turbulence and sedition.
For centuries after the Islamic conquests, the situation was such that if the Muslim retreated in an area and that a region slipped out of their control, the remaining Muslims would migrate to an Islamic country. This is so because wherever Muslims do not have the freedom to practice their religion and are able to migrate from there to an Islamic country, then migration has been made incumbent on them. Muslims living in non-Muslim countries face different situations which are sometimes favorable and sometimes unfavorable. In such a case, the Makkan and Madῑnan life of the Prophet (peace be upon him) is a model for them.