Relations with Christians according to Muhammad (s)

The pope, the most revered figure in the Catholic world, is infallible to his followers and the representative of God to his co-religionists, is choosing a path of dialogue with Muslims that seems disturbing.

In a recent speech, he chose to quote a 14th-century monarch in support of his argument about Jihad. The emperor's quote was a political statement within the context of his relations with the emerging Ottoman dynasty, and therefore, it is not worthy of giving it any credibility.

Yet, the Pope chose to repeat it.

Suppose the speechwriters of Pope Benedict XVI had looked at a book, "The Spread of Islam in the World: A History of Peaceful Preaching, written by a prominent 19th-century historian, Professor Thomas Arnold. In that case, they might not have quoted the emperor's passage.

Stronger than the book are the words of Prophet Muhammad himself regarding Christianity. In 628 CE, he sent a charter of freedom to the monks of St. Catherine's Monastery in Mt. Sinai. If Pope Benedict XVI or his speechwriters had looked at this

document, they would have found a different image of the Prophet.

This document consisted of several clauses covering all aspects of human rights, including topics such as the protection of Christians living under Islamic rule, freedom of worship and movement, the freedom to appoint their judges and to own and maintain

their property, exemption from military service, and the right to protection in war.

Here is the letter written to the monks. This letter was written at a time when no one was talking about freedom of religion, pluralism or protection of human life.

This is a message from Muhammad ibn Abdullah, as a covenant to those who adopt Christianity, near and far, we are with them. Verily, I, the servants, the helpers, and my followers defend them, because Christians are my citizens; and by Allah! I hold out against anything that displeases them.

No compulsion is to be on them. Neither are their judges to be removed from their jobs nor their monks from their monasteries.

No one is to destroy a house of their religion, to damage it, or to carry anything from it to the Muslims' houses. Should anyone take any of these, he would spoil the covenant and disobey His Prophet. Verily, they are my allies and have my secure charter against all that they hate.

No one is to force them to travel or to oblige them to fight. The Muslims are to fight for them. If a female Christian is married to a Muslim, it is not to take place without her approval. She is not to be prevented from visiting her church to pray. Their churches are to be respected. They are neither to be prevented from repairing them nor the sacredness of their covenants. None of the nation (Muslims) is to

disobey the covenant till the Last Day (end of the world)."*

*The English translated text of the Charter of Privileges was extracted from the Book: "Muslim History: 570 - 1950 C.E." by Dr. A. Zahoor and Dr. Z. Haq, ZMD Corporation. P.O. Box 8231 - Gaithersburg, MD 20898-8231 - Copyright Akram Zahoor 2000. P.

167.

Saint Catherine Monastery Background

Saint Catherine Monastery is located in Egypt's Sinai Desert. The Saint Catherine City is famous for its various sites, e.g., the Firon Village. Firon is considered a garden rich in the best kinds of fruits with exceptional tastes, such as apricots, peaches, and cantaloupes, in addition to the finest olives. Furthermore, the city houses Maktab

Valleys, located near Maghara Valleys, as well as thousands of unique historical engravings. 

The Saint Catherine area encompasses many significant sites, ncluding the al-Tarfas site, which dates to over 30,000 years, and the Abu-Madis site, which dates to approximately 10,000 years. The latter enjoys a worldwide fame, particularly among specialists, as it witnessed one of the major civilizational transformations from hunting

and shooting to agriculture and grazing. 

In addition, the Saint Catherine area is renowned for its unmatched residential villages, which date back thousands of years. These villages include the site of Prophet Saleh (PBUH), known as al-Marwas, the site of Sheikh Mohsens, and the site of Sheikh Awwad.  Alexandrian Saint.

The Monastery was built in the 6th century A.D or the 4th century A.D., according to some sources. It is located at the foot of Mount Sinai on one of Wadi al-Sheikh's branches, and rises about 5012 feet above sea level. In 545 A.D, the Monastery was constructed by King Postilianos as a fortress for Sinai monks. It comprises several monuments that are presumably from Christ's era. Additionally, the monastery features an extensive library situated south of the main church. 

It consists of three adjacent rooms, which comprise approximately 6,000 historical, geographical, and philosophical manuscripts written in Greek, Syriac, and Arabic. 

Many of the monastery manuscripts were written in languages other than Arabic. As with most of Christian heritage, it was written in Arabic, primarily in the form of copies of the Old Testament and the New Testament (the Bible). With the help of the Metropolitan Museum of New York, a new museum has been

recently inaugurated inside Saint Catherine's Monastery. The new museum features distinguished collections of rare books and volumes written in GreAek, Coptic, Syriac, Latin, and Arabic, dating back to the first seven centuries A.D. 

Among the major acquisitions is an important document, dating back to the year 2 A.H.

It is the 'Al-Ohda al-Mohamadeyas', a document signed by Prophet Muhammad, guaranteeing complete protection for the monastery and Egypt's Christians. In 625 AD, the Pope of the old monastery went to Prophet Muhammad in Al-Medina for a discussion.

The result of this discussion was the creation of this document.

Fortunately, all these acquisitions and monumental treasures were kept in dry, clean weather in the heart of the Sinai Desert for long centuries. Thus, they are still in good condition. Furthermore, the monastery is notable for its immense artistic, historical, and religious wealth, including Byzantine icons painted by the monks of the monastery, dating back to the 6th to the 9th centuries A.D. 

In addition, it houses several other historical manuscripts that serve as references about emperors, chief monks, leaders, and sultans. All these manuscripts date back to the period from the 4th to the 7th centuries A.D. Among the treasures found in the library is the time-honored Syriac registers, which date back to the year 400 A.D. and were rewritten during the 7th and 8th centuries. Collections of manuscripts, totaling approximately 5,000 copies, are preserved in the library, dating back to the early years following the invention of printing. 

The document of al-Ohda al-Mohamadeias, signed by Prophet Muhammad, is one of the most significant acquisitions in the library.