116 J" 1M r'OCtJltpl of 1M ProplNtThe Najran delegation refused to accept the Prophet's message. Before
they left, the membe rs of the delegation wanted to perform their prayers
inside the mosque. The Companions prescnt thought it fit to oppose
them, but the Prophet intervened: " Let them pray!" 21 They prayed in m e
mosque, fadng caSt. When they were about to leave, they invited the
Prophet to send with them an eovoy who would live with them, answer
their q uestions, and. if needed, judge some of their affairs. Abu Ubaydah
ibn al-Jarrah was chosen; later Vmar ibn al-Khauab was to admit that he
unsuccessfully tried to attract th e P rophet's attention so that he wo uld
name him for the task.
The delegation went home. T he Christians had come to Medina, in-
quired about the mess age,listened to the contents o f the new religion, p m
fOlWard their arguments, prayed in side the m osque itself, then gone back
without suffering any harm, remaining Christians aod perfeccly free. The
first Companions were not to forget the P rophet's attitude. They were to
draw from it the substance of the respect that l siam demand s of its faicll-
fuI, whom it invites to go beyond toiemnce, to learn, listen, and recognize
others' dignity. The command "No compulsion in religion" is in keeping
with this respectful approach to diversity:22
o humankind! We created rou from a male and a female, and made rou
into nations and tribes, that you may know each other. Verny the mOSt hon-
ored among you in the sighl of G od is the most righTwus of you [the m05[
deeply a\\'are of God's presenceJ. And God has full knowledge and is well
acquainted [with all dungsj.23:Morc than tolemnce (which smacks of condescensio n within a power
relationship), the respect required by God is based o n an egalitarian rela-
tionship of mutual knowledge.^24 God alone knows what heans contain
and how deep is the piety o f o ne o r another individual. Elsewhere, the
Quran m entions and acknowledges th e sincerity of thetr humble quest for
the divine, even though it criticizes and rejects the status of p riests and
religious dig nitaries:
You will find the nearest among men in love to the believers [the i\luslimsJ
those who say, " \,(Ie are Chri stian~," because among t.hese are priests and
monks, and they arc nO! arroganc.^25