Six Covenants of the Prophet Muhammad to the Christians of His Time: A Catholic Response

Introduction

I am grateful for the opportunity to respond to this extraordinary resource in the faith of my Muslim friends and neighbors. This distilled work of a much larger scholarly edition of The Six Covenants of the Prophet Muhammad to the Christians of His Times provides an easy grasp of the desire of the Prophet himself to build bridges of collaboration and friendship with communities who were not Muslim. My approach is to share three elements: First, the impact of Muslims in my life that have had a profound effect on me; second, how I understand the Six Covenants from a Catholic perspective; and finally, I think the insight and prophetic vision of the Prophet in the work of honoring the religious pluralism in the communities where he found himself inspires us to understand the power of the interfaith movement in helping to create diverse and vibrant democracies in our divided world today.

Some Encounters with Islam

At the start of my theological studies in the early 1980s, I had the extraordinary opportunity to work an internship for two years in one of our centers in Sierra Leone, West Africa. Sierra Leone is predominantly Muslim. As a cultural and religious minority, I found myself immersed in the lives of African Muslims, woken each morning by the call to prayer and the insistent cadence of children sitting in small circles in villages and repeating lines from the Qur’an. We collaborated with our Muslim friends in the development of schools and healthcare. We prayed for each other in times of great tragedy. I came to appreciate Islam through West African eyes, intertwined with the rich, complex culture of Sierra Leone.
In southeast Asia, where I worked for thirteen years, Islam and the lives of Muslims in the Philippines were quite different. There, in the middle of great injustice with landless farmers, I teamed with a local Imam to console a group of women who were on the fifteenth day of their hunger strike seeking land promised to them by the government and after a para-military group killed their husbands. I realized I needed my Muslim brother at that time to try to make a difference in the lives of these women in some way.

The Covenants of the Prophet Muhammad to Christians of His Time - Early Christian Perceptions of Other Faiths

My own experience brings me to empathize deeply with the desire of the Prophet Muhammad as a man of faith, who was sent by God not only to Muslims; he was, as the forward by Charles Upton states, sent as a mercy to the whole world. [21:107] The original intent of the Prophet was not to create a strict Islamic State but a confederation with the People of the Book, Jews, Christians, Zoroastrians, and others. Muslims, as the founders of this confederation, would retain their pre-eminence, but all the peoples of the greater ummah were to enjoy the rights accorded to citizens of that confederacy—rights that were extended, under certain circumstances, even to pagan polytheists. (1)

In this work, these covenants were extended to the monks of Mt. Sinai, Christians in Persia, Najran in Saudi Arabia, Assyria, other Christian communities in the eastern land and its west, Arabs and non-Arabs, near or far, known or unknown. In the words of the Prophet from Sahih Bukhari, “Whoever oppresses a Jew or a Christian, I will testify against him on the Day of Judgment.” (3)

The treaty of Najran, for example, is proof of how Islam conferred upon the scripturalists not only social and religious freedom but also granted them the power to decide their civil matters through establishing judicial autonomy, which was not only pertinent to personal status but also covers civil, penal and all life affairs. Religious freedom and an independent judicial system laid the foundation of a true confederacy, with a constitution through which different religious groups became integral to a political arrangement using a social contract. Integrating non-Muslims into political life and becoming real contributing players marked a milestone in the history of human rights. (25-38)

Between 622 and 632 CE, the Prophet's covenants envisioned a pluralistic religious state where all faith communities who accepted the social contract in these documents would enjoy common rights and duties. This principle was the basis of actual Muslim political theory and practice for many centuries, at least until the fall of the Ottoman Empire. (6)

I emphasize the bond of Muslims and non-Muslims to form a social contract based on our common faith in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Joseph. Toward the end of the Prophet’s life, he showed a mediating position where both Jews and Christians were given conditional acceptance if they submitted peacefully to Islamic rule and paid tribute to the Muslim community for their protection. (A History of Christian Muslim Relations by Hugh Goddard, p.31)

The Contemporary Interfaith Movement for a Vibrant, Diverse Democracy

In the 21st Century, this social contract, inspired by the Prophet Muhammad, is needed more than ever. As Christians in this country, we have a shared responsibility and influence that cannot be underestimated. I firmly believe that the transformative power of the interfaith movement is a vital part of societal transformation in the United States. It's not just about dialogue between religious believers; it's about infusing new energy into democratic ideals that respect our diversity through the evolving interfaith and religious-secular solidarity for the common good. We, as a collective of believers and nonbelievers, are the ones who shape our communities and nation.

As we prepare for elections nationally and locally for 2024, where entire populations of Americans perceive the nation in starkly different ways, it is helpful to explore why religious institutions collectively are crucial to a vital democracy. Each religious community and its adherents express unique visions of the divine cosmos, the light of God reflected in everything, the spirituality and values expressed in our communities, and their unique shaping to a culture we all share. However, only one interfaith voice brings many voices together, a different and formidable power whose potential has yet to be tested.

Jurgen Habermas, a secular philosopher, suggests that religion can remedy contemporary societal issues. It can inspire moral solidarity and political action, bridging social and economic divides. Members of a religious tradition share moral vocabularies (e.g., “Love your neighbor”) and narratives (e.g., parables) that impart concern for the vulnerable with profound meaning and inspire not just individuals but entire communities.

The purpose of these essential encounters always begins locally, with national and global implications. The words of Irish poet Padraig O’ Tuama truly resonate when he says we need to "find a way of navigating our differences that deepen our curiosity, deepen our friendships, deepen our capacity to disagree, deepen the argument of being alive." 

It is not a given that pluralism leads to a more profound unity. An increase in diversity in the community ordinarily leads to a decrease in social trust. It is a work that needs to be continuously engaged positively and proactively. The covenants of Muhammad were not just written words but hard-fought relationships that were tested over time. (Robert Putnam, Diversity and Community in the 21st Century, 2007)

As we look at presidential elections this year, our politics, like interfaith collaboration, require specific ground rules. First, we should not expect perfection from ourselves, others, or even the place we come from. We should not claim innocence or speak only from our scars. We should recognize that truth and love can be increased when we persist in finding ways to connect. Finally, our highest hope should be to grow together, creating a civic space to form a diverse community of hope. (From a People’s Supper, Faith Matters Network).
 
Written as a response to a project of the Interfaith Book Club of the Islamic Center of Boston in Wayland on October 26, 2024 by Fr. Carl Chudy, D.Min