Based on the reasons given by sisters Muslim Woman and Sister Herb, I voted no.
The model for our understandings of and interactions with everyone and everything lies in the Sunnah of our beloved Nabi Muhammad :saws:. Unfortunately, the Ummah doesn’t seem to be fully informed of this – let alone have it internalized.
Here’s a pretty common example:
An unwise remark is made by a seemingly practicing Muslim towards a Muslim man with, let’s say no beard or trousers below the ankles. Due to the indiscretion of the former, the latter – and some observers – are incensed. Since this type of scenario is pretty common, certain people have attempted to solve this problem in order to save the Ummah.
To do so, some of these people have stated that we should put aside our intra-Faith differences and unite to focus on those trying to destroy Islam. Statements such as “We are busy fighting about the length of the beard while the enemies of Islam are chopping off our heads” are accepted as wisdom by many in the Ummah. At face value, I personally agree with the aforementioned.
However, upon closer analysis, it’s found that the crux of the matter is the former Muslim’s inappropriate actions (in the above scenario). That is the problem. The problem doesn’t lie with the Prophet’s :saws: commands of lengthening the beard and keeping the lower garment above the ankles. The ramifications of such reformist statements eliminate orders of the Shariah to achieve an imagined and elusive unity. Instead of solving the problem, it unwittingly makes it worse – as this type of thinking can be extended to the Declaration of Faith itself.
Instead of being told to throw out the baby with the bathwater, we should be told to rectify and reform everything in our life (i.e. communication methods) according to the Sunnah of our beloved Nabi Muhammad :saws:. Each and everything that our Master :saws: brought needs to be emphasized as necessary. This emphasis, however, must be in accordance with proper understanding of the limits of Shariah.
Before we go to understand others, we need to understand ourselves. We need to have a firm grounding in what our beloved Nabi Muhammad :saws: brought us. That will allow us to fruitfully coexist with everyone.
Non-Muslims certainly existed during the time of Nabi :saws:. How did he understand them? How did he treat them? What was his approach to inter-Faith understanding? Would he accept anything else other than what was given to him by Allah as Truth?
The answers to these questions are available to us – in Islam. None of these things are new.
Muslims should beware of giving credence to any Deen other than the one that was brought by our beloved Nabi Muhammad :saws:. A Muslim’s love for humanity has to be tempered with the guidance of our beloved Nabi :saws:.
In need of duas.