Goodwill and cooperation between different faith communities are hallmarks of successful plural societies. Towards this end, strong leadership plays a crucial role in directing and guiding communities towards building bridges of mutual trust and respect for others. In a world of rapid change and unpredictability, interpersonal skills as embodied by emotional intelligence are a cornerstone of robust interfaith relations. This article highlights the importance of emotional intelligence in interfaith relations. It discusses the value of emotional intelligence as exemplified by Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) through his interactions with the Christians of his time.
In particular, the article looks at Prophet Muhammad’s encounter with the Christians of Najran in 631 which makes a compelling case for true religious pluralism as advocated by Islam. Through this story of the Prophet, it is affirmed that emotional intelligence is foundational for successful interfaith relationships to effectively bring religiously diverse people together amidst the ongoing challenges and conflicts.
THE CHRISTIANS OF NAJRAN
During his lifetime, Prophet Muhammad would send official letters to different countries and their rulers, inviting them to Islam. Among these were two different invitations that had been sent to Najran with Khaled ibn al-Walid and Ali ibn Abi Talib. At that time, the Najran Christians had a highly organised religious life. Prophet Muhammad sent a representative to them, Mughira ibn Shu’ba, who was sent to explain the invitations and the religion of Islam. After discussions with Mughira, the Christians of Najran decided to send a group of people to visit Prophet Muhammad and the Muslims in Medina.
The delegation was made up of about 60 Christians: a bishop, 45 scholars, and 15 men. It is said to have been led by three men: the leader, Abd al-Masih, who served as the delegation’s governmental affairs official, Al-Aiham al-Sayyid, believed to have served as the delegation’s educational and political officer and Abu Harithah ibn ’Alqamah, the only bishop who is believed to be the delegation’s top scholar. Their intention was to learn about the nature of the revelations Muhammad was receiving and to have a theological dialogue with him.
When the Najran delegation reached Medina, they engaged Prophet Muhammad in a theological dialogue on Christology for three days in the Prophet’s Mosque known as al-Masjid al-Nabawi. At the audiences that they had with him during their stay, many points of doctrinal issues were discussed. However, the main part of their discussion was centred on interfaith issues. There were some disagreements between Muhammad and the Christians on Jesus and the Concept of the Trinity.
A Quranic revelation was then revealed to Muhammad. It says: “Verily the likeness of Jesus with God is as the likeness of Adam. He created him of dust, then said to him ‘Be!”, and he was. This is the truth from thy Lord, so be not of the doubters. And whoso contend with thee and say: Come ye, and let us summon our sons and your sons and our women and your women and ourselves and yourselves. Then we will imprecate, putting God’s curse on those who lie”. 1 Prophet Muhammad then recited these verses to his Christian guests and invited them to meet with him and his family and to settle their disagreement.
Prophet Muhammad then allowed the Najran Christians to pray in his mosque where the Muslims prayed. The whole incident was an occurrence of peaceful dialogue between Christians and Muslims; it was the first time that Christians prayed in a mosque. Prophet Muhammad had warmly welcomed the Najran delegation and provided them with a place to stay in Medina, in a secure place close to his mosque. He even ordered that their tent be pitched for them by the Muslims. However, the Najran delegation and Muhammad were not able to reach a consensus in theological terms. At the end of these exchanges, the Najran Christians told Muhammad: O, Abu al-Qasim, we decided to leave you as you are and you leave us as we are. But send with us a man who can adjudicate things on our properties, because we accept you.
EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE
Emotional intelligence is understood as the ability to manage our emotions and the emotions of those around us. It is also the ability to understand, use, and manage our emotions in positive ways to relieve stress, communicate effectively, empathise with others, overcome challenges and defuse conflict. Psychologist Daniel Goleman popularised the concept of emotional intelligence in 1995 through his book, Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ, and developed a framework of five key components that make up emotional intelligence. They are emotional self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy and social skills.
Goleman’s framework of emotional intelligence includes the values of empathy and social skills. Both are values and qualities deemed important to be embodied by interfaith leaders for genuine and meaningful interfaith relations. Empathy is the ability to “put oneself in another person’s shoes”– to understand the other’s situations, perceptions, and feelings from their point of view and to be able to communicate that understanding back to the other person. It is a critical skill for leadership including interfaith leadership. Empathy influences the thinking process and nurtures one’s mind to think deeply and positively. In interfaith relations, it can ensure mutual understanding, acceptance, and respect of different faiths and cultures. Empathy is both a cognitive and moral virtue. It involves a desire to learn intellectually about other religions and their followers, as well as a willingness and ability to penetrate the religious mindset of others and understand them from within2.
Emotional intelligence is both an art and a skill. Prophet Muhammad was a master of this skill. His life is full of examples of how he embodied emotional intelligence intensely in his daily affairs and dealings with people, regardless of their background through the values of care, love, compassion and empathy. According to Mikaeel Ahmed Smith, sharp emotional intelligence is built upon the development of both intra and interpersonal intelligence. These intelligences are the backbone of emotional intelligence because they provide a person with emotional awareness and understanding of his or her own self, an empathic understanding of others, and the ability needed to communicate effectively and cause change3.
ANALYSIS
The experience of Prophet Muhammad with the delegation of Christians from Najran is a seminal example of the Muslim-Christian relationship. This incident is one of the most significant and eminent interactions between the Muslims and Christians in the history of both religions. At least three values important for an interfaith relationship can be observed from it. First is the way the dialogue between the two faith communities was conducted. Prophet Muhammad and the Christian leaders had an open and respectful theological discussion. This interfaith interaction they experienced was indeed a serious engagement in theological discussions about Islam and Christianity.
Second, Prophet Muhammad had allowed the Najran Christians to perform their prayers at his mosque. After the theological dialogue in the mosque, the Najranis asked to leave to conduct their prayer. They had intended to leave the mosque to pray on the streets of Medina. Muhammad asked them to remain in his mosque. He said that they were already in the house of God and that they were welcome to perform their prayers inside the mosque. The Najran Christians accepted his invitation.
Allowing his Christian guests to perform their prayer in his mosque demonstrates Muhammad’s embodiment of emotional intelligence. The profound sense of empathy, which is a big part of the emotional intelligence quotient, is clearly seen when the Prophet allowed his guests to perform their prayers in his mosque. He made his guests feel welcomed with his hospitable act. He eased their affairs and made them feel highly respected as guests. By allowing the non-Muslims to pray in a mosque, Prophet Muhammad had a higher vision of prioritising interfaith relations over possible traditional conventions in the religion. This attitude falls within Goleman’s framework of emotional intelligence, where social skills demand proper management of both one’s and others’ emotions to effectively connect, interact and work with others.
Third, through this incident, Prophet Muhammad portrayed a pluralist attitude and inclusivist mentality. His appreciation of religious pluralism and embracement of inclusivism can be clearly seen from the manner he interacted and engaged with his Christian guests. Peaceful co-existence which is embodied through an authentic understanding of inclusivism and religious plurality is fundamental to ensure interreligious stability and harmonious living. This pluralist attitude and internalisation of inclusivity are attuned to Goleman’s emotional intelligence framework where social skills founded upon values and emotions are essential in the management of relationships and diversity. Inclusivism is indeed one of the most important teachings of Islam. The endeavour for harmony has been expounded clearly throughout Prophet Muhammad’s interaction with the Christians and other non-Muslims. Appreciating differences and solidifying interfaith relationships are among the values exemplified by Prophet Muhammad during his lifetime.
Assuring the safety of Christian persons and their religion is an act of mindful realisation of the needs of minority communities, that is the preservation of their faith and their physical well-being, free from persecution or discrimination. By assuring protection, Prophet Muhammad sought to allay fear and suspicion while encouraging goodwill and cooperation between different faith communities. Having such realisation of the needs of others is an important trait of emotional intelligence. With it, Prophet Muhammad not only established a cordial relationship with his non-Muslim friends but importantly enhanced the quality of relationships with the people around him. From a psychological perspective, what Prophet Muhammad did in this incident was to use awareness of his own emotions and those of his guests to manage interaction successfully. Such an attitude (awareness and realisation of the conditions and needs of others) falls within Coleman’s emotional intelligence framework, which is self-awareness, social awareness, and relationship management.
CONCLUSION
In the discourse on religion and interfaith relations, inclusivism can be understood as the appreciation of religious plurality. It can help to comprehend the relationship between religions. While believing that his religious belief is true, a religious inclusivist accepts the existence of other beliefs. Such understanding of inclusivism and living within a religiously plural context is not alien to Islam.4 Rather, many parts of the Quran speak about it and extoll its virtues.
As the article has demonstrated, the value of emotional intelligence in interfaith interaction and engagement cannot be understated. The foundation for all religious communities worldwide is based upon common morality principles that have universal appeal and humanistic values. As such, Prophet Muhammad recognised the value of enhancing interfaith relations, as this would mean strengthening the morality base in the world. This becomes pertinent in a world that is becoming more secular and divisive and has largely lost its morality grounds. Prophet Muhammad becomes an excellent model of interfaith interaction that fulfils Diana Eck’s religious pluralism criterion.5 When he opened the doors of his place of worship to the Christians to pray, he was creating a vision for his ummah to embrace and welcome religious diversity. His hospitality and care extended to all strangers and guests portray the value of emotional intelligence as a priority in all human interaction including interfaith relations. Prophet Muhammad has proven that reaching a pluralistic state or mindset in an interfaith relationship is built upon genuine social interactions and the building of an authentic relationship.
1 Quran, Surah Al-Imran, verses 59-61
2 Cornille, C. The Im-possibility of Interreligious Dialogue. New York: Herder and Herder, 2008, p. 153
3 Smith, M. With the Heart in Mind. Qasim Publication, 2021, p. 61
4 See: Saeed, A. Inclusivism and Exclusivism among Muslims Today between Theological and Social Dimensions. Interreligious Relations, vol. 21, 2020, pp. 1-15
5 See: Eck, D. L. What is Pluralism. The Pluralism Project – Harvard University. Accessed on 2021, December 26. Available at: https://pluralism.org/about. See also: Eck, D. L. Prospects for pluralism: Voice and vision in the study of religion. Journal of the American Academy of Religion, vol. 75, no. 4, 2007, pp. 743-776
Dr Mohamed Bin Ali is Senior Fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University. He is also the Co-Chairman of the Religious Rehabilitation Group (RRG) and Chairman of Khadijah Mosque Management Board.
