Upholding Justice & Equality

The people of Syria belonged to different religions, spoke different languages and were of various ethnicities. Hazrat Abu Ubaidah bin Jarrah (ra) upheld justice and established equality between them. Peace and order was restored and each citizen was granted religious freedom. He established the essence of the Islamic teachings by telling them, “You are all the children of Adam and are brothers to one another. Therefore, as humans, everybody is equal.” A common allegation that is raised is that people were compelled to accept Islam; however, this is incorrect. Hazrat Abu Ubaidah (ra) granted religious freedom to the Romans. He ensured each tribe was given their due rights and established law and order. Owing to the conduct of Hazrat Abu Ubaidah (ra), the Arabs of Syria, who were Christians, accepted Islam. As mentioned earlier, they accepted Islam due to the preaching or upon seeing the good conduct of the Muslims and not through compulsion. Aside from this, the Romans and the Christians also accepted Islam owing to Hazrat Abu Ubaidah’s (ra) high morals.