Tolerance & Taqwa

"O mankind, indeed We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another. Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allāh is the most righteous of you. Indeed, Allāh is Knowing and Aware" [Quran 49:13]. 

In this verse, Allah addressed humanity which includes Muslims and non Muslims, and He said that He created us differently. He made us males and females, and nations and tribes which have different cultures, colors, languages, and foods. The reason for this is not that we harm, force, or kill one another. Rather, it is so that we may get to know one another. It is these differences that make the difference in the human family. 

We must learn to tolerate each other with all of our differences. This tolerance includes those we disagree with because we can agree to disagree with them and still coexist peacefully. We can include and tolerate others as human beings even though we may not support, promote, or condone their actions or beliefs. It is especially important today that we are able to civilly sit and talk with those we disagree with without immediately canceling them or shutting them down. It is a sign of one who is tolerant that he or she tolerates those who do not tolerate him or her. 

Allah concludes the verse by saying that the most noble of all people in the sight of God are not those who are just rich, famous, powerful, beautiful, a certain race or color, or how many degrees they have. Rather, the most noble to Allah are those who have the most righteousness/piety (taqwa). Imam Abdullah Al-Haddad defined taqwa as obeying Allah's commandments and avoiding His prohibitions inwardly and outwardly. It is this internal state of taqwa that manifests externally on the limbs that makes the difference between people to Allah. May Allah make us of the people of taqwa.