Utolsó frissítés: 2026.06.06. — Szerző: Anti-Propaganda News Blog
Written by: János Máté Posted: June 6, 2026. For decades, modern geopolitical narratives and systemic Islamophobic Hasbara propaganda have sought to portray Islam as a monolithic, intolerant, and exclusivist religion that is inherently hostile to Christian civilization. However, this artificially maintained image of the enemy is turned on its head by the early Islamic legal documents issued by the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and the first caliphs.
The most significant of these is the so-called Ashtiname, which is not only one of the oldest and most definitive legal documents ever written on religious freedom, but also on the proactive protection of minorities.
The Ashtiname: The Holy Covenant of the Sinai Peninsula
According to our calendar, in 626, on the Sinai Peninsula, a site of outstanding strategic and spiritual significance St. Catherine's Monastery A delegation of Christian monks traveled to Medina to seek protection from the Prophet amid the political instability prevailing in the region.
In response, the Prophet Muhammad issued a charter that went far beyond mere tolerance. The document—whose famous passages are now opening the eyes of more and more people on social media—imposes the following obligations on all Muslims until the end of time:
„This is a message from Muhammad ibn Abdullah, as a pledge to Christians near and far. We stand with them. No coercion of any kind must be imposed upon them. Their churches must be respected and must not be destroyed or taken from them… They must not be forced to fight; Muslims must protect them.”
The letter also addressed interfaith marriages, stipulating that if a Christian woman marries a Muslim man, the husband may not force her to convert and must guarantee her the right to worship in her own place of worship. The most serious provision in the document is the closing clause: Anyone who breaks this covenant is going against God Himself and His messenger.
What happened to the original letter? The Topkapi Connection
The document’s historical journey alone serves as proof of its legal validity. For centuries, the monks have jealously guarded the prophetic letter deep in the Sinai Desert.
When Ottoman Sultan Selim I expanded the empire’s borders to include Egypt in 1517, he visited the monastery. Recognizing the letter’s inestimable religious and historical value, the sultan had the original copy transported to Istanbul for safekeeping in the Ottoman treasury. This original document is still in Turkey today At the Topkapi Palace Museum can be found.
However, the monks did not have to leave empty-handed: Selim I provided them with an official Ottoman copy bearing the state seal (firm) left with them, in which he reaffirmed that the empire would continue to guarantee the monastery’s inviolability in accordance with the spirit of the prophetic command.
This is not an isolated case: „The Prophet’s Covenants”
Western Orientalism and anti-Islamic propaganda often attempt to Ashtiname...as a unique, isolated political gesture. Historical scholarship, however, refutes this: the Prophet Muhammad and the early caliphs left behind a whole body of documents that modern research „The Covenants of the Prophet” categorizes under the name.
1. The Charter of the Christians of Najran (circa 631)
The letter of guarantee issued to the Najran Christian community living on the border of Yemen is almost word for word in line with the spirit of the Sinai document. In it, the Prophet stipulated that Christians’ right to self-determination, the position of their bishops, and their church property would enjoy full protection within the Islamic state, and he set their tax burden at a minimum level.
2. The Constitution of Medina (622)
The document, widely regarded as the world’s first written constitution, established a single pluralistic political community (Ummah) brought together the Muslim, Jewish, and pagan tribes of Medina, guaranteeing each group the right to autonomous judicial authority in accordance with their own religious laws.
3. Caliph Omar’s Letter of Guarantee from Jerusalem (637)
When Caliph Omar ibn al-Khattab received the keys to Jerusalem from Patriarch Sophronius without a fight, he issued the Al-Ahmariyyah known as the *Charter of Tiberias*. This guaranteed the lives and property of the Christian population and expressly prohibited Muslims from seizing or destroying the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
Why is the mainstream media staying silent on this?
The question arises: if these documents have existed for fourteen centuries and serve as fundamental points of reference for the Islamic legal system (Fiqh), Why doesn't the mainstream media talk about them?
The answer lies in the nature of modern war propaganda. The arms industry lobby, neocolonial interventions in the Middle East, and the Zionist Hasbara machine are built on portraying the Muslim world as an uncivilized, fanatical mass with whom it is impossible to negotiate or coexist.
If the Western public—especially Christian communities—were to learn about the Ashtiname If we were to examine its contents, it would become clear that:
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The historical relationship between Islam and Christianity was not one of a clash of civilizations, but rather of legally guaranteed coexistence.
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Christian churches in the Middle East are not Islamic despite, but also the Islamic legal system under the protection of They managed to survive for 1,400 years, even as medieval Europe systematically exterminated or expelled religious minorities (Jews, heretics).
Conclusion
The Prophet Muhammad’s letters are not merely dusty museum relics in Topkapi Palace; they are binding sources of Islamic law. Those modern extremist groups (such as ISIS) that have attacked Christian churches or persecuted minorities did not represent Islam, but directly violated the Prophet’s oath.
The role of genuine enlightenment and anti-propaganda is to bring these suppressed historical documents back into the public discourse and to build bridges between communities where political interests seek to erect walls.
Sources used and verifiable:
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Dr. John Andrew Morrow: The Covenants of the Prophet Muhammad with the Christians of the World (Angelico Press / Sophia Perennis, 2013) – The most comprehensive modern scholarly and textual-critical collection of the prophetic books.
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The Archives of St. Catherine's Monastery: The Ottoman Firman and the Prophet's Covenant (Mount Sinai, Egypt).
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Topkapı Palace Museum (Istanbul): The Holy Book of Emanet (Department of Sacred Relics, ref. no.: 21/447).
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Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari: The History of the Prophets and Kings (The History of the Prophets and Kings) – An early Islamic source on Caliph Omar’s declaration in Jerusalem.
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Dr. Alan Mikhail: God’s Shadow: Sultan Selim, His Ottoman Empire, and the Making of the Modern World (Liveright, 2020).
