Islam calls for useful and objective cooperation between Muslims and the followers of other religions. “Towards a global unity” is always a motto of Islam. This cooperation, however, should not jeopardize religion itself; that is, it should not be a form of unwanted melting and renunciation of the teachings of religion. In Islam, there is always a place for constructive dialog, objective cooperation, and peaceful and collective work for the sake of a better humanity and brighter future, in which every human being will be more loving, peaceful and submitted to God. In the very words of the Qur’an, Almighty Allah teaches us: “Say: O People of the Scripture. Come to an agreement between us and you: that we shall worship none but Allah, and that we shall ascribe no partners unto Him, and that none of us shall take others for lords beside Allah. And if they turn away, then say: Bear witness that we are they who have surrendered (unto Him).” (Al `Imran: 64)
Dr. Muhammad M. Abu Laylah, professor of the Islamic Studies and Comparative Religions at Al-Azhar University states that: “Such kind of prayer is no more than a supplication to God, whatever people may think of God and how He is. Supplications are common among all religions. Thus, the Muslim can join in such gatherings for supplication, but this should not be done frequently.
It stands to reason that such gatherings help people understand one another, and this may lead them to know about other people’s religions. I consider this one of the ways of introducing Islam, as many people, unfortunately, distort the image of Islam and Muslims. They assert that there is no such prayer in Islam since Islam, in their view, is a terrorist religion that was propagated by the edge of the sword. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is reported to have invited the Christian delegation coming from Najran to his mosque in Madinah to enter mubahalah, which is an Arabic word that carries the meaning of coming to mutual agreement and sharing a common ground, and then deciding who is right and who is wrong.