Tolerance has been claimed not just as a central tenant of liberalism, but increasingly as its sole preserve. For many, to be tolerant is to be liberal. This essay opens up the naturalized relationship between liberalism and tolerance by parsing out aspects of the political thought of Javed Ahmed Ghamidi, a prominent Pakistani public intellectual who is often labeled as a ‘liberal’ Islamic thinker. Interestingly, Ghamidi himself has never self-identified as a liberal. An engagement with his thought and its reception allows us an insight into the politics of labeling particularly on the question of tolerance. More importantly, I argue, Ghamidi’s thought helps us detach tolerance from liberalism, and recognize the depth within non-liberal conceptions of tolerance. I argue that the relationship between Liberalism and tolerance is fractured at best, containing immensely contradictory strains.