By Zakir Hussain
Western man of letters, George Bernard Shaw, who was a great exponent of Islam in one place in his treatise “Muhammad: the last prophet,” said, “I have held the religion of Muhammad in high estimation because of its wonderful vitality. It is the only religion that appears to me to possess that assimilating capacity to the changing phase of existence, which can make itself appeal to every age.”
The same writer, in another place, has rightly said, “there is only one religion though there are a hundred versions of it.”
According to researchers, 82% of human fellows follow over 4000 religions, faith groups, and denominations, including the five major world religions – Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, and Hinduism. The remaining fellow human beings do not believe in any religion at all.
The main subject of religion is homo sapiens, as the epitome of a creature, as enshrined in Surah Al-Tin ayah no. 4, “indeed, we created humans in the best form.”
In Shakespearean words:
“What a piece of work is a man, How noble in reason, how infinite in faculty, In form and moving how express and admirable, In action how like an Angel, In apprehension how like a god, The beauty of the world, The paragon of animals.”
It is a well-known fact that each practicing religion has its own brand; in the case of Islam, it is the spirit of tolerance that surpasses all other features of this divine religion.
When we see Islam as a major practicing religion of the world today, its main sources support the theory of mutual coexistence and tolerance over differences of all kinds. Even non-Muslims have admitted the flexibility of Islam as a divine religion. The very beginning of the Holy Quran, the divine book, starts with the word “Rahman,” which qualifies that the creator cares for all those who are his creatures. His bounties are not restricted to only Muslims or only human beings but to all living creatures. This attribute signifies the all-encompassing magnanimity of Almighty Allah.
The Muslims of today, who are the followers of Muhammad (PBUH), the last messenger of Allah, should realize that the hallmark of Islam is magnanimity and generosity, evident from Islamic sources, instead of shortsightedness and rigidity. The last prophet of Allah practically demonstrated that it is tolerance that is his exclusive attribute that distinguishes him from the former messengers of Allah. In the holy Quran, we come across many instances wherein we are told that the prophets were betrayed by their followers and they invited the wrath of Almighty Allah, and the settlements were turned into ruins in no time. It was the supreme quality of Prophet Muhammad, the last messenger of Allah, who never uttered a word to Allah imploring the destruction of those detracted souls. The old lady who used to throw garbage daily whenever the prophet came across her street was missing one day. He PBUH explored and reached her place and saw that she was lying on a bed and suffering from disease. He PBUH looked after her and took care of her. When the old lady came to know that this was the same person she was mistreating, she realized her fault and embraced Islam.
Similarly, the people of Taif stoned him to blood when he PBUH went there to preach the word of God. Allah asked Prophet PBUH if he desires so, the two hills of Taif would be closed up together to inhale the detractors, but the prophet implored that, “O my God, they are ignorant people; guide them in the right path.”
These were the traits of our beloved prophet which earned him the title of “Rehmatul Lil Aalameen,” the blessing in this world and hereafter.
Alas! Today, the followers of Muhammad PBUH aren’t ready to tolerate each other; they are at daggers drawn against each other to settle the squares. Unaware of the conspiracies and intrigues being hatched against our homeland, we become a victim of hybrid war which has been launched by hostile forces in the shape of negative divisive stuff in social media to promote schisms on the basis of caste and creed. The rivalries are being nourished by instigating emotions of youth and uneducated lot to mislead them, unaware of the ground realities of how much the hostile forces are active to destabilize the only declared Muslim nuclear power. The laws of land which are meant for maintaining peace and tranquility are themselves being misused to meet the vested interests of the enemies of Islam and Pakistan. Our enemies are common; they want to divide us and achieve their vested interests. Pakistan was achieved in the name of Allah by the joint efforts of elders of all schools of thought under the dynamic leadership of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah. Our great leader made it clear at the outset in his historic August 11 speech that whoever lives in Pakistan is free to practice his or her faith, and our constitution guarantees freedom of religion provided that practicing religion does not cause discomfort to other fellow countrymen.
Therefore, it is high time that we work together for interfaith harmony and promote the spirit of mutual coexistence in light of the glorious teachings of Islam regarding tolerance and mutual coexistence. Instead of making our beliefs a bone of contention with each other, we should respect the beliefs of each other to form a conducive ecosystem for mutual coexistence. Religion should be a cohesive force to bring various schools of thought together, instead of promoting hatred and divisions. We must guard ourselves against all kinds of extremist thoughts, especially our youth, to wake up and thwart all attempts of the malicious campaign to shake the unity of the nation. There is a dire need to broaden our vision and focus our attention on real issues to put the nation on the path of progress and prosperity.
Zakir Hussain (staff at Soni Jawari Center for Public Policy Gilgit – a public sector entity) Email: hzakir706@gmail.com
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