Interfaith relations

It can be argued that exercising love, care towards others is important expression of presence of God in our hearts.

As the fabric of society in Pakistan is lacerated by growing intolerance towards other religious identities, it is important to develop an understanding of the religious ‘other’ and apprehend the universal principles of love and knowledge that underlie different religious forms. This discovery of a broader sense of our humanness, while retaining the specificity of each religious form, enables us to be compassionate towards and be enriched by interaction with other human beings whatever their specific religious identity might be. Such nurturing of a person’s humanity ought to be an essential dimension of education. It is also vital for peace and social cohesion. In this article, the importance of tolerance and the pursuit of knowledge will be discussed.

In recent times, great Muslim scholars, such as Muhammad Iqbal, Martin Lings (amongst others), and currently, Reza Shah Kazemi and Suheyl Umar, have pointed out that love is a key feature of the relationship between the human being and God. Therefore, it can be argued that exercising loving care towards others is an important expression of the holy presence of God within the human heart. Suheyl Umar in a forthcoming book chapter cites Iqbal’s Javid Nama to make the point: “The slave of love who takes his path from God/ Becomes a loving friend of both believer and disbeliever.”

Reza Shah Kazemi, in his brilliant interpretation of Surah Fatiha in the Holy Quran, argues that the principle of Rehma, translated as ‘loving mercy’ is an essential message of Surah Fatiha, (which is regarded as the quintessence of the Holy Quran), and indeed “permeates the message of the whole of the Quran”. Kazemi suggests that the mercy of God is derived not from pity but love.

In Surah Al-An’am, God says about the nature of His rule that, “He hath prescribed for Himself the rule of mercy” (Surah 6, verse 12). So, since God’s rule is the rule of mercy, it can be argued that one of the ways in which our adoration of God can be manifested in social life is to relate with other human beings with loving mercy.

Martin Lings, in his book, What is Sufism, argues that different religions are like points on the circumference of a circle, with each religion providing a specific path to God, like the radii from the circumference all leading to the centre. In the Holy Quran, God says, “Be not then among the doubters: for every community faces a direction of its own, of which He is the focal point.” (Surah 2, verse 148). So, in a sense, while each religious form is important in that it is a specific path to God, there is no conflict between religious communities, because all religions lead to God.

The experience of love, which is essential to our relationship with God, is linked with the pursuit of knowledge that is given great importance in the Islamic tradition. Kazemi points out that there are repeated injunctions to meditate in the verses of the Holy Quran. Furthermore, it can be shown that God calls upon us in the Holy Quran to reflect upon His creation. Nature, through its ecosystem, enables physical life on earth, and at the same time through its beauty, provides the opportunity to experience the transcendent.

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) also laid great emphasis on the pursuit of knowledge. Akbar Ahmed, the distinguished scholar, in a recent lecture, referred to a saying of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) to the effect that the ink of the scholar is more valuable than the blood of the martyr. Akbar Ahmed has, in recent years, combined courage with scholarship at the international level to push back prejudice and enlighten many who are ignorant of Islam. In the last few weeks, his daughter, Dr Hoti, an accomplished scholar of Islam, has established the Centre for Knowledge, Humanity and Justice at the FC College University, Lahore. It is expected that it will expose students to interfaith and intra-faith understanding, and thereby, develop enlightened citizens of Pakistan committed to the vision of its founding fathers, Jinnah and Iqbal.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 11^th, 2014.

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