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Maulana Wahiduddin Khan in a Panel Discussion on Unity in Diversity, New Delhi

Do you agree with the understanding that Ultimate Reality, whatever it is called, has to be One and that it is ineffable, that it is too great to be described in words?

According to Islam, Ultimate Reality is only another name for God. The Islamic concept of God is based on tawhid, or the oneness of God. God is one, not only in number but in every other aspect. God alone is the Creator and Sustainer of everything.

Islam stresses duality—that there is a Creator, or God, on the one hand, and creatures, on the other. According to Islam, Reality is not only a matter of belief but also a matter of conviction. And when it is a matter of conviction, it is necessary to express that conviction in words, because human beings cannot recognize anything or establish conviction without expressing it in words. So, according to Islam, Reality or God can be expressed in words.

I don’t wish to question the intent of proselytization that seeks to bring others into one’s religious fold. But is it possible for followers of a tradition that believes in proselytization to truly respect religious diversity? Are they not bound to treat religious diversity as a provisional state of affairs and cherish the hope that this state of affairs will eventually be overcome when the gap between the self and the other will be bridged via religious conversion?

In the light of my study, conversion is alien to Islam. The Islamic concept is based on Ma'rifat, which means self-realization. According to Islam, the reality of God is a matter of self-realization.

When people use the word ‘conversion’, it means there are two persons—one, the person who converts from one religion to another, and the other, the person who engages in trying to make others convert from one religion to another.

This kind of concept is not present in Islam. Islam teaches that everyone must try to discover Reality on their own, because without this kind of discovery, without self-realization, there is no conviction. Conviction is very important in Islam.

Now, about the question of religious diversity, I would say that dealing with religious diversity is not a matter of religious belief. Rather, it is a matter of social ethics. A matter of belief is a personal matter, while religious diversity is a social question. It poses the issue of how to live in a religiously diverse society, a religiously-diverse world.

It is a fact that there are differences in every aspect of life. These differences are due to the law of nature and cannot be eliminated. In such a situation, it is unrealistic during dialogue to try to establish one’s superiority. The purpose of dialogue is to find out how different sections of society can co-exist peacefully. Diversity in society can never be eliminated. So, bringing an end to diversity can never be the goal of dialogue. Its goal is to search for a solution of peaceful co-existence.

Then, what is the truth? It is a subject of personal pursuit, and not of social discussion or social gatherings. Everyone wants to find out the truth in which they can believe, as human beings cannot live without conviction.

This issue, therefore, has two aspects. One aspect relates to the individual. As every individual wants to live in conviction he tries to know the truth. The other aspect is to maintain social harmony. Experience shows that social harmony can be achieved only by adopting the formula of co-existence. In this aspect there is no other option before us.

Everyone is free to adopt whatever religious beliefs they want to, but, at the same time, we all live in society, and so we must learn to live peacefully with people who may hold other religious beliefs. Believing strongly in a particular religion, being firmly convinced about it, and at the same time living peacefully with people who follow or believe in other religions are not contradictory to each other. The human mind has enormous capacities, including being able to believe in something and at the same time being committed to living at peace with people who believe or think differently.

Allow me to cite my own example. I believe in one Reality or in one religion, but, at the same time, I can say that I have love for everyone. I believe in Jesus Christ’s call to love one’s enemies. If you operate on my heart, you will find that there is no hate inside it for anyone, that I love every person.

While the Prophet of Islam was in Madinah, one day a funeral procession of a Jew passed by. The Prophet was seated at that time. On seeing the procession, he stood up in respect. One of his Companions said to him that the deceased was a Jew, not a Muslim. And the Prophet responded, “Was he not a human being?”

So, as this example teaches us, every human being has equal status in his or her capacity of being human. There’s no difference whatsoever.

Why should the Quran be distributed to the whole of humanity?

The Quran is not a religious book in the ordinary sense of the word. When one reads it one can find out that it speaks of the law of nature and tells us about God’s scheme of things. The Quran is not a book which solely commands us to pray and fast, neither is it just a book of jurisprudence. It informs us of the creation plan of God. It talks about universal laws of human nature. According to Islam the Quran is the book given to us by  the Creator of the universe. It is preserved in its entirety for all time to come.

For the above reasons, the Quran is not merely the book of a certain religion. For instance, a verse in the Quran states: “Surely, with every hardship there is ease.” (94: 5) This means if we face a difficulty or problem, we must not begin to fight or clash with others. The difficulty we are encountering will remain only for a temporary period. So, one must peacefully make one’s plan of work rather than react or become provocative. This principle is meant for all human beings. We  have an example of this  principle in the  histories of Germany and Japan.

Germany lost one-third of its land after WWII. It then began its economic planning on the basis of the land that had remained with it and later on emerged very successful. This line of action adopted by Germany was very much an Islamic principle similar to the one stated in the above Quranic verse.

The Prophet Muhammad too in his lifetime had to let go of his hometown Makkah and had to migrate to Madinah. Though he had lost Makkah, he still had Madinah as a place to carry forward his mission. The Prophet then planned on the basis of Madinah and not of Makkah. These principles of success are mentioned in the Quran.

The universal approach of the Quran wherein the laws of nature are mentioned is the factor which justifies the work of making it accessible to entire mankind.

Can you please say a prayer to unite us all?

I’ll recite a prayer of the Prophet. He used to pray thus:

Allahumma antas-salam wa minkas-salam ilayka yarjius salam hayyana rabbana bis-salam wa adkhilna daraka daras-salam tabarakta rabbana wa talaita ya dhal jalale wal ikram

It means, ‘O God, You are peace, peace comes from You, peace returns to You. O God, bless us to live in peace with all. O God, grant us entry into Your Home of Peace. O God, You are great, glory be to You!’