The Example of Quraysh

years. Without such a process, even during the time of the Prophet himself, it was not correct to describe anyone as a disbeliever. Debate During the period of British rule in the Indian subcontinent, a new and undesirable practice emerged among Muslims that came to be known as munazarah (debate). In place of religious outreach, a culture of polemical disputation developed between Hindus and Muslims. This shift created an imbalanced and adversarial atmosphere between the two communities. Muslim debaters began writing books against Hindus and publishing them under titles such as Kufr Tor (Break Disbelief). In response, Hindu debaters wrote books against Muslims, publishing them under titles such as Kufr Tor Ka Bhandha Phor (Expose the Conspiracy of Disbelief). The method of Islam is outreach, grounded in wellwishing, compassion, and one-sided patience. Debate, by contrast, seeks to defeat the opposing party. The debater’s objective is to overpower the other side, and this leads to the use of aggressive language such as, “Run a bulldozer over them all.” Such rhetoric creates hatred and tension between groups, which in turn gives rise to various kinds of problems.