Peace: The Bedrock of Positive Interfaith Relations

PEACE: THE BEDROCK OF POSITIVE INTERFAITH RELATIONS and the earth, He so ordered things that each part might perform its function peacefully, without clashing with any other parts. The Quran says, “The sun is not allowed to overtake the moon, nor does the night outpace the day. Each floats in [its own] orbit.” (36:40) For billions of years, the entire universe has fulfilled its function in total harmony with God’s Divine plan. While God has imposed the Laws of Nature upon the universe, in submission to which things that comprise the universe follow the path of peace, there remains just one exception to this rule—that of man. God has endowed man with free will to make moral choices. He may or may not choose to follow the path of peace uniformly followed by the rest of the universe. If human beings, with their freedom of choice, are to be kept on the path of peace, society must be free of corrupting elements. That is why the Quran instructs human beings thus: “Do not corrupt the land after it has been set in order.” (7:85) The system of Nature devised by God already rests on peace; if this system is not disrupted, it will continue in the course set for it by the Almighty. However, peace cannot be artificially imposed upon man. This is something that man must adopt or practice through his own choice, using his God-given free will. In order to preserve peace from disruption, two important injunctions have been laid down in Islam. One, at the individual level, stresses the exercise of patience. Moreover, the other, at the social level, forbids going on the offensive. The biggest factor responsible for disrupting peace in daily