Interfaith Dialogue Promotes Proximity

INTERFAITH DIALOGUE PROMOTES PROXIMITY On December 20, we were in Akola. After the program ended, we had dinner there at Mr. Dilip Kothari’s place. After dinner, I was washing my hands in the washbasin. A young man brought a towel for me. He said, “Maulana Sahib, my name is Mahboob; please pray for me.” When I looked at him, he appeared healthy and cheerful. He said, “These people respect me a lot. They don’t let me suffer.” Then Mr. Kothari said, “There are no differences among us in our area. Look, this Muslim boy has been working as a domestic servant in our house for ten years. But we treat him like our son. We arranged his marriage with a Muslim girl. Both of them are happily living in our house.” I felt that people generally live on the level of nature, and on the level of nature, there are always good relations between people. However, our leaders misguide people, and this is where corruption begins. These incompetent leaders are working to disrupt the system of nature, which is forbidden in the Quran: “Do not spread corruption on the earth after it has been set in order.” (7:56) After December 6, there were some disturbances in Akola and a loss of life and property. Mr. Ravinder Kumar said that there is a Muslim shrine here. On the morning of December 6, some Hindus attacked the shrine and caused damage to its building. But later, the Hindus themselves expressed regret for it. On the same day, in the evening, many Hindus reached the shrine. They started its repair and construction. They worked all night long. By the morning of December 8, the shrine had been rebuilt. Listening to this incident, I said that the rebuilding of the shrine was indeed a testament to human nature. There is a