Peace: The Summum Bonum

What has become of us? Earlier we used to fight on a ‘Hindu vs. Muslim’ agenda, while today we fight on a ‘Sunni vs. Shia’ agenda. The slogan of La ilaha illallah was what had created the momentum for Pakistan. And it seemed that what had been said in the Hadith regarding the spread of Islam all over the world would become a reality through Pakistan, but this did not happen and the tempo remained unavailed. May God give the people of Pakistan wisdom to revive the momentum and the sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad. They have an opportunity even today as they are spread out across practically all countries of the world. Till now they were earning only dollars, now they should stand to disseminate the message of God so that they are able to catch the train that was missed long ago. What should Muslims do when their countries are attacked and they end up fighting for revenge? Wisdom and Islam both say that planning is done keeping the present in mind, not the past. The Prophet did not think about the Yemeni King who had attacked Makkah in the past and did not plan to avenge the attack. The point is to think about the opportunities that exist today and what can be possibly availed. Our thinking and planning should not be based on what transpired in the past. Are you hopeful for the future of the Muslim community? Y es, I am very hopeful, provided they abandon violence at all cost. Be it Palestine or Kashmir, they should take no excuse and adopt peace unilaterally. Once they do so, they will allow the conscience of the other party to be awakened. Peace is essentially interwoven in the nature of every individual and will therefore certainly prevail if it is allowed to. Just as soil is necessary for the growth of a tree, peace is necessary for any community to flourish. Does Islam say anything about the political process to elect a government? Formation of a rule or government is not the goal of Islam, and therefore Islam does not prescribe any absolute model. The main concern of Islam is to convey to people the creation plan of God.