Interfaith Dialogue in Islam

T he workable formula for social harmony and co-existence is not that every religion is right. This will create conflict of interest. The real formula lies in mutual respect. The correct principle in this regard is that every religion is respectable. You cannot change the belief of a person, you can only offer your respect. Can a Muslim be secular? Y es. First, let us understand that secularism is not an anti-religious idea. There is a book in 20 volumes called Religion and Ethics. It is a compendium of the writings of some great scholars and is considered to be a very authentic and authoritative compilation. There is an article on secularism in this book which runs into twenty pages. It says that secularism is another name for the policy of non-interference. Secularism in itself is not anti-religion, but rather it is following the principle of non-interference in matters of religion. A secular person is one who practices his own religion and does not interfere with the religious practice of other people. Islam and the Quran How can busy people find time for dawah work (the task of conveying God’s message to others)? T oday, we are living in the age of social and print media. I had found an answer to this question way back, even before I had shifted to Delhi. I had once gone to South India in a train. When I alighted, a Christian father and I started walking together towards our nearby destination. I was carrying a suitcase with me. The father told me that he had to go in the same direction. At a crossroad, when I turned to go in a different direction, he opened his suitcase and gave me a small leaflet which was very well printed and had been published in Ohio. At that time, I had discovered that doing dawah work is very easy in today’s world – all you have to do is carry literature with you and give it to people around. Why did Muslims not win in the Battle of Uhud?