Interfaith Dialogue in Islam

keep Islam alive, all these aspects shall have to be revived or established as ‘Islamic identity’ have got it wrong. Dawah mission seems to be an overwhelming task – how can we stay stress free? O nce Jesus Christ spoke to a man about the divine mission. The man said to Jesus that it was a very difficult task, but he replied: What is impossible with man is possible with God. (Luke 18:27) We need to simply keep our faith in God and pray to Him in tough times. What is the difference between the Companions of the Prophet and present-day Muslims? T he real spirit of the Islamic faith was not paid heed to in later times. The emphasis was shifted to the outward form of religion instead of the spirit which is the inner kernel of religion. Also, the Companions of the Prophet were well-wishers for mankind, something which we do not generally see in present-day Muslims. How can you explain the notion of life being a test to a secular, non-religious mind? T he word ‘test’ is not religious; it only explains why our world is full of experiences. ‘Namaz’ and ‘Hajj’ are religious words unlike the word ‘test’. The concept of test tells us why problems exist in our life and explains why success, failure, happiness and sadness exist in this world. Test is not a negative word – it means that whatever situation we face gives us an opportunity to undertake personality and spiritual development. In other words, these situations put us to the test in that they are meant to determine our response. The word ‘test’ is used only for the purpose of explaining the nature of life. Instead of ‘test’, another term such as ‘training’ or ‘learning’ can also be used.