The Role Of Religion In Shaping Society

This attitude helped Christianity nurture traditions of human love and service. As a result, Christian communities developed a mindset that avoided conflict with rulers and focused on serving people. These qualities are visible in India and elsewhere. In fact, Christian nations have contributed the most to social service in the modern world. Islam puts the greatest emphasis on Tawheed—the oneness of God. In Islam, all greatness belongs to God alone. He is the only one who is great. All human beings are equal. As one Hadith says: “All human beings are God’s family.” (Musnad al-Bazzar, Hadith No. 6947) From this belief came the idea of human equality. Not just Muslims, but other people too were influenced by this movement of equality. Around the world, the idea of equality became widely accepted. History shows that before Islam, the concept of superior and inferior races was dominant. Society was divided into upper and lower classes. The intellectual revolution brought by Islam ended this era of inequality and brought the concept of equality into the flow of history. It is a historical fact that the role of religion in building and shaping society has always been positive. Denying the constructive role of religion is not possible. All India Radio, New Delhi, 12 January 1996.