Tradition Of Mutual Exchange
English book, p. 211
By Maulana Wahiduddin Khan
Tradition of Mutual Exchange another, and also gives something in return. In one sense, religion is like the depth of the ocean, and in another sense, it is like the surface of the ocean. To make this understanding easier, these two things can be called religious reality and religious culture. We can briefly call them religion and culture. Religion is basically the name of certain principles and values. These principles and values hold eternal importance. They are based on truth. No change or compromise is possible in them. But culture is mostly related to collective ways of living. It takes shape according to geographical needs, national circumstances, and historical factors. These do reflect the basic principles of religion. But at the same time, they are also influenced by temporary and local conditions. Take the example of Islam. Islam began in the 7th century CE in Arabia. After that, it spread across the whole world. The eternal principles on which Islam was based—like Tawheed (Oneness of God), Risalah (Prophethood), and Akhirah (Hereafter)—Muslims did not accept influence from any other country in these matters. These principles have remained unchanged everywhere. But, for example, in the matter of clothing, Muslims accepted the influence of local customs in every country. Today, Muslims live in Arabia, Iran, India, Europe—everywhere. But in every place, their dress is different. However, one principle will be seen at work everywhere. Regarding modesty in dress, Islam had set certain rules,

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