A GOOD SOCIETY

The individual is the primary unit of society. If individuals are reformed, society follows suit. And if individuals degenerate, society too goes into a decline. That is why our best efforts should centre on the individual, who is, after all, the basic building block of society. The day we reform individuals in their thousands and tens of thousands we shall have set ourselves well and truly on the path of successful social reform. The solution to our problems lies in uniting in spite of our differences. The need of today is to hold dialogues. Serious minded and influential people from all communities should participate in this dialogue. Its goal should be the securing of peace on the basis of purely non-political grounds. The representatives of all communities should hold discussions with open hearts. They must strive to put an end to controversial situations on their sides and they should discover a common basis by adopting which both communities can live together as good neighbours. A dialogue of this kind is exactly in accordance with the Islamic Shariah. The Hudaybiya peace treaty in Islamic history is an instance of a successful dialogue of this nature. After the Prophet’s emigration in AD 622, the relations between Muslims and non-Muslims had considerably deteriorated in Arabia. A number of battles and skirmishes ensued, walls of prejudice and hatred barred one another from coming closer. Finally, Prophet Muhammad was forced to stay for about two weeks at Hudaybiya near Makkah in AD 628. Here began negotiations with nonMuslim Makkan leaders. And then according to most of their conditions, a peace treaty was signed between Muslims and non-Muslims known as Hudaybiya Treaty in Islamic history. If such a dialogue is held with full justice and sincerity, a new chapter will be opened in the history of India. It is at this point of inter-community relationship where the history of India is standing still. Once this problem is solved and the relations between communities improve, nothing else will come in the way of India’s progress. The dialogue, if it has to succeed, should not take the form of polemics. They should not become spokespersons of their respective communities during the discussion. What should be uppermost in their Dialogue is not a meeting of rivalry but is a brotherly meeting. Such noble tasks are performed by rising above the defeat-victory psychology.