Spirit of Islam, May 2013

FROM THE CHIEF EDITOR’S DESK N ON-VIOLENCE is a way of life. It relates to one’s entire existence. Practising non-violence means, in short, to lead a life of positivity despite unfavourable conditions; to adopt a conciliatory and not a confrontational approach in social life. This applies both to individuals and to groups. This world can be likened to a rose bush, which possesses thorns as well as flowers. Thorns are inseparable parts of the rose bush. This is an immutable law of nature. If we are to pluck the flowers, we have only one option in this matter and that is to avoid the thorns. The beautiful colour and the fragrance of the rose can come within reach, only of those who have the courage to grasp it in spite of its thorns. Otherwise, the possession of such a flower will remain an impossibility. This phenomenon of nature shows us the way to lead a realistic life; that is, to accept the favourable, while avoiding the unfavourable. For, in this world there will always be a multiplicity of both pleasant and unpleasant situations. These may seem in many ways to be of man’s creation, but in reality, they have been planned by the Creator Himself. Their existence is as real as that of fire and water. No one is powerful enough to rid the world of all that is negative, leaving only what is positive. The good cannot be separated from the bad. 1. The World’s 500 Most Influential Muslims 2012, Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre, Jordan Maulana Wahiduddin Khan, born in 1925, in Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh, is an Islamic spiritual scholar who is well-versed in both classical Islamic learning and modern disciplines. The mission of his life has been the establishment of worldwide peace. He has received the Padma Bhushan, the third highest civilian honour in India, and the Demiurgus Peace International Award. He has been called ’Islam’s spiritual ambassador to the world’ and is recognised as one of its most influential Muslims1. His books have been translated into sixteen languages and are part of university curricula in six countries. He is the founder of the Centre for Peace and Spirituality based in New Delhi. NON-VIOLENCE—A WAY OF LIFE