THE SECRET OF UNITY — Agree to Disagree

their qaumi fighting. This is true even of Muslims in Palestine and Kashmir. All those countries where they are engaged in jihad is not true jihad. Because, Jihad means to 'strive or struggle'. Jihad doesn’t mean qital, which is fighting. Jihad simply means to struggle. There is no connotation of war in this. If you want divine blessings, then you have to live in peace and establish a peaceful society. This is the essence of Islam. There is a verse in the Quran: “Do great jihad with them by means of this [the Quran].” (THE QURAN 25: 52). Now, the Quran is not a sword or a bomb or a gun. How can one wage war with the Quran? The Quran is a book of ideology. So, this verse means that Islam believes in ideological jihad, and not violent jihad. Violent jihad is out of the scheme of Islam. The only jihad is ideological jihad through the Quran, that is, conveying the message of the Quran to all mankind. The gist of that message is: And God calls to the home of peace THE QURAN 10: 25. That is, ‘O people, you have to live in peace. So that you can receive God’s blessings.’ This verse tells us that if you want divine blessings, then you have to live in peace and establish a peaceful society. This is the essence of Islam. What I am saying, I am saying with conviction, after a long study of the Quranic and Islamic texts. In short, Islam is a religion of peace, compassion and it advocates living with friendly behaviour in society. This is the formula to establish a better society in this world. Also, this is the formula by following which one can find entry into Paradise. Thank you! o This address was given at a conference on “Peace-Building through Learning and Understanding” organized by World Buddhist Culture Trust and Osmania University Centre for International Programmes, at Osmania University, Hyderabad on November 29, 2013.