CONFLICT-RESOLUTION

and He will soften the hearts of the enemy for them, so that they become friends. In this regard, Abdullah ibn Abbas, as reported in the Tafsir al-Qurtubi is also said to have remarked: If someone behaves in an ignorant way with you, you must respond to his ignorance with tolerance. The principle that the above-mentioned Quranic verse (41: 34) reveals is also the solution to the problem of inter-communal violence. That is to say, instead of reacting to provocation, one should adopt a positive approach and method. There is simply no other effective way. If there were, the problem would have been solved by now, because in the past all these other methods have been tried but they have failed miserably. The only way to end communal violence involving Muslims is for Muslims to stop thinking in communal terms and, instead, to adopt the Quranic way of thinking. Muslims are very well aware of the rewards for reciting the Quran, but they do not know about the rewards for obeying the Quran. The Quranic commandments are actually laws of nature, on the basis of which God has established the system that governs this world. It is by following these laws that the cosmic system is able to function perfectly. Similarly, it is by adhering to these laws that human beings can order their lives in the appropriate manner. In the light of Quranic teachings, one can derive certain key principles of conflict-avoidance and conflict-resolution: The need to properly investigate something that we happen to hear before taking action on it. The Quran (49: 6) says: Believers, if an evil-doer brings you news, ascertain the correctness of the report fully, lest you unwittingly harm others, and then regret what you have done […] Often, people get provoked and resort to violence on the basis of mere hearsay and rumour, without investigating the veracity of what they If Muslims adopt the method of sabr and avoidance in the face of provocation then this response will be like water over the fires of strife and war.