Spirit of Islam · ASK MAULANA

ASK MAULANA

Spirit of Islam, December 2019, p. 47

By Maulana Wahiduddin Khan

Maulana Wahiduddin Khan is named as the default author of the periodical; a piece that carries another writer’s byline is credited to that writer.

According to this religious philosophy, the Hindus believe that everything in the cosmos is an ansh, or part of divinity. They believe in the concept of an indwelling god, that is, every human being has a content of divinity. Due to this concept, the Hindu mind accords the position of divinity to every man and woman. This is the genesis of the culture of tolerance in India. Hinduism does not advocate change of faith. It believes in the principle of mutual acceptance. Thus, Hindus believe they are on the true path and so are others. What can Muslims learn from people of other faiths? Life is all about mutual learning. All of us should interact with and learn from one another. Learning is a process. It is not restricted only to some specific issues. This is the age of knowledge explosion and learning. One should imbibe the spirit of learning and must learn from one and all. By virtue of being different, each person has experiences to share and learning to offer. Learning is to be had from everyone. It is not a question of Muslim or non-Muslim. Just as two stones create sparks when rubbed against each other, similarly mutual learning causes brainstorming and leads to emergence of new ideas. Does Islam allow Muslims to wish people of other faiths on their festivals? Absolutely! Opportunities for engaging in interaction should never be lost. Greeting others is a part of social ethics, and not a part of belief system. One must strive to live peacefully and humbly in society. A society is a unit of a nation, which is diverse yet interconnected. When the members of a society acknowledge their diversity despite having different beliefs, they nurture a healthy atmosphere of open interaction, mutual learning and peaceful coexistence. o The way to prosper is to ignore the matters that divide one from others and to concentrate on cultivating areas of mutual concern.

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