INTERFAITH SPEECH

There are numerous stars and planets in the vast space. All are continuously in motion, but there is no clash between them. This provides an exemplary scene of togetherness and harmony. There are so many rivers flowing on the surface of the earth but there is no clash between them. There are so many trees on our beautiful planet earth but they live in complete harmony. Even the animals of the forest are following the same culture of peace. No fighting like that of the first or second world war ever takes place in the animal world. Now I would like to add some relevant references on this subject from the Islamic scriptures. God has declared in the Quran: Mankind! We have created you from a male and female, and made you into peoples and tribes, so that you might come to know each other. (49: 13) In the words of the Quran, this means all men and women of the world are blood brothers and blood sisters. The entire human race has a common ancestor. So according to Islam, universal brotherhood is not just a theoretical idea, but a biological and historical fact. According to a saying of the Prophet of Islam, a Muslim is one from whose hands and tongue people are safe. This means human society should be one of peaceful coexistence. The Prophet of Islam once saw a funeral procession passing through a street in Madinah. He was seated at that time. On seeing the funeral, he stood up in respect. At this, one of his Companions said: “O Prophet! It was the funeral of a Jew, not a Muslim. The Prophet replied. ‘Was he not a human being?” There may be differences between people as regards religion and culture. Yet there is a common element among people, and that is they are humans. According to the teaching of Islam, everyone should be accorded equal status as a human being, even if differences exist between them. The Prophet of Islam used to rise early in the morning and say in his morning prayer: “O God, I bear witness that all human beings are sisters and brothers to each other.” The entire human race is destined to live together as one family. Togetherness is the culture of the universe of which we are but a tiny part. Togetherness is the only base for a better human society. The only difference between man and the universe is that what the rest of the world is following under compulsion, man has to follow by his own choice.