WORLD RELIGIONS AND THE SPIRIT OF TOLERANCE

Most of our activities involve speech, so we should cultivate positive speaking skills to create a healthy atmosphere in our families, societies, and nations. Good speech is the foundation of nationbuilding. People often lack discipline and dislike constraints on their activities, especially speech. Right speech means disciplined speech, speaking in a controlled manner and weighing each word before uttering. Well-thought-out speech is a source of building harmony and goodwill. The art of managing speech is vital for everyone. Those with the art of right speech can be considered wholesome human beings. 6. Morality Morality is crucial. The Quran instructs, “Be good to your parents; don’t kill your children for poverty; refrain from indecent deeds; and don’t kill God’s sacred life except by right.” (6: 151) Many wrongs are so immoral that their evil is obvious without special knowledge. Man’s nature and conscience alone indicate their improper nature. Indulging in shamelessness reveals a lack of basic humanity. Islamic morality involves living among others according to its teachings. A Hadith states, “Behave as you’d like others to behave towards you.” Everyone knows what they approve of and disapprove of, so following this generally accepted moral criterion is essentially Islamic morality. Islam distinguishes between social manners and social character. Social manners are based on the principle “Do as they do.” However, Islamic morality is based on the formula “Do good to others, even if they don’t do good to you.” (al-Tabarani) The Quran portrays Muslims as individuals who “repel evil with good” (28: 54). Similarly, the Prophet Muhammad advised Muslims to “do good to those who harm them” (Al-Tirmirdhi). The Prophet Muhammad embodied the finest moral character. The Quran praises the Prophet’s noble character, saying, ‘You have a sublime character’ (68: 4). Islam places great emphasis on moral character, which is used to judge other Islamic virtues. Being good to others shows one’s goodness towards God. The Prophet Muhammad said, ‘One who is not grateful to man cannot be grateful to God either.’ (Al-Bayhaqi) 