اک تبسم ہزار شکووں کا کتنا پیارا جواب ہو تا ہے

has written numerous books explaining various aspects of Islam to Muslims as well as non- Muslims. MIR AYOOB ALI KHAN met the Maulana during his visit to Hyderabad last week and made him speak his mind. Q. In your discourses and writings you take the support of science to reinforce religious beliefs. Religion and science are two different things. How can science that is based on reason support religion that is a matter of belief? A. The difference of approach between science and religion has disappeared with time. Earlier, science used to say that for an argument to be valid, it should be demonstrative. With the splitting of atom science is no more in a position to say that. It is talking about unseen things. That is what religion has always spoken about. Let us say that science follows the system of developing a hypothesis goes over to observation and comes up with verification. Religion also follows the same methodology to establish a statement. For example, let's say that the Quran is the book of God is a hypothesis. The statement in the Quran that God has saved the body of Pharaoh who lived in the period of Prophet Moses was made 1300 years ago before it was discovered that his body actually had been preserved in a pyramid. This observation verifies that the Quran is the book of God. Q. According to many scholars, Muslims are taking to confrontation because their reconciliatory approach has failed; dawah work has failed. A. Peaceful methods never fail. Why should there be confrontation? Look at the stars in the sky. There are millions of them and they have always co-existed peacefully. Dawah work never fails, it is the violent activism that has failed. Q. There are people who believe that violence is an integral part of Islam. What do you think? A. I would reject this charge outright. Islam is a religion for all time. If it preached violence, no one would be left on this earth. And when there are no people, what would Islam do? One should always remember Islam preaches peace and harmony, not destruction and chaos. Q. What is your stand on the question of Babri Masjid now? A. Before the demolition of Babri Masjid I had advised Muslims to carry out their struggle peacefully; not to take it to the streets. After the demolition I say that the reconstruction of the Babri Masjid would mean destruction of the makeshift Ram Mandir, which is very difficult. Therefore, the Muslims should leave the question of Babri Masjid to the conscience of the nation. The agitation should end. Q. Government has given permission to its employees for attending RSS camps. What is your comment? A. The permission will not have any effect. The romantic era of the RSS when people wanted