How tolerant are we?
04:12AM Mon 1 Aug, 2016
Just as we remind the world that it is not correct to discriminate anyone on the basis of their beliefs, we should remind ourselves that the same principle holds true within the community as well.
By Shafaat Shahbandari - BHATKALLYS.COM
[caption id="attachment_104827" align="alignright" width="150"]
Shafaat Shahbandari,[/caption]
A nation or a society cannot make significant progress until it's youth develop tolerance for others and respect for a difference in opinion - Shaikh Abul Hasan Ali Nadvi.
Maturity of an individual, an organisation or a society can be measured by its response to criticism.
Differences in opinion in a society should be a matter of pride and appreciation and not a matter of concern.
Varied opinions is a sign of a thinking and a vibrant society.
Blooming of new buds is essential for a tree to continue to blossom. A society that feeds on dormant minds and is led by dogmatic philosophies will only regress.
A society that doesn't allow and appreciate critical thinking and contemplation will eventually die down. That's what happened to many great civilisations. After a period of activity and development they became set in their ways and resisted any change, which meant that more progressive civilisations overpowered them.
A critic should not be viewed as anti-society, rather he is a well-wisher of the society, whose job is similar to that of a doctor who diagnoses the disease of a person. His diagnosis may or may not be always right, but it deserves an objective consideration.
Just turn the pages of history and look back at the golden age of Islamic civilisation, or any civilisation for that matter. What was the basis of their progress? It was critical thinking and challenge to prevalent norms and perceptions that gave rise to new ideas and inventions.
One cannot afford to be complacent or absolutely pleased with one's understanding, behaviour or achievements. The moment you are too pleased, your downfall begins.
The law of gravity demonstrates this beautifully. The moment an object reaches the highest point, it begins its descent. The same rule applies
to our lives as well.
A successful journey is that of constant introspection that results in constant improvement.
While it is necessary to be satisfied and content with our fortune, we have to be accountable about what we are doing with that fortune.
I feel our society today is too pleased with itself. It seems we are too happy and content with the way we are maintaining our affairs.
There is a status quo that we don't want to disturb.
We have our set norms that we don't think necessary to challenge.
Our customs and habits, though many of them are very nourishing, don't attract our critical eye.
It seems the perceptions and religious practices that have been passed down to us generations after generations are sacrosanct.
We are so consumed by ourselves that anybody who is a little different from us in customs and practices raises our eyebrows.
It is a fact that the moment we hear a view that is contrary to our general understanding, our levels of tolerance dip abruptly and our hospitality and warmth escapes through the roof.
This goes to extreme levels in matters of religion and jurisprudence (Fiqh).
Extremism in any matter is unacceptable, but it is particularly dangerous in matters of religion. The way of our Beloved Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) was that of moderation in every aspect of life.
Do we realise that our reaction to something that is not in sync with our practices and thinking is mostly extreme? Is it not time to introspect on the methods of our discourse and actions? Can we not develop enough room in our hearts to allow 'outsiders’ to breathe freely?
If all of us ask ourselves, honestly, whether or not we are rigid in our points of view? The answer we get would be mostly ‘yes.’
Do we ever think, why do we have such strong opinions about ‘others’?
There is no doubt that every faction or sect among us believes that it is the best representative of Islam. While there would be no harm if the assumption stops at that, but, if it leads to the belief that any other understanding of Islam is deviant, then there is a problem. And this is the problem we are facing today.
The tragedy is that the matter is not limited to beliefs, it turns into action, which is mostly extreme.
Any ideology or school of thought that is in majority in a particular town or region, systematically marginalises, and in many cases, persecutes those who belong to ‘another’ ideology.
Are we being democratic here? Or we are being bullies?
What we have to understand and appreciate is that everyone is free to accept what makes sense to him and leave what doesn't.
Nobody, not even the most devout among us, has any right to look down upon the other as a 'lesser' being.
While, we all have a right to politely disagree with each other, nobody has a right to abuse the other. Nobody has a right to deride or ridicule others. Nobody has a right to judge others on the basis of their appearance or opinion. Who are we to judge? Let’s leave the judgement to the Lord of the Day of Judgement.
Just as we remind the world that it is not correct to discriminate anyone on the basis of religion, we should remind ourselves that the same principle holds true within the community as well.
It is interesting to note that though we were supposed to call the world to Islam, instead each one of us is busy calling the other to his ideology. And there are many who are busy in exposing the faults of others. How I wish we could put our resources to better use!
I believe, every ideology that is non-violent has a role to play in the society and should be allowed to do so.
We have to realise that Islam is not so narrow as to confine itself in any particular ideology. An ideology or any school of thought will always be only a portion of Islam's broader message. If at all, it is based on Quran and Sunnah.
It is absolutely possible that multiple ideologies can coexist and can even benefit from each other.
Many of our illustrious ancestors, whose teachings and understandings of Islam later transformed into different schools of thoughts, were actually teachers and students of each other. They differed with each other on many matters, but that didn't make them enemies of each other.
Our ulema, leaders, parents and educational institutions have a role to play in developing a temper of appreciating differences and pushing the limits of tolerance in the society.
Our schools, colleges and madrassas could be the best labs where we can develop new thinkers and critics.
Rather than forcing down archaic texts that only prepare students to be a flock of sheep, our educational institutions should encourage critical thinking and develop the temper of appreciating different opinions among our
(Shafaat Shahbandari is a Dubai based journalist)
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed within this article are the personal opinions of the author. Bhatkallys.com is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, suitability, or validity of any information on this article. All information is provided on an as-is basis. The information, facts or opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of Bhatkallys.com and Bhatkallys.com does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.
.
Shafaat Shahbandari,[/caption]
A nation or a society cannot make significant progress until it's youth develop tolerance for others and respect for a difference in opinion - Shaikh Abul Hasan Ali Nadvi.
Maturity of an individual, an organisation or a society can be measured by its response to criticism.
Differences in opinion in a society should be a matter of pride and appreciation and not a matter of concern.
Varied opinions is a sign of a thinking and a vibrant society.
Blooming of new buds is essential for a tree to continue to blossom. A society that feeds on dormant minds and is led by dogmatic philosophies will only regress.
A society that doesn't allow and appreciate critical thinking and contemplation will eventually die down. That's what happened to many great civilisations. After a period of activity and development they became set in their ways and resisted any change, which meant that more progressive civilisations overpowered them.
A critic should not be viewed as anti-society, rather he is a well-wisher of the society, whose job is similar to that of a doctor who diagnoses the disease of a person. His diagnosis may or may not be always right, but it deserves an objective consideration.
Just turn the pages of history and look back at the golden age of Islamic civilisation, or any civilisation for that matter. What was the basis of their progress? It was critical thinking and challenge to prevalent norms and perceptions that gave rise to new ideas and inventions.
One cannot afford to be complacent or absolutely pleased with one's understanding, behaviour or achievements. The moment you are too pleased, your downfall begins.
The law of gravity demonstrates this beautifully. The moment an object reaches the highest point, it begins its descent. The same rule applies
to our lives as well.
A successful journey is that of constant introspection that results in constant improvement.
While it is necessary to be satisfied and content with our fortune, we have to be accountable about what we are doing with that fortune.
I feel our society today is too pleased with itself. It seems we are too happy and content with the way we are maintaining our affairs.
There is a status quo that we don't want to disturb.
We have our set norms that we don't think necessary to challenge.
Our customs and habits, though many of them are very nourishing, don't attract our critical eye.
It seems the perceptions and religious practices that have been passed down to us generations after generations are sacrosanct.
We are so consumed by ourselves that anybody who is a little different from us in customs and practices raises our eyebrows.
It is a fact that the moment we hear a view that is contrary to our general understanding, our levels of tolerance dip abruptly and our hospitality and warmth escapes through the roof.
This goes to extreme levels in matters of religion and jurisprudence (Fiqh).
Extremism in any matter is unacceptable, but it is particularly dangerous in matters of religion. The way of our Beloved Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) was that of moderation in every aspect of life.
Do we realise that our reaction to something that is not in sync with our practices and thinking is mostly extreme? Is it not time to introspect on the methods of our discourse and actions? Can we not develop enough room in our hearts to allow 'outsiders’ to breathe freely?
If all of us ask ourselves, honestly, whether or not we are rigid in our points of view? The answer we get would be mostly ‘yes.’
Do we ever think, why do we have such strong opinions about ‘others’?
There is no doubt that every faction or sect among us believes that it is the best representative of Islam. While there would be no harm if the assumption stops at that, but, if it leads to the belief that any other understanding of Islam is deviant, then there is a problem. And this is the problem we are facing today.
The tragedy is that the matter is not limited to beliefs, it turns into action, which is mostly extreme.
Any ideology or school of thought that is in majority in a particular town or region, systematically marginalises, and in many cases, persecutes those who belong to ‘another’ ideology.
Are we being democratic here? Or we are being bullies?
What we have to understand and appreciate is that everyone is free to accept what makes sense to him and leave what doesn't.
Nobody, not even the most devout among us, has any right to look down upon the other as a 'lesser' being.
While, we all have a right to politely disagree with each other, nobody has a right to abuse the other. Nobody has a right to deride or ridicule others. Nobody has a right to judge others on the basis of their appearance or opinion. Who are we to judge? Let’s leave the judgement to the Lord of the Day of Judgement.
Just as we remind the world that it is not correct to discriminate anyone on the basis of religion, we should remind ourselves that the same principle holds true within the community as well.
It is interesting to note that though we were supposed to call the world to Islam, instead each one of us is busy calling the other to his ideology. And there are many who are busy in exposing the faults of others. How I wish we could put our resources to better use!
I believe, every ideology that is non-violent has a role to play in the society and should be allowed to do so.
We have to realise that Islam is not so narrow as to confine itself in any particular ideology. An ideology or any school of thought will always be only a portion of Islam's broader message. If at all, it is based on Quran and Sunnah.
It is absolutely possible that multiple ideologies can coexist and can even benefit from each other.
Many of our illustrious ancestors, whose teachings and understandings of Islam later transformed into different schools of thoughts, were actually teachers and students of each other. They differed with each other on many matters, but that didn't make them enemies of each other.
Our ulema, leaders, parents and educational institutions have a role to play in developing a temper of appreciating differences and pushing the limits of tolerance in the society.
Our schools, colleges and madrassas could be the best labs where we can develop new thinkers and critics.
Rather than forcing down archaic texts that only prepare students to be a flock of sheep, our educational institutions should encourage critical thinking and develop the temper of appreciating different opinions among our
(Shafaat Shahbandari is a Dubai based journalist)
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed within this article are the personal opinions of the author. Bhatkallys.com is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, suitability, or validity of any information on this article. All information is provided on an as-is basis. The information, facts or opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of Bhatkallys.com and Bhatkallys.com does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.
.
Photos
