[On the eve of a new
year unfolding in the horizon, the Khalifatullah Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim Sahib
(atba) addressed the world on the larger theme of unity in diversity through an
article published on December 29, 2011 in the newspaper
Le
Mauricien. His reflections are deeply imprinted with a profound vision
of the essential unity of mankind and human solidarity. In an age ravished by
the passions of man- “strife, war, jealousy, arrogance, and
thirst for power”- the Messenger of Allah calls the mankind back to
sanity and reason and exhorts us all to reclaim our original identity as “Children
of Adam”. We are reproducing the original article below for the benefit of
our readers].
UNITY IN DIVERSITY: The following adage is widespread yet so little
understood and put into practice: The
world goes round and round and the mentality of people does not change despite
the flying years.
The Torah, Gospels and the Holy Quran inform humankind that we are one, from one Source, from the divine essence, and we come from one man, Adam, the father of mankind. That is why, the Almighty addresses human species as “Children of Adam”. Yet, blood ceases not to be oozed out from our own body – the body of mankind - because of strife, war, jealousy, arrogance, and thirst for power. Blood of red incarnadine ceases not to mar the surface of the earth in the name of justice, yet justice is a long way to be attained by sheer bloodshed.
The Muslim world is shredding itself to pieces because of disunity and a feeling of superiority over their own Muslim brethrens. The rest of humanity is fighting against Islam in the name of terrorism. And some people blame religion for the chaos which the world is facing on a daily basis. The question is: Should it have been so? Should the world be divided and sub-divided till a point that we feel estranged to each other, that we lose our identity as the “Children of Adam”, the ultimate perfected creation of God, that is, the human species?
We are from the essence of God, believe it or not! Good and bad is in our nature but the Almighty has given us the ability to fight against our own devilish side and plunge into the light of felicity through unity and compatibility to each other, the whole mankind as one manifestation of the Lord. Is this utopia? Is this aim so impossible to imagine?
Unity in diversity? Can there ever be unity in diversity? Unity is
unity and it is true that each human is quite different from his comrade, yet
so alike, yet so alive! Nowadays
religion has changed its colours. Or is it rather people who have changed the
colours of religion? Religious matters have become taboos and if printed in
media, it can cause upheaval; yet can we afford to remain quiet and let
destruction of humanity come about through the own hands of this humanity.
Humanity - the word itself carries the word “humane”. When we show ourselves humane, we feel connected to one another, we recognize our own faults, our own weaknesses, and we feel incomplete without the support of the Divine Hand who has created us and placed us as His vicegerents on this temporal world.
Diversity in Unity? This is more of a reality, an actuality
nowadays. Yet we humans long for unity in the real sense. As long as the world
shall not be united under one leadership, such a leadership inspired by the
Divine Will, man shall go to pieces through his own hands. If wrong is
perpetrated in the land, he shall suffer his consequences, but if he strives to
be good, to do good and feel good about his brothers, sisters and children,
considering them as his own, feeling the Lord in them, then he would fear:
raping his sister, daughter and mother; committing crime which shall see to his
end consequences; and destroying his own self and others with cigarettes,
alcoholic drinks and drugs.
There
is a Satan in every one of us, but it is our duty to battle with it on a daily
basis so that he may submit to goodness, to the power of the Lord within us.
Good and evil have coexisted since time immemorial. The history of mankind is a
vivid reminder of the havoc it made man commit in the name of civilization and
modernity. Today, the world is “civilized” and “modern” but at what price? In
economy we call it “opportunity cost”; in order to have one thing, we have to
forego another one, despite the fact that we desire them both but we just
cannot have them at the same time.
Unity in diversity, you may say? But is
the world united because of this simple yet profound adage? Are we trying hard
to achieve this objective, or is it just on our lips, a regrettable forgetfulness from
our part to act upon it? Today after an appraisal of the world, it is
sad to see that humans are ill despite we are living in a global era wherein
people are “connected” oceans apart. Despite the connection, there is not real
connection. We fight; we abuse others without lending out a helping hand. We
may feel pity for some time, but then we forget the very existence of those
suffering.
Unity: This must be our real objective. We
are all from one source, one essence, then why the division O my brethrens? Why
are we estranged despite being connected in this modern world? Why are there
crimes and frauds? Why are there traitors? Why is there corruption which is
eating our era from within, causing man and man to march towards evil forces
instead of towards Goodness and the Lord, our Creator?
God is one; then let us be one. This
shall not be a utopia anymore once we march towards this goal come what may. We
shall encounter many obstacles in this path, but at the end of our quest, we
shall find peace of an exquisite essence. Who among you does not want to feel
peace in him and all around him? When we shall be one, with a good intention
and purity of heart, we shall succeed in our mission, for God is one, and our
goal therefore is oneness in all glory. May
the Almighty enable us His creatures to achieve this objective, and rid
ourselves of the fires of division. Ameen (Amen).
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