Page 41 - Age of Peace Goodword.indd

Making a Friend out of an Enemy

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uring a visit to the US in June 2011, I was invited to an
DAmerican church in Philadelphia to deliver a lecture on
the importance of peace. When I had completed my address,
a Christian scholar asked: ‘There is a well-known teaching in
the Bible, “Love your enemy.” Can you refer to any such verse
1
from the Quran?’ I said, ‘Yes, you can read verse 34 of Chapter
41 of the Quran. The translation of this verse is:
“Good and evil deeds are not equal. Do good deeds in
return for bad deeds; then you will see that one who
was once your enemy has become your dearest friend.”’
(41:34)
This Quranic verse is based on the law of nature. According
to the law of nature, there is neither a permanent friend nor a
permanent enemy. People fall into two categories: some who
are actual friends, and others who are potential friends. One
must discover this fact and by right planning, try to turn this
potential into actuality.
Those who are engaged in violence in the name of jihad
tend to take things at face value. That is, if someone appears to
be an enemy, they instantly declare him an enemy and initiate
a bloody war against him. This is an example of their failing
to go below the surface of things. However, if they looked at
things in a deeper way, they would find that those whom they
regarded as their enemies had, in reality, the potential of being
their best friends. Therefore, instead of waging war against
them, they should have made them their friends through

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