Page 53 - Non-violence and peace-building

Non-violence and Peace-building in Islam

on the other hand, they react by becoming angry and
confrontational, the situation is bound to snowball
into a riot, leading to loss of precious lives and terrible
destruction that cannot be compensated for, even over
a period of many years.
Suppose a group of people belonging to one
community pass by the place of worship of another
community while playing musical instruments and
singing songs. The people worshipping inside feel
disturbed. If they tolerate this minor inconvenience,
after this temporary disturbance the situation will return
to normal. But if, instead, they get worked up and try
to stop the procession, the processionists may refuse to
budge, and then the whole matter may escalate into a
deadly communal riot. People who could not tolerate
having to listen to musical instruments being played
outside their place of worship for just a few minutes
will then be forced to tolerate witnessing the sight of
their houses going up in flames and of rivers of blood
flowing all around them.

People very easily take to advising others and pointing
out their errors because this gives a tremendous boost to
their ego. It makes them imagine that they are right and
that others are wrong. But the fact is that this work of
advising others and admonishing them is only proper
for those who are ready to pay the price for it. And the
price for this is to be willing to exercise patience in the
face of difficulties.
If you scold someone and criticise him for his faults,
he is bound to get angry. So, when faced with a situation
where someone is provoking you, you must become as

52