Page 79 - Non-violence and peace-building

Non-violence and Peace-building in Islam

on a practical course of action to follow. If he engages in
a heated debate about who is to blame for his woes, he
will not be able to take any decision about the practical
measures that he needs to adopt to solve them. And so,
the real problem will remain as it is, unresolved.
When a knife falls on a watermelon, there is simply no
use of trying to logically analyze if the knife was at fault
or the watermelon, or if the watermelon was responsible
for the fate that has befallen it. In such a scenario, the
fundamental issue is how to extricate oneself from
the difficult situation one is faced with, rather than
to engage in verbal duels, hurling accusations against
one’s opponents and blaming them for one’s woes.

It is a well-known and generally-accepted fact that the
practical aspect of an issue is more important than its
logical or theoretical aspect. This is the case with the
question of violence between communities, too.
Once, in a certain city, a man rented a portion of the
ground floor of a house. After some days, he found that
his ceiling was leaking. Water was dripping from the
bathroom of the flat above his. It leaked non-stop, and
so it was a terrible headache for the man. Moreover, the
water was dirty, because the bath and toilet were in the
same room.

The tenant mentioned this problem to the man
living in the flat above his. But this man paid no
attention to him. Then, he began complaining to the
neighbours. But, they, too, did not show any concern
for his problem.
One day, someone told the tenant, “Brother! In our

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