Page 9 - Non-violence and peace-building

Non-violence and Peace-building in Islam

solution to worldly problems, you cannot get what you
want through emotionalism. If God has placed the secret
of reform and progress in the silent transformation of
individuals, you cannot hope to progress by stirring up
agitation and strife. If God wants us to get ahead in life
by acknowledging our mistakes, you cannot advance by
trying to prove others to be criminals and yourself to be
faultless. If God has established a rule that if you want
to pluck a rose, you can do so if you steer clear of the
thorns, you won’t be able to obtain the rose if you start
fighting against each thorn that you come across.
This world is a place for us to be tested. This is
why every human being has been given the gift of
free will. But this freedom is of action alone, and not
that of obtaining results or the fruits of our actions.
Undoubtedly, we are free to do whatever we like to,
but we have not been given the power to acquire the
results that we seek. You are free to choose whether to
dive into the sea or not, but if you do not know how to
swim, you do not have the power to stop yourself from
drowning! Please remember that this world is merciless
when it comes to accepting useless excuses, no matter
how beautifully you might seek to embellish them.

The fact of the matter is that we do not live in a world
of our own making. Instead, this world has been made
by God. We can obtain what we seek only if we live in
accordance with the principles that God has put into
place that govern the universe. If we deviate from these
principles, we cannot get anything positive at all. The
devastating results of the merciless violence engaged in
by terrorists is ample proof of this.

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