Through Force or Faith? — Page 244
?— A Reply to Pope Benedict XVI 244 ْدَق ْمُكَءٓاَج ُرِٕىٓاَصَب ْنِم ْمُكِّبَّر١ۚ ْنَمَف َرَصْبَا ٖهِسْفَنِلَف١ۚ َو ْنَم َيِمَع اَهْيَلَعَف١ؕ َو ۤاَم اَنَا ْمُكْيَلَع ٍظْيِفَحِب Proofs have indeed come to you from your Lord; so who- ever sees, it is for His own good; and whoever becomes blind, it is to his own harm. And I am not a guardian over you ( S u rah al-An‘ a m, 6:105). The above mentioned verses are enough to remove the misconcep- tion that Islam does not teach to convince with reasoning or that it promotes its beliefs through physical force or threats. Islamic teachings do not need such tactics, nor does it permit their use. Islam is fully convinced of peaceful co-existence. It insists upon a scholarly exchange of ideas in a cordial environment during any dialogue. After submitting the above explanations, we will now examine the significance of knowledge and its acquisition in Islam. We will study this aspect of Islam in the light of the Holy Quran and the guidance provided by the founder of Islam, and will also quote supportive statements of non-Muslim scholars. Importance of Pursuit of Knowledge in Islam The first and the final objective of religion is to guide man through progressive stages of spirituality towards God, and to help him establish a living relationship with Him. The religion of Islam has coupled this objective with the acquisition of knowledge. In the Holy Quran, God has referred to knowledge hundreds of times, and made it the foundation in all matters of principle. For estab- lishing a relationship with God, it is clearly stated: