World Crisis and the Pathway to Peace — Page 128
128 peace in the world. Is there any society that would not appreci- ate such teachings and would not approve of such an approach? Certainly, a good society could never desire immorality and evil to be spread within it, and it would never oppose for goodness and peace to be promoted. When we come to define ‘goodness,’ it is possible that there may be differences in defining it between a religious person and a non-religious person. Amongst the aspects of goodness and virtue that Islam speaks of, there are two overarching virtues, through which all other forms of goodness emanate. One is the right due to Allah the Almighty and the other is the right due to mankind. Whilst there is a difference in definition in terms of one aspect between a religious person and a non-religious person, in terms of the other aspect, that is the right of mankind, there is none. The rights due to Allah relate to worship and all religions guide their followers with regard to this. In terms of the rights due to man, these are something that both religions and societies have edu- cated mankind about. Islam teaches us in great depth and detail about the rights of mankind and so to cover all of its teachings at this time would prove to be impossible. However, I will mention a few of the important rights established by Islam, which are neces- sary for peace to develop within society. Islam teaches you must respect and care for the sentiments of other people. This includes religious sentiments and the feelings of others in relation to general social issues. On one occasion, in order to safeguard the religious sensitivities of a Jewish man, the Holy Prophet sa sided with the Jew after he reported an argument that had taken place between him and a Muslim. To spare the feel- ings of the Jewish person, the Holy Prophet sa rebuked the Muslim