Pluralism among humans is a natural law established in the Glorious Qur’an, and governed, within the Islamic law of ‘acquaintance’, by the necessity of dialogue with allies and opponents alike. This is also a prerequisite in our contemporary world to overcome the currently stifling crises. It is thus difficult for a Muslim to imagine molding people, nations and peoples into one religion or one culture, since the Will of Allah dictates that people be different even in their fingerprints. The Qur’an reads, “Had your Lord so willed, He would have certainly made humanity one single community [of believers], but they will always differ” (Qur’an, 11: 118) So, the believer in the Qur’an knows for sure that no power or civilization can change Allah’s Will regarding human difference, and that theories advocating a single global faith or a central culture that encompasses all humans are no more than childish reveries.

Two things should be noted in this respect as inevitable in any serious East-West encounter. First is that one of the key verses memorized and frequently invoked by all the Muslims, and even by Western intellectuals, in dialogue forums is, “O humanity! Indeed, We created you from a male and a female, and made you into peoples and tribes so that you may [get to] know one another. Surely the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous among you.” (49: 13)

All the Muslims without exception understand acquaintance stipulated in this noble verse as the supreme divine goal for which Allah created humanity. Here, ‘acquaintance’ means cooperation and exchange of benefits, not conflict, exclusion, or domination.

And if acquaintance is the divine law governing international relations, doesn’t this mean that anything can be achieved if it is driven by sincere intentions and firm will?! You may also be surprised to know that the Sheikhs of Al-Azhar in the forties of the last century preceded everyone in drawing attention to this solution. Sheikh Muhammad Mustafa Al-Maraghī (d. 1945), Grand Imam of Al-Azhar at that time, called for global fellowship among all nations as a means to contain the conflicts among nations and peoples, in his speech at the Conference of Scholars of Religions, held in London (in 1936). Ten years later, Sheikh Muhammad ˁArafah (d. 1973), wrote an article in the Al-Azhar magazine (issue 10, 1946), calling for cooperation between Islam and the West as a necessity. He was driven to write the article by the WWII consequences, including the invention of the atomic bomb and lethal weapons. He then warned of the annihilation of the whole world if the warring powers resorted to such inventions. He also concluded that rapprochement among peoples is inevitable, as is also the need to settle all the causes of grudges and disagreement. For him, it was necessary that the inhabitants of the earth interact as if they were the inhabitants of the same town, turning the globe into a small town [though not in the current sense of globalization]. In this call, he drew much on international cooperation through which the West understands Islam and the Muslims understand Western civility. When the two parties mutually agree, said the Imam, distrust would be lifted and both parties can coexist and cooperate, with each doing its share in serving humanity. He then called on Muslim scholars to properly portray the civilization of the West as it is, so that acquaintance would replace rejection, and peace would replace strife. In Islam, the call to Allah should be governed by wisdom and peaceful dialogue that does not hurt the other or offend their faith. Islam disavows the spreading of faith by force, coercion, or pressure or even temptation with money or power. The Qur'an states that “There is no compulsion in religion” (2: 256) It also dictates, “Say, ‘the truth is from your Lord. Whoever wills let them believe, and whoever wills let them disbelieve’. Surely We have prepared for the wrongdoers a Fire whose walls will surround them. When they cry for aid, they will be aided with water like molten metal, which will burn (their) faces. What a horrible drink! And what a terrible place to rest!” (Qur’an, 18: 29)

Here, the role of the Prophet of Islam (pbuh) - as defined in the Noble Qur’an – is to convey knowledge and guide to the way of Allah. He is not required to control people or force them into belief. Rather, he is required to clear to them the path of truth and the path of misguidance and then let them choose for themselves. Allah Almighty says to him, “You are not to compel them (to believe)” (Qur’an, 88: 22) and “Had your Lord so willed, all on earth would have certainly believed, every single one of them! Would you then force people to become believers?” (Qur’an, 10: 99)

For a Muslim, all humans are either equal fellows in the faith or equal fellows in humanity. The Prophet (pbuh) also declared that “the true Muslim is the one from whose tongue and hand people are safe.” This means a Muslim makes peace with people and does not harm them by word or deed. Besides, Islam specifically forbids harming the followers of heavenly religions, to the extent that a Muslim who harms the People of the Book will be dismissed by the Prophet (pbuh) on the Day of Resurrection. No wonder then that Allah and His Messenger disavow whoever does so in this world and the Hereafter. In this sense, Al-Azhar Ash-Sharif exerts international efforts to consolidate peace and security around the world. It is also keen on openness and dialogue with all international religious institutions.

This week, we are holding the Al-Azhar International Peace Conference in the presence of religious leaders from all over the world. The conference aims to send a common message to the whole world that the symbolic figures and representatives of religions gathering in Al-Azhar Ash-Sharif unanimously call for peace among all human societies. On the basis of mutual trust, they insist on calling upon the followers of religions to follow their own example, and to sustain this call together in order to renounce all causes of intolerance and hatred, and to consolidate the culture of love, mercy, peace and dialogue among people. I ask Allah Almighty that this conference be a genuine step that contributes effectively to the achievement of peace for all of humanity.