WE AND THE OTHER

This book “We and the Other – Substantiating the Basis of the Ideal Relation
between Muslims and Non-Muslims in light of the Islamic Jurisprudence — first
published in 2004 by the International Union of Muslim Scholars — translated from
Arabic into English by Dr. Syed Bashir Ahmad Kashmiri, is a highly relevant piece of
research for our turbulently chaotic world today. The heavy baggage of mutual
distrust and detestation from the days of ethnic cleansing of Muslims in Spain through
to the Crusades and Colonialism has left behind a fuzzy and muddled image of Islam
and Muslims in the eyes of others; Muslims too have been seeing the West as the
primary cause of all their woes and vilification.
The ferocious distortion campaign perpetrated by various forces aimed at
disregarding Islam – the religion of mercy, righteousness and human dignity – so as to
disfigure and disregard it and portray it as being a religion of savagery that knew no
mercy and contradicted with much needed value of harmonious coexistence with
others and thereby relentlessly waved swords of gloom and bloodshed and that Islam
was by no means a culmination of the truth revealed through previous heavenly
monotheistic creeds.
The accumulation of mutual suspicions has rendered the relations between
Muslims and Others characterized by serious apprehensions. skepticism and
malevolence, leaving these relations in chaos, which if constantly ignored without
deliberations for corrections would certainly lead to further anarchy in thought and
The Situation thus called for corroboration of the subject in light Of the Islamic
jurisprudence so that the authority of authenticity was accentuated, especially when
Muslims believe that Islam is the ultimate truth addressed not only to them but to the
whole of humankind.
“It may be that God will grant love (and friendship) between you and those
whom ye (how) hold as enemies. For God has power (Over all things); And God is
Oit-Forgiving, Most Merciful. God forbids you not, with regard to those who tight you
not for (your) Faith nor drive you out oi your homes, from dealing kindly and justly
with them: for God loveth those who are just. God only forbids you, with regard to
those who fight you for (your) Faith, and drive you out oi your homes, and support
(others) in driving you out, irom turning to them (for friendship and protection). It is
such as turn to them (in these circumstances), that do wrong.” (A1-Quran, 60:7-9).

• AUTHOR: DR. SYED AHMED K
• PUBLISHER: ASN