by Dr Abdelhak Hamiche
During the second half of the 20th century the world had witnessed tremendous progress in the areas of dialogue of civilisations due to the international conflicts at the political level and due to the military conflicts which most countries witnessed. The Islamic Ummah was one of the most affected nations by these conflicts, to the extent that one would say that the clash of civilisations theory was evolved and developed especially to face the Islamic world at a cultural and religious level.
That is why it is said that dialogue has now become a civic necessity more than any other time before. We cannot live in this world under one civilisation, since each religion and geographical area has its own cultural requirements, and an ideology that is different and distinct from others
The term “dialogue of civilisations” may seem new or novel, yet the concept of cultural and civil interaction between nations was an international norm since time immemorial. If one looks well into the emergence of the dialogue of civilisations, he will find that it dates back to thousands of years. That is because the historical roots of the dialogue of civilisations date back to the era when life started on the earth on different and various bases.
The concept of dialogue of civilisations dates back thousands of years, since the civilisations first came into existence. For example, the letter of Prophet Solomon (peace be upon him) to Queen Bilqis of Sheba inviting her to worship Allah alone.
Also, in the early years of the Islamic state, after it gained strength and stabilised, Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) sent messengers to Muqawqis, the king of Egypt, Khusru of Persia and Hercules of Rome. That was before the first immigration of the early Muslims to the land of Abyssinia, where they introduced themselves and their religion in a genius successful diplomatic mission at all scales.
There are many evidences in the Islamic history on the cultural interaction which contributed to the spread of Islamic thought and the exchange of knowledge and interest between nations.
Islam is the religion of dialogue, communication and recognition of others, and it is the law of developing the common characteristics between a man and his fellow humans; in addition it seeks to find ways that ensure realisation of coexistence, peace and security. Moreover, it preserves man from resorting to exclusion and isolation, segregation and renunciation of others. This is why Islam enjoins dialogue, seeking what is the best, acting in the best manners and addressing others properly. Allah the Almighty Says:
“Call unto the way of thy Lord with wisdom and goodly exhortation, and argue with them in a way that is best. Surely, thy Lord knows best who has strayed from His way; and He knows those who are rightly guided.” Chapter 16 of the Holy Quran (Al Nahl or The Bee) verse 126.
The dialogue between different cultures and civilisations was and still is a genuine principle of Islam, and valuable cultural legacy of the heritage of the Islamic civilisation.
The call to Islam is based on dialogue with others, and the exchange of expertise, knowledge and interests is also based on dialogue with others. In addition, the dissemination of principles and values is also based on dialogue with others.
There are many models in Islamic history of civilised coexistence between Muslims and Non-Muslims who lived together. The best example for that is Andalusia where Muslims, Christians and Jews lived side by side in peace and harmony, each community committing to their own culture, customs and traditions. When the Arab-Islamic civilisation was at its peak, it did not monopolise scientific knowledge and did not close the doors to education to students from other civilisations.
The establishment of the “House of Wisdom (Bayt Al Hikma) in Baghdad by the Abbasids was a critical cultural event in the history of the Arab-Islamic civilisation. It was not a mere library, but a center for translation, authoring, debating and copying. It was also a platform for dialogue between the civilisations of the East and the West during those times, especially the Arab-Islamic culture and the Greek, Persian, Syriac and Indian Cultures.
The Islamic civilisation was established on the basis of cultural interaction, hence, it borrowed and lent with the previous civilisations, people and nations it communicated with. The Islamic civilisation fused all of such knowledge in a melting-pot of the cultural interaction, which made the Islamic civilisation a rare example of interaction between civilisations.
The Indians, the Persians, the Christians and the Greeks all participated in the creation of the Arab Islamic civilisation. It was created on a basis of cultural synthesis, where it combined the Indian, Chines and Persian cultures to an extent that it is difficult to identify its effect and affect in such a geo-cultural areas.
The civilized dialogue which the Arabs and Muslims call for contributes to the raising of a renewed awareness of one’s self and of the others and to formulating of an Arabic Islamic approach of discourse which is not deeply engrossed in apologies and self-defenses, as much as it is concerned with the cultural self- identity from one point and the need to initiate approaches towards the others through a dialogue paradigm that achieves the common interests, from the another point.
The need to focus on highlighting the truth and the core of the Arabic Islamic civilisation throughout the history of mankind, in addition to clarifying all its enlightening aspects and contents to Muslims and Non-Muslims, have nowadays emerged as inevitable as never before.
In light of the development of this historical phase which witnesses a campaign in the West attempting to tarnish the image of Islam and accuse it of extremism and violence, ignoring the fact that Islam calls for peace and coexistence, exploiting some acts of extremist groups who claim to be Muslims and call for aggression against the West, and moved by the basis of our religious interest to clarify and expose Islam’s call for dialogue, coexistence and tolerance, that is reflected in the Holy Quran: “O men! Behold, We have created you all out of a male and a female, and have made you into nations and tribes, so that you might come to know one another. Verily, the noblest of you in the sight of God is the one who is most deeply conscious of Him. Behold, God is all-knowing, all-aware.” Chapter 49, verse 13 on Al Hujurat (Chambers) and as manifested in the approach of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in proclamation of his message among Makkan people, when he complied with the guides of Chapter 16, Verse 125 “Call unto the way of thy Lord with wisdom and goodly exhortation, and argue with them in a way that is best”.
Dialogue is a humanitarian necessity for getting acquainted with others and for exchanging ideas, experiences and solutions. Dialogue can also help eliminate conflicts, disputes and crises. It can also end wars, and provide understanding, coexistence, security, stability, development, prosperity and well-being, regionally and internationally.
Therefore, Islam strove to strengthen the inclinations towards dialogue and to remove anything that stood in its way by spreading noble values in the establishment of relationships between humans, in order to inculcate all the elements of dialogue amongst nations, peoples, cultures, civilisations and religions.
The urgencies, reasons, and needs that make dialogue necessary emerge from the continuous need for understanding and strengthening the connections amongst societies. Dialogue is the method to exchange interests and benefits which are the basis of the activities of the societies.
They also emerge from the fact that Allah the Almighty gave mankind the tendency to communicate and coexist, and dialogue is the best way to achieve that, in addition to the fact that control of the crises which threaten the stability, security and peace around the world cannot be achieved without dialogue.
The writer is Associate Professor in Contemporary Fiqh Programme at Qatar Faculty of Islamic Studies.
The Peninsula
