Among the things I remember from my mother, may she rest in
peace, is a meaningful story attributed to the Prophet Abraham. The story goes
as follows: Abraham never liked to eat except with guests, to the extent that
he would frequent popular places with the hopes of finding a fellow patron with
whom he could share his meal.

One day, on his quest to find someone with whom to share his
food, he met an old man in his 80s. After the usual ritual of invitation and
greeting, they sat at the table and Abraham said: “Brother, say grace to
God and help yourself to the food.”

The guest looked at him and replied: “I do not
recognize the presence of a God, so I cannot say grace to him.” Abraham
was irked and tried in vain to convince the old man of his erroneous statement.
Feeling desperate, he took the food away and pushed the man out of his tent.

When Abraham was alone, God reproached him for what he did
to the old man. But Abraham tried to justify that the man was an atheist and a
non-believer. God said to him: “I have known about him for the past 80
years, yet I continue to provide for him. You, however, could not tolerate to
feed him one meal.”

Abraham rushed out after the old man to apologize.
Surprised, the old man listened to Abraham explain what had happened, and said:
“A God who reproaches a man who worships Him, in favor of someone who
denies Him, is a generous God.”

I relate this story not to debate whether it happened, but
to benefit from the lesson it lends itself to so convincingly.

There are many religious texts that advocate honoring human
beings regardless of their religion and speaking in defense of the right to
choose one’s faith without compulsion. These texts direct us to respect the
right of the other to be different, in both belief and behavior. After all, God
has said: “Verily we have honored the Children of Adam” (Qur’an
17:70).

Those who reject the right of the other to disagree are
misinterpreting the texts and are making their understandings a basis for their
own faith, limiting the vast scope of religion and distorting its compassion.
In this way they tend to narrow respect for their religion – or at least for
some part of it.

As a result, the responsibility borne by community leaders
becomes greater and more important, and they have to exert more effort to prove
to the multitudes that the right of the “other” to exist and to
disagree is equal to the right of the “self,” and the defense of the
rights of the “other” mirror one’s defense of the rights of the
“self.” In complementing each other, people gain strength and are
enriched. Their conflict and disagreement are weakness and loss.

To prove this, it is not sufficient to cite religious and
non-religious cultural texts, but rather to abide by these guidelines in
everyday life so that man can realize that his fate is connected to that of the
“other,” in good times and in bad. It is a matter of education and
guidance, as well as a matter of doctrine and philosophy.

Joint efforts among religious guides, educators, parents and
teachers to emphasize joint spaces are examples of this type of behavior. Their
joint efforts are significantly larger than mere disagreements, and represent
important factors in winning this round.

One must also admit that the violent struggle and conflict
in which societies live do not serve the concept of accepting the other. Human
beings cannot interact rationally and reasonably when they feel that their very
existence and identity are threatened. Such feelings result in reactions that
have dire effects of enlarging the gap and deepening the rift.

Knowing the other closely will reveal his similarity to the
“self.” This will contribute to emancipating the individual and
making him or her more capable of communicating and cooperating. The earlier
this happens, the larger the dividends.

Sheikh Ibrahim Ramadan studied at the Lebanon Azhar
Institute in Beirut, and received a Higher Certificate in Islamic Sharia and a
diploma in Comparative Jurisprudence (fiqh) from Beirut Islamic University.
This article is part of a series on religious leaders speaking out written for
the Common Ground News Service (CGNews) and reprinted here with permission.