REMAINING PATIENTLY STEADFAST ON THE TRUTH

The Quran tells us about people who save themselves from loss. Such people, it relates, ‘exhort one another to truth’ and ‘exhort one another to endurance’. (103:3)

Whenever someone is firmly established on the path of Truth or invites others to the Truth, it always happens that many people become his opponents. He has to face considerable opposition. At this juncture, what he has to do is to adopt the method of patience. He must withstand the difficulties he is faced with, and not try to blame others for them.

Patience is another name for a non-aggressive method. This means that a person who is on the path of Truth must not respond to violence with counter-violence. He must unilaterally abide by peaceful means. Patience is another name for this response.

Truth and violence cannot go together. If you want to be faithful to the Truth, you have to leave violence aside. Violence remains violence, whatever justification may be offered for it, and every form of violence is equally destructive. No seemingly wonderful or alluring excuse or pretext can absolve violence of its destructive consequences.

To engage in violence in the name of the Truth is itself a negation of the Truth. Those who engage in violence in the name of the Truth clearly indicate that they are not on the path of the Truth. A lover of the Truth can never be a lover of violence. Conversely, a lover of violence most certainly is not a lover of Truth, even if he believes himself to be Truth’s most ardent champion.