Pearson Edexcel Level 3 Advanced GCE in Religious Studies – Anthology
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the self is conveyed in Arabic by the word jihād. Understanding this dimension is a
nec essary part of a larger disc ussion on the meaning of armed c onflic t. What needs
to be retained in the first instanc e, on the individual plane as well as on the
int ernat ional plane, is t hat God has willed t his t ension. He made it by His
management of one of the c onditions of ac c ess to faith and to humanity.
"The Prophet (pbuh) exc laimed one day: 'Who is the strongest among
men?' The Companions responded: ‘It is him who overc omes his enemy',
and the Prophet (pbuh) responded: 'No, the strongest is him who keeps
his anger in c hec k.'”^11b. The reality of conflict
We have recalled above that Revelations present diversity as the Creator’s choice:
If God had willed, He would have made you one nation; but that
He may try you in what has come to you. So be you forward in good
works ... (Qur'ān, 5:48).
T hus, while it is a fac t of a c hoic e, diversit y nonet heless t urns out t o be a t rial
for men. Management of differences is presented as a challenge that must be
addressed in the same way as inward tensions must be addressed. The greatness
of men is in the func tion of their c hoic e, and the Qur’ān orientates the latter, by
aspiration, to a rivalry about good (one finds in another verse the idea that the
finalit y of t he diversit y of nations and tribes finds its meaning in the fac t of seeking
to understand one another). Diversit y and pluralism may be t he means t o an
elevat ion of man – it ought to be. However, it would be naïve not to take account of
t he realit y of c onflic t. T he lat t er exists, and Revelation informs us, that they are
nec essary for the preservation of harmony and justic e among men:
Had God not driven back the people, some by the means of others, the
earth had surely been c orrupted; but God is bounteous unto all beings.
(Qur'ān, 2:251).Thus, diversity and the c onflic ts, whic h ensue, are inherent to Creation. Man
addresses the c hallenge of his humanity not in his rejec tion of pluralism and
differences, but rather their management. It is man’s c onsc ienc e, nourished by
princ iples of just ic e and ethic s, whic h must guide him to defend the rights of every
c ommunit y as t hat of every individual. It is indeed t his t hat t he following verse
adds to the meaning of the preceding one:
Had God not driven back the people, some by the means of others, there
had been destroyed cloisters and churches, oratories and mosques,
wherein God’s name is muc h mentioned. (Qur'ān, 22:40)(^11) Narrated by Bukhari and Muslim