Contents Introduction —Pgs. 5 1. How to Achieve Peace in Kashmir? —Pgs. 15 2. How to Live in a Multi-Faith Society? —Pgs. 19 3. Islam and Hinduism —Pgs. 22 4. Islam and Politics —Pgs. 25 5. Modern-Day Sufism —Pgs. 28 6. Non-Violence —Pgs. 33 7. Peace and Mercy Gone for a Toss —Pgs. 41 8. What the Prophet Means to the Muslim —Pgs. 44 9. Secular Knowledge at Its Islamic Best —Pgs. 47 10. Cleanliness in Islam —Pgs. 50 11. Islam on Fanaticism —Pgs. 53 12. The Mosque in Islam —Pgs. 56 13. Dissent in Islam —Pgs. 59 14. Islam and the Theory of Revolution —Pgs. 62 15. Environmental Activism, Islam-Style —Pgs. 65 16. Hajj: A pilgrimage, Not a Tour —Pgs. 68 17. Islam and Social Relations —Pgs. 71 18. Non-Violence and Islam —Pgs. 74 19. How the Qur’an was Compiled —Pgs. 77 20. The Concept of Peace in Islam —Pgs. 80 21. In the Service of God and Man —Pgs. 83 22. The Sacred Book of Islam —Pgs. 86 23. The Concept of Jihad —Pgs. 89 24. Islam and the Concept of a Single God —Pgs. 92 25. Monism and Monotheism —Pgs. 95 26. Innumerable Bounties of Fasting —Pgs. 98 27. A Muslim’s Behaviour – Part-I —Pgs. 101 28. A Muslim’s Behaviour – Part-II —Pgs. 104 29. Islam on Conversion —Pgs. 107 30. Islamic Interpretation of Life —Pgs. 110 31. Common Sense in Islam —Pgs. 113 32. The Political Philosophy of Islam —Pgs. 116 33. The Essential Guide to Society —Pgs. 119 34. What is Man’s Purpose in Life? —Pgs. 122 35. Towards the Right Thought —Pgs. 125 36. The Concept of Fatwa —Pgs. 127 37. The Concept of the State in Islam —Pgs. 132 38. Missionary Maulana —Pgs. 140 39. ‘Hinduism is the only Tolerant Faith’ —Pgs. 144 40. Selfish Muslim Leaders Pushing Babri Masjid Issue to Boiling Point —Pgs. 150 41. The Elusive Dialogue —Pgs. 153 42. Muslims Start the Riots —Pgs. 159 43. Vande Mataram and Sare Jahan se Achchha are not different —Pgs. 165 44. Maulana Wahiduddin Khan at RSS Karyalaya in Bangalore —Pgs. 169 45. The Greatness of Simplicity —Pgs. 171 46. On Silence —Pgs. 173 47. Islam in the Present Age —Pgs. 175 48. Historiography —Pgs. 180 49. A Message —Pgs. 188 50. Tolerance: The Way of Nature —Pgs. 190 51. Criticism —Pgs. 193 52. Rising Above the Psychology of Reaction —Pgs. 195 53. The Result of Reaction —Pgs. 197 54. Islam: Creator of the Modern Age, Journey towards Progress —Pgs. 198 55. Turn Your Disadvantage into an Advantage —Pgs. 201 56. Transplanting Fabianism in Indian Soil, the Non-Hitlerian Approach —Pgs. 203 57. National Integration —Pgs. 209 58. If we Gain why not —Pgs. 212 59. Good Character —Pgs. 215 60. Faith and Reason —Pgs. 216 61. The Making of the Indian Nation —Pgs. 224 62. Man’s Future —Pgs. 227 63. Peace in the Quran —Pgs. 228 Glossary —Pgs. 233 Bibliography —Pgs. 23 The Prophet was an unwavering advocate of peace and non-violence. He established peace as summum bonum; and for this it was necessary to eliminate every trace of negative thinking and consider every person to be a potential friend. This is the essence of Islamic teachings. Islam upholds peace above all. Maulana Wahiduddin Khan has, through this ‘TIMELESS WISDOM’, try to show the true face of Islam to the world. In this world, where plurality of cultures, religions and ethnicities enrich lives, peaceful co-existence is the only way of life. However, what we see around us today is just the opposite. Lack of self-discovery and misinterpretation of religions is leading the youth wayward. Through these essays, Maulana Wahiduddin Khan endeavours to contribute towards building a harmonious and peaceful world, the most essential prerequisite for success of a society.