Islam and Peace
Limits of Tolerance
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LIMITS OF TOLERANCE
According to Voltaire, “Tolerance is a law of nature
stamped on the heart of all men.”
Nothing could be truer than this statement;
tolerance is, indeed, a permanent law of nature. But
it is not something which has to be externally
imposed, for the human desire for tolerance is
limitless. Just as truth and honesty are virtues, so is
tolerance a virtue. And just as no one ever needs to
ask for how long one should remain truthful and
honest, so does one think of tolerance as having an
eternal value. The way of tolerance should be
unquestioningly adopted at all times as possessing
superior merit.
A man who is intolerant is not a human being in the
full sense of the expression. To become enraged at
antagonism is surely a sign of weakness. Of course,
there are many who do not want to recognise the
principle of tolerance as being eternal, for, in
conditions of adversity, the temptation to retaliate
becomes too strong. The feelings of anger which
accompany negative reaction must somehow be
