Islam and Peace
The Spiritual Goal of Islam
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love, peace, and kindness, and made an effort to
spread these virtues all over the world. And that is
the true spirit of Islam.
At this point, I would like to relate certain incidents
relating to Muslim Sufis, which illustrate their
mission and which throw light on the real spirit of
Islam.
Sheikh Nizamuddin Aulia was a great Muslim Sufi
of the 13th century. The story goes that once a
disciple of the Sheikh visited him. He offered him a
gift of a pair of scissors, a product of his hometown.
When the Sheikh saw this gift, he remarked
politely:
‘What am I to do with this gift? It would have been
better had you brought me a needle and thread.
Scissors cut things apart, while a needle and
thread join things together. You know my job is to
unite people, and not to separate them.’
Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanawi, a famous Sufi of
India, one day arose to perform his ablutions.
Having been brought a jug of water by his disciple,
he sat down at one place to begin his ablutions, but
