With the expansion and enhanced influence of media, like so many other terms, a term which is increasingly in use is ‘Tolerance’. It is used by almost all the people of world who relate to different religions, nationalities, factions and other divides and having a look at this, one may think that there should be complete peace in the world but it is not the actual situation. Every passing day makes this world a more difficult place to live where problems to the lives, beliefs, ways of living and others are increasing and it is the reason why, world has become a place where blood flows, cries rise, tears roll and many other miserable incidents happen and all those are involved who never feel tired of repeating the importance of tolerance and peace.
Maulana Jalaluddin Balkhi (also famous as Maulana Rumi) advises the people of world to exercise universal tolerance; a tolerance that should not be bound to any kind of condition. It is said that he was greatly bothered or even mentally tortured by some who were against his ideas. They never let go any chance to say anything against him and kept him tormenting. But the ideas, knowledge, and vastness of his heart never permitted him to deal them accordingly. He was the flag-bearer of tolerance and at the same time, the champion of practical tolerance. He never felt anything bad for whatever they did, never cursed or thought of doing anything against them, never allowed anyone to do anything against them or even let any bad feeling enter his mind or emotions. Like all the people of the world, he used to say to his enemies, ‘My arms are open to you as well, my friend’.
Another story is also famous in this regard, which I am narrating with some alteration. A Sufi master sent some of his followers to a place and advised them be gentle with people. The followers were very good with the people but the people they faced were really ill-mannered and hot-tempered. They tried their best to be good with them while the people of the area equally tried to be bad with them. They tolerated the situation for some time and when got tired of this, they went to their master and complained of the people. The master then said, ‘Go and tolerate them and if you lose your hope, bring them to me and if they asked, I will be willing to cut off my flesh’. It was a lesson that they should tolerate until the worst conditions came. It also shows that we can never talk or decide upon the limits of tolerance. If tolerance became bound to any limit, it will be tolerance till that limit and then it will be nothing.
In today’s world, tolerance is practiced until it doesn’t get into direct confrontation with one’s own aims and benefits. Whenever the tolerance becomes an obstacle in the achievement of one’s aims, the tolerance is kept on a side and the aim is given preference. As stated above, such a conditional tolerance will never be able to meet the standards and requirements of a ‘real tolerance’.
Tolerance can never be kept bound to any kind of objective. Some people say tolerance is a tool to achieve peace and attain some other mighty objectives. This is also true but these can be only termed to be the fruits of tolerance. When tolerance will be practiced with all its spirit, it would then be a blessed cloud showering a lot many blessings but at any rate, tolerance cannot be attached to any kind of objective. Tolerance has only one objective and it is tolerance. This was the universal belief of our forefathers and teachers and they practiced this in their lives and left with us some vivid examples.
Like all the universal moral values, tolerance is not easy to be practiced. In fact, it can be termed to be the most difficult moral trait, as is evident by its name. Tolerance brings a lot many sufferings to its followers and it is not easy to be upheld and practiced by those who have weak beliefs and weak resistance to difficulties.
We should have tolerance that we are able to close our eyes to the faults of others, to have respect for different ideas, and to forgive everything that is forgivable. In fact, even when faced with violations of our inalienable rights, we should remain respectful to human values and try to establish justice. Even before the coarsest thoughts and crudest ideas, ideas that we find impossible to share, without losing our temper, we should respond with mildness. This mildness is presented in the Quran as ‘gentle words’, it will touch the hearts of others. This mildness is the result of a tender heart, and mild behavior. We should have so much tolerance that we can benefit from opposing ideas in that they force us to keep our heart, spirit, and conscience active and aware, even if these ideas don’t directly or indirectly teach us anything.
Tolerance, a term which we sometimes use in place of the words like respect, mercy, generosity or forbearance, is the most essential element of moral system; it is a very important source of spiritual discipline and a celestial virtue of perfected people.
Under the lens of tolerance, the merits of believers attain new depths and extend to infinity; mistakes and faults become insignificant and wither away. We all want everyone to see us through this lens and we expect the breezes of forgiveness and pardon to constantly blow on our surroundings. All of us want to refer our past and present to the climate of tolerance and forbearance that melts, transforms, cleans, and purifies and then to walk toward the future securely, without feeling any anxiety. We don’t want our past to be criticized or our future to be darkened because of our present. All of us expect love and respect for a whole lifetime, hope for tolerance and forgiveness and want to be embraced with feelings of liberality and affection. We expect tolerance and forgiveness from our parents in response to mischievousness at home, from our teachers in response to our misbehaviors at school, from those innocent victims towards whom we have acted unjustly and oppressed, from the judge and prosecutor in court, from our army commanders, from police officers and from our Lord in the Highest Tribunal.
In countries rife with corruption, intolerance and mercilessness, such things as freedom of thought, polite criticism, and the exchange of ideas according to norms of equity and fair-minded debate are absent; it would be meaningless to talk of the results of logic and inspiration. It is the reason that for years, no real progress has been made in spite of plenty of empty boasting.
It is not possible to talk about common ideas or a collective consciousness in communities where individuals do not look upon one another with tolerance or in countries where the spirit of forbearance has not become fully entrenched. In such countries, ideas will devour one another in the web of conflict. The work of thinkers will be futile, and in such countries it will not be possible to establish sound thought or freedom of belief or thought. These things will not be allowed to flourish. In fact, it cannot be said that in such a country the state has been based on a true system of justice; even if this appears to be the case, it is nothing more than a sham. Actually, in a place where there is no tolerance, it is not possible to talk about a healthy media, scholarly thought, or pertinent cultural activities either. What we see when we look at the things that carry such names are only some fruitless, one-sided efforts made according to certain thoughts and a certain philosophy; expecting something fresh, beneficial and promising for the future from these is futile.