Islam the religion of dialogue- Ayatollah Fadhlullah

Through the Holy Qur'an, Islam had come to be the religion of dialogue, which allowed the intellect to think at will, to talk about anything, and debate with others on the basis of proof and evidence. The aim was to reach a conviction and new horizons by way of civilized dialogue and good counsel, and with that which is the best.

Islam had progressed and so had the experiences of dialogue. Muslims had come to know how to open up to the world with their message through the climate of dialogue. Their education and experience taught them how to respect those who differed with them, with a view to winning them over on grounds of respect for their ideology and outlook. Since the Qur'an is the book of dialogue, as this book is attempting to clarify, we ought to work towards creating the society of dialogue in which Islam opens its arms to all other modes of thinking, and in which the Islamic society opens its doors to all other societies. That said, it is essential that dialogue is protected with controls that are capable of protecting it from exploitation for ulterior motives.

The fact that dialogue is not trouble-free should not necessarily mean that we should do away with it. On the contrary, this should prod us into studying these problems within its activity. In so doing, we would make the best out of both worlds — dialogue with responsibility and freedom with accountability within a general order for the ummah. In this book, we have done our best to raise a raft of ideas concerning dialogue as a Qur'anic code of practice for Islam, man, and life. We hope that it will contribute towards creating some stimulus on the ground, all in the cause of man and society that are governed and guided by dialogue.