[15th THREAD : Etiquettes of Dialogue]

1/ This thread was inspired by 2 tweets of @zoyarasul thread on Hagia Sophia & others like tweets by @Umm_e_Meeran & @irenaakbar

This thread is based on one of my friends article on dialogue, my comments & proofs from Islamic sources.

2/ Tongue is one of the best blessings given by Allah to us. Regarding the right of tongue, Imam Zaynul'Abideen said[as mentioned in images].
Rasulullah(s) advised us to control our tongues as most ppl will be thrown in Hell due to wrongdoings by tongue.

OUR PRESENT SITUATION

3/ An epidemic harming our communities is the general inability,hesitance & fear of engaging in dialogue with one another. We lack the ethics & etiquette of engaging in dialogue with other believers & this naturally weakens,distances & breaks up our communities on various fronts.

4/ Dialogue is not simply “speaking”. Speaking is not the issue, in fact, many of us speak & have a lot to say.
A dialogue will generally have these 3 elements:
1) 2 or more ppl

2) A subject of dispute or a subject that needs clarification

3) An expectation that the result

5/ of dialogue will either be in favour of you &/or the other party or not.

When dialogue doesnt take place, the results we observe are usually the belittlement of others,insults, accusations & rumours,swearing,in fact, a lack of dialogue can even lead to physical conflicts etc

6/ What prevents us from engaging in dialogue?
Perhaps one or more of the following preliminaries required for dialogue do not exist:
1. The need to recognize other believers as noble creations of Allah. [17:70]

2. Acknowledging that humans are different from certain aspects –

7/ gender, ethnicities, tribes, physical and spiritual capacities, affinities, tastes etc. In this aspect, we need to know that we've 2 types of Sunnah - Sunnah of Allah & of Rasulullah.
Sunnah of Allah is divided into 2 parts:- One become applicable when humans bring it on

8/ themselves through their free-will like increased bestowal of guidance once we have wilfully chosen to come into Islam.

Other Sunnah is absolute like creating us all differently.

As such, it is normal that even within the same worldview, there will be times people reach

9/ different conclusions and do things differently. Acknowledging this opens the door to considering certain points of contention worthy of engagement.

3. The lack of desire to engage in Sulh.
Sulh is applied for reconciliation & compromise, to resolve personal disputes.

10/ The general principles of Ṣulḥ can also be used to resolve larger community disputes. The absence of Ṣulḥ breaks and fragments the communities of the believers.

4. Reality is too vast and not all of it is in our hands. We need to acknowledge that there are other

11/ perspectives and there is genuine room for these perspectives to be justified within an Islamic framework.
The vastness of reality should alone be enough to humble and soften us to engage in dialogue with another party amongst the believers.

ARGUMENTATION
Arguing is usually

12/condemned in Hadith(image) but then Qur'an says, وجادلهم بالتي هي أحسن
So we need to reconcile both. Therefore,what Islam opine is 2 things:-
1. Arguing/discussion without knowledge is condemned.

2. Argue but to establish truth or to reach a conclusion over conflict.

13/ WHAT ABOUT NAME CALLING
Name calling, insulting, mocking etc other believers is haraam in Islam & goes against Qur'an.

As a personal anecdote, when I first came across this verse in High school, I've completed stopped calling ppl by their nicknames or mocking them over

14/ looks or deeds except what is apparent. My personal experience on IMT is very nauseating. sometimes. Just 2 days back,I saw someone calling @nazmaaman as agent of ibless.
It's fine to have disagreement & argue politely for your opinion but never cross your limits of dialogue.

15/ The ppl who're following me or seen me in any discussion may have not found me insulting or name calling others. I may critique their opinions or ideology but don't attack their characters or persona.

Last ques - What about Islamophobes?

For Islamophobes, you've 2 options

16/ 1. Argue but with evidences and logic. Like how Rasulullah used to argue with Qur'an ayaat with quraysh over their lies & baseless claims.
Once you see they start abusing or slandering then you must leave the discussion as it's a win for you.
As someone said,

17/ "When the debate is lost, slander becomes the tool of the losers".

2. Just dont engage & leave after stating your points
As Qur'an mentioned about some of the believers

Lastly, I've discussed with ppl of all walk of life but always tried to debate with etiquettes.

[END]

This is for IMT on Etiquettes of having a Dialogue. Read,Ponder & share...
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