The ideology of Islam is a peaceful one in the full sense. Islam embraces the whole of humanity. It does not believe in the ‘We and They’ concept. The Prophet of Islam observed that all human beings are God’s family. All human beings are blood brothers and blood sisters. He used to recite in his prayer, ‘I bear witness that all humans are brethren. (Sunan Abi Dawud, Hadith No. 1508) Anas reported that the Prophet said, “By God! God shows mercy just for those who are kind. Companions said: O God’s Prophet! Every one of us shows kindness. The Prophet: It is not enough that anyone of you is kind to his dear and near; be kind to all without exception. (Musnad Abu-Yalah Hadith No. 4258) Therefore, they have to live in this world as a universal family.

The negative implication of calling someone ‘non-Muslim’ is that it fosters the ‘we and they’ concept. This leads to the erosion of the feeling of universal brotherhood. Everyone is a human being like us. God has given the responsibility to all Muslims to convey His creation plan to mankind. In order to do this Muslims should have no hatred towards others and should always remain their well-wishers.

In one of its chapters, the Quran says: ‘Good and evil deeds are not equal. Repel evil with what is better; then you will see that one who was once your enemy has become your dearest friend.’ (41:34) This Quranic teaching dispels the ‘we and they’ concept. By nature, everyone is your friend, some are your actual friends while others are your potential friends. So try to turn this potential into actuality. This is the best principle for universal brotherhood and is common to all the three religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

Islam embraces the whole of humanity, promoting the We-We Culture.