Hindu–Muslim Unity, Tolerance And Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (Part Three)

By Dr Zafar Darik Qasmi, New Age Islam 23 October 2025 Abstract: Maulana Abul Kalam Azad strongly believed in Hindu–Muslim unity and religious tolerance. He taught that tolerance means respecting others’ faiths while staying firm in one’s own beliefs. India, he said, is a land where many religions and cultures have lived together for centuries, creating a shared civilisation known as the Ganga–Jamuni culture. Azad reminded Indians that Islam and Hinduism have shaped the nation together, influencing its language, art, dress, and traditions. He proudly declared himself both a Muslim and an Indian, calling India an indivisible nation formed by nature and history. Azad warned against division and urged people to protect the unity and composite culture that have developed through a thousand years of coexistence. For him, the progress and peace of the country depend on harmony, equality, and mutual respect among all communities. Main Points: 1. Tolerance means respecting others’ faiths while remaining strong and faithful to one’s own beliefs. 2. India’s diverse religions and cultures together formed a rich, shared Ganga–Jamuni civilisation. 3. Azad proudly identified as both Muslim and Indian, rejecting all ideas of separation or division. 4. Eleven centuries of coexistence created India’s unified culture through shared language, customs, and traditions. 5. National unity, peace, and progress depend on harmony, equality, and mutual respect among all communities. ----- In the present age, the way human values and mutual relationships are being shattered merely on the basis of suspicion and misunderstanding is truly unfortunate. There are many reasons behind this situation. However, it can be said with complete certainty that in India, the diversity of religions and centuries-old common cultural traditions once created a society in which the beliefs, ideas, and philosophies of every religion were respected and protected. When we look at the present-day India or the global situation, it becomes clear that not only are mutual relationships weakening, but factors are also emerging that seriously harm the shared values of religions and the spirit of mutual trust and harmony. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the importance and relevance of our national unity and the Ganga–Jamuni culture (composite civilisation) that has been the foundation of Indian society. In this regard, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad presented a comprehensive concept of tolerance in his commentary on the Qur’an. He wrote: “Tolerance means that while holding firmly to your own beliefs and practices, you must also acknowledge the right of others to hold theirs. Even if another person’s path appears clearly wrong to you, you must not deny their right to follow it. But if tolerance is extended so far that it interferes with your own beliefs or weakens your convictions, then it ceases to be tolerance; it becomes a denial of intellectual steadfastness.” (Reference: Tafsir al-Qur’an, pp. 365–366) Regarding Hindu–Muslim unity, Maulana Azad once said in a presidential address: “I am a Muslim, and I am proud to feel that I am a Muslim. The glorious traditions of thirteen hundred years of Islam are my inheritance. I am not prepared to let even the smallest part of it be lost. The teachings, history, knowledge, arts, and civilisation of Islam are my treasure, and it is my duty to safeguard them. Yet, along with all these sentiments, I also possess another feeling born of the realities of my life – and Islam itself does not forbid it; indeed, it guides me towards it. I am proud to feel that I am an Indian. I am an essential part of the indivisible and united Indian nation. Without me, the structure of its greatness would remain incomplete. I can never give up this claim. It was destined by Providence that India would become the home of diverse races, civilisations, and religions. Even before the dawn of history, people began to arrive here from different parts of the world. Among those groups, the last to arrive were we – the followers of Islam. We followed the path of earlier travellers and made this land our permanent home. It was the meeting of two great streams of human culture – two civilisations as distinct as the waters of the Ganga and the Jamuna. For some time, they flowed separately, but as nature’s unchangeable law dictates, they ultimately met to form a single confluence. This union was one of the greatest events in history. From that day onwards, the unseen hand of destiny began to shape a new India out of the old. Eleven centuries have passed since this union. Today, Islam has as much claim on this land as Hinduism does. Our shared history of a thousand years has enriched every aspect of our life in India. Our languages, poetry, literature, social customs, tastes, dress, traditions, and countless aspects of daily life all bear the imprint of our common heritage. Our languages were once different, but now we speak the same tongue. Our customs were once unfamiliar to each other, but together they have formed a new pattern. The clothes we wore in ancient times can now only be seen in historical paintings – they no longer suit us. This shared heritage is the wealth of our united nationality, and we do not wish to return to the era before our joint life began. A thousand years of living together have moulded us into one nation – and such moulds are not man-made; they are formed by the slow and mysterious hand of nature over centuries. The mould is now set, and destiny has sealed it. Whether we like it or not, we are now one – an indivisible Indian nation. No artificial idea of separation can divide us again. We must accept this decision of fate and work together to build our common destiny.” (Source: Prof. Akhtar al-Wasy, Elements of Pluralism in the Thought of Sir Syed and Maulana Azad) In light of the above words, it can be confidently said that India is the land of composite civilisation and shared culture. Therefore, the first principle for the progress, development, and prosperity of our beloved country is that all communities and groups should live together in harmony, without allowing any kind of division, discrimination, or prejudice to take root. ---- Other Parts of the Article: The Concept of the Unity of Humanity in the Writings of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (Part One) Maulana Abul Kalam Azad’s Perspective on the Unity of Religions (Part Two) URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-personalities/hindu-muslim-unity-tolerance-maulana-azad-part-three/d/137355 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism