"In the case of Islam, there are two touchstones which I have long treasured and sought to apply. The first affirms the unity of the human race, as expressed in the Holy Qur’an where God, as revealed through the Holy Prophet Muhammad, may peace be upon him, says the following: O mankind! Be careful of your duty to your Lord, Who created you from a single soul and from it created its mate and from the twain hath spread abroad a multitude of men and women. (4:1) This remarkable verse speaks both of the inherent diversity of mankind — the “multitude” — and of the unity of mankind, the “single soul created by a single Creator” — a spiritual legacy which distinguishes the human race from all other forms of life. The second passage I would cite today is from the first hereditary Imam of the Shia community Hazrat Ali. As you know, the Shia divided from the Sunni after the death of the Prophet Muhammad. Hazrat Ali, the cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet, was, in Shia belief, named by the Prophet to be the Legitimate Authority for the interpretation of the faith. For the Shia today, all over the world, he is regarded as the first Imam. I cite Hazrat Ali’s words so that you may understand the spirit in which I have attempted to fulfil the mandate left to me as the 49th hereditary [Ismaili] Imam after the death of my grandfather. I quote: No belief is like modesty and patience, no attainment is like humility, no honour is like knowledge, no power is like forbearance, and no support is more reliable than consultation. Hazrat Ali’s regard for knowledge reinforces the compatibility of faith and the world. And his respect for consultation is, in my view, a commitment to tolerant and open-hearted democratic processes... Despite the long history of religious conflict, there is a long counter-history of religious focus on tolerance as a central virtue, on welcoming the stranger and loving one’s neighbour." - Mawlana Hazar Imam Acceptance Address – Tutzing Evangelical Academy’s ‘Tolerance’ Award (Tutzing, Germany), 20 May 2006 Watch the entire speech at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnkU6IkQK3s And read it at: http://www.nanowisdoms.org/nwblog/7706/ #USIG2015