ادیان اور تہذیبی مطالعات پر ادارہ تحقیقات اسلامی کی تصانیف .......................................................................................... An Analytical Study of the Books Published by Islamic Research Institute on Compartive Religion

Abstract

Religion and human beings have been inseparable from each other since the dawn of the world, therefore it is inevitable to understand the religious practices of a society in order to understand its residents. The Muslim scholars recognised the need of studying other religions centuries ago and created a magnum opus related to the study of then existent religions of the world. In this literature, they formulated the basic principles of dealing with the followers of other religions both theoretically and practically in the light of Islamic injunctions of justice and harmony. In today’s world of conflicts and intolerance, there is grave need to return to these principles and enliven our societies with them. Keeping this in view, Islamic Research Institute has selected an anthology from the classical as well as modern Muslim literature and published it as an effort to propagate the values of tolerance and interreligious harmony. This article is aimed to analyse and review the content of these books and evaluate their significance in the contemporary world. These books can be divided into two categories; the books included in first category expound the theoretical foundations of Islamic legacy of studying other religions, whereas the books placed in second category explicate the practical implication of these theories in the society. The publication of these books is only a first step towards enlightening the world with Muslim heritage and provoking the contemporary Muslim scholars to contribute in this pursuit of understanding our fellow human beings and making the world a better place to live in.