Islamic Thinker: Eid al-Fitr is a moment to sharpen and solidify religious tolerance

Islam has a clear principle: to you your religion, and to me mine. Matters of faith are personal and will be accounted for before God in the hereafter. Palu (ANTARA) - Prof Zainal Abidin, Professor and Expert in Modern Islamic Thought at the State Islamic University Datokarama Palu, stated that Eid al-Fitr 1447 Hijriah/2026 is an important momentum for sharpening and enhancing tolerance among religious communities. “While also solidifying unity among fellow humans in diversity,” said Prof Zainal Abidin in Palu City, Central Sulawesi, on Sunday. According to him, creating and improving social tolerance must be accompanied by improving neighbourly relations, starting from small things like sharing food with sincere intentions and honest attitudes. “This is universally encouraged by the teachings of world religions. The Prophet and his companions provided such grand and beautiful examples regarding this,” he said. “Islam has a clear principle: to you your religion, and to me mine. Matters of faith are personal and will be accounted for before God in the hereafter,” stated Prof Zainal, who is also the Chairman of the Interfaith Harmony Forum (FKUB) of Central Sulawesi. Therefore, he continued, the task of humanity is to strive so that harmony is maintained and harmony can be developed amid the dynamics of social development, and humanity must also be able to spread goodness to fellow creatures of God as religious communities. “In fact, it is sunnatullah and part of the signs of God’s omnipotence. The form of diversity that is clearly visible and directly related to humans on earth is diversity in thoughts, culture, language, race, ethnicity, tribe, nation, skin colour, customs, religion, political tendencies, and so on,” said the Rais Syuriah of PBNU. He urged religious communities to allow differences in beliefs, allow each to have their own way of praying, allow God to be called by various names, allow God to be depicted in various forms, allow God’s glory to be sung in all languages and in the diversity of songs. “Let it all grow abundantly, because what we truly seek is God’s mercy,” said Prof Zainal Abidin.