Of all the flowers in the world, the most beautiful is the rose. Its structure, fragrance and richness of colour combine to make it the lover's gift of choice. Yet in marvelling at this beauty, we often overlook its thorns.
Similarly, among all living things, the human has the greatest capacity for morals. Yet, just like the rose, humanity comes with its thorns.
On Friday in Christchurch, New Zealand, humanity was shamed by a terrorist atrocity in which 50 innocent lives were taken. The thorns of our species were on full display.
But amid the tragedy, beautiful flowers bloomed: the kindness of strangers assisting the injured, the unification of grief among nations, the person who came to our local mosque here in England to give us flowers, the women police officers who zealously stood guard protecting our women during one of our functions.
The shooting suspect, an Australian self-proclaimed white supremacist, targeted Muslims, but among my community there was not one of us who tarred all Australians, New Zealanders or indeed white people as fanatics.
We chose instead to celebrate those who helped the victims and those who embraced a spirit of unity, to note the beauty of their souls and actions. And as we saw these beautiful flowers bloom where thorns tried to cut us, maybe we should reflect: can we apply the same gaze to Islam?
Has society been too quick to judge Islam based on the acts of a minority? Have we missed the beauty which is inherent in all religions?
The rose of Islam is its founder, the Prophet Muhammad, and it is in his character that Muslims find their morals: whether it was the capacity to forgive his own daughter's killer; or the generosity to give away his entire wealth for the needy; or the humility to clean a man's soiled bedsheets despite having an army of companions ever-ready to serve; or to bear, and then forgive, 20 years of persecution.
It was Muhammad's beauty that captured the hearts of the Arabs, not the sword.
Less than a week before the killer's hatred manifested with such awful results in Christchurch, Muslims gathered in London's Baitul Futuh mosque -- the largest in western Europe -- for the aptly titled Peace Symposium.
Every year since his election in 2003, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, worldwide head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, has delivered a scholarly lecture detailing the challenges facing world peace and then proposing solutions to these challenges.
At the 16th iteration of this annual event, and unaware of the events that would follow just days later in New Zealand, the caliph highlighted with unintentional prescience the rise of right-wing extremism, stating: "Nationalism has reared its ugly head again, and far-right parties are gaining popularity across the Western world.
"They may not have secured outright political majorities, but unless justice at all levels of society prevails, they will continue to gain support."
Mirza Masroor Ahmad stated his belief that the underlying cause of most resentment in society tends to be economic and financial frustration, and that this inevitably leads to the spread of Islamophobia and xenophobia.
He explained that a core reason underpinning far-right popularity has been widespread immigration, with resentment stemming from the belief that indigenous citizens are being short-changed in order to fund and support immigrants.
At the same time, he pointed out that migration itself is often also a product of societal imbalance, and the path to peace requires tackling its threats at their roots.
"Time and again, we have seen examples of countries that have intervened in war-torn nations or given aid to deprived countries on the pretext of bringing peace, but have attached strings that enable them to take control of the weaker country's resources," said Mirza Masroor Ahmad. "Rather than being content with their own wealth, powerful countries seek to assert their control over weaker nations."
As such, the caliph explained that economic injustice must be removed and a concerted effort made to bridge the economic divide between nations.
He stated that if countries that have endured wars or divisions are enabled to prosper economically, they will no longer harbour frustrations or bear hatred for other nations, nor will their people be compelled to migrate.
"The long-term solution to the immigration crisis has to be to establish peace in war-torn countries and to help the local people, who have been forced to endure lives of misery and danger, to live peacefully [in their home nations]."
He further explained that "peace can best be achieved through unity" and not through "prioritising our own individual interests over the collective interests of the world".
hazMirza Masroor Ahmad concluded his address by praying for the long-term peace of the world.
"I pray for an end to the frustrations and deprivation that have plagued the lives of countless people and have fuelled devastating wars and grievances across the world," he said.
"I pray that we show tolerance of each other's beliefs and customs and value the diversity within our societies. I pray that we come to see the best in humanity and use each other's strengths and skills to build a better world for our children and to cultivate lasting peace in society."
Despite the headlines focusing on the deaths and the hatred, we did indeed see the best in humanity that day in Christchurch, and around the world in the days that followed.
It is with good reason that when we think of the rose, we don't see its thorns.
The thorns of our society are very much the minority. If we -- all people, regardless of faith -- can heed Mirza Masroor's words, and can follow the example of forgiveness and humility shown by the Prophet Muhammad, the rose of peace will surely bloom.
Zafar Bhatti is a commentator on Islamic affairs.
