The Sum Of All Wisdom

Islam means peace through submission to the will of God. I am a Muslim, that is, one who believes in Islam and hence submits himself to the will of God. I believe that all things proceed from God and depend upon him for support and sustenance. I believe He needs no support; He neither begets nor is begotten. He has no partner and no equal. I believe in God’s angels as the agency through which He communicates with His creatures, and I believe that from time to time that revelations from God have been delivered for the guidance of mankind. I believe in all of God’s prophets—Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, Buddha, Krishna—and that the Holy Prophet Muhammad on whom be peace was the last law-bearing prophet.

I believe Jesus did not die upon the cross but was taken down from the cross and revived. Thereafter, he journeyed eastward, reaching to the scattered tribes of Israel and died in Kashmir, where his tomb is still preserved in Srinagar.

I believe that subordinate prophets will continue to arise in Islam when mankind strays from the path of righteousness and needs divine revelation. It is necessary that, as the pattern of human life develops, mankind should have a living example set before them of a life utterly pure and devoted to the service of God and man.

I believe in the resurrection of the soul and the life after death. I believe that the object of man’s existence is to seek union with God through the cultivation of divine attributes in himself. I believe that man has been endowed for this purpose with appropriate capacities and faculties. The right and proper use of these capacities and faculties promotes beneficent development and leads to the state known as salvation. I believe in the brotherhood and equality of man. I recognize no division or privilege based on race, color, family, or wealth. The only badge of honor and nobility that I recognize is the purity and righteousness of a man’s life.

My life is guided by this faith and by the following rules. Whenever I feel lonely, weary, or discouraged, I must turn towards God for companionship, comfort, and help. He is ever-near and will not fail me. I must make my heart His shrine and temple and let Him ever dwell in it in sweet guardianship and companionship. I must stand up for truth, righteousness, fair dealing, and justice. I must stand with God, though I may have to stand against the whole world, and I believe the love and fear of God are the sum of all wisdom.

Muhammad Zafrulla Khan was Foreign Minister of Pakistan. He was president of the All-India Muslim League in 1931, leader of the Indian delegation to the League of Nations Assembly in 1939 and leader of the Pakistan Delegation to the United Nations. In later years, Khan was a judge for and president of the International Court of Justice.