MANSEHRA, June 26: People can get rid of extremism, sectarianism and ethnic hatred and save society from total collapse only by following the doctrines of Shah Waliullah.

These views were expressed by speakers at a one-day seminar on Shah Waliullah, organised by the Shah Waliullah Media Foundation at the Mansehra Sports Stadium hall on Sunday.

Speaking about the teachings of Shah Waliullah, Shah Saeed Ahmad Raipuri lamented that the youth of Pakistan were aware of the capitalist and socialist ideologies, but did not know about the Islamic system of economic and social justice.

He said that mosques and seminaries, thousands in number in the country, were busy in spreading extremism, intolerance and sectarian hatred and the youth were looking towards the West and China for seeking guidance.

Speaking on the economic aspects of the philosophy of Shah Waliullah, Mufti Abdul Khaliq Azad said he was not only an interpreter of the Holy Quran and Hadith, but was also an economist and sociologist. He said Shah Waliullah had laid down parameters for a new social contract in the light of teachings of Islam in the 18th Century.

He said Western philosophers defined economics as circulation of capital or return of capital and focus on profit only in a capitalist economy, but Shah Waliullah defined economics as relation between the needs of man and the resources available.

Mufti Abdul Mateen Naumani, speaking on the political and sociological aspects of Shah Waliullah’s philosophy, said the thoughts of Western philosophers were limited only to the material wellbeing of the humankind, but the philosophy of Shah Waliullah emphasized the evolution of spiritual and moral values as well.