Islam: A Religion of Peace

Islam created a society more free from prevalent cruelty and social tyranny than any society that has
ever been in the world before. The peaceful atmosphere is required for the spiritual and moral
progress of the individual. A good society can be developed in the atmosphere of peace. Islam does
not permit rampant violence. But there is considerable prejudice against Muslims and they are viewed
with suspicion.

Peace is a natural state which attracts each and every individual. It is a condition that everyone is
looking for. Good person do not like to create turbulence that affects the peace. Peace is disturbed
when the balance of rights and responsibilities between individuals and societies is lost. The lack of
fulfillment of responsibilities and encroachment of rights can lead to deep wounds. These irreparable
rifts can ultimately lead to full-fledged war.

Islam is the religion of peace. The word "Islam" in Arabic is “Salama” which means submission of
desires to the will of Allah. Personal peace can be attained by totally submitting of oneself to God. As
Allah says in Holy Quran: “And we were ordered to submit to the Lord of the worlds”. Even the
greetings favored by Muslims means “May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon you.” Prayer
itself is completed with the announcement of peace, once to the right and once to the left. The spirit
of this religion is peaceful submission to the Lord of the worlds: As Allah says in Holy Quran: “Yes, but
whoever submits his face (himself) to Allah and he is a good-doer, then his reward is with the Lord, on
such shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve”.

Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) has said: “The Merciful has mercy on the merciful. O people! Have
mercy on the people on the earth and the Merciful of the skies will have mercy on you.” Making peace
among mankind is equated to virtuosity and piety in the following verse of the Quran: “And do not
make Allah a target of your oaths, by pledging against being virtuous and pious, and against making
peace among mankind; and Allah is All Hearing, All Knowing.” Also, making peace is highly
encouraged as in the following verse: “And if they incline towards peace, you too lean towards it, and
trust Allah; indeed He only is the All Hearing, the All Knowing.”

Islam is a religion of peace in the fullest sense of the word. The Qur’an calls its way ‘the paths of
peace’ (5:16). It states that God abhors any disturbance of peace (2:205).

In fact the root word of Islam is ‘silm’ which itself means peace. So the spirit of Islam is the spirit of
peace. The first verse of the Qur’an breathes the spirit of peace. It reads: In the name of God, the
Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate.

This verse is repeated in the Qur’an no less than 113 times. It shows the great importance Islam
attaches to such values as Mercy and Compassion. One of God’s names, according to the Qur’an, is As-
Salam, which means peace. Moreover the Qur’an states that the Prophet Muhammad PBUH was sent
to the world as a mercy to mankind. (21:107)
A perusal of the Qur’an shows that most verses of the Qur’an (and also the Hadith) are based on
peace and kindness, either directly or indirectly. The ideal society, according to the Qur’an is Dar as-
Salam, that is, the house of peace (10:25).

Islam attaches great importance to peace. In fact, Islam cannot afford not to be in a state of peace
because all that Islam aims at—spiritual progress, intellectual development, character building, social
reform, educational activities, and above all Missionary work —can be achieved only in an
atmosphere of peace and harmony.

According to Islam, peace is not simply an absence of war. Peace opens doors to all kinds of
opportunities that are present in any given situation. It is only in a peaceful situation that planned
activities are possible. It is for this reason that the Prophet Muhammad (may peace be upon him)
went to great extents to establish peace at all costs.

According to Islam, peace is the rule and war is only an exception. Even in defensive war we have to
see the result. If the result is doubtful, Muslims should avoid war, even in a defensive situation. Stray
acts of aggression are not enough for Muslims to rush into war. They have to assess the whole
situation and adopt a policy of avoidance when war is not certain to achieve a positive result. This can
be seen from the examples given in the articles of this section as was in the case of the battle of the
trench. In this event there was clear-cut aggression on the part of the antagonists, who traveled as far
as 300 miles from Mecca to Medina only to attack the Muslims. But the Prophet got a trench dug in
order to prevent an armed confrontation and thus avoided engaging in a defensive war.

Thus Islam is a religion of peace in the complete sense of the word. Every teaching of Islam is based on
the principles of peace and avoidance. Any deviation from the model is a deviation from Islam and is
due to misconceptions. We should, therefore, understand the ideology of peace given in Islam and
base our actions upon this ideology so that peace will prevail in the world.

It is time for Muslim societies and governments to disown such extremists and project the humane
and conciliatory face of Islam. There is a need of dialogue, understanding and compromise. There
must also be tolerance and flexibility. However, human experience shows that peace can be durable
only if it is based on justice and fair play. The restoration of balance of rights and responsibilities is
called justice. This is why the famous slogan “If you want peace, work for justice” rings to one’s core.
However there is a higher moral ground, one that goes beyond justice. It is one that calls for
forgiveness, generosity, beautification, pro-active love and compassion. It is the concept of turning
the other cheek instead of taking an eye for an eye. The aspirants of this formula forfeit their rights
for the benefit of others. They give out more than what is simply needed. They return evil with good.
They are like the tree in the Islamic Sufi tradition, that when it is shaken, in response, sweet and
nourishing fruits fall off from its branches for the perpetrator to savor.