100 Principles for Purposeful Living

48. Peace Culture One of the teachings of Islam is that when a person meets someone, both should greet each other. (Sunan an-Nasai, Hadith No. 10078) That is, they should say “peace be upon you” to each other. Islam is a culture of peace, and saying “peace be upon you” is a symbol of this culture. The teaching of Islam is that there should be feelings of mercy and compassion for the other in the heart of every person. Every person should desire a peaceful life for another. Every person should strive to make society a symbol of peace and security. This is the basic teaching of Islam. The fact is that all the teachings of Islam are directly or indirectly based on the principle of peace because, without it, no constructive work can be done. Where there is no peace, there will be no development. Peace is as important to the development of society as water is to the fertility of the land. 49. Pacifism The Prophet of Islam, in one of his admonitions, said, “Do not desire confrontation with the enemy but seek forgiveness from God.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith No. 2966) This tradition gives a basic principle of life, which is important both for the individual as well as the nation. When a person lives a community life, differences arise amongst one another. Differences sometimes lead to confrontations. But it is not right that if someone appears to be an enemy, one should start fighting. Instead, the right way is to live peacefully and avoid confrontation, whatever the cost.