The Religion of Peace

in existence for centuries. It had completely eliminated human freedom. The will of the monarch alone counted for everything. To establish freedom and peace it was necessary to end this coercive system. The Prophet and his Companions engaged in war for a limited period so that this system could be ended. It was first brought to an end in Arabia. After this, the early Muslims were confronted by two major empires of the time, the Byzantine Empire and the Sassanid Empire. The Muslims were victorious over both the empires, which brought an end to the coercive rule that held sway in a large part the world. The French historian Henri Pirenne asserts that had the followers of Islam not put an end to this system of what he terms ‘Absolute Imperialism’ it would never have been possible for the age of freedom and peace to dawn in the world. What Is Jihad? To understand what jihad is, one must first of all understand that whatever present-day Muslims are doing in the name of jihad is not jihad. Rather, these are all violent conflicts that have been unleashed by communal or nationalist emotions and that have been wrongly given the name of ‘jihad’. Jihad is actually a name for peaceful struggle. It is not synonymous with war or qital. Sometimes, on the basis of expanded usage, the word jihad is used in the sense of qital. But in terms of their literal or dictionary meaning, the words ‘jihad’ and qital are not synonymous. To clarify this point, it is instructive to examine instances of how the word jihad is used in the Quran and Hadith. 1. The Quran says: We will surely guide in Our ways those who strive hard for Our cause, God is surely with the righteous. (29:69) In this verse, seeking the Truth is referred to as jihad—that is