The Culture of Peace

confrontation. Ghulu and violence are thus closely interlinked. This is why ghulu is looked at with great disfavour in Islam. Inclining towards ghulu is another name for addiction to violence. And abstaining from ghulu is another name for cherishing moderation. Killing a Single Person is Tantamount to Slaying the Whole of Humanity The Quran tells us: ‘[W]hoever killed a human being – except as a punishment for murder or for spreading corruption in the land – shall be regarded as having killed all mankind’ (5:32) Killing someone is a very heinous act. It is legitimate only if someone becomes a definite danger to social peace. To kill someone without genuine justification is tantamount to the slaughter of the whole of humanity, because such an action is a gross violation of respect for life, which, in turn, leads to the taking of human life becoming a seemingly easy affair. With regard to the consumption of alcohol, there is a tradition of the Prophet which tells us that if a large quantity of something leads to intoxication, then a small quantity of it, too, is forbidden. The same principle applies in the case of killing as well. It is as reprehensible and enormous a crime to kill a single person as it is to kill a large number of people. The only difference between the two is of degree, but in terms of the nature of the act itself there is no difference whatsoever. From the Quranic verse quoted earlier one can gauge the great importance that Islam gives to peace and security. Islam demands that if a single person is killed, the entire society must react as if it is not a single individual, but, rather, the whole of humanity, that has been slain.