The Culture of Peace

reacting is the violent way, while the other is the peaceful way. God wants us to abstain from the former and to choose the latter. Those who try to react to a storm by adopting the method of rigidity only show by this that they are victims of extreme egotism. In contrast, the path of peace is based on modesty. In this world, those who let their egotism dictate their behaviour are bound to face destruction, while success is for those who adopt the path of modesty. This is expressed in the form of a hadith, according to which the Prophet said that God will raise high those who behave modestly. Peaceful Citizens Explaining who a true believer is, the Prophet is said to have remarked, so we learn from a hadith report, that people’s blood and wealth are safe from such a person. There are two ways of living in society. You can live peacefully with others, or you can choose to keep quarreling with them. The hadith referred to here indicates that the way of a true believer is to live along with others as a peaceful citizen. Such a person lives without creating any problem at all for other people’s life, property and honour. Under no conditions whatsoever does he engage in violence. How can members of a society live in peace with each other, refraining from troubling and oppressing each other? There is one way—and this is that, despite whatever complaints against others one may have, one should remain steadfast on the path of balance. One should bury deep in one’s heart the complaints one has against others. One should abstain from venting one’s ire and other negative emotions on others. In a society that consists of people who are like this, every individual will feel safe at the hands of everyone else. This peaceful society is an ideal human society.