War and Peace in Islam

War and Peace in Islam not the general rule. The same is true in the case of the Quran as well. An important aspect of the peace-loving nature of Islam is that it makes a distinction between an enemy or opponent, on the one hand, and an attacker, on the other. According to Islam, if a group launches a one-sided or unilateral attack and gives rise to a state of aggression, then, as a necessary evil, war can be fought for the sake of defense. But as far as an enemy is concerned, Islam does not permit launching war simply because of existing enmity. In this regard, the following verse of the Quran gives clear instruction to Muslims: Good and evil deeds are not equal. Repel evil with what is better; then you will see that one who was once your enemy has become your dearest friend. (41:34) This Quranic verse teaches us that even if someone appears to us as an enemy, we should not regard him as an eternal enemy. Rather, as this verse suggests, inside every enemy a potential friend is hidden. The Quran exhorts us to discover this friend and turn this potential of friendship into a reality. After this, we would not have any complaints about anyone’s enmity. This issue is also illustrated in a hadith. Indicating the Prophet’s general policy, the Prophet’s wife Aisha narrates that whenever he had to choose between two things, he always chose the easier one. Methods of action are of two types: violent methods and peaceful methods. If you compare the two, you will agree that in the event of a dispute, adopting a violent method is always a harder option. In contrast, adopting a peaceful method is always an easier option. Accordingly, one could say that the general policy of Islam is that whenever one is faced with a situation of conflict involving an opponent, one must respond by choosing a peaceful method, not a violent one. In present times, when human freedom has been accepted as an inalienable right, peaceful methods alone should be used. This is because