War and Peace in Islam

War and Peace in Islam of these ghazwas, both big and small, is calculated at 83. But only on three of these occasions did full-fledged war break out between the Prophet and his opponents. This means that in 80 ghazwas the Prophet was able to stave off physical confrontation with his opponents through avoidance and wise policy. Only on three occasions—the battles of Badr, Uhud and Hunayn—did he engage in armed conflict, and this was because of compelling circumstances. An example of this policy of the Prophet of avoiding physical confrontation is that of the Treaty of Hudaybiya. When war-like conditions developed between the Prophet and his opponents, he began efforts to end these conditions through unilateral or one-sided action and to establish peace between both parties. For this purpose, he began discussions for reconciliation with his opponents, which carried on for two weeks. These discussions took place at Hudaybiya, near Makkah. That is why the treaty that resulted is called the Treaty of Hudaybiya. This was a peace treaty between the two parties. During the discussions that led up to the treaty the Prophet noticed that his opponents were unwilling to budge from their obstinacy. And so, accepting the one-sided conditions that they insisted on, he entered into a peace treaty with them. The purpose of this treaty was to end the tension between the two parties and establish a climate of normalcy, so that in such an atmosphere the work of dawah and other constructive activities—which are the real aim of the Islamic mission—could be carried on with. With this treaty, normalcy was established, and so all the constructive activities that Islam promotes began being carried out in full swing. And the final result of this was that Islam spread across the entire region. Here it is necessary to add that, according to Islamic teachings, war is the task of only a duly established government. It is not the task of non-governmental actors, whether individuals or organizations. If non-governmental organizations feel the need for any reform, they can make efforts, but only while remaining