Non-Violence and Islam

NON-VIOLENCE AND ISLAM Prophet and his companions in the seventh century is stated to be izhar ad-din in the Quran: ‘They desire to extinguish the light of God with their mouths: but God seeks only to perfect His light, however much the infidels may abhor it (9:32-33). Izhar in Arabic means dominance/ascendancy/ supremacy. Here izhar ad-din signifies intellectual and ideological dominance, not political dominance. This means that in intellectual and ideological respect, God’s religion assumes ascendancy over all other ideologies and religions for all time. Granting ideological ascendancy to God’s religion was no simple matter. It amounted to the writing of history afresh. For although God’s religion had always been in a superior position ideologically, it had become obscured by false and misguided ideas. The reason being that in ancient times people were heavily under the influence of superstitious thinking. Their arts and learning in general had all become fettered by superstition and idolatry. This had led to a veil being thrown over true religion, which was the only vehicle for God’s truth. God desired that through the final Prophet an intellectual revolution be brought about which would alter this unfavourable and artificial state of affairs. That human sciences themselves become supporters of the true religion so that according to the established academic standard itself, the religion of monotheism may be made an established religion for the people. By izhar ad-din in this verse is meant this same divine plan being brought into a revolution by the Prophet and