Dousing the Fires of Violence

What is Peace? been made according to the plan desirable for it. This means that humans should act in a balanced way in this world, without distorting the balanced pattern of nature. If we distort this plan of nature, it will lead to chaos. Innumerable processes are at work in the world, all in accordance with nature’s equilibrium. The earth moves in its orbit and revolves non-stop. The sun continues to pour its light on the world. The winds blow, the rains come, the rivers flow, the plants and trees grow, and so on. Innumerable processes like these carry on without any interruption, day and night, all of them in a perfectly peaceful manner, with no violence or confrontation whatsoever. This is the plan of nature, and human beings should live according to it. Hence, we must completely abstain from violence and lead our lives entirely on the basis of the principle of peace. Those who behave contrary to this engage in what is termed in the Quran as fasad, or corruption. They are definitely not engaged in promoting reform. Avoidance, Not Confrontation The Quran instructs us, ‘Avoid the ignorant’. (7:199) The opposite of avoidance is confrontation. The method of avoidance keeps one within the peaceful sphere, while the method of confrontation leads to violence with others.