The Power of Peace

under divine protection: “And God will protect you from the people” (5:67). Furthermore, the Quran emphasizes calling people to God with wisdom and good counsel, demonstrating that even adversaries can become allies through this approach: “Repel evil with what is better; then you will see that one who was once your enemy has become your dearest friend.” (41:34) It would not be incorrect to say that the Quran, in its silent language, was calling out: “The only solution lies in conveying God’s message to people.” Yet, why did it happen that present-day Muslims failed to find guidance in this clear message of the Quran? Instead of engaging in the peaceful communication of the divine message to people, they became involved in jihad—specifically in the sense of qital (armed combat). Given the prevailing circumstances, it was not difficult to foresee that such extremist actions would result in nothing but further devastation. Why, then, did contemporary Muslim leaders make the grave error of adopting the un-Quranic notion that “jihad is the only solution”? The answer lies in their abandonment of ijtihad-e-mutlaq (that is, independent reasoning to derive rulings directly from the Quran and Sunnah. Instead, they adopted an imitative mindset, relying solely on the codified jurisprudence (fiqh) compiled centuries earlier. At the time, the jurisprudential texts were filled with rulings on jihad in the sense of qital or combat. Every major book of fiqh contained extensive chapters on jihad,