Peace in Islam

Peace in Islam large number of prophets in ancient times, but the message of monotheism remained at the initial sta ge; it could not culminate in a revolution. This state continued up till the time of Christ, the last but one Prophet (May peace be upon him). The reason being that in ancient times, the system of monarchy was entrenched throughout the world. The kings, in order to secure their political interests, adopted the course of religious persecution. These kings suppressed all religious movements, which were different from the state religion. They would nip all apostasy in the bud, since they saw religion as a matter of affirming one’s loyalty to the state. If a person adhered to a religion other than the state religion, he was regarded as a rebel. The Prophet Isa# (May peace be upon him) was the last link in the chain of these persecutions faced by the preachers of monotheism. Then God decreed the abolition of this coercive political system, even if it entailed the use of force in order that the age of religious persecution might be brought to an end forever and replaced by the age of religious freedom. This divine plan was brought to completion through the Prophet Muhammad (May peace be upon him) and his companions. This is the command given in the Qur’an: “And fight with them on until there is no more persecution and oppression, And religion becomes God’s in its entirety, But if they cease, surely God does see all that they do.” (8:39) The Source of Peace It is no exaggeration to say that Islam and violence are contradictory to each other. The concept of Islamic violence is so obviously unfounded that, prima facie it stands rejected. The fact that violence is not sustainable in the present world is enough to convince one that violence, as a principle, is quite alien to the scheme of things in Islam. Islam claims to be an eternal religion and such a religion cannot afford a principle in its scheme which will not be sustainable in later periods of human history. An attempt to bracket violence with Islam amounts to casting doubts upon the very eternity of the Islamic religion. The Prophet Muhammadœ so earnestly used to entreat his Lord in his daily prayer: “O God, You are the original source of Peace; from You is all Peace, and to You returns all Peace. So, make us live with Peace; and let us enter paradise: the House of Peace. Blessed be You, our Lord, to whom belongs all Majesty and Honour!” Maulana Wahiduddin Khan 7 According to the explicit command of the Qur’an, the call to God is the true and eternal mission of Islam. O God, You are the original source of Peace; from You is all Peace, and to You returns all Peace. So, make us live with Peace; and let us enter paradise: the House of Peace. The Prophet Muhammadœ www.cpsglobal.org www.alquranmission.org www.goodwordbooks.com Goodword Books 1, Nizamuddin West Market New Delhi-110 013 Tel. +9111-4182-7083, Mob. +91-8588822672 info@goodwordbooks.com Goodword Books, Chennai 82/324, Triplicane High Road, Triplicane Chennai 600005 Mob. +91-9790853944 Center for Peace and Spirituality USA 2665 Byberry Road Bensalem, PA 19020 Cell: (617) 960-7156 cps@alrisala.org Center for Peace and Spirituality 1, Nizamuddin West Market New Delhi-110 013 info@cpsglobal.org