Peace in the Quran

The Power of Peace According to a Hadith, “God grants to gentleness what He does not grant to harshness.” That is to say, peaceful activism is distinctly superior to violent activism. There is nothing to be achieved in war and violence, save death and destruction. On the contrary, an atmosphere of peace enables normal relations to be established between people. It makes it possible for feelings of love and friendship to prevail. In a favourable atmosphere constructive activities flourish and the existing resources can be used for development or other creative activities. A positive bent of mind will prevail which wil l help develop academic a n d i n t e l l e c t u a l advancement. That is why Islam teaches us to avoid war and confrontation at all costs and commands us to establish peace to the greatest possible degree. Clarification of a Fallacy There are certain verses in the Quran, which convey injunctions similar to the following: ‘Kill them wherever you find them.’ (2:191) Referring to such verses, there are some who attempt to give the impression that Islam is a religion of war and violence. This is totally untrue. This division of commands into different categories is a natural one and is found in all religious books. Jesus Christ said: “Do not think that I came to bring peace on Earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.” (Matthew, Chapter 10) It would not be right to conclude that the religion p r e a c h e d b y Christ was one of war and violence, for such utterances relate purely to particular occasions. So far as general life is concerned, Christ taught peaceful values, such as the building up of a good character, loving each other, helping the poor and needy, etc. Islam is a religion of peace in the fullest sense of the word. The Qur’an calls its way ‘the paths of peace’ (5:16). It describes reconciliation as the best policy (4:128), and states that God abhors any disturbance of the peace (2:205). Maulana Wahiduddin Khan Peace in the Quran Islam is a religion of peace in the fullest sense of the word. The Qur’an calls its way ‘the paths of peace’. It describes reconciliation as the best policy. God grants to gentleness what He does not grant to harshness. 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