30. NON-VIOLENCE

30. Non-Violence ~ 89 ~ Violent activities breed hatred in society, while nonviolent activities elicit love. Violence is the way of destruction while non-violence is the way of construction. In an atmosphere of violence, it is enmity which flourishes, while in an atmosphere of nonviolence, it is friendship, which flourishes. The method of violence gives way to negative values while the method of non-violence is marked by positive values. The method of violence embroils people in problems, while the method of nonviolence leads people to the exploiting of opportunities. In short, violence is death, nonviolence is life. Both the Qur’an and the hadith have attached great importance to jihad. What is jihad? Jihad means struggle, to struggle one’s utmost. It must be appreciated at the outset that this word is used for non-violent struggle as opposed to violent struggle. One clear proof of this is the verse of the Qur’an (25:52), which says: Perform jihad with this (i.e. the word of the Qur’an) most strenuously. The Qur’an is not a sword or a gun. It is a book of ideology. In such a case performing jihad with the