NO EXTREMISM

PEACE IN ISLAM ~ 127 ~ principles of Islam, peace is the rule, while war is only a rare exception. Peace is something that can be opted for in all circumstances, whereas the decision to wage war should be taken only in times of emergencies for the purpose of defence, when it becomes inevitable, and that too at a time when all peaceful strategies for avoiding confrontation have failed. PEACEFUL PERSUASION, NOT COERCION On the subject of jihad, the Quran addresses the believers thus: “Do great jihad with the help of the Quran”. (25:52) As we know, the Quran is a book, an ideological book. It is not a gun or a sword. Therefore, ‘jihad’ by means of the Quran can only mean conveying the ideas of the Quran to the people. This implies that we should struggle peacefully to make the ideas of the Quran understandable by presenting them in the form of logical arguments.