Peace: The Summum Bonum

There are groups that use the Prophet’s seal and name on their flags and perpetrate violence. Can this be called as an Islamic war since it has the Prophet’s seal? Not at all. This is completely un-Islamic. Islam does not teach war, it only speaks of peace. Sometimes, an established government takes up arms in a limited sense, as a mark of defence. Full-fledged war is not allowed in Islam. The mission of Islam is to purify an individual – how is that connected to war? Islam is only peace, from the beginning to the end. Some Muslims say, if we do not protest on small issues, even praying will become endangered. Is this right? This is a false and baseless doubt. We need to understand the spirit of the age. There is never an obstruction to praying – if there is an obstruction, it is only to violence. As long as we understand the spirit of the age and remain peaceful, no one is going to restrict us from praying. What was the Prophet Muhammad’s policy on confrontation? The Prophet Muhammad’s policy was to avoid confrontation till the last possible extent. Confrontation takes place because people know only one aspect of the matter – that whenever there is difference, it should be eliminated. The focus of the Prophet was to accept the status quo and to discover and avail of opportunities of coexistence, instead of focusing on differences. This approach proved to be very successful. Our world is a world of conflict and differences. And the biggest question facing us is – where to make a start so as to resolve these