Islam and Peace

Islam and Peace

1989 9 September 8-12 Islam and Peace (1810) In the tenth chapter of the Qur’an, there is a verse which says, “And God calls you to the home of peace and guides whosoever He wills to the straight path (10:25).”

This and other similar verses tell us that the final goal of Islam is peace in this world as well as in the next. Those who continue to strive for peace, along with those who finally attain it, are of the elect, and will be welcomed in the perfect ‘home of peace’ that is the world to come.

The real basis of that peace, which Islam is so anxious to foster, is monotheism. In the Islamic context, this concept emphasizes not only the singleness of the deity, but also God’s central position as the Creator and Sustainer of mankind and the universe. Islam sees all human beings as the creatures of the Almighty – a concept which brings them all on to one level. It is only when we do not connect God with man’s existence that some appear great and others small.

When God is given His rightful place in the world, people are at once divested of those features which distinguish one individual from another, placing them higher or lower in the human hierarchy. Then all greatness is God’s and all human beings become His servants on a plane of equality.

In this, the concept of monotheism pulls out by the roots all human differences and discrepancies. In the absence of such a concept, the scheme of divine peace becomes impossible. There is, in fact, no other basis upon which it may be achieved.

Non–Interference

Another Islamic principle intended to promote peace is that of non-interference. This principle, if universally applied, can produce the same divine order as is evident in the furthest reaches of the universe, where the stars revolve eternally in their own orbits, no star ever encroaching upon the orbit of another. What holds good at the astronomical level also holds good at the level of human society. That is, order prevails when everyone functions within his own sphere, taking care never to trespass upon the domains of his fellow-men.

This, unfortunately, is a principle which is not sufficiently adhered to. A case in point is the behaviour of a newly liberated American who went out to celebrate his country’s freedom from foreign domination in his own particular way. He strutted exuberantly down the street, swinging his arms in a carefree manner and totally ignoring all other pedestrians. Eventually, he hit a passer-by on the nose.

This paper was written by Maulana Wahiduddin Khan for the conference, “People of Prayer in Search of Peace” held in Rome from 27th - 29th October 1988.

The passer-by was enraged and said: “What is this foolhardiness? What makes you walk in this frivolous manner, swinging your hands about in this way?” “America is free,” the man replied, “I’m free to do what I want and walk as I wish.” “Well” replied the passer-by, “your freedom ends where my nose begins.”

The passerby’s response was, in fact, the voice of man’s true nature, reasserting universal norms and calling out for an end to man’s deviation from them. The law of nature is such that the universe has functioned impeccably for billions of years, no star or planet ever having left its orbit to enter that of another. It is man’s instinctive wish that he should be guided by such a law. The remonstrance of the American passer-by was simply an expression of this desire.

In a universe which has been forcibly subjugated to the will of God, only man is privileged to have a will of his own. But while the entire universe conforms to God’s will, each part functioning in exemplary harmony with all other parts, man misuses his freedom, straying from the path that God has laid down for him. The problems which he encounters in life are part of the price, in fact, which he has to pay for his God-given freedom. All his trials and tribulations are ultimately traceable to his own willful deviations.

Principle of Avoidance

One of Islam’s most important principles is that of avoidance, that is, the keeping of oneself aloof from avoidable confrontations. A good analogy is our obedience to the traffic control system, which prevents accidents by ruling that vehicles must keep to their own side of the road, never speed head-on towards each other, nor suddenly cross the path of another, allowing him no time to brake. Even far off the ground, collisions could occur if the principle of avoidance were not invoked. Imagine two jet-airliners approaching each other at an attitude of 30,000 feet. Unless one of them received instructions to fly at, say, 35,000 feet, disaster would be inevitable.

The safety rules which apply to traffic embody the very principle which, if implemented, would relieve our everyday existence of so many unnecessary clashes. But before this can happen, this principle should have to be universally recognised and adopted.

There is no gainsaying the fact that our present world is one of competition, with everyone relentlessly pursuing his own ends. This being so, the only safe onward journey will be one on which people steer clear of one another whenever a clash of interests seems imminent. It is not in our hands to put an end to all such rivalry with its inevitable confrontations, for that is all part of the divine scheme of things. The sole remedy human beings themselves can offer is the scrupulous avoidance of path which is directly confrontational. That is the only way in which disaster may be averted.

In the life of the Prophet, we find a number of salutary examples, such as the decision he made when he learned that the great warrior Khalid was advancing upon him with his army. There seemed nothing for it but a pitched battle, but the Prophet, who was at that point approaching Hudaybiyyah on his way to Mecca from Medina, promptly took his men by a different route, choosing an unfamiliar path well away from the main thoroughfare along which Khalid and his troops were advancing. By this simple stratagem, he avoided what would certainly have been a disastrous confrontation. We would do well, in the highly competitive world of today, to follow the Prophet’s example, in order to secure a safe and peaceful existence for all mankind.

Conversion

In a certain verse of the Quran, true believers are stated to be willing to forgive when they are angered, or, to put it in another way, they convert their anger into forgiveness. This is an important part of the teachings of Islam, and it has been described in the Quran in different ways. For instance, at one place, it is stated that ‘good and evil are not equal.’

If we reflect upon the whole complex system according to which our world functions, we shall come to the conclusion that it is essentially one of conversion. Through the conversion of matter, energy is created. Through the conversion of the soil’s nutrients, trees are grown. The cow eats grass and the grass is converted by it into milk. Indeed, all kind of progress depend upon this principle of conversion in the universe.

Man likewise is subject to these very processes, the lives of individuals as well as the cohesion of society being dependent upon this universal principle. In the case of true believers, the conversion is of anger into forgiveness. This is achieved by extinguishing the fire of revenge within themselves. Their hatred is then converted into love. In short, on all occasions when one reacts negatively to the misdeeds of one’s fellow-men, one must make every endeavour to take this negative reaction and convert it into positive action.

This principle was exemplified in many ways throughout the life of the Prophet of Islam. For instance, he had good reason to regard the Meccans as objects of his vengeance, for they had stubbornly opposed his message, forced him to leave the city and had subsequently had skirmishes with the Muslims without there having been any provocation on the part of himself or his companions. But when Mecca was conquered, he did not treat them as war criminals which is, in effect, what they were, but, instead, forgave them unconditionally and unilaterally. The Prophet did not wreak his revenge on a single one of them.

Non-Aggression

Another important Islamic principle calculated to guarantee a peaceful society is that of refraining from all offensive action. In Islam, war is to be waged only as a matter of defense, and that, too, when it is quite unavoidable. The Quran permits to fight only against attackers, so that we have no right to wage war against anyone who is not on the offensive.

The Prophet of Islam himself engaged directly in warfare on only three occasions, at Badr, Uhud and Hunain. In each case, he was forced into fighting. The Battle of Badr took place when the Meccan army advanced upon Medina with the avowed intention of slaying the Prophet and his Companions. Only then did the Prophet ready himself and his companions for defensive action. The battle of Uhud, which takes its name from a mountain on the periphery of Medina, was fought between the Meccans and the Muslims of Medina. The fact that the fighting took place on the borders of Medina, which is a 300 mile march from Mecca, is a clear indication of the defensive nature of the engagement as far as the Medinans were concerned. For the Prophet, there was no way out but to defend himself.

The third battle took place at Hunain, when the Prophet was on his way from Mecca to Taif. The path to Taif lay between two mountains, and there, under cover of the mountainous terrain, the enemy lay in wait. Finding themselves suddenly ambushed, the Prophet and his companions were forced to fight in self-defense.

Islam aims at fashioning souls which are God-oriented; which find God so great that everything else pales into insignificance; which comes to possess such boundless peace of mind that nothing can disturb it; which is totally free of negative reaction; which can turn everything in this world, whether far or near, into food for more profound thought which, finally can never become a prey to worldliness. This truth is aptly illustrated by this hadith of the Prophet of Islam.

“Nine things the Lord has commanded me:

Fear of God in private and in public;

Justness, whether in anger or in calmness;

Moderation in both poverty and affluence;

That I should join hands with those who break away from me;

and give to those who deprive me;

and forgive those who wrong me;

and that my silence should be meditation;

and my words remembrance of God;

and my vision keen observation.

(Razin)