Peace is the name of God

which is equal to possessing the whole faith. These are doing justice, doing one’s utmost for the peace and well-being of the world, and spending on others in spite of a lack of means.” This part of the hadith, exhorting one to do utmost to bring about peace in the world, is extremely important. This shows the real Islamic spirit—a kind of special awareness that Islam wants to inculcate in human beings, which would predispose everyone to live in peace himself, to be anxious for the peace of all the people living in this world, and to do his very best to bring peace to the world. The truth is that the maintenance of peace is the most important of God’s laws. It is on the basis of this law that the entire universe is able to function. If its various elements did not follow this law, the whole universe—its systems thrown into disarray—would simply collapse. The greatest success of the human being in this world lies in his intellectual development, in his spiritual advancement, in the production of the divine soul—the ultimate goal of man. And the struggle towards this goal can be carried on only in an atmosphere pervaded by universal peace. Without peaceful conditions, it is impossible to achieve any worthwhile goal. The many communities living in different parts of the world are dissimilar in a variety of ways. But in one characteristic way they are alike: They all want to set out on the journey of progress. But this can be undertaken only in peaceful circumstances. It is vital, therefore, to give the topmost priority in the establishment of peace at the international level. □