Peace in the Quran

of peace should be maintained. The entire life of the Prophet is a practical demonstration of this peace loving policy. At the time of migration from Makkah, the idolaters were all set to wage war, but the Prophet avoided this by quietly leaving his homeland for Madinah. On the occasion of the Hudaybiyyah treaty in 628, a state of war prevailed. But the Prophet unilaterally accepted all the conditions of the idolaters and negotiated a peace treaty. On the occasion of the battle of Khandaq, the 12,000 strong army of the Quraysh had camped at the borders of Madinah in order to do battle. But the Prophet and his companions dug a long trench to set up a buffer between himself and his enemies, thus avoiding bloodshed. The mission of Islam is based on monotheism. The goal of Islam is to make people realize the existence of the one and only God and to strive to bring about a revolution in their hearts and minds in order that they may love God as is His due. And the greatest concern of man should be to fear and worship his Creator. (2:165) Such a dawah mission cannot afford wars and violent confrontations. When a state of war and violence prevails, the normal atmosphere is vitiated and such circumstances as would foster intellectual movements and spiritual reformation cannot be effectively created. It cannot be denied that peaceful circumstances produce a propitious environment for Islam, while violent circumstances inevitably result in antagonism towards Islam. War: A State Action In Islam, war is not the prerogative of the individual but of an established government. Only an established government can declare war. In other words, individuals can pray on their own, but they cannot wage wars of their own accord. Only when