War and Peace in Islam

received his first revelation, he gathered people at the hill of Safa and addressed them thus: “O people, I have been sent in order to inform you about what is going to take place after death.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith No. 4770) In a similar way even when the Prophet gained supremacy in Madinah, he again addressed its inhabitants thus: “O people, save yourselves from the fire, even if it is by a piece of date.” (Seerah Ibn Hisham, Vol. 1, p. 501) A study of the Quran and Seerah tells us that the actual goal of Islam has been, from beginning to end, to change people’s hearts. But in accordance with the creation plan, everyone— and there are all kinds of people in this world—has been given total freedom. It was as a result of this freedom that certain people turned against the Prophet of Islam; some of them even went to the extent of taking up arms in order to put an end to his mission by force. It was in situations such as these that the Prophet and his companions had to resort to taking up arms, temporarily, in selfdefence. In this context, it would be correct to say that peace in Islam is the rule, rather than the exception. Muhammad (may peace be upon him) lived on this earth for 23 years after receiving prophethood. During these 23 years, the Quran was revealed at intervals and according to the circumstances. If this period is divided up under the headings of war and peace, we will find that one part of the Quran, covering a span of twenty years, relates to peaceful teachings on the subjects of faith, worship, ethics, justice, humanity, etc., whereas the verses relating to war were revealed during a period of only 3 years, when the believers were faced with armed aggression. There are 114 chapters in the Quran, containing 6,666 verses in all. There are hardly 40 verses, which relate directly or