THE CULTURE OF PEACE — Part II Teachings of Islam

THE CULTURE OF PEACE — Part II Teachings of Islam W E often talk of peace in the context of war. But this is a very narrow and restricted notion of peace. The fact is that peace is deeply linked with the whole of human life. Peace is a complete ideology in itself. It is the master-key that opens the doors to every sort of success. Peace creates a favourable atmosphere for success in every sort of endeavour. Without peace, no positive action — small or big — is at all possible. Killing a Single Person is Tantamount to Slaying the Whole of Humanity The Quran tells us: Whoever killed a human being — except as a punishment for murder or for spreading corruption in the land—shall be regarded as having killed all mankind […]. THE QURAN 5: 32 Killing someone is a very heinous act. It is legitimate only if someone becomes an incurable danger to social peace. To kill someone without genuine justification is tantamount to the slaughter of the whole of humanity, because such an action is a gross violation of respect for life. It is as reprehensible and enormous a crime to kill a single person as it is to kill a large number of people. With regard to the consumption of alcohol, a Hadith report tells us that if a large quantity of something leads to intoxication, then a small quantity of it, too, is forbidden. The same principle applies in the case of killing as well. It is as reprehensible and enormous a crime to kill a single person as it is to kill a large number of people. The only difference between the two is of degree, but in terms of the nature of the act itself there is no difference whatsoever. From the above-quoted Quranic verse one can gauge the great importance that Islam gives to peace and security. Islam demands that if a single person is killed, the entire society must react as if it is not a single individual, but, rather, the whole of humanity, that has been slain.