THE CULTURE OF PEACE — Teachings of Islam

people to God’s path—the same sort of protection. The modern secular state provides all its citizens the guarantee that they can follow, preach and propagate the religion of their choice. No one can obstruct them from doing so, provided, of course, they do not engage in violence. The Prophet gave peace the status of a complete and comprehensive way of life. The protective shield that guarded the prophets in the past was based on the tribal system. It was a tribal protection mechanism, and not a specifically Islamic one. Yet, despite this, the prophets accepted it. Likewise, in today’s world, the protection that Muslims enjoy is a secular one, and not a specifically Islamic one. So, in accordance with the practice or Sunnah of the prophets, Muslims must accept this protective mechanism and engage in peaceful activities. However, Muslim ‘leaders’ of the entire world have branded Secularism as ‘irreligiousness’ and have unleashed a verbal as well as physical war against it. In this way, they have unnecessarily turned into enemies of Secularism. Thereby, they left the valuable protection that the secular system provided them unused. 3. Mercy for Humanity Addressing the Prophet Muhammad, God says in the Quran: We have sent you forth as a mercy to all mankind. THE QURAN 21:107 The advent of the Prophet was an expression of God’s mercy for the whole of humankind. Through him, God informed us about the principles on the basis of which human beings can come to inhabit what the Quran (10: 25) refers to as dar us-salam or ‘the Home of Peace’, an abode of peace and security for its inhabitants. Through the Prophet, God conveyed to us teachings that can make for a peaceful society. The Prophet presented humankind with a complete ideology of peace. He provided us with a formula that can enable us to abstain from hatred and violence and lead a healthy life. He ushered in a revolution that made it possible for humanity to avoid confrontation and war and nurture a peaceful society. Because of certain compelling circumstances, the Prophet had to fight some battles, but these were so minor that they can be more appropriately called skirmishes, rather than wars. The great revolution