TOWARDS GLOBAL PEACE

TOWARDS GLOBAL PEACE We often talk of peace in the context of war. But this is a very narrow and restricted notion of peace. Peace is deeply linked with the entirety of human life. Peace is a complete ideology in itself. Peace is the only religion for both—man and the universe. It is the master-key that opens the doors to every success. Peace creates a favourable atmosphere for success in every endeavour. Without peace, no positive action—small or big—is possible. ISSUE OF BLASPHEMY T HE Arabic equivalent of blasphemy is shatm. Blasphemy finds no mention in the dictionary of Islam. It is only an innovated term. According to Hadith (saying of the Prophet of Islam), any innovation in the religion of Islam is liable to be rejected. The authentic sources of Islam are only two: the Quran and the Hadith. No Mufti or legislature has the right to add any law to the Islamic Shariah (Jurisprudence). The Prophet of Islam started his mission in 610 CE in Makkah and he died in 632 CE in Madinah. During these twenty-two years there were some people both in Makkah and Madinah who used abusive language against the Prophet of Islam. But the Prophet never said they should be killed. He opted only for two kinds of response: either he avoided the issue or he asked some of his Companions to meet them and remove their misunderstanding. Looking at the early history of Islam, one can say that the present day Muslims must adopt this prophetic model. Muslims must either ignore such events or they must respond to them in a peaceful manner, that is, statement for a statement, a book for a book. There is no other option for Muslims. The Quran does not ask others to refrain from using abusive language against Islam; it enjoins Muslims not to use abusive language against other religions.