TOWARDS GLOBAL PEACE

The Prophet was on a divine mission to present God’s message to humankind. Any mission of communication can only be successful when the circumstances are harmonious and peaceful. In an atmosphere of violence and warfare, no mission, however strong, can be successful. In such a situation, even minor differences can instantaneously escalate to violent conflict and war. For an atmosphere of peace, though, a price has to be paid, and that was in the form of perseverance in the face of all obstacles; in ignoring the problems whilst availing of the opportunities. The Prophet’s opponents were constantly provoking him and his followers to engage with them in battle over small issues, but the Prophet and his Companions always chose the divine teachings of patience and forbearance to circumvent conflict. …..Whenever they kindle the fire of war, God puts it out… (THE QURAN 5: 64) In the 6th year in Madinah, the Prophet entered into a 10-year peace treaty called the Treaty of Hudaybiya with his opponents by accepting all of their conditions. Two years later, when the Makkans were forced to surrender to the Muslims, his opponents were brought before the Prophet. These people had troubled the Prophet and his Companions for many years, having forced them to leave their homes and properties in Makkah. They had committed many atrocities on him and his people. They were established war criminals and captives. According to the prevailing tribal custom, the punishment for such crimes was death. The Prophet, however, did not even allow them to be insulted and, instead, announced a general pardon in the following words: “Go, you are free”. If we were to objectively study the entire 23 years of Muhammad’s prophetic life, it would be absolutely clear that Muhammad was a prophet of peace, not a prophet of violence. If we compare the Prophet’s battles with other battles in history, we will find that the mission of the Prophet was a non-violent mission; and the battles that happened were defensive in nature and only happened under exceptional circumstances. The number of people killed in these battles was very few when compared to the casualties of many other battles in history. Sorting Any mission of communication can only be successful when the circumstances are harmonious and peaceful. In an atmosphere of violence and warfare, no mission, however strong, can be successful.