TOWARDS GLOBAL PEACE

they have used as the basis of a picture of the Prophet’s life they have painted, that portrays him as a warrior prophet. They have also been unable to see the Prophet's life as different from Muslim culture, which has led them to assume that terrorism in the name of Islam is an outcome of the teachings of the Prophet of Islam. The true modest personality of the Prophet appeared to many of his biographers as deficient in some way or the other. This image of the Prophet appeared to them as falling short of the standards of leaders of other peoples of the time, who were great conquerors and warriors. Hence these biographers tried to present a certain image of their Prophet, which, in their eyes was a superior image. This is the reason why, when we read the biographies of the Prophet we find that the Prophet is portrayed as a warrior prophet rather than a prophet of peace. The misleading image we get is that the Prophet relied on the power of the sword rather than the power of peace; that the Prophet believed in subduing and conquering his opponents rather than winning their hearts. However, this picture of the Prophet is totally baseless and selfassumed. In truth, the Prophet’s was a peace-loving personality. The example of the Prophet was not one of overpowering people by fighting with them; rather it was by winning the people over with love and compassion and giving them life. The Quran says: Believers, obey God and His Messenger when he calls you to that which gives you life. (8: 24) It is obvious from an understanding of the Quran that the mission of the Prophet was different from that of emperors and kings. A king’s purpose is to conquer and rule over people. Hence, the way of a king is one of conquests and wars. Without subduing people by force, a king will be unable to achieve his goal. On the other hand, the mission of a prophet is not to rule over people, but to change their minds and hearts towards spirituality; to teach them God-oriented living, making them divine personalities so that they can be successful in this world and the Hereafter; to make them peaceful personalities so that God will give them a place in His eternal ‘Home of Peace’. From the above analysis it should be obvious that the Prophet Muhammad was a prophet of peace, and not a prophet of violence. o