TOWARDS GLOBAL PEACE

profess. In spite of their professed Islamic agenda, the actions of such people cannot be deemed Islamic. Islam is the name of the revealed religion professed by the Prophet Muhammad, and exemplified in his life. The Prophet Muhammad was a prophet of peace, not a prophet of violence. In the Quran, he is called a ‘mercy to humankind’. He was a peace-loving personality in the complete sense. His peaceloving nature was so heightened that he did not even like to hear the name Harb, which meant war, and guided the parents of the child to change it to Hasan which meant goodness. He believed in cultivating a peaceful character. He wanted his followers to do good works for the people, giving them the message of peace and prosperity and not of death and destruction. The battles that took place during his life were only incidental and under exceptional circumstances, rather than being the main feature of his life. However, most of the Prophet’s biographers have painted an altogether different picture. Instead of presenting him as a prophet of peace they have portrayed him as a prophet of violence. The battles which were fought during the Prophet’s time were related to the culture then prevailing amongst the Arab tribes. Before the Prophet’s birth there was an ongoing conflict between two major tribes of Madinah. It is said that this war continued for 120 years and thousands of people perished in these battles, the prominent one of which was known by the name of Battle of Bu’ath between Aws and Khazraj tribes. The Prophet Muhammad was born at a time when Arabia was divided into many different tribes, each with several clans, all vying for domination. Fights between tribes and clans over trivial issues were common. Due to this culture, there were skirmishes between the Prophet’s followers and their opponents. Most of the incidents that have been presented by the biographers of the Prophet as battles can be better classified as minor skirmishes instead. He began his mission of conveying God’s guidance to humankind in a peaceful manner. There was never any act of violence by the Prophet Islam is the name of the revealed religion professed by the Prophet Muhammad, and exemplified in his life. The Prophet Muhammad was a prophet of peace, not a prophet of violence. In the Quran, he is called a 'mercy to humankind'.