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. ISLAM AND PEACE I N the tenth chapter of the Quran, there is a verse which says, “God calls man to the home of peace, and He guides whom He wills to a straight path.” (10: 25) This and other similar verses tell us that the goal of Islam is peace in this world as well as in the next. Those who continue to strive for peace, along with those who finally attain it, are of the elect, and will be welcomed in the perfect ‘home of peace’ in the world to come. Islam sees all human beings as the creatures of the Almighty—a concept which brings them all on to one level. When God is given His rightful place in the world, people are at once divested of those features which distinguish one individual from another, placing them higher or lower in the human hierarchy. Then all greatness is God’s and all human beings become His servants on a plane of equality. The following is a discussion on Islamic approach to establish peace. Non–Interference An Islamic principle intended to promote peace is that of noninterference. This principle, if universally applied, can produce the same divine order as is evident in the farthest reaches of the universe, where the stars revolve eternally in their own orbits, no star ever encroaching upon the orbit of another. What holds good at the astronomical level also holds good at the level of human society. That is, order prevails when everyone functions within their own sphere, taking care never to trespass upon the domains of their fellow human beings.