TOWARDS GLOBAL PEACE

to Islam, peace is not simply a moral principle: it is more than that. It is a complete way of life, based on the culture of peace. The Prophet of Islam taught people how to inculcate the culture of peace. That is why the Quran calls him a “mercy to all humankind." (21: 107) This means that the advent of the Prophet of Islam made manifest God’s mercy for all humankind. Through him God communicated those principles of life by opting for which man may inhabit the abode of eternal peace and security. Human society is full of differences. Every day, we face some kind of sad experience brought about by other members of society. This state of affairs leads people to develop a negative attitude. But, this kind of behaviour is completely un-Islamic. According to Islam, man should follow the principles of the culture of peace in social life, at the heart of which is sabr, that is, patience. Sabr means avoiding negative reaction to unpleasant situations, trying to give a positive response and converting negative experience into positive experience. The principle of patience is at the core of building a culture of peace in Islam. If building a culture of peace is the goal, then three core principles should be learnt by individuals: respect for all, compassion and forgiveness It is by learning these principles that individuals can build a culture of peace in themselves. RESPECT FOR ALL Respect for all is the most important principle by which to build a culture of peace within oneself. The teachings of Islam can be broadly divided into two areas; one, the worship of God, and two, respect and well-wishing for humankind. Respect for others is an important teaching of Islam set forth in the Quran and in the Hadith narrations of the Prophet of Islam. There is a very interesting story, recorded by Al-Bukhari in this regard. The Prophet of Islam once saw a funeral procession passing along a street in Madinah. The Prophet was seated at that time. On seeing the funeral, the Prophet stood up as a mark of respect. At this one of his Companions said: ‘O Prophet, it was the funeral of a Jew (not a Muslim).’ The Prophet replied: ‘Was he not a human being?’ This shows that every man is worthy of respect, whether he belongs to one religion or another, to one nation or another. On no pretext can this respect be withheld from any human being. The truth is that every individual has been created by one and the same God, therefore, everyone is equally worthy of respect. There may be differences among