Islam is a peace-loving religion from beginning to end. And it is but natural that it should be so, as all the best results it aims to achieve, can be achieved only when an atmosphere of peace is maintained at the individual and societal level. This path of peace is followed by the entire universe. It is known in science as the law of nature, which is imposed upon it by God. That is to say the entire universe follows the path of peace under compulsion. Man, on the other hand, has been given freedom by God Almighty for the purpose of testing him. What God wants from man is that he should adopt the path of peace of his own free will.

When peace is the religion of the entire universe, it should, therefore, be the religion of man too, so that, in the words of Jesus Christ, 'The will of the Lord may be done on earth as it is in heaven.' (Matthew 6:10) In a similar vein, the Quran tells us that: 'The sun is not allowed to overtake the moon, nor does the night outpace the day. Each in its own orbit runs.' (36:40)

When God created the heavens and the earth, He so ordered things that each part might perform its function peacefully without clashing with any other part. For billions of years, therefore, the entire universe has been fulfilling its function in total harmony with His divine plan. Peace is no external commodity to be artificially imposed upon man. Peace is inherent in nature itself. The system of nature set up by God already rests on the basis of peace. If this system is not disrupted, it will continue to stay the course set for it by the Almighty. In order to preserve the peace, established by nature, from disruption, Islam has laid down two important injunctions: one, at the individual level, and second, at the social level.

Peace at Individual Level

Negative reaction on the part of the individual is the greatest factor responsible for disrupting peace in daily life. It repeatedly happens that in social life one experiences bitterness on account of others. On such occasions, if one reacts negatively, the matter would escalate to the point of a head-on collision. That is why Islam repeatedly enjoins us to tread the path of patience. The Quran says: 'Surely the patient will be paid their wages in full without measure.' (39:10)

Patience is the single-most important thing required on the part of the individual if peace is to be established in society, nation and internationally. That is why such great reward has been designated for an individual who shows patience as it is the key factor in maintaining the desired system of God - peace in society. In the words of the Quran, 'The patient man is the helper of God.' (61:14)

Peace at Social Level

The second injunction, designed to maintain peace in human society is the forbiddance of the offensive - that is Islam forbids the waging of an offensive war. No one - individual or group - in Islam enjoys the right to wage an offensive or war against another. There are no grounds on which this could be considered justifiable. (2:190) There is only one kind of war permitted in Islam and that is a defensive war, that also to be waged by an established government, not any individual or non-government organization. If a nation by deviating from the principles of nature wages war against another nation, then, a defensive war, with very stringent certain conditions may be waged by the country under attack.