The very word Islam (from the Arabic silm) implies peace, and all the teachings of Islam are based directly or indirectly on this principle. There are traditions of the Prophet that say that ‘Peace is Islam’, and that, ‘God is peace’ (Al-Bukhari). Similarly, there is another hadith that says that a Muslim is one from whose tongue and hands, people are safe. One of the attributes of God described in the Quran is ‘As-Salaam’, which means ‘peace and security’. That is to say that God’s Being itself is a manifestation or embodiment of peace. In the Quran, divine guidance is likened to the ‘path of peace’ (THE QURAN 5:16)
In Islam, Paradise, the eternal ideal and the ultimate objective of every man, is called the ‘Home of Peace’ (THE QURAN 10:25) It is also said that the people of Paradise will wish peace for one another, which is another indication of the importance of peace in the ideal society.
God has decreed success only by reconciliation, and not by violent courses of action.
Peace is the norm in Islam; war is the exception. All the teachings of Islam and the life of the Prophet of Islam testify to this. There is a hadith that says that God grants to gentleness what He does not grant to harshness. That is to say, a peaceful approach is distinctly superior to violence.
The Quran is undoubtedly a book of peace, not a book of war and violence. This can be seen from the fact that all of the Quran’s pronouncements are directly or indirectly related to peace. Its opening invocation is — “In the name of God, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful”, and this verse is repeated in the Quran 114 times. This is an indication that the greatest attribute of the Supreme Being who sent this book to us is His mercy. We could say that the theme of this entire holy book is God’s all-embracing compassion.
Judging by its consequences, the way of peace is far better than confrontation or conflict. According to the law of God for mankind, God has decreed success only through reconciliation, and not through violent courses of action. The Prophet's wife Aisha said that, the Prophet’s general policy was always to choose the easier (nonconfrontational) path (Al-Bukhari). This means that violence should not be adopted if peaceful processes are possible. Just as countering aggression with aggression is a hard option and countering aggression with patience and forbearance is an easier option, radicalism is harder than gradualism. Peace is always the easier option in achieving the desired results.
No Extremism
The Quran is very clear in its views on extremism:
Do not go to excess in your religion. (THE QURAN 4:171)
The same point has been made in a hadith. The Prophet of Islam said, “You should restrain yourselves from committing excesses (ghulu) in religion, for it was due to their having gone to extremes in religion that previous communities were destroyed.” (Musnad Ahmad, 1/215, 347)
Peace is always the easier option in achieving the desired results.
Ghulu means extremism. The way of extremism is wrong, whatever the circumstances, because it goes against the spirit of religion. Extremism usually engenders attitudes that call for war and violence. Those who have extremist tendencies remain dissatisfied with the path of moderation, since it strikes them as being far from effective. That is why they so easily incline towards violence to achieve their objectives. Moderation, which is the opposite of extremism, is closely interlinked with peace. When people possess the virtue of moderation, they necessarily think in terms of peace and engage in their efforts in a peaceful manner.
Adhering To the Path of Truth with Patience and Perseverance
The Quran tells us that the kind of people who can prevent losses and achieve success are those “who exhort each other to justice and fortitude.” (THE QURAN 103:3)
It is unfortunate that one who adheres to the path of truth himself, or calls on people to accept the truth, is almost invariably rejected by the people. A few people find it difficult to accept even the existence of beliefs that oppose the ones that they hold, once used to hold, or that their culture or family holds. Their resistance can be passionate and occasionally violent. Anyone who wishes to stay on the path of truth will need to exercise great patience. He should bear all hardships with fortitude and not blame others.
Patience is another name for the non-aggressive or peaceful method. This means that one who stands up for the truth ought not to counter violence with violence. He must unilaterally adhere to peaceful ways.
