PEACE: THE BEDROCK OF POSITIVE RELATIONSHIPS
Islam, understood authentically, is a religion of peace. The Arabic root of the word ‘Islam’ is silm, which means peace. Peace is the religion of the universe. Peace should, therefore, be the religion of man, too. When God created the heavens and the earth, He ordered things so that each part might perform its function peacefully without clashing with any other parts. The Quran says, “The sun is not allowed to overtake the moon, nor does the night outpace the day. Each floats in [its own] orbit.” (36:40)
For billions of years, the entire universe has fulfilled its function in total harmony with God’s Divine plan. While God has imposed the Laws of Nature upon the universe, in submission to which things that comprise the universe follow the path of peace, there remains just one exception to this rule—that of man. God has endowed man with free will to make moral choices. He may or may not choose to follow the path of peace uniformly followed by the rest of the universe. If human beings, with their freedom of choice, are to be kept on the path of peace, society must be free of corrupting elements. That is why the Quran instructs human beings thus: “Do not corrupt the land after it has been set in order.” (7:85)
The system of nature devised by God already rests on peace; if this system is not disrupted, it will continue in the course set for it by the Almighty. However, peace cannot be artificially imposed upon man. This is something that man must adopt or practice through his own choice, using his God-given free will.
In order to preserve peace from disruption, two important injunctions have been laid down in Islam. One, at the individual level, stresses the exercise of patience. Moreover, the other, at the social level, forbids going on the offensive.
The biggest factor responsible for disrupting peace in daily living is a negative reaction on the part of individuals. It repeatedly happens in social life that one experiences bitterness on account of others. On such occasions, expressing resentment could cause matters to escalate to the point of a head-on collision. Perhaps that is why the Quran enjoins us to tread the path of patience, saying: “Surely the patient will be paid their wages in full without measure.” (39:10). Perhaps the reason for the reward for patience being so great is that it is a key factor in maintaining the desired system of God.
The other injunction designed to maintain peace in human society forbids the waging of offensive war. According to Islam, no one has the right to wage war against another. There are no grounds on which such a war could be considered justifiable. Only one kind of war is permitted in Islam: defensive war. According to Islamic teachings, only if one country, by deviating from the principles of nature, wages war against another, only then that country may wage a defensive war under attack. However, this must be temporary and subject to humanitarian considerations.
Peace is thus a basic teaching of all religions. Therefore, interfaith efforts should strive to establish peace in the world, which is the bedrock on which all human progress rests.
