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

IN 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 non- interference. 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.

This, unfortunately, is a principle which is not sufficiently adhered to. When America gained independence, people took to the streets to celebrate the occasion. A person went out to celebrate his country’s freedom from foreign domination in his own particular way. He strutted exuberantly down the street, swinging his arms in a carefree manner and totally ignoring all other pedestrians. Eventually, he hit a passer-by on the nose.

The passer-by was enraged and said: “What is this foolhardiness? What makes you walk in this frivolous manner, swinging your hands about in this way?” “America is free,” the man replied, “I’m free to do what I want and walk as I wish.” “Well,” replied the passer-by, “your freedom ends where my nose begins.”

The response of the passer-by was, in fact, the voice of man’s true nature, reasserting universal norms and calling out for an end to man’s deviation from them. The law of nature is such that the universe has functioned impeccably for billions of years, no star or planet ever having left its orbit to enter that of another. It is man’s instinctive wish that he should be guided by such a law. The remonstrance of the American passer-by was simply an expression of this desire.

In a universe which has been forcibly subjugated to the will of God, man is privileged to have a will of his own. While the entire universe conforms to God’s will, each part functioning in exemplary harmony with all other parts, man misuses his freedom, straying from the path that God has laid down for him. The problems which he encounters in life are part of the price which he has to pay for his God-given freedom. All his trials and tribulations are ultimately traceable to his own wilful deviations.

Principle of Avoidance

One of Islam’s most important principles is that of avoidance, that is, keeping oneself aloof from avoidable confrontations. A good analogy is our obedience to the traffic control system, which prevents accidents by ruling that vehicles must keep to their own side of the road, never speed head-on towards each other, nor suddenly cross the path of another. Even far off the ground, collisions could occur if the principle of avoidance were not invoked. Imagine two jet-airliners approaching each other at an altitude of 30,000 feet. Unless one of them received instructions to fly at, say, 35,000 feet, disaster would be inevitable.

The safety rules which apply to traffic embody the very principle which, if implemented, would relieve our everyday existence of so many unnecessary clashes. Before this can happen, this principle should have to be universally recognized and adopted.

There is no gainsaying the fact that our present world is one of competition, with everyone relentlessly pursuing his own ends. This being so, the only safe onward journey will be one in which people steer clear of one another whenever a clash of interests seems imminent. It is not in our hands to put an end to all such rivalry with its inevitable confrontations, for that is all part of the divine scheme of things. The sole remedy human beings themselves can offer is the scrupulous avoidance of path which is directly confrontational. That is the only way in which disaster may be averted.

In the life of the Prophet, we find a number of salutary examples, such as the decision he made when he learned that the great warrior Khalid was advancing upon him with his army (AD 629). A pitched battle seemed inevitable, but the Prophet, who was at that point approaching Hudaibiyah on his way to

Makkah from Madinah, promptly took his men by a different route, choosing an unfamiliar path well away from the main thoroughfare along which Khalid and his troops were advancing. By this simple stratagem, he avoided what would certainly have been a disastrous confrontation. We would do well, in the highly competitive world of today, to follow the Prophet’s example, in order to secure a safe and peaceful existence for all humankind.

Converting Negative into Positive

In a verse of the Quran (42: 37), true believers are stated to be willing to forgive when they are angered, or, to put it in another way, they convert their anger into forgiveness. This is an important part of the teachings of Islam, and it has been described in the Quran in different ways. For instance, at one place, it is stated that ‘good and evil are not equal’. (41: 34)

If we reflect upon the whole complex system according to which our world functions, we come to the conclusion that it is essentially one of conversion. Through the conversion of matter, energy is created. Through the conversion of the soil’s nutrients, trees are grown. The cow eats grass, and the grass is converted by it into milk. Indeed, all kinds of progress depend upon this principle of conversion in the universe.

Man, likewise is subject to these very processes. The lives of individuals as well as the cohesion of society are dependent upon this universal principle. In the case of true believers, the conversion is of anger into forgiveness. This is achieved by extinguishing the fire of revenge within. Their hatred is then converted into love. In short, on all occasions when one reacts negatively to the misdeeds of one’s fellow human beings, one must make every endeavour to take this negative reaction and convert it into positive action.

This principle was exemplified in many ways throughout the life of the Prophet of Islam. For instance, he had good reason to regard the Makkans as objects of his vengeance, for they stubbornly opposed his message, forced him to leave his native city and subsequently had skirmishes with the Muslims without there having been any provocation on the part of himself or his Companions. But when Makkah was conquered, he did not treat them as war criminals which was, in effect, what they were, but, instead, forgave them unconditionally and unilaterally. The Prophet did not wreak his revenge on a single one of them.

Non-Aggression

Another important Islamic principle calculated to guarantee a peaceful society is that of refraining from all offensive action. In Islam, war is to be waged only as a matter of defence, and that, too, when it is quite unavoidable. The Quran permits to fight only against attackers, so that we have no right to wage war against anyone who is not on the offensive.

The Prophet of Islam himself engaged directly in warfare on only three occasions, at Badr, Uhud and Hunain. In each case, he was forced into fighting. The Battle of Badr took place when the Makkan army advanced upon Madinah with the avowed intention of slaying the Prophet and his Companions. Only then did the Prophet ready himself and his Companions for defensive action. The battle of Uhud, which takes its name from a mountain on the periphery of Madinah, was fought between the Makkans and the Muslims of Madinah. The fact that the fighting took place on the borders of Madinah, which is a 300-mile march from Makkah, is a clear indication of the defensive nature of the engagement as far as the Madinans were concerned. For the Prophet, there was no way out but to defend himself.