The root of the word Islam, silm, refers to “making
peace, being in a mutually peaceful environment, greetings, rescue,
safety, being secure, finding peace, reaching salvation and well-being
or being far from danger, attaining goodness, comfort and favor, keeping
away from troubles and disasters, submitting the self and obeying,
respect, being far from wrong.” “Submitting the self and obeying” here
means “submitting to justice and righteousness in order to reach peace
and safety and being in a peaceful environment by one’s free will.” In
fact, salam and salamat, mean “to reach salvation,” aslama
means “submitted, became Muslim, and made peace.” “Islam” as either a
noun or a verb with these meanings is mentioned in many verses in the
Qur’an.1
From this perspective, Islam is “submission to God, accepting His
authority as well as obeying His orders”; “one’s total submission to God
and serving only Him”; “accepting the message of Prophet Muhammad
(peace be upon him) and abiding by it.” (At-Tirmidhi)
In this sense, a Muslim is one who is under the peaceful and safe
shade of Islam. God wants a Muslim to live in a safe and peaceful
environment and to make efforts for the spread and continuity of peace.
Since Islam means living in a peaceful environment that emerges as a
result of submission to God, the Qur’an asks that all humanity should
embrace silm, that is, peace, and reminds us to avoid following Satan. As stated in the following verse:
O you who
believe! Come in full submission to God, all of you, (without allowing
any discord among you due to worldly reasons), and do not follow in the
footsteps of Satan, for indeed he is a manifest enemy to you (seeking to
seduce you to rebel against God, with glittering promises) (Al-Baqarah 2:208)
Satan is the enemy of peace. This verse is followed by a reminder of
God’s irresistible might if believers “stumble and fall back” from
following God’s way to realize peace and agreement.
Purpose of Islam
In order to be able to portray a fair image of Islam, we have to
consider its divinely inspired purposes, which yield, as a result, a
just worldly order. By applying preventive measures to ensure security
of wealth, life, mind, religion, and reproduction, Islam aims to build a
society in peace, serenity, friendship, collaboration, altruism,
justice, and virtue.
According to the Qur’an, all Muslims are brothers and sisters to each
other and if a disagreement appears among them they make peace and
correct it (Al-Hujurat 49:10). They help each other to avoid what God
forbids and to observe their religious awareness at every stage in their
life (Al-Ma’idah 5:2); they carry out important tasks after shura,
that is, consultation (Aal `Imran 3:159; 42:38); and they always
witness truthfully and are just even if it is against their close
relatives (An-Nisaa’ 4:135).
Again, as mentioned in the Qur’an, a true Muslim follows the straight
path. That means that he or she is faithful, honest, just, and calm,
and lives to perfectly observe his or her religion and in guidance of
reason.2 Pursuing the straight path can be understood as being
absolutely truthful and honest in all circumstances, as well as
embracing a moderate way of life that encourages good relations with
everyone.
Living on the straight path is the most significant desire for any Muslim. Upon the revelation of the following verse:
Pursue,
then, what is exactly right (in every matter of the Religion), as you
are commanded (by God), and those who, along with you, have turned (to
God with faith, repenting their former ways, let them do likewise); and
do not rebel against the bounds of the Straight Path (O believers)! He
indeed sees well all that you do. (Hud 11:112)
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said, “The Chapter of Hud has
made me older.” (At-Tirmidhi) In this sense, the Companions commented on
this verse, “There was no verse revealed to Prophet Muhammad that is
more powerful than this.” Such a verse that so powerfully enjoins “what
is right” should have the power to eradicate all kinds of violence and
oppression, which are obviously not the right path to follow in social
relations.
Mercy and Forgiveness
Divine compassion and Prophetic mercy assign special importance to
forgiveness and tolerance. As God, the Most Gracious, is merciful to all
people, His Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is merciful and
compassionate to all believers (At-Tawbah 9:128). God’s clear order to
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is to embrace forgiveness. The
verse adopts the way of forbearance and tolerance, and enjoins what is
good and right, and withdrawing from the ignorant ones. (Al-A`raf 7:199)
indicates this.
By the blessing of God, the Prophet succeeded in establishing unity
among people by acting with compassion and mercy. If he had treated the
people around him severely and rudely, they would have left him and
their unity would have collapsed (Aal `Imran 3:159).
Since God and the Messenger of God are merciful and compassionate to
believers, those who take the divinely prescribed ethics and the
prophetic character as their example should obviously treat one another
with mercy and compassion. Therefore, those who have received Prophet
Muhammad’s message can never be severe, arrogant, antagonistic, or
hostile.
Furthermore, God Almighty advises His Messenger to be forgiving and
to consult people by asking for their ideas (Aal `Imran 3:159; Ash-Shura
42:38) since exchanging ideas increases feelings of unity and
cooperation while reducing tension among people. As a result, a desire
for change that transforms hatred into peace and serenity appears in
society.
According to the Messenger of God, people are equal before God as the
teeth of a comb are equal. Characteristics like language, ancestry,
race, wealth, and poverty are not signs of superiority. In the
thirteenth verse of the Chapter of Al-Hujurat, the creation of humankind
from a female and a male, the division of humanity into ethnic groups
or nations and tribes in order to know one another, and the importance
of fearing God in order to become valued in God’s view are pointed out.
The verse approves having an identity and being known by an identity;
nonetheless, it rejects the abuse of affiliation (to different gender,
social or ethnic groups) as a means of superiority. Thus, it assesses a
person’s honor and value in terms of universal values that he or she
gains through his or her own will and effort, and not in terms of gender
or ethnic ties, which are not obtained
A Muslim is one who is under the peaceful and safe shade of Islam
through free will.3
In Islam, the individual is considered as a person that gains value
within the society, as someone who is responsible to the community in a
social context.
According to Islam, the life of a human being is a trust from God,
irrespective of his or her ancestry, color, or language, and hence
should be protected meticulously.
The main idea in Islam is to praise God, the Almighty (Al-Fatihah
1:1; Al-An`am 6:45), and to show compassion to creation. Humankind is
the best of all creations (Al-Israa’ 17:70) and is created of the best
stature (At-Tin 95:4). So, every human deserves respect by nature;
approaching them with lenience, tolerance, and humility is certainly
virtuous. Hence, staying away from hatred and having a tolerant attitude
are essential for humanity.
God, the Almighty, commands the Messenger of God (peace be upon him)
in particular and all Muslims in general to be forgiving (Ash-Shura
42:37; Aal `Imran 3:134). Thus, God loves good attitudes such as
spending and serving for the sake of humankind at all times under all
circumstances, forgiving people, and avoiding doing something wrong when
we become angry.
Even if one has the right to retaliate in response to an evil action,
forgiveness is more appropriate for those who are more pious. The
Qur’an enlightens all humanity on this issue: The recompense of an evil
deed can only be an evil equal to it; but whoever pardons and makes
reconciliation, his reward is due from God. Surely, He does not love the
wrongdoers (Ash-Shura 42:40; see also Ash-Shura 42:43).
Besides, each of us lives on the path that God has ordained for him
or her. For this reason, it is important to emphasize serving rather
than fighting. God says:
Strive then together as if competing in good works (Al-Ma’idah 5:48)
He also says:
Everyone
acts according to his own character (made up of his creed, worldview and
disposition), and your Lord knows best who is guided in his way. (Al-Israa’ 17:84)
Therefore, individuals should not dispute and fight over their
different ideas to satisfy their ambitions and self-interests. Rather,
on the contrary, they should compete to show good character and to serve
in the best way; they should support each other not in wrongdoing, but
in doing good.
Trustworthiness
An important dimension of being a Muslim is trustworthiness. Every
Prophet is introduced in the Qur’an with the attribute of
trustworthiness.4 First and foremost, Prophet Muhammad, the most
trustworthy of the heavens and earth and all the prophets preceding him
made efforts to promote trustworthiness in their societies.
In a place where trust does not exist, love, respect and solidarity
are also absent. The lack of trust destroys family, as well as social,
cultural, and economic life. For this reason, Prophet Muhammad (peace be
upon him) states that trustworthiness and treachery cannot exist
together (Musnad) and asserts, “One, who betrays, harms, or deceives a
Muslim, is not of us.” (Muslim) He describes the ideal Muslim as thus:
“A Muslim is one from whose hand and tongue people are safe. A believer
is one from whom people know that their wealth and lives are safe.”
(Al-Bukhari)
In one hadith, the Messenger of God describes those who are
good and those who are bad: “The good amongst you is the one from whom
good things are expected and by whom people are sure that they will not
be harmed. The bad amongst you is the one from whom good things are not
expected and from whose evil people do not feel safe.” (At-Tirmidhi)
From this, it can be understood that a believer is one who is
trustworthy, and therefore, no one would fear any danger from him or her
under any circumstances.
In Islam, good morals, love and respect for God and Prophet Muhammad
(peace be upon him) are expected from believers. Appropriate love, mercy
and compassion are to be shown, not only to people but also to every
creature in nature since, according to Islam’s core understanding, every
creation is a blessing from God and the protection of a blessing is the
most fitting behavior for a human being.
Social Peace
In Islam, the right to life is an absolute value. In the Qur’an, God says:
He who kills
a soul unless it be (in legal punishment) for murder or for causing
disorder and corruption on the earth will be as if he had killed all
humankind; and he who saves a life will be as if he had saved the lives
of all humankind (Al-Ma’idah 5:32).
When the Messenger of God (peace be upon him) explained Islam’s
potential to contribute to safety and peace in society, he specified one
goal in his time as the following: “A rider will travel from Sana’a (a
city in Yemen) to Hadhramaut (a region in the southwest of the Arabian peninsula) fearing none but God, or a wolf as regards his sheep.” (Al-Bukhari)
If we consider the troubles due to the extreme violence Muslims were exposed to both in the Medinan and Meccan
periods, we can understand how meaningful this message expressed by the
Prophet was. It does not include any desire for revenge against any
person or any group; instead, it only expresses an ardent desire for a
violence-free world for all.
The Prophet commanded us to maintain social solidarity and
cooperation, to open our hearts to our fellows, and to help one another
at all times. He said, “Do not cut relations among one another! Do not
turn your backs on one other! Do not grow hatred among one another! O
God’s servants! Become brothers and sisters!” (Muslim)
Peace, Reform, and Virtuous Deeds
The Arabic terms islah (reform) and sulh (peace)
are from the same root. Islah means one’s reach of peace and serenity
while leaving conflicts and deviations; in other words, it refers to
leaving confusion by settling a dispute between two people or two sides.
Good deeds are actions that are beneficial for people and society, as
well as actions that are taken to establish peace and serenity. This
concept not only includes offering worship and spending in a good cause
but also smiling, behaving warmly to others, establishing friendships,
pleasing people by kind words, exchanging greetings, having warm
conversation, and controlling bad feelings such as pride, arrogance,
anger, envy, animosity, hypocrisy, rancor, and burning ambition. Thus,
essentially, virtuous deeds are acts that purify humankind of aggression
and bring them to peace.
In the Qur’an, it is recommended to cease disagreements by peace and
not to commence further disputes, fights, confusion, and discord; in
addition, people are asked to take a balanced approach and seek justice
(Al-Anfal 8:1; Al-Hujurat 49:9–10). It is forbidden to spoil peace and
tranquility by corruption; there are penalties for those who do.5 It is
possible to apply the following verse:
Peace is better (An-Nisaa’ 4:128)
It was specifically revealed to eradicate disagreements among
couples, to all kinds of human relations. Islam recommends a united and
mutually helpful society, and this vision does not only refer to the
level of nation, but includes international relations, too. In this
sense, from an Islamic perspective, international law should take the
establishment of peace as a foundation.
Conclusion
The Qur’an emphasizes peace and reconciliation as basic to all social
and even international relations. As mentioned in the Qur’an, Paradise,
which is the reward for the pious, is a place of serenity. One of the
ninety-nine names of God is Salam, which means peace.
Throughout history, Muslims have made every effort to establish peace
and serenity everywhere in all divergent fields, only taking military
measures when their enemies tried to hinder these efforts for humankind.
Over the course of history, the general approach of Muslims has been
supportive of maintaining peace, spreading an environment of serenity
and trust, and constructing a civilization of love, compassion, and
mercy to share with other people in peace.
Footnotes
1. See Mustafa Sinanoglu, “Islâm-Giris”, XXIII, 1-2; Hamdi Döndüren, “Islâm”, III, 179-191.
2. See Qur’an: 1:6-7; 11:112.
3. Karamani Hayrettin, et al. (edited by). Kur’an Yolu, Türkçe Meal ve
Tefsir, Ankara: Diyanet Isleri Baskanligi Yayinlari, 2006, V, 97–98.
4. See Qur’an: 7:68; 26:107, 125, 143, 178; 44:18.
5. See Al Baqarah, 2:27, 205; Al Ma’idah 5:32-33; Al A’raf, 7:56, 85; Ar-Ra’d 13:25; Ash-Shu’ara’ 26:183
_______________________ Source:peaceandislam.com.
** Professor Huseyin Algul is a Faculty member, specializing in
Islamic History, in the Department of Theology at Uludag University,
Bursa, Turkey.
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