Islam’s golden rules for peace

When Islam started in 610 AD, it was introduced into what was then a chaotic part of the world, where people were divided by tribal differences and loyalties and where their lives were not safe and feuds could last for decades. The wider world was at war too, even the biggest powers of the time. The Roman empire and the Sassanid empire were at loggerheads with each other, while the rest of the world either supported one or the other or were engaged in conflicts of their own.

In this, what is now all too easily recognisable, situation, Islam set out to create an atmosphere of tranquillity, peace and human brotherhood. Then, as now, it was never going to be easy to convince people to accept changes to the political spectrum, alter the way they ran their lives and reject the whole mindset of the time, so that they could be united within a sense of human belonging.

Islam emphasised to the people that ‘Allah does not love those who spread mischiefs in the land’ and that if they did so they were challenging their religious loyalty to Allah. Islam even then forbade them to initiate any act of transgression, as Allah does not love aggressors, by saying: ‘Fight in the way of Allah against those who fight against you but do not transgress, for Allah does not love transgressors’. S2 V190

Permission to defend against a transgression is granted but prohibition is made against initiating a transgression or conflict. However, those who initiate hostility are directly responsible for that transgression and then a defensive action is granted.

Why Islam is peaceful? The reason is simple: Islam forbids all hostility or any hostile actions for religious, political or social reasons!

But Islam also argues its case logically, as always, saying that a good action and a bad action cannot be seen as equal, and that only goodness must be followed.

The Quran says in the Surah 41verse 34: ‘O Prophet! Good and evil are not equal. Repel (evil) with that which is good, and you will see that he, between whom and you there was enmity, shall become as if he were a bosom friend (of yours). But none attains to this except those who are steadfast; none attains to this except those endowed with mighty good fortune’.

Obviously this is the path we must follow if we want to create a peaceful and friendly world! Not an easy task, certainly, as it requires personal sacrifices from us all. We must reject our unjust temptation to dominate others, or to put others down, or to always win the day. Human greed can never be seen as logical, based, as it is, solely on personal interest and benefit. We must also demonstrate a spiritual commitment to peace and a sense of accountability within our souls, in this world and in front of Allah the Almighty.

People are all too readily tempted to react in the most adverse manner, often as a result of a dislike for, or a disagreement with a person or for some other issue. Islam asks that people pause and think before reacting to any such situation, saying just after the above mentioned verses: ‘and if you are prompted by a provocation from Satan, seek refuge with Allah, He and He alone, is All Hearing, All-Knowing’.

Furthermore, in the most hostile of situations when the provocation is at its most severe, the Quran requires people to practice serenity and reflection. It says: ‘O Mohammad! Repel evil in the best manner. We are well aware of all that they say about you’. S23 V96

Our greatest test against the forces of evil comes when we are personally affected and the challenge then is not to respond ‘in kind’ or, even worse, to ‘teach a permanent lesson’. In Islam, the path of forgiveness and the seeking and finding of a solution, to minimise the hostility or passion created by conflict, is the best path and divinely approved.

We all struggle to avoid provocation but our greatest struggle will be to lay down the foundations of peace and peaceful human interaction.

The Prophet, peace and mercy of Allah be upon him, never allowed Muslims to use violence as the solution for any of their problems. A peaceful path was always recommended as the most powerful and positive tool in bringing people together and in creating peace in the society and in the world.

In todays world, the noble meaning of the concept of Jihad has been so badly distorted that even the most level headed Muslims are reluctant to use it any more, fearing a backlash and negative reactions. It has become synonymous with mindless violence and sheer brutality in which no rules are followed.

In their thirst for revenge, some people attempt to justify their vileness by their use of the name of Allah, and other religious slogans, which is completely unjustified, untenable and un- Islamic!. The worth of a human soul is described in this following verse and we all need to remind ourselves of this before we commit to any violent action. The Quran says: ‘he who slays a soul unless it be (in punishment) for murder or for spreading mischief on earth shall be as if he slain all mankind; and he who saves a life shall be as if he had given life to all mankind.’

There cannot be a better description of human worth than this and the reason why every soul should be regarded as sacred. That this is so was repeated and reinforced in the last sermons of the Prophet, in his last Hajj, when he told people that; ‘your soul, your property and your honour are as sacred as the sacredness of that day, that land and that month.

Conflict begets conflict but peaceful engagement bears a peaceful outcome. We must fully engage in whatever creates peace and strengthens human bonds. Only a peaceful environment is conducive for the acceptance of mutual understanding and values. A hostile world is not a good place for anyone to be and we all must cooperate to avoid it. Violence by individual Muslims has heightened the passion for revenge and for tit-for-tat reactions and any tolerance for others or their values has all but disappeared.  No good will ever come from this present situation, and we can only hope that people will understand that good and evil cannot be equal and that evil must be repelled by good.  

The Quran says: ‘As far those who strive in Our Cause, We shall surely guide them to our ways, indeed Allah is with those who do good’. S29 V69   

Terrorists strike in Manchester and London

Our hearts broke when, on three separate occasions we became aware of, the savagery of the mindless, cowardly and murderous actions of the self-styled jihadist who inflicted appalling pain and suffering on innocent people going about their normal business. In Manchester, it became more poignant, when young children and their families were targeted and brutally murdered and there were also Muslims among the casualties. It became totally unbelievable when, on the last attack, we saw three murderous and godless morons running over people with a van and then cutting their victims down when they were off guard. Until recently such appalling scenarios would have been unimaginable, as would the thought that the barbaric ideas of those who plotted and carried them out existed. I am distressed that such actions are regarded as the acts of true Muslims. I dearly wish they hadn’t happened and that all those lives had not been lost, destroyed by the actions of a few misguided individuals who had been brainwashed into thinking they were promoting whatever misguided cause they espoused.

The violence perpetrated by Islamists (those who propagate a violent scenario of an Islamic caliphate) has been damaging Islam’s humane and compassionate teachings over many years, in trickles, resulting in what we now see, pools of blood everywhere. As a consequence, few appear to recognise the immense distress being experienced by Muslims who really care about the beautiful religion of Islam. Indeed, the Muslim community appears to be in complete disarray, broken and tired and finding difficulty with engaging with their own faith.

Everyone should be made aware that Islam most certainly does not preach violence. On the contrary, Islam provides antidotes to curb violence and human urge to violence, but a minority of followers of Islam still seem to regard violence as the only solution to all their problems. The Prophet of Islam, peace and mercy of Allah be upon him, warned us about such a situation that would cause the destruction of the community, the Ummah, in a very sobering hadith, which needs to be read and reread by all Muslims and their leaders. It says:

‘Allah drew the earth for me and I saw its easts and its wests, and the rules of my ummah would reach all those parts of the earth that was drawn for me. I am also given the two treasures; red and white. And I asked my Lord not to destroy my ummah through any sweeping famine and He accepted it. Then I asked Him not to overwhelm them by setting upon them an enemy from outside and He accepted my prayer (request). Then I asked Him not to set one group of Muslims against others but He rejected that prayer. The Almighty Lord said: ‘O Mohammed! When I make a decision it is not taken back. It is my promise to them that I would not destroy them by any sweeping famine and I would not set upon them an enemy other than from within themselves who would destroy themselves, even if all the people of world come together against them. It is only them who would destroy each other and it is only them who would take prisoners of each other.

Then the Prophet said: ‘ I fear on my ummah of misleading leaders. And once a fighting starts in my ummah, it would never cease until the Day of Reckoning…..’

(This hadith is part of a longer hadith narrated in the book of al-Mustadrak `alas Sahihain).

The two important points from the hadith are: firstly, that Muslims would themselves be the tools for the destruction of their own community and secondly, once the infighting started it would never cease until the Last Day. This hadith carries a serious message to all who regard themselves as part of the ummah.

 Allah did not accept the prayer or dua from the Prophet, that the Muslim community would not engage in fighting against each other to the point of destruction, but should we accept this as our destiny? Or should we take heed of Allah’s wrath from the warning that He would let Muslims loose to destroy their own community? Allah has shown us the Right Path and told us of the Path of prosperity and His Pleasure. Why then do we continue to choose the path that mutilates Allah’s teachings, harms the Muslim community’s general interest and makes the rest of humanity our enemies?

Islam taught us, right from the beginning, how to co-exist with others. The Prophet, peace and mercy of Allah be upon him, taught us how to establish treaties and conventions with other people for a peaceful life. Islamic teachings teach how to bring peace and harmony to all. Religious politics have certainly won us no peace. We now speak only the language of violence and destruction. Our youth is being constantly misled into believing that politics is the right way to serve Allah and to restore to Islam its rightful place in the world.

Our hearts must learn the language of humility and respect. We must make ourselves aware of the consequences of our own actions. If our actions destroy other’s lives, is that what Islam teaches us? Is that really going to please Allah? We need to remind ourselves constantly what our obligations towards Allah and towards other people are.

We, it seems, have become a people full of hate and revenge. We don’t even know how to live with the differences amongst ourselves. We seem to turn every aspect of our lives into a battlefield.

The Muslim community has to wake up and accept its responsibilities and obligations. We must offer far more than just condemnation of violent and murderous acts and we need to recognise the consequences if we do not take action and exercise the self-restraint necessary to combat this violent mindset.

Islam teaches us to be compassionate even within an active battlefield environment or war zone. The turmoil in the Muslim world has all but wiped out that sense of compassion. Islam had laid down clear rules of engagement, which include that no brutality be inflicted on any fallen person. But the mindless among us follow only the commands of certain self-styled leaders and display no regard for the broader and wiser teachings of Islam. These people would inflict as much damage as they could, regardless of the fact that it violates Islamic guidance. What is happening in the Muslim lands is heart-breaking and a complete madness, but are our own people not causing that havoc with their continuing murderous acts? Can they not foresee the inevitable and dire consequences if this situation persists?

We sorely need to educate ourselves about Islamic guidance and its sublime teachings if we want to return to prosperity and success. Allah says: ‘Do not, then, lose heart or grieve, for you shall surely gain the upper hand if you are (true) believers’.  S3 V139