ISLAM AS A RELIGION OF PEACE

 

May the peace and infinite mercy of Allah be upon the readers of this article. This article was written with the aim of reaching out to muslims and non-muslims to address the issue of Jihad and also to state evidently that Islam abhors violence and terrorism.

People around the world who gain knowledge about Islam only through the media would have the impression that Islam supports violence and/or terrorism, but this impression is based on a misunderstanding. Anyone who reads the Quran for himself will easily appreciate that its message and teachings have nothing to do with violence.

It is true that Jihad is one of the teachings of the Quran; but jihad, taken in its correct sense, signifies a peaceful struggle. The Quranic concept of jihad is expressed in the verse which states thus: ‘So do not obey those who deny the truth, but strive with utmost strenuousness (jihad) by means of this (Quran)’ Quran 25:52. Obviously, the Quran is a book which introduces mankind to the ideology of peaceful struggle. The method to be used for the jihad stated in the Quran 25:52 was clearly mentioned in Quran 4:63 which reads: ‘But God knows all that is in their hearts; so ignore what they say, admonish them and speak to them in such terms as will address their minds.'

Hence, the mission of the Quran is to convince others by means of rational arguments and not by means of violence.
Undeniably, there are certain verses of the Quran which convey injunctions similar to ‘Slay them wherever you find those who fought against you; drive them out of the places from which they drove you, for religious persecution is worse than killing. Do not fight them at the sacred mosque unless they fight you there. If they do fight you, slay them as such is the reward for those who deny the truth’ Quran 2:191.

Referring to these verses, they were revealed to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) when he emigrated from Makkah to Madinah and the idolatrous tribes drew swords against him. The prophet approached the attacks with strategies of avoidance, however, on certain occasions where no other options existed, he exploited the strategy of defence. Thus, these commands restrictedly related to those who unilaterally attacked the muslims and are not for general application.

It is worth noting that the Quran was revealed over a time span of 23 years and not as a whole. Within the 23 years of revelation, the period of peace amounts to about 20 years while that of war (or period of darkness) amounts to about 3 years. The verses which convey injunctions as highlighted above were revealed during the three years of war. This division of commands is not peculiar to the Quran only as it is found in all religious books. For instance, the Gita, the Holy book of the Hindus encouraged fighting during the appeal of Krishna to Arjuna (Bhagavad Gita, 3:30). This does not mean that believers in the Gita should wage war all the time.

Similarly, Jesus Christ said, ‘Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword’ Matthew 10:34. However, it would be wrong to conclude that Jesus Christ preached war or violence as such utterance relates strictly to a particular situation. As far as general life is concerned, Jesus Christ taught peaceful values.
Islam is a religion of peace in the fullest sense of the word. Hence, it is no exaggeration to say that Islam and violence are contradictory to one another.





Safiriyu Sodiq Enitan is a first class graduate from the accounting department of Babcock University. A chartered accountant, he passed all his papers in one sitting to be among the youngest chartered accountants in Nigeria. 
He leans on studying the finer points of the Muslim faith and sharing those ideas with the world.

You can find him here