Islam is a religion of peace and encourages its followers to be peaceful in every situation. The Quran and the hadith emphasize the importance of peace and harmony and encourage Muslims to find peaceful solutions to all problems. Moreover, Islam inspires its believers to never initiate any kind of violence and always handle issues with a soft heart and tongue.
Even after all this evidence, doubts about Islam’s peacefulness remain in the hearts of many. Therefore, this blog will discuss all those misconceptions in detail and provide a clear understanding of the fundamental characteristics of Islam: peace.
Islam: A Beacon Of Peace
The literal meaning of the word Islam is peace and submission to Allah. Apart from telling its followers to cultivate an environment of peace and harmony continually, Islam actively inspires Muslims on how to deal with people who aren’t Muslims or the people who won’t turn to Islam even after somebody calls them to the religion. Several Quranic verses promote peace and instruct Muslims on how to foster an environment of tranquillity.
Quranic Verses On Peace
Not Forcing The Religion
There is no compulsion with regard to religion. The right direction is henceforth distinct from error. And he who rejects false deities and believes in Allah has grasped a firm handhold that will never break. Allah is the hearer and the knower.
This verse clearly states that Muslims are not allowed to force their religion upon anyone. They are encouraged to call as many people as they can towards Islam, but if those people don’t become Muslims, no one can force them to accept Islam.
Reason With Them In The Better Way
Call unto the way of thy Lord with wisdom and fair exhortation, and reason with them in the better way. Lo! thy Lord is best aware of him who strayeth from His way, and He is best aware of those who go right. [Surah Nahl, Verse 125]
The Quran also describes the best way of calling people towards Islam. It instructs Muslims to invite people with wisdom and kind advice. It also tells Muslims to debate in the best manner. For example, if somebody wants to talk about Islam, it should be done kindly and politely. Islam strictly forbids any kind of hate speech.
Adopting Peace With Other Religions
Many non-Muslims think that Islam encourages violence against people of different faiths. But that is false. Contrary to popular belief, Islam promotes peace with people of all religions.
Allah doesn’t forbid you from dealing kindly with those who haven’t fought with you on account of your religion. Neither does Allah forbid you from dealing kindly with those who didn’t drive you out of your homes. You should show them kindness and deal with them justly. Lo! Allah loves those who are just dealers. [Surah Mumtahina, Verse 08]
Although, when Muslims are attacked first, it is their right to defend themselves, and therefore they are allowed to engage in fighting to protect their honor and their community.
Fight in the way of Allah against those who fight against you, but do not initiate any kind of hostilities. Lo! Allah loves those who are not aggressive. [Surah Baqarah, Verse 190]
Beloved To Allah: The Peaceful
Allah hath been kind to thee, and seek not corruption in the earth; lo! Allah loveth not corrupters. [Surah Qasas, Verse 77]
This verse clearly states that Allah does not like those who cause corruption, mischief, and violence on earth and encourages Muslims to remain peaceful in all situations.
Hadiths On Peace
Leniant In All Matters
A group of Jews asked permission to visit the Prophet PBUH, and when they were admitted, they said, ‘As- Samu ‘Alaika (Death be upon you).’ Aisha RA understood it and replied, Wa-Alaikum As-Samu wal-la’n. (death and the curse of Allah be upon you). Hearing this, the Prophet PBUH said to Aisha RA that, O Aisha, Allah is kind and lenient and like that, a person would be kind and lenient in all matters. Aisha RA asked the Prophet PBUH if he didn’t hear what the Jews said, so the Prophet PBUH replied that he said to the Jews, ‘Wa ‘Alaikum (and upon you).’ [Sahih al-Bukhari 6927]
Even when the Jews said ‘death be upon you’ to the Prophet PBUH, he still didn’t fight with them, nor did he commit any hate speech and instead responded with complete calm.
Reconciling Matters
The Prophet (PBUH) asked if he could share something even greater than fasting, prayer, and charity. When the people expressed their eagerness to hear it, he replied that it was reconciling differences between people. He warned that causing discord is like a razor (destructive). [Sunan Abi Dawud 4919]
Numerous hadiths emphasize the importance of reconciling matters and clearing things out immediately. This hadith is another example of that. Not only does the Prophet PBUH instruct the people to solve problems between other people, but he also states that one should never initiate any kind of disagreement. This weakens the faith and brings one further from Allah SWT.
Positivity and Kindness
“Anyone who believes in the Last Day should treat their neighbour kindly. Those who have faith in Allah and the Last Day ought to show respect to their guests. Furthermore, if you believe in Allah and the Last Day, you should speak positively or stay silent.” [Sunan Ibn Majah 3672]
It doesn’t matter who the neighbor or the guest is. Muslims are instructed to behave with the utmost kindness and politeness. Similarly, Islam tells us that if one has something negative to say, then he should adopt silence instead.
Peace In Every Day Life
The Greetings Of The Muslims
There are many things in the Muslim community that serve as evidence of their peace-loving nature, but nothing is more beautiful than their greetings. When Muslims meet each other, they say ‘Assalamu Alaikum,’ which translates into ‘peace be unto you,’ in response, Muslims say “Wa-Alaikum-Salaam,” which translates to ‘and unto you, peace.’ When even their greeting is filled with such beautiful words, how can somebody say that Islam promotes violence?
Smile: A Sunnah
“I have not encountered anyone who smiled as much as the Messenger of Allah (PBUH).” [Jami` at-Tirmidhi 3641]
The Prophet PBUH, the living embodiment of Islam, used to smile and encouraged others to smile too. This cultivated an environment of ease and peace within the community and put people’s worries about the Muslims being rude to ease. Therefore, smiling became a sunnah of the Prophet PBUH which is still followed today.
Giving Gifts
“Abu Hurayra reported that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said, “Share gifts, and you will cultivate love among each other.” [Al-Adab Al-Mufrad 594]
The Prophet PBUH would give gifts to the people and also encouraged his people to do the same. Gift-giving is the most effective way to establish healthy and affectionate relationships with close ones, and the Prophet PBUH made sure that the Muslims knew about it.
“Aisha narrated that the Messenger of Allah (\PBUH) would accept gifts and would also give something in return.” [Sahih al-Bukhari 2585]