ISLAM AND PEACE

If the modern man is actually yearning for a practical solution to the crisis that has plagued the world, then we must agree and adhere to the teachings of religion. Religion as pointed out by learned people is one if not older than the world; it must be as old as the world we know.

Among other religions, Islam is one that means peace; stands for peace and proclaims peace. It is a religion that attempts in its bid towards weaving a social fibre of progress in the world. Yet, it is the most misunderstood religion by the “uninitiated” and even a majority who belong in it. Most people are ignorant of the virtues of Islam and its dogma, and the result sometimes very worrying.

Those who belong in the house of Islam are referred to as ‘Moslems’ it means people who have decided to submit entirely not to do their ‘will’ but the will of the most high God; peacefully.

What then is the will of God in the holy Qur’an? God Almighty tells mankind in very simple and plain words that he created man to be his representatives on earth (Holy Qur’an 2:30). If we are the representatives of God on earth, why then is the world plunged into a flood of social unrest and sedition?

It is crystal clear as anything that God is the absolute good, gracious, merciful, lovely and harmonious. Why are we not treading in the pathways of goodness, grace, mercy, love and harmony? The representatives of God must be ready at all times to do the will of God they profess to stand for. But what we rather see is quite alarming.

On a daily basis, society continues to sink deep into the mud waters of hatred, petty jealousies and envy. We trade these negative traits with abusive and offensive language. The end result is often chaos and anarchy, making peace and security impossibility in our societies.

‘Peace is a necessary ingredient for development to take place’ has become a maxim in the words of social commentators and development experts. However, we can only achieve peace and security if we can actually find a lasting solution for the evils recounted earlier.

In dispensing with negative traits such as hatred and offensive language, we must be mindful of the golden rule in Islam as taught by prophet Muhammad (SAAS); ‘You can never be considered righteous until you want for your neighbour what you want for yourself.’

This rule teaches patience. With patience you can entrust to a neighbor what you want and throw overboard what you hate to bring about peace.

It sounds ironic and absurd on our part if we hold grudges hate and envy one another and in the next moment we are found in congregations claiming to be worshiping and praying to the same God. I am not castigating religion, far from that. Rather, this is an attempt to tell all Moslems and even non-Muslims that we must hold ourselves up to a standard that religion wants us to be. Patience must be seen with us at all times.

In his compilation of wise thoughts, Dr. Ishmail Ibn Yahaya of the University for Development Studies has posed this question: “Where do you put your hatred while you pray? Or do you become a hypocrite?

If we want to be good moslems and seen by God to represent him and do his will, hatred and all other blinding emotions must be nipped in the bud.

On the other hand, patience is a virtue which must be cultivated and practiced regularly. It is one of the quickest means to peace and tranquility. Our creator tells us in the Holy Qur’an that He is with the patient and the prophet of Islam says that the remedy to every obstacle in this life is patience.

People imbibed with patience can tolerate the words of vicious persons. Some have said in the past that there will be the greatest peace on earth if on every bad mouth a padlock is hung – a very good assumption far from becoming a reality in this world. It would be very difficult to fish out the foolish ones and gag their opprobrious epithets from being uttered out to others. However, there will be absolute peace on earth if the masses of people in all societies of the world will make patience their companion in all their daily interactions. For it is only in this euphoria that we can receive God into our inner selves at all times as stated earlier, ‘God is with the patient’.

Patience and peace are bed-fellows. The practice of this noble virtue (patience) leads to peace and harmony in any social and human endeavour.

In this light, we can in reality, ‘peacefully’ submit ourselves entirely to do the ‘will’ of God and properly represent him on earth. At the end of the day, we will be guided on the straight path and not the path of those who incur the wrath of God as indicated in the opening chapter of the Holy Qur’an (Surat al Fatiha).