Islam and Peace

What is Jihad in Islam?

Some people portray the picture of Islam as a religion of violence by using the word Jihad. They say that Jihad in Islam is a holy war. But there is not concept of holy war in Islam. Jihad has nothing to do with war or violence; it actually means a struggle, a peaceful struggle. ‘And make Jihad on them, with the help of the Quran’ (25:52), says the Quran. Nowhere does it say, ‘with the help of the sword’.

Clearly, Jihad is an act to be performed by the power of ideology rather than the power of the sword; it is only another name for peaceful activism along Islamic lines.

What is the literal meaning of Jihad?

Jihad literally means to strive or struggle one’s utmost. Any sincere effort for the cause of religion will be called Jihad. Man’s self leads him to evil. So waging war with the self is jihad. Sometimes friends or acquaintances pressurize you into engaging in activities, which are not right from the moral standpoint. At that time, refusing to yield such pressure and sticking firmly to an upright attitude are forms of jihad.

The Arabs, after Prophet's death, conquered a large part of the world. What was the motivation behind this?

Political expansion and religious expansion are two different things. There is no proof that sword was used to spread Islam. However, there existed dynasties which in order to fulfill their political ambitions conquered newer lands but there is no proof that people were made to accept Islam per force. Swami Vivekananda wrote in his book, “Letters of Vivekananda,” “It is nonsense to say that Hindus were converted to Islam by force.” Similarly Egypt was a large country to enter within the fold of Islam. Sir Arthur Keith, while studying

What is peaceful protest?

Islam does not have the concept of protesting – neither peaceful nor violent. In both situations, protest is unislamic. The proof of this is that Kaaba, the most sacred mosque, housed over three hundred idols when Prophet was in Mecca but he never protested.

People give more importance to a political empire in comparison to an ideological empire. Why is this so?

This is a result of deficient thinking. Political empire is a ‘political headache’. The rulers of empires remain enmeshed in problems and as a result their thinking does not develop. The Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh (biggest state of India), Mr. Akhilesh Yadav was asked what is it that he misses after becoming the Chief Minister. He said, ‘Freedom”. If freedom is lost upon being the Chief Minister, such a title is of no use. Therefore, you should not run after political empire and instead undertake opportunities for unobstructed intellectual development.

How naïve is it to consider reconciliation as cowardice?

It is unislamic to consider reconciliation as cowardice. If we opine so, what will we think about Prophet Muhammad? There is no other instance in history where reconciliation was done by unilaterally accepting the terms of the opposing party. This is an extreme example of reconciliation. Mr. Sajid Anwar told of an instance where the distribution of the Quran to non-Muslims was being discussed. An attendee interrupted the discussion and raised the question that if a non-Muslim disrespects the Quran and throws away the copy, who would be liable for punishment?

Is Islam a religion of violence?

Contrary to world belief, Islam in reality is a religion of peace. It is a religion of peace in the fullest sense of the word.

Does Islam permit suicide bombings?

Contrary to common belief in the world that Islam sanctions suicide bombings, in actual fact, Islam holds suicide bombings to be totally Unislamic.

Why is Islam Considered a Religion of Violence?

Let us try to understand why Islam is considered a religion of violence.

Today is the age of media. Before the advent of the modern media there were a large number of people in the world who knew nothing of Islam. With the invention of the printing press and the advent of the electronic media it is difficult to find even a single person, today, who is unaware of it.

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