No religion teaches hate

The word Islam has been derived from the term “Silm” meaning Peace. The name conveys the universal message of Islam to bring peace and tranquillity to the world. Islam never teaches terrorism and violence in any form whatsoever. This is evident from the greetings that Islam has prescribed for its followers, “Assalam Alaikum or Peace be upon you”. Islam’s message of total peace is not limited only to its followers rather it extends beyond race, religion, caste, creed or state.

In Quran, the God says, “Whoever kills a person unless it is for murder or for spreading corruption on the earth will be as he killed the whole mankind and whoever saves a single soul will be as if he had saved the lives of all mankind” (5:32).  The important point to note is that the above verse does not mention Muslims as the reference rather it generalizes it to the whole humankind. Some Islamophobes in the western world try to falsely attach the religion of peace with the worst atrocities committed by the extremists, but they have no legs to stand because extremists do not represent the majority of Muslims and the real vision of Quran and Islam.

The actual message of Islam is enshrined in the teachings laid down by Quran and the Prophet himself. The patience and forbearance of the Muslims during the Meccan period is one example of the teachings that Prophet had given them. The idol worshippers of Mecca used to treat Muslims very harshly due to their faith in Islam. Hazrat Bilal was to be forced to sleep on the sand in that scorching heat but still instead of retaliating he would ask help from Almighty, God.

There is a famous story of our Prophet (s.a.w) while he was in Mecca, an old lady used to throw garbage on the Prophet (s.a.w) when he would go to Mosque then one day she did not repeat her action. The Prophet (s.a.w) visited her and enquired about her health when she came to know that the same person upon whom she would throw garbage had come to inquire about my health, she at once embraced Islam.

Abu Lahab used to follow the prophet during the Prophet’s missionary work to the people and would tell them that he is not a prophet but a magician. The Holy Prophet even did not hurt him. This shows the level of tolerance and the urge for peace the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) and Islam teaches its followers.

When these troubles exceeded the limit, Allah ordered Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) and his followers to migrate to places outside Mecca to escape persecution at the hands of Quraysh.  The Muslims first relocated to the state of Abyssinia and then to the land of Medina. The migration to Medina proved to be a milestone in the Islamic and world history because it was the formation of a state based on the ideas of constitutionalism and pluralism. The egalitarian state of Medina consisted of Muslims, Jews and idol worshippers under a standard defense umbrella. All the people were free to practice their religions without any fear of prosecution, and no one was subjected to any harm. Even the Western historians and intelligentsia accept this state as the base for the modern constitutional state.

The Muslims in later years signed the famous Hudaibiya peace treaty with the idol worshippers of Mecca through the conditions of the agreement were severely against the followers of Islam. Even Quraysh in this treaty did not accept the prophethood of the Muhammad (s.a.w).  The signing of this agreement shows that Muslims were heavily inclined towards the peace to prevail in the Arab world.  The conquest of Mecca further strengthened the peace-loving nature of Muslims when the Holy Prophet (s.a.w) forgave all the wrongdoings and troubles that Quraysh has created for them.

These few glimpses from the history of Islam shows the Muslims were always for peace and non-inclined to war. The Quran and the sayings of the Prophet further elaborate that desire of peace and harmony. The Quran says,” Allah is he than whom there is no god; the Sovereign, the Holy One, the source of peace, the Guardian of Faith, the Preserver of safety, the exalted in might, the Supreme”. Thus God attributes the peace with his name and says that it is he who provides protection to the creatures (both Muslim and non-Muslims).

The hadith of our Prophet defines the term Muslim by saying,” A Muslim is one from whose tongue and hands others are safe” (Sunan Nisai). As far as the extremism is concerned, Islam is pretty clear on that too.  The Quran says,” We have made your community of the middle way” (2:143). Similarly, the Holy Prophet (s.a.w) criticises extremism by saying,” Never be extreme regarding religion, many nations have been destroyed before you only because of extremism”.

In the light of above Quranic verses and sayings of the Prophet (s.a.w) it is clear that terrorism and extremism have no place in Islam, but then the main question is that why terrorism and extremism are related to the Muslims. There may be some western propaganda to associate Islam with terrorism but we cannot deny the domestic problems we are facing from the Islamic extremism. The rise of terrorist organizations and their heinous crimes on the world stage destroy our logic that no Muslim is involved in terrorism. But does this mean that we accept that Islam or Muslims teach extremism and terrorism? The obvious is “no”. In Islam, there is no room for terrorism or killing the mankind in the light of verses as mentioned above.

The terrorists take Quranic verses in isolation without any context or historical background and apply these verses in an entirely different situation. The Quran says, “Fight in the way of Allah against those who fight you, but don’t go beyond limits”. The extremists will usually tell people about the first portion of the verse but will not go for the second portion or context of the portion. Similarly, Quran says,” But if they cease, Allah is ever-forgiving and merciful”. Thus this verse settles the matter that fights them when they fight you, but it is not allowed to fight them when they extend a hand of peace unto you.

The solution to the rise of extremism is that a central Islamic authority should be established by religious scholars of all sects with equal representation, they should be given the power to issue the fatwa (religious verdict) instead of every scholar issuing fatwa individually.  Muslim countries should launch their voice against the brutal oppression of Israeli and Indian troops in Palestine and Kashmir respectively.  OIC countries should also come onto the table to solve the issues taking sectarian nature in Syria, Iraq, and Yemen, etc.

The Islamic body should appoint scholars to convey to the people the real image of Islam. Apart from these steps,  opportunities to pursue education, jobs and other healthy activities should be provided to the Muslim youth to secure their mind from muddling in these illusionary tales. We, as individuals, must also keep an eye on the spread of extremism and should guide people to their true message of Islam; love and peace.

The Western media propaganda and the rise of Islamic extremism across the globe have tarnished the peaceful image of Islam, but in reality, Islam has nothing to do with the terrorism and extremism. The verses of Quran, the sayings of our Prophet and Islamic history tell us that Islam was and is a religion of peace. The spreading of true teachings of Islam and interfaith dialogue with followers of other faiths will be helpful in portraying the real pluralistic and peaceful image of Islam.