Islam and Peace
The Spirit of Islam
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the highest form of worship in Islam. At the close of
each prayer all worshippers have to turn their faces
to either side and utter the words
Assalamu-’Alaikum
wa rahmatullah
(May peace and God’s blessing be
upon you). This is like a pledge given to people: ‘O
people you are safe from me. Your life, your
property, your honour is secure with me.’
This sums up the spirit of true religion, the goal of
which is spiritual uplift. It is the ultimate state of
this spiritual uplift which is referred to in the
Qur’an as the “soul at rest” (87:27).
Thus a true and perfect man, from the religious
point of view, is one who has reached that level of
spiritual development where nothing but peace
prevails. When a person has attained that peaceful
state, others will receive from him nothing but
peace. He may be likened to a flower which can
send out only its fragrance to man, it being
impossible for it to emit a foul smell.
An incident relating to a saint very aptly illustrates
the spirit of religion. The story goes that once a
Muslim Sufi was travelling along with his disciples.
