Life and Teachings of the Prophet Muhammad
6. War and Peace in Islam
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undeclared war is permissible in Islam. War for reform, for
removing obstacles, or for putting an end to injustice, are
also not permissible in Islam.
If we have to bring about reform in any society, or we have to
remove certain obstacles, these tasks can be carried out only
through peaceful struggle. If the problem is not solved through
peaceful struggle, even then we have to remain patient and on no
pretext can we engage in armed struggle according to Islam. We
have to remain patient and work peacefully towards that end.
The Prophet of Islam has been called a Mercy to all the
nations. The word mercy is another name for peace. We can put
it differently and say that the Prophet of Islam was a Prophet of
peace. He was sent to establish peace in the world. A study of
Seerah tells us that peace was the greatest concern of the
Prophet. Most of the traditions of the Prophet are directly or
indirectly in the nature of an injunction to maintain peace.
Similarly, a study of the 30-year life of the Prophet tells us that in
all matters the Prophet always adopted methods aimed at
establishing peace.
For instance, according to one tradition, the Prophet of Islam
said: “Do not wish confrontation with your enemy, always ask for
peace from God.” (al-Bukhari) This shows that the actual object
desirable by the Prophet was peace not confrontation. For one who
is sincere in his prayers for peace, it is not possible to opt for war
instead of peace.
