The True Jihad
Peace in the Quran
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easier option. These instances show us the easier
and harder options, as demonstrated by the Hadith.
The truth is that peace in Islam is the ‘rule’, while
war is the ‘exception’. This is borne out by all the
teachings of Islam and the practical life of the
Prophet of Islam.
THE EXAMPLE OF THE PROPHET
MUHAMMAD, MAY PEACE BE UPON HIM
The Prophet Muhammad, may peace be upon him,
received his first revelation in 610 in Makkah. God
ordained that he carry out the mission of
tawhid
(or
oneness of God).
The house of the Kabah, which was built as the
house of monotheism by the Prophet Ibrahim (may
peace be upon him) and his son Ismail, later on
became a centre of polytheism with 360 idols in it.
The first revelation might well have demanded the
purification of the Kabah, which would have given
rise to a serious problem. But the first revelation
made in the Quran was: Purify your vestments
(74:4). This means to purify one’s moral character.
If, in the first stage the Prophet had been