The True Jihad
Peace in the Quran
~ 42 ~
This division of commands into different categories
is a natural one and is found in all religious books.
For instance, the Gita, the holy book of the Hindus,
pertains to wisdom and moral values. Yet along
with this is the exhortation of Krishan to Arjun,
encouraging him to fight. (3:30) This does not mean
that believers in the Gita should wage wars all the
time. Gandhiji, after all, derived his philosophy of
non-violence from the same Gita. The exhortation to
wage war in the Gita applies only to exceptional
cases where circumstances leave no choice. But for
general day-to-day existence it gives the same
peaceful commands as derived from it by Mahatma
Gandhi.
Similarly, Jesus Christ said: “Do not think that I
came to bring peace on Earth. I did not come to
bring peace, but a sword.” (Matthew, Chapter 10)
It would not be right to conclude that the religion
preached by Christ was one of war and violence, for
such utterances relate purely to particular
occasions. So far as general life is concerned, Christ
taught peaceful values, such as the building up of a
