ISLAM, THE RELIGION OF PEACE

 

Speech presented at the conference

AMillennium World Peace and Harmony@

presented by

 

By Dr. Malik S. Khan

Secretary-General, World Council of Muslim Communities, Inc.

Email: motamar@hotmail.com or 7860786@worldnet.att.net

 

We always talk about international peace, but we do not discuss peace in an individual.  As you know, individuals form families, families form societies, and societies form nations.  Therefore, I would like to emphasize peace in an individual and how Islam gives peace to individuals, who constitute families, which constitute societies and nations.  The individuals who are frustrated or who enjoy freedom at the cost of others cause problems in the family, which result in problems in the society.  The frustrated individuals violate the social laws and commit crimes.  People follow traffic regulations to protect themselves from accidents and to avoid penalties and/or higher insurance rates, but they do not give any importance to the violations they commit which cause problems to themselves and to the society.  For example, a person uses his personal freedom and drinks and has a drinking habit or addiction.  Apparently he is using his personal freedom, but if you observe in its depth, he is enjoying his freedom at the cost of others.  He is spending money, which could be utilized for the good cause; he is damaging his health; he is causing domestic violence; developing one or more diseases associated with his drinking which lets his family suffer and ultimately causes high expenses for his treatment, paid by himself and insurance, i.e. by other human beings.

Another example is of persons who enjoy free sex, which they think is permissible in their society.  Premarital and extramarital sex causes problems in the society.  It has an impact on his family life, which creates unrest in the family, domestic violence, separation or divorce, sometimes murder, and unwanted and/or inadequately cared for children.  Those are offenders to the existing or future families and their children.  Government cannot solve all these problems.  Such kinds of problems do not exist or are rare in Muslim societies, irrespective of their economic status, because drinking is forbidden in Islam and premarital and extramarital sex is prohibited in Islam and society is organized in a way that results in less opportunity or temptation. 

We avoid and teach others to avoid the abuse of tobacco, alcohol, narcotics and other addictive substances.  We work as a team for the betterment of humanity.

Islam literally means Asubmission to a higher authority@, and its religious definition is Asubmission to God@, and those who submit their wills to the will of God as shown by the prophets are upright.  The Quran says that all prophets were upright insofar as they preached one religion, Islam, consisting of the same cardinal articles of faith.  It specifically mentions that Abraham (peace be upon him) was upright.  The Quran further states that the Prophet Muhammad, son of Abdullah of Makkah in Arabia, is the last prophet and Messenger.  As such he is the final Seal of Revelation, and there will be no other prophet, messenger, or apostle after him.  Through him Almighty God sent the final Revelation, the Quran, and final guidance, the way of life, called Shari`ah. 


In the Quran Allah orders, AO Prophet, say, we believe in Allah, and in the teachings which have been sent down to us, and also in those teachings sent down to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, and his descendants, and in the guidance that was given by Allah to Moses, Jesus and other Prophets.  We do not discriminate against any of them, and we submit and surrender to Him.@  Every prophet taught peace and harmony.  Allah furthers warns, AAnd whoever adopts any other than this way of submission, that way shall not be accepted from him, and in the Hereafter he shall be among the losers.@ (Chapter III, verses 84 & 85).

The prophesies of the Old Testament and the New Testament as well as the prophesies of the Quran and the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, reveal the information regarding the coming of Jesus, peace be upon him, before Doomsday.  He will come to the world in the event known a the Second Coming, kill the Dajjal (Antichrist), and will rule the world and establish peace on Earth.  According to the Islamic belief, he will be the Caliph of that time.  Jesus never got married, so he did not have any children.  Nobody can claim himself as the descendant of Jesus, peace be upon him.  Muhammad, the last Messenger of Allah, did not have any surviving male children.  All his male children died in infancy.  So there was no survivor to carry the genealogy of the Prophet.

The Quran, speaking about Mary, describes her in Chapter III, verse 42, AThen came the time, when the angels said to Mary, >O Mary, Allah has exalted you and purified you and chosen you for His service in preference to all the woman of the world.  O Mary, be obedient to your Lord, prostrate yourself before Him and bow down with those who bow down in worship.@  Later, in verse 45, speaking about Jesus, the Quran says, AO Mary, Allah sends you the good news of a Command of His:  his name shall be Messiah, Jesus son of Mary.  He will be highly honored in this world and in the Hereafter, and he will be among those favored by Allah.  He will speak to the people alike when in the cradle and when grown up, and he will be among the righteous.@  The Arabic word for the Hebrew AMessiah@ is AMasih@.  The reason for mentioning these authentic statements from the Quran and prophesies of the prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, is to clarify the birth of Jesus to the Virgin Mary and his Second Coming before Doomsday, and to reject all liars claiming to be Messiah, or any anti-Christ claiming himself to be God.

Coming to the main topic, Islam, the religion of peace, I would like to let you know that Islam teaches to be good beyond the family, to neighbors, whether Muslim or non-Muslim.  Even while in war or after victory, Muslims are prohibited to destroy crops, cut trees, or attack children, women, or the elderly.  They may fight only those who fight against them.  So annihilation of humanity by nuclear, biological or chemical means is forbidden.

Judaism is the skill of God, Christianity is the attitude of God, and Islam is the knowledge of God.  Life is intellectual, spiritual, emotional, and physical.  We all need guidance from our Creator to establish long-lasting peace on Earth.

We pray to the Almighty to give us courage to conduct this above struggle (Jihad) to correct the course of many who are misguided.