Manifesting Victory and War and Peace in Islam

War and peace in Islam

With the help of all these revelations of chapter 48 of the Holy Book and the authentic interpretations you can easily draw the result that the real victory in Islam and the Holy Quran is Peace and not War. Many battles were fought and won by Muslims but none of them were given the name of victory. Only the battle of Khyber was considered to be near victory in which only 93 Jews were killed. So there was no way to divert this divine message and to say that the term Fatah al-Mobin, open victory, encourages battles with the Jews of Khyber that happened just one month after the peace pact of Hodaibiyah; or it refers to the conquest of Mecca that happened in 8 Hijra, after two years for there is nothing to support these assumptions.

You can also draw this result that the real Islam never allowed its followers to defeat their enemies with might and power, nor does it give them the authority to capture their land and make them slaves. Islam was spread with high spirituality in its message, reality and attraction in its teachings. If, in Islamic rule an infidel gave the testimony in the oneness of God and the Prophethood of Prophet Mohammed (SAWW) during the war, his life would be safe. It did not mean compulsion but it was a subsequent way to save his life as he was compelled to die as a prisoner of war.

Omar was not ready to accept these realities. He raised very strong objections against the peace pact of Hodaibiyah, showed his suspicion and doubts about the Holy Prophet (SAWW) and his promises and termed the peace Pact of Hodaibiyah as a defeat. Thus, you can easily understand the nature of advances the Muslims made during his caliphate as his views about humiliation and defeat were infact a shining victory in the eyes of Allah and His Prophet (PBUH). This bright victory was spreading its message like the sun beneath the mountains of Hodaibiyah and its rays were spreading peace from the Arabian Peninsula to the whole world, forever.

This message of peace should never contradict with Jihad. The reason was that unlike Christianity Islam gave the people the right to defend themselves. You can not wage a war against anyone irrespective of his religion but you can defend yourself against his invasion. The Holy Book will guide us to the right path: “And fight in the way of Allah with those who fight you and do not exceed as Allah does not like those who used to exceed.” (2: 190)

A commonly accepted rule among the followers of progeny of the Holy Prophet (SAWW) was that it is not just to initiate war against the enemy in the absence of the Holy Prophet (SAWW) or infallible Imam.

In the light of this concept we would say that if someone exceeds the limits and starts violating it or he punishes innocent people, civilians, children and women then he would be guilty in accordance with the Holy Book.  So where you like would to place suicide attacks in Islam in which innocent people fall target?  How could you justify hijacking children and women and slaughtering humans by Taliban like a herd of cattle? Forcing the people to have beard and the women to stay in their houses and lashing them on mere suspicion might be the Islam of Sufi Mohammed or American sponsored Islam but not the real Islam. Islam of the Prophet Mohammed

(PBUH) raised his voice for the education of man and woman, while the Islam of Sufi Mohammed would never allow women to acquire knowledge.

Similarly one can never justify invading other countries based on the mere suspicion that some terrorists might take shelter there. One has no right to station ones’ forces in other countries for the safety of ones’ people at the cost of billions of other lives.  If you are keen to establish law and order then find only the guilty one, put aside your fighting, forgive and forget; as did the Holy Prophet (PBUH). In the light of this preaching how would you justify an operation in which millions of people were forced to leave their houses and pass their lives in the camps as refugees while the real culprits are never executed nor arrested? The Holy Prophet (PBUH) and Muslims were forced to leave their homes, their lives were in danger and their belongings were taken by the infidels of Mecca but the Holy Prophet SAWW instead of taking revenge kept his people and his rival busy in negotiations which was finalized in the form of a peace pact in Hodaibiyah. So we should do the same, if we want to follow His way, the only way that is leading towards peace. If you can not achieve your goal by war then you can achieve it by peace.