The pacifism of Islam

According to the Koran, war represents an"unwanted obligation" which
has to be absolutely carried out with strict observance ofparticular
humane and moral values and resorted only when it is inevitable.
In a verse, it is explainedthat those who start wars are the
disbelieversand that God does not approve wars:
…Each time they kindle the fire of war, Allah extinguishes it. They
rush about the earth corrupting it. Allah does not love
corrupters.(Surat al-Ma'ida: 64)
A closer examination of Prophet Muhammad's life reveals that war is a
method resorted for defensive purposes only in unavoidable situations.
The revelation of the Koran to Prophet Muhammad lasted for 23years.
During the first 13 years of this period, Muslims lived as a minority
under a pagan rule in Mecca and faced much oppression. Many Muslims
were harassed, abused, tortured, and even murdered, their houses and
possessions were plundered. Despitethis however, Muslims led their
lives without resorting to any violenceand always called pagans to
peace.
When the oppression of pagans escalated unbearably, Muslims emigrated
to the town of Yathrib, which was later to be renamed Medina, where
they could establish their own order in a more friendly and free
environment. Even establishing their own political system did not
prompt them to take up weapons against aggressive pagans of Mecca.
Only after the following revelation, theProphet commanded his people
to get prepared for war:
Permission to fight is given to those who are fought against because
they have been wronged - truly God has the power to come to their
support - those who were expelled fromtheir homes without anyright,
merely for saying, 'Our Lord is God'…(Surat al-Hajj: 39-40)
In brief, Muslims were allowed to wage war only because they were
oppressed and subjectedto violence. To put it in another way, God
granted permission for war only for defensive purposes. In other
verses, Muslims are warned against use of unnecessary provocationor
unnecessary violence:
Fight in the Way of God against those who fight you, but do not go
beyond the limits. God does not love those who go beyond the
limits.(Surat al-Baqara: 190)
After the revelations of these verses, wars occurred between Muslims
and pagan Arabs. In none of these wars, however, were theMuslims the
inciting party. Furthermore, Prophet Muhammad established a secure and
peaceful social environment for Muslimsand pagans alike by signing a
peace agreement (Hudaybiya) which conceded to the pagans most of their
requests. The party who violated the terms of theagreement and started
anew war was again the pagans. However, with rapid conversions into
Islam, the Islamic armies attained great power against the pagan Arabs
and Prophet Muhammadconquered Mecca without bloodshed and in a spirit
of tolerance. Ifhe willed, he could have taken revenge on paganleaders
in the city. Yet, he did not do harm to any one of them, forgave them
and treated them with the utmost tolerance. Pagans, who would
laterconvert to Islam by their own will, could not help admiring such
noble character of the Prophet.
The Islamic principles God proclaims in the Koran account for this
peaceful and temperate policy of Prophet Muhammad. In the Koran, God
commands believers to treat even the non-Muslims kindly and justly:
...God does not forbid you from being good to those who have not
fought you over religionor driven you from your homes, or from being
just towards them. God loves those who are just.God merely forbids you
from taking as friends those who have fought you over religion and
driven you from your homes and who supported your expulsion...(Surat
al-Mumtahana: 8-9)
The verses above specify the outlook of a Muslim on non-Muslims: A
Muslim should treat all non-Muslims kindly and avoid making friends
only with those who show enmity to Islam. In case this enmity causes
violent attacks against the existence of Muslims,that is, in case they
wage a war against them, then Muslims should respond them justly by
considering the humane dimensions of the situation. All forms
ofbarbarism, unnecessary acts of violence and unjust aggression are
forbidden by Islam. In another verse, God warns Muslims against this
and explains that rage felt for enemies should not cause them to drift
them into injustice:
You who believe! Show integrity for the sake of God, bearing witness
with justice. Do not let hatred for a people incite you into not
beingjust. Be just. That is closer to heedfulness. Heed God (alone).
God is aware of what you do.(Surat al-Ma'ida: 8)
The Meaning of the Concept of "Jihad"
Another concept that deserves clarification due to the content of this
article is the conceptof "jihad".
The exact meaning of"Jihad" is "effort". That is,in Islam, "to carry
out jihad" is "to show efforts, to struggle". Prophet Muhammad
explained that "the greatest jihad is the one a person carries out
against his lower soul". What is meant by "lowersoul" here is the
selfish desires and ambitions. A struggle given on intellectual
grounds against anti-religious, atheist views is also a form of jihad
in its complete sense.
Apart from these ideological and spiritual meanings, struggle in the
physical sense is also considered as "jihad". However, as explained
above, this has to be a struggle carried out solely for defensive
purposes. The use of the concept of "jihad" for acts of aggression
against innocent people,that is for terror, would be unjust and a
great distortion.
Compassion, Tolerance and Pacifism in Islam
To state briefly, the Islamic political doctrine is extremely peaceful
and moderate. This fact is also confirmed by many non-Muslim
historians and theologians. One of these is the British historian,
Karen Armstrong, a former nunand a renowned expert on Middle East
history. Inher book, Holy War, in which she examines the history of
the three great divine religions, she comments:
... The word Islam comes from the same Arabic root as the word peace
and the Koran condemnswar as an abnormal state of affairs opposed to
God's will: "When the enemies of the Muslims kindle a fire for war,
Allah extinguishes it. They strive to create disorder in earth, and
Allah loves not those who create disorder."(Koran 28:78). Islam
doesnot justify a total aggressive war or extermination, as the Torah
does in the first five books of the Bible. Amore realistic religion
than Christianity, Islam recognizes that war is inevitable and
sometimes a positive duty in order to and oppressions and suffering.
The Koran teaches that war must be limited and be conducted in as
humane a way of possible. Mohammed had to fight not only the Meccans
butalso the Jewish tribes in the area and Christian tribes in Syria
who planned on offensive against him in alliance with the Jews. Yet
this did not make Mohammed denounce the People of the Book. His
Muslims were forced to defend themselves but they were not fighting a
holy war against the religion of their enemies. When Mohammed sent his
freedman Zaid against the Christians at the head of a Muslim army, he
told them to fight in the cause of God bravely but humanely. They
mustnot molest priests, monks and nuns nor the weak and helpless
people who were unable to fight. There must be no massacre of
civilians nor should they cut down a single tree nor pull down any
building. This was very different from the wars of Joshua. [1]
Following the death of Prophet Muhammad, Muslims continued to treat
the members of other religions with tolerance and respect. Islamic
states became the secure and free home of both Jews and Christians.
After the conquest of Jerusalem, Caliph Omar calmed the Christians who
were in fear of a massacre and explained to them that they were
secure. Furthermore, he visited their churches and declared that they
could continue to practise their worship freely.
In 1099, 4 centuries afterthe conquest of Jerusalem by Muslims,
Crusaders invaded Jerusalem and put all Muslims inhabitants to the
sword. Again, contrary to the fears of Christians, Saladin, the Muslim
general who captured Jerusalem and saved the city from invasion in
1187, did nottouch even a single civilian and did not allow a single
soldier to plunder. Moreover, he allowed the invading Christians to
take all their possessions and leave the city in security.
The periods of Seljuk Turks and the Ottoman Empire were also marked by
the tolerance and justice of Islam. As is known, Jews who were
expelled from Catholic Spain found the peace they sought on the
landsof Ottoman Empire, where they took refuge in 1492. Sultan Mehmed,
the conqueror of Istanbul, also allowed Jews and Christians religious
freedom. Regarding the tolerant and just practises of Muslims,
historian A. Miquel states the following:
The Christians were ruled by a very well administered state which was
something that did not exist in the Byzantium or Latin sovereignty.
They were never subjected to a systematized oppression.On the
contrary, the Empire, and foremost Istanbul, became a refuge for the
much tortured Spanish Jews. They were never forced to accept Islam.
[2]
John L. Esposito, a professor of Religion and International Politics
at the Georgetown University, makes a similar comment:
For many non-Muslim populations in Byzantineand Persian territories
already subjugated to foreign rulers, Islamic rule meant an exchange
of rulers, the new ones often more flexible and tolerant, rather than
a loss of independence. Many of these populations now enjoyed greater
local autonomy and often paid lower taxes... Religiously, Islam
proveda more tolerant religion,providing greater religious freedom for
Jews and indigenous Christians. [3]
As is clarified in these words, history never witnessed Muslims
as"makers of mischief". On the contrary, they brought security and
peace to the people from all nations and beliefs inhabiting the large
territory over which they reigned. (Forfurther reference, see Justice
and Tolerance in the Koran, by Harun Yahya, 2000)
In brief, compassion, peace and tolerance constitute the very basis of
the values of the Koran and Islam aims to wipe mischief out of the
earth.
The commands of the Koran and the ways Muslims practised them
throughout history are so clear as to leave no room for dispute.