Abstract
Islam is the religion of peace; rather it is the very embodiment of it. The very name
‘Islam’ is derived from the Arabic trilateral root s.l.m, which primarily denotes
peace. The related term ‘Īmān’ signifies ‘giving peace to others.’ One of the
beautiful names of Allah is Al-Salām which means ‘The Absolute Peace.’ The
Islamic greetings ‘Assalāmu Alikum’ is also but the ‘prayer of peace’ for the fellow
human beings. There is a great emphasis in Islam for establishing, maintaining and
promoting peace. Likewise, violence is all the more condemned in Islam and
nonviolence is hailed by equal measure. One of the reports in Bukhari reports from
Prophet of Islam, Muhammad (SAW), “A Muslim is he whose neighbors are safe
from the evils of his hands and tongue.” Likewise, the Qur’ān discourages violence
in sura Baqara’s verse (205), waAllahu lā yuhibbu-al-fasād (And Allah does not
love mischief). Moreover, the Qur’ān asks its adherents to repel evil with goodness
to turn an enemy into a bosom friend. Maulana Wahiddudin Khan of India, an
influential Muslim personality in the modern period, is a staunch advocate of peace
from an Islamic perspective. His ideas on peace and non-violence in Islam can be
gleaned from his works like Aman-i-Aalam (Global Peace), Islam and Peace, The
Age of Peace, The Prophet of Peace (SAW), different issues of the monthly magazine
al-Risālah, etc. which are reflective of his strong emphasis on peace and nonviolence in the contemporary world. The present paper attempts to undertake a study
of his views on peace and non-violence in Islam which has become the pressing need
of present times owing to the escalation of extremism and terrorism in the world and
unfortunately its attribution to Islam.
Gowhar Quadir Wani. (2017) Understanding Peace and Nonviolence in Islam with Maulānā Wahīduddīn Khān, Journal of Islamic Thought and Civilization, Volume VII, Issue 2.
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