Editorial | Islam means Peace!

Islam is a full system for living a life wholly committed to God for Muslims everywhere. On the other hand, misinformation and the behaviour of a small number of people have over time stoked skepticism about Islam’s stance on violence. Contrary to popular belief, Islam’s sacred writings—the Qur’an and Sunnah—emphasize the value of human life. According to the Qur’an, “taking one life is equivalent to taking all of humanity, while saving one life is equivalent to saving all of humanity!” The Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) defined the faithful as “those most restrained from violence”. The concept of human dignity and peace stretches to the extent that Islam even forbids sports that use animals as targets, or involve striking the face of a fellow human being. Indiscriminate acts of violence against civilians, which are sometimes attributed to Islam, have no basis in Islamic teachings. Of the most misquoted sentences in the Qur’an is: “Kill them wherever you find them” however going through the full verse and the whole passage will provide us with the clear answers about what is being said in reality. The assailants that the believers anticipated they would encounter at a place that the Qur’an regarded as a sacred zone—a place so valuable that even cutting down trees or frightening birds was forbidden inside—are specifically mentioned in the verse. Thus, the issue is only with our incomplete or faulty comprehension of the divine laws. Other verses of a similar nature should also be understood in light of the situation, background, and purpose of the passage.