Islam is the religion of peace. Over billions of people around the world are followers of Islam. There can be no greater argument supporting Islam as a religion of peace. The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), as recorded in Muslim & Bukhari). Allah (SWT) and His Prophet (PBUH) encourage peace-making.

"Whoever pardons and makes reconciliation, his reward is due from God." (Holy Quran 42:40)

Once the Prophet (PBUH) heard that the people of Qubaa (town neighboring Medina) were disputing with each other about a matter. The Prophet said, "Let us go to resolve the situation and make peace between them." (Recorded in Bukhari)

The Islamic greeting is "As-salaamualaikum" or "Peace be upon you."

Once a man asked the prophet (PBUH) about which aspect of Islam was best. the prophet (PBUH) replied: "feeding the hungry, and saying the greeting of peace (salaam) to those you know and those you don't know." (Recorded in bukhari and muslim).

For Muslims the Qur'an is of supreme importance because it is the direct words of Allah to humankind, and it is therefore treated with great respect. The Qur'an often refers to teachings about peace and reconciliation: "Paradise is for those who curb their anger and forgive their fellow men."

Peace is the restoration of relationships, establishment of justice, and the creation of just social systems that serve the needs of the whole population Peace is the framework within which conflicts unfold non-violently and creatively into positive change. Allah Almighty in Quran has encouraged the establishment of peace and has told the followers of Islam to be moderate in their behavior and adopt the qualities of kindness, love, and respect for others

Islam is a peaceful religion. It stands for peace and desires peace. A true Muslim is the one who truly follows Islam, someone who is at perfect peace, with himself and with others. As our beloved Prophet Muhammad (SAW) said, mentioned in the Hadith collections of Tirmidhi and Nasai: "A true believer (mumin) is he from whom people's lives and wealth are safe." Allah wants a Muslim to live in a safe and peaceful environment and to make efforts for the spread and continuity of peace in society for him and for all others. A perfect Muslim is one from whose tongue and hands mankind is safe.

Securing peace was a key expedition of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW), which was crucial for conveying Allah's message to others and for the sustenance of a society of individuals who followed Allah's teachings in their personal and collective affairs. For the first thirteen years of his Prophet Hood, the Prophet (PBUH) remained in his city of Mecca, using peaceful means of persuasion despite the powerful opposition that he had to confront.

Peace is a noun and could be defined as freedom from disturbance; quiet and tranquility. Although it is much more than just that; peace is what we all yearn for however most of us can never find. It is what we fight for. It is what we live for.

"Inner peace, or peace of mind, refers to a state of being mentally and spiritually at peace, with enough knowledge and understanding to keep oneself resilient in the face of discord or stress. Being 'at peace' is considered by many to be healthy and the opposite of being stressed or anxious." We can also say that Inner peace means that there is no overthinking and too much analyzing of every situation. It means no running from one thought to another, constantly ruminating about some past incident, no constant dwelling on hurts and what people said or did.

"Peace begins with smile". Same as with the beauty of this quotation from the famous missionary, Mother Teresa, discloses that a smile can change someone's negative feelings towards you. Henceforth, smiling is communicable as once you cast a smile at someone, the other person is forced to smile as well. This is how the journey to maintain peace around the world begins.

The peace of mind brings to someone the feeling of delight, happiness and satisfaction. In today's modern age, where people are struggling with the hurdles of life, inner peace acts as a way for them to cut off from the world. Some ways to find inner peace are through meditation, relaxation, yoga and so on. Inner peace can be used as a weapon to combat mental illnesses like body dsymorphic disorder, anxiety and even social anxiety. Due to our modern lifestyle where people do not have the time to relax, inner peace is necessary for them to fight against stressful situations which seriously are harming their life. It is not possible to have peace unless you know the source of peace. To acquire peace of heart and mind, one has to follow the right path, and the right path is only the command of our Almighty. One should strive for Him, to establish and make firm the peaceful state of heart. All your virtues, all actions should be directed towards achieving this peace.

Human life is nothing but endless conflict. When some disturbing movement arises in your soul, strive with zeal to suppress it and pacify your heart. If our heart is thrown into some disturbance, our mind loses the capacity of right thinking.

When we find inner peace, it will be natural that we include our family, friends, those at our workplace, in our community, and in our country which would ultimately lead to world peace. We should have inner peace which can be learned by simply observing the joy of the people around us especially the young ones; on how they explore the world out of their curiosity; their awareness of the simple things; and their great capacity to enjoy life as reflected in their spontaneous smiles and laughter. Peace of mind is generally associated with bliss and happiness.

According to Islam, peace is not simply an absence of war. Peace opens doors to all kinds of opportunities that are present in any given situation. It is only in a peaceful situation that planned activities are possible. It is for this reason that the Prophet Muhammad (May Peace Be Upon Him) went to great extents to establish peace at all costs.

Thus Islam is a religion of peace in the complete sense of the word. Every teaching of Islam is based on the principles of peace and avoidance. Any deviation from the model is a deviation from Islam and is due to misconceptions. We should, therefore, understand the ideology of peace given in Islam and base our actions upon this ideology so that peace will prevail in the world. This is why it is necessary to make your heart quiet and peaceful as soon as it becomes troubled by something internal or external. In brief, preserving peace of heart, should be the constant effort of your whole life, and you must never allow it to be cast into disorderly disturbance.

Published in The Daily National Courier, August, 18 2023

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