In one of the sermons of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), one of his shahabah (followers) asked him this question: “O Ye Messenger of Allah! Aside from praying, fasting and giving of alms, what other good deeds would ensure one’s place in heaven?” (Al Hadith) And the Prophet of Islam answered: “No. 1: Loving and respecting your parents; No. 2: Reconciling parties or individuals who are in conflict or having disagreements; and No. 3: Enjoining others to do right and forbidding them to indulge in sinful acts.”

From the words of the Prophet, and therefore as part of his Hadith (Tradition), the task of peace-keeping and reconciliation is so strongly enjoined that it was almost considered one among the pillars of Islam. Any inaction, therefore, on the part of anybody for every known conflict or disagreements could be a potential mortal sin. We sin by commission and omission. Being aware of that, we Muslims, should begin to take notice of ourselves, because whether one is a leader or follower, every responsible Muslim is expected to express concern and do something about any situation of un-peace and misunderstanding.

The Prophet (peace be upon him) was also heard to have said: “When you have unjustly taken away the life of someone, the punishment of such crime is as if you have killed the whole of mankind; and if you have reconciled conflicting parties or caused antagonizing individuals to come to terms and settle in peace, the reward is such that it is equivalent to an act of one person who had helped every human being in this world.”

The crime of murder was detested in such woeful scenario, if only to emphasize how the act is so displeasing in the eyes of Allah (swt). And equally depicted in such exalted manner is the act of peace-keeping and reconciliation, if only to emphasize the reward and for us to understand how pleasing it is in the eyes of Allah (swt). Let us therefore build a culture of appreciation for life and oppose the culture of death, violence and terror.

What is reducing some, who claim to be Muslims, to bane and bare mortals, is the passion for dialectical materialism and misrepresentation of the true teachings of Islam. This is tearing down and obliterating whatever values and dignity remain of them as human beings. That is why, those who succumbed to the temptations of the temporal world easily fall prey to diabolic diminutions, so they do not really mind the stigma that crime brings and feel very little or no remorse at all for their sinful acts.

Then, there are those who blame poverty as if it is an excuse for committing crimes. There is absolutely nothing that would tend to justify the commission of crime or sin. Such human ignominy is, rather, indicative of a weak faith and less mindful of the consequences of punishment that is to come in the hereafter, or the absence of it at all. The Prophet (peace be upon him) was asked by his Sahabah: “O ye Messenger of Allah! What are some of the indicators of people who are destined to go to heaven?” And the Prophet answered: “He, who, despite so much difficulties, poverty and trials, remains relentless in his Faith and unwavering in his Piety.” The exalted one in the eyes of Allah (subhanaho wa taala) is one who is most pious.

Regardless of social and economic status, all Muslims are equally enjoined by Allah (swt) to be responsible for each other. The Prophet (pbuh) strongly emphasized this when he said, “a Muslim, enjoying in abundance but unmindful of his hungry neighbour, is not a true Muslim.” Muslims should take cognizance of this “Hadith”. This includes assuming responsible roles in pursuing and preserving peace, harmony and mutual respect for each other.

Islam stands for peace, and peace in its multi-faceted dimension. This includes being at peace with oneself. It was said that the hardest to contain is the self because the temptation of the nafsu hawa (personal interest) is often overwhelming. That is why, jihadun nafs (crusade against the self) is considered the highest form of jihad (jihadul akbar). A Muslim who has conquered himself, i.e., he has effectively shielded himself against all forms of temptations in this temporal world, has attained the highest form of self-liberation, the effect of which is encompassing.

All Muslims are obliged to be instruments of Peace. But why, then, are some people, identifying themselves as Muslims, kill for unjustified reason/s or indulge in heinous acts and terror? Killing, for absolute self-defence, is one situation where taking away other person’s life is justified  in Islam, which means, there was no pre-meditation, whatsoever, to do the act. The other situation is, when there is massive oppression or religious persecution, the bottom-line of which, is still self-defence (or community defence, in the case of mass action for self-defence).

When one looks back to the time of the Prophet (peace be upon him), it was incidental that they had to fight certain battles because the early Muslims were persecuted, and so they were compelled to do that for self-preservation. It was for the same reason, as ignited by the Jabidah massacre, that some Muslim leaders were compelled to organize the MNLF and put up resistance. Those armed struggles were never an instrument for Islam to spread or flourish. Islam thrives best in a peaceful setting. At a time when the image of Islam seems to be distorted, when it seems to be associated with fanaticism and extremism, there is a great need to re-emphasize Islam as an instrument to peace and reconciliation.

The already distorted image of Islam is aggravated by the wrong notion for retaliation or vengeance as a justified means of seeking justice. Islam abhors vengeance as a means for seeking justice whenever one is offended. Allah (swt) prescribed in the Holy Qur’an “when the offender offers charity, accept it as an act of atonement” (V:48). In the same Surah, Allah gave this stern warning: if you practice retaliation or vengeance “apart from the light of Allah’s prescription, you are no different from the wrong-doers”. Allah (swt) taught us that: it is not cowardice to come to peaceful terms with your offender, if justice is served in its true form, or if there was offer of charity as an act of atonement (according to the modalities prescribed and agreed by Islamic Scholars, aleem,) because it is an act most pleasing in the eyes of Allah (swt).

We should learn from the wisdom of the Hijrah (the Prophet’s flight from Mecca to Medina). Why did the Prophet choose Medina, whose inhabitants were not even Muslims before he came? And there were the reactionary Jews on the northern border! He had to leave Mecca to avoid persecutions from the hands of the enemies of Islam, one of them was his own uncle, who was referred to as Abu Lahab (Father of the Flame) in the Holy Qur’an (surah 111). Abu Lahab and his wife were so troublesome to the Prophet that Allah (swt) had cursed and assured them that they will perish and “burnt soon will they be in the Fire of Blazing Flame” (ibid)

The Prophet (pbuh) demonstrated how peaceful co-existence and harmony is possible through a credible, fair and just social system. One time, a Jew came to the Prophet complaining that a Muslim owed him money and promised (by the Muslim) that he will bestow his camel as payment. When the animal of burden was delivered, the Jew found out that it was a sickly camel, and so he went to the Prophet (pbuh) demanding for justice. The Prophet instructed the Muslim man to look for a Camel worth the price he owed the Jew or pay the loan in cash. Here, the Prophet (pbuh) demonstrated that Islamic justice is for every human being regardless of creed and colour.

In summary, the following shall guide Muslims with regard to peace-keeping and reconciliation, as well as maintaining harmony and peaceful co-existence:

   1. Islam is an instrument to peace and reconciliation. Allah (swt) abhors vengeance or retaliation as means for seeking justice;

   2. Fanaticism, extremism and terror are, very clearly, not the ways of Islam;

   3. Reconciling conflicting groups or individuals is most pleasing in the eyes of Allah (swt), and therefore, it is a most favoured endeavour by any Muslim;

   4. The lack of proper understanding of Islam and the ways (sunnah) of the Prophet (pbuh) is misleading some of those who claim to be Muslims, that is why some had succumbed to the ways of fanaticism and extremism;

   5. When Allah made us human beings, His vicegerents on earth, we were meant to be agents of His Love and Peace.
 

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