Mouood Mouood English Edition
Peace and tranquility is another essential need of humanity. In order to achieve intellectual development, in order to move things forward, in order to achieve peace of mind, human beings need tranquility and a secure and peaceful atmosphere in their minds, in their family environments, in their societies and in international environments. Tranquility, security and peace are among the most essential needs of humanity.
Islam is the harbinger of peace, security and well-being. This is why we say that on the basis of Quranic teachings, Islam is a religion that is compatible with innate human characteristics. The path that Islam has opened up in front of humanity is the path of innate human characteristics, the path of fulfilling innate human needs.
Allah the Exalted appointed the Holy Prophet (S) to fulfill this comprehensive goal and He promised salvation to mankind.
“Surely We have sent you with the truth as a bearer of good news and as a warner.” 1
Primarily, this good news is the promise of a peaceful life, a life that is accompanied by justice, a life that is adjusted to the innate characteristics of mankind. Of course, it is also the promise of divine rewards, which is related to the eternal life of mankind. Therefore, Be’that of the Holy Prophet (S) was in fact the beginning of mercy: God bestowed His mercy on all human beings through Be’that.
This path was opened up in front of human beings. It introduced justice as well as security and well-being.
“Indeed there has come to you light and a clear Book from Allah. With it Allah guides him who will follow His pleasure into the ways of safety and brings them out of utter darkness into light by His will and guides them to the right path.” 2
With these commands and teachings, the Holy Prophet (S) showed the path to security and well-being. This path to peace and security is related to all areas that are important to humanity –inner aspects of one’s being, aspects relating to society, aspects relating to family environments, aspects relating to business environments, aspects relating to social environments, aspects relating to international environments. This is what Islam is after.
The target of Islam’s attacks is exactly the areas that are not in tune with the general outline of human life. Those who are opposed to justice, those who are opposed to peace, security and tranquility, those who are opposed to spiritual purity and transcendence of mankind – those people are standing against the call of the Holy Prophet (S). It was because of justice that Allah the Exalted made Jihad obligatory for Muslims.
And Jihad is not limited to Islam: it exists in all divine religions. Those who stand against the call of the Holy Prophet (S) are opposed to peace, tranquility and transcendence in society and they are opposed to the collective interests of human beings. This is the point that Islam targets. From the beginning of Be’that of the Holy Prophet (S), Islam targeted particular areas through the Quranic revelations.
The first few Ayahs of Sura al-Alaq appear to have been revealed to the Holy Prophet (S) at the beginning of his Be’that. The other Ayahs of this Sura were revealed later on, but they are related to Be’that of the Holy Prophet (S). In this Sura, Allah the Exalted says,
“If he desist not, We would certainly smite his forehead, a lying, sinful forehead. Then let him summon his council. We too would summon the braves of the army.” 3
Those who stood against the call to mercy, the call to tranquility and security, are threatened in the Sura which was revealed first.
Similarly, in the blessed Sura al-Muddaththir, which was also among the first Suras that were revealed to the Holy Prophet (S), emphasis is placed on the elements that run against the daily life of people.
“Leave Me and him whom I created alone, and give him vast riches, and sons dwelling in his presence, and I adjusted affairs for him adjustably, and yet he desires that I should add more. By no means! Surely he offers opposition to Our communications. I will make a distressing punishment overtake him.” 4
It is pointed out in these Ayahs that there will be resistance against those who are opposed to the Holy Prophet (S), those who are opposed to the collective interests of human communities, those who are opposed to truth. Therefore, there is Jihad in Islam, but this Jihad is a battle against those who are opposed to peace in human life, those who are opposed to justice, and those who are opposed to salvation of human beings.
For this reason, if you study the Holy Quran and the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet (S), you will realize that from the day an Islamic government was established, there were certain non-Muslim people who were leaving a peaceful life thanks to the Holy Prophet (S).
The Holy Prophet (S) entered into an agreement with the Jews of Medina and let them live a peaceful life next to Muslims, but they conspired and fought the Muslims. They stabbed the Muslims in the back. As a result, the Holy Prophet (S) stood against them. If the Jews of Medina had not waged a war on the Muslims, if they had not shown hostility, if they had not betrayed the Muslims, the Holy Prophet (S) would have never attacked them. Therefore, the Islamic call is a spiritual call. It is based on reasoning. It invites human beings to living a happy life.
Certain people might decide to stand in the way of this. Islam removes them from its path. Islam does not adopt a passive position. If there are people who are opposed to salvation of mankind, if there are people who are opposed to the call to truth, Islam stands against them and fights them. Compare this with the way aggressive powers of the world have acted throughout history: they wage wars to increase their power, to spread injustice.
Notice that today the domineering and arrogant powers of the world are manufacturing weapons to threaten humanity, not to spread justice. They produce weapons to spread injustice. They produce weapons to take security away from those who refuse to surrender to them, not to bring about security for mankind.
Today this is the issue of the world. This is why we refer to the kind of jahaliyya that has been established in the modern world as “modern jahaliyya”. The era of jahaliyya is not over. Jahaliyya means confronting truth, confronting monotheism, confronting human rights, confronting the path that Allah the Exalted has opening up for human beings to achieve happiness.
This jahaliyya still exists in the world, but it has appeared in a modern form and makes use of science, advanced technologies, nuclear weapons and different kinds of weapons in order to fill the pockets of the owners of industries that are detrimental to human life.
The story of manufacturing weapons and military expenditures is one of the tragic stories in the modern world. Today weapons manufacturing companies build various kinds of weapons in order to sell them.
They start wars in the world, turn people against each other, pit governments against each other and create threats so that they can carry out their treacherous thoughts and satisfy their greed.
