Understanding Peace and Nonviolence in Islam with Maulānā Wahīduddīn Khān

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 fromProphet 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 goodnessto 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, TheAge 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.