Islam is the Religion of Peace and Serenity

“O believers! Enter into Islam completely [and perfectly].”³²
(The Holy Qur’an)

The word Islam originates from the word “salam” which means serenity, peace, and salvation. The word “al-Salam” is also one of the names of Allah and means “the giver of peace and serenity, and provider of salvation.” Muslim, then, means “one who has opted for serenity and peace.” Similarly, “iman” (belief) means feeling safe and at peace, and being free of fears. Therefore, disorder, conflict, terror and war are not related to the essence of Islam, its purpose and its principles.

Islam aims to provide an environment of serenity, peace, mutual respect and trust on earth. It wants humankind, who has a blessing named mind, to reconcile after ending fights and conflicts.

The Muslim gets their submissive personality which is inclined to peace and reconciliation, and is matured with good morals from Allah who blessed them with life. They hold on to the source of peace and serenity by submitting to Allah. They reach peace and serenity in their inner worlds and reflect this peace to the outer world. They go to heaven, which is named as “dar al-salam” meaning “the land of serenity” by following the Holy Qur’an which was sent to humanity as a guide to the true path, and the Prophet Muhammad (saw), the greatest representative of peace.

The Prophet of Islam invited people to the right and truth, and took side by peace and reconciliation. He did not approach weapons unless the dignity of Islam, humane values, and the rights and privacy of Muslims were harassed. This situation is expressed in the Holy Qur’an as follows: “Allah does not forbid you from those who do not fight you because of religion and do not expel you from your homes - from being righteous toward them and acting justly toward them. Indeed, Allah loves those who act justly.”³³

Many hadiths of the Prophet Muhammad mention the importance of commitment to promises, that it is Muslims’ duty to compose between religious fellows, and that efforts should be made to resolve conflicts diplomatically and peacefully. In this respect, when the Prophet Muhammad returned to Makkah, from which he was exiled years ago due to the tortures of polytheists, as a victorious commander, he did not shed blood on the day of conquest and forgave the people of Makkah.

Islam does not consider it as a necessity to share the same belief for living in peace and acting jointly for the good of all humanity. What matters is to be peaceful, and respect the rights, freedom, beliefs and values of other people. Thanks to the importance Islam put on the morality and law of living together, the Islamic civilization has unique examples of people from different ethnicities and belief systems living in peace and serenity on the same land.

It would be on point to give information about jihad, one of the key concepts of Islam. According to Islam, jihad is the name of the efforts made in the way of Allah, and struggle for Allah. Jihad is the efforts of the believers made to gain the consent of the Almighty Allah using their lives, properties, and all their existence.

Jihad is to show determination with the body, words, opinions and heart to protect the sacred values. It is the resolution of the Muslim to exist in their nation with their dignity, identity, and freedom, and preserve their belief, flag, liberty, and honor. Jihad is definitely not an unjust assault, destruction, exploitation, or oppression. On the contrary, jihad is the effort to protect the rights of Muslims from oppression and oppressors. The Muslim works and makes efforts for the sake of Allah with their hands, words, opinions, financial possibilities, and energy. They work continuously to tell the truth, invite to goodness, and cause nice things. The final level of jihad is for a person to join the armed struggle for their belief, existence, nation, future, and freedom.

The vicious games pulled by terrorist groups under the name of Islam and jihad are not related to jihad. Doings of murder networks that lost their sense of justice and mercy, suicide blasts which the Muslims were tried to be held responsible, and ferocity and violence cannot be associated with the concept of jihad in Islam. Because the concept of jihad in Islam is not killing innocent people. The concept of jihad in Islam is the name of keeping people alive rather than murdering, and the efforts for revival rather than destruction. Regardless of whom or what they were carried out against, the attacks against innocent people are in no way connected to the divine spirit and ideals Islam put on the concept of jihad. Terrorism, which can never be associated with religion, belief, virtue, humanism, reason and conscience, always deserves to be damned.

Erasing all kinds of evil from the world, stopping those who conspire and slaughter, and reasserting peace require the common efforts of humankind. Islam invites people to this common effort, and expects from all humans especially from Muslims to resist oppression and tyranny all together and work together for improvement. The definition of “Muslim” and “Mu’min” by the Prophet is as follows: “A Muslim is the one from whose hand and tongue the Muslims are safe. A Mu’min is the one of whom other people are sure that their lives and properties are safe.”³⁴

³² Baqarah, 2/208.