Our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) Always Favored Peace

Our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) never desired war and over the years he made great efforts to spread Islam by peaceful means. He was patient in the face of severe assaults and pressure. Only when dealing with such pressure became imperative did he give permission for war, in the light of a revelation from Allah. He never declared war so long as there was still the slightest possibility of peace, and as long as an enemy's attacks and pressure represented no mortal danger.

During our Prophet's (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) lifetime, the Mu'tah Expedition was the bloodiest and most difficult waged by the Muslims. He appointed Zayd ibn Harithah to command the army and admonished the troops:

Wage war in the name of Allah, on the path of Allah, against those who deny Allah. Engage in no treachery. Do not cut off ears and noses and other parts of the body. Do not kill women and children, the elderly, and men of religion in their places of worship. Do not cut down date and other trees, and do not tear down buildings. (Bukhari)

Based on the prophetic orders on war, the following principles, which may be called "The Islamic Principles of Combat", are outlined by Muslim scholars:

1. War is to be waged only against those who encourage and engage in it.

2. Priests in churches, children, women and the elderly must never be harmed.

3. Sown fields must not be damaged.

4. Treaties and agreements must not be broken.

5. Animals must not be harmed.

6. There must be no cruelty and torture.

7. Towns must not be destroyed. (Ahmet Hamdi Akseki, Abdurrahman Azzam Pasa'nin "Allah'in Peygamberlerine emanet ettigi ebedi risalet", Diyanet Isleri Baskanligi Nesriyat, Ankara, 1948)

The Treaty of Medina, signed by our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and the Jewish and polytheist communities in the city, was also an important example of justice and mutual respect between different communities. The treaty, drawn up to establish a kind of constitution between communities of different beliefs and allowing each one to observe its own principles, brought peace to those who for years had been hostile to one another.

One of its most striking features was how it enshrined freedom of belief. The article on that subject reads:

The Jews of Banu ‘Awf are one nation with the Muslims; the Jews have their religion, and the Muslims have theirs… (The Constitution of Madina, http://www.islamic-study.org/jews-prophet-p.-2.htm)

Article 16 of the Treaty of Medina reads, "The Jew who follows us is surely entitled to our support and the same equal rights as any one of us. He shall not be wronged nor his enemy be assisted." The Prophet's (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) successors stayed loyal to that rule he agreed to, extending it even to Berbers, Buddhists, Hindu Brahmans and those of other beliefs.

One reason why the time of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) was blessed with peace and security was his position of justice, so in line with the morality of the Qur'an. Foreign writers, too, have been impressed by his superior character and praise our Prophet's (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) morality in their works.

In The Genuine Islam, George Bernard Shaw described these superior traits:

“I have always held the religion of Muhammad in high estimation because of its wonderful vitality. It is the only religion which appears to me to possess that assimilating capacity to the changing phase of existence which can make itself appeal to every age. I have studied him ... he must be called the Savior of Humanity. I believe that if a man like him were to assume the dictatorship of the modern world, he would succeed in solving its problems in a way that would bring it the much needed peace and happiness...” (Sir George Bernard Shaw in 'The Genuine Islam,' 1936, http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/9192/mainquote2.html#shaw)

In our own time as well, abiding by the Qur'an's morality is the only answer to all the conflicts, fighting, and instability of the world. Like our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), never we should depart from the path of justice, and should always respect the rights of different communities and individuals, whatever their beliefs and identities may be.