International Day of Peace, and the Ambassador of Peace

INTERNATIONAL PEACE DAY AND THE AMBASSADOR OF PEACE

by Imam Hashmi

Shah Jahan Mosque Woking

Today it is International Peace Day and in some parts of the world this day has been declared as ‘yaum-e-ishq-e-Rasool’ which means the ‘day of love for the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him).  The literal meaning of Islam is Peace, when Muslims greet each other, they do so by exchanging a message of peace ‘assalaamu ‘alaykum’ which means ‘may peace be upon you.’ Muslims complete their daily prayers with the same message of peace.

Allah Almighty has referred to the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) in the Holy Qur’an as ‘Mercy for all mankind and creation.’ This means he is a Mercy for any human, whether they are Muslim or none Muslim, whether they are black, white, brown or any other colour.

The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) promoted peace throughout his life; he formed peace  treaties between Jews, Christians and other faiths in Madinah. On one occasion a Christian delegation came to Madinah and wished to offer prayer. The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) allowed them to perform their worship according to their own faith in Masjid-e-Nabwi. This is a great lesson for us today, this is how open-minded and willing the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) was in order to establish peace.

The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) eradicated any form of injustice and killing, he gave the value of one life the equivalence of the entire humanity. It is mentioned in the Holy Qur’an, that the killing of one innocent life is as though the person has killed all of mankind. Even today some people and so-called powers are protesting for human rights and peace, but in today’s modern form of war they have killed millions of innocent lives in different parts of the world. On the other hand, the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) has forbidden the killing of innocent lives; women, children, elderly, sick people, civilians are not to be harmed in war; even trees and crop fields are not to be cut or destroyed and animals are not to be harmed during war.

During the conquest of Makkah, among the greatest enemies of Islam were those who killed thousands of companions, they were the people who persecuted the Muslims, they captured the property of Muslims and did the most horrific things to the Muslims. All people were thinking, today is the day of revenge and they will be severely punished. BUT the ambassador of peace, the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) delivered an astonishing statement, which was, ‘I have forgiven you and you are free to go’. He treated his enemies with great dignity and respect. 1400 years have passed and we cannot give an example of such a noble character after him.

We should learn from the great example of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) and become true ambassadors of peace. We should express respect and love for him and all of the Prophets.

May Allah Almighty bless all mankind with inner and outer peace.

Ameen

Imam Hafiz Hashmi  is the Senior Imam at the Shah Jehan Mosque in Woking, England. This is the oldest purpose-built mosque in Britain.