Republished with kind permission from http://understandquran.com
Allah the Most High has promised us peace in the hereafter as a reward for our tawheed, obedience, and righteous deeds.
{For them will be the Home of Peace with their Lord. And He will be their protecting friend because of what they used to do.} (Quran 6:127)
{And Allah invites to the Home of Peace and guides whom He wills to a straight path.} (Quran 10:25)
But part of the straight path to which He guides us is an attitude of peacemaking, of seeking reconciliation whenever feasible.
We know that Islam is a religion of peace, but today let’s get a little more specific and look at the instructions as to how you should live in order to make this peace a reality in the dunya.
Step 1: Want it. Cultivate an earnest and sincere desire for peace, harmony, and conflict resolution. It may be hard at first, but the tranquility that follows is well worth sacrificing a bit of pride. Where Allah sees a desire for reconciliation, Allah will come to the rescue.
{…If they both desire reconciliation, Allah will cause it between them. Indeed, Allah is ever Knowing and Acquainted [with all things.} (Quran 4:35)
Step 2: Don’t make excuses. Allah the Most High has said that He will, if necessary, release us from promises made in His name, and so we needn’t bother using the excuses “But I swore by Allah to exact vengeance!” or “I swore by Allah to live in enmity against this family!” Peace comes first.
{And do not make [your oath by] Allah an excuse against being righteous and fearing Allah and making peace among people. And Allah is Hearing and Knowing.} (Quran 2:224)
Step 3: Respect your enemy’s desire for peace. This isn’t easy when there’s a large backlog of grievances, when trust has been destroyed, or when you’re sure you’d win if push came to shove. But the Quran instructs us that in certain cases when an enemy withdraws from conflict and offers peace, we obey Allah when we accept the peace terms.
{Except for those who take refuge with a people between yourselves and whom is a treaty or those who come to you, their hearts strained at [the prospect of] fighting you or fighting their own people. And if Allah had willed, He could have given them power over you, and they would have fought you. So if they remove themselves from you and do not fight you and offer you peace, then Allah has not made for you a cause [for fighting] against them.} (Quran 4:90)
{And if they incline to peace, then incline to it [also] and rely upon Allah. Indeed, it is He who is the Hearing, the Knowing.} (Quran 8:61)
Step 4: Know when not to back down. (This is when you need to be very close to Allah, because Shaytan will attempt to lure you down the wrong road.) There are times when Allah grants us the victory over our enemies. In Step 4 we’re told to respect our enemy’s surrender, but we’re not to ask for peace ourselves when Allah is aiding us in victory. You’ll see that holding your ground at such a time leads to greater peace in the long run.
{So do not weaken and call for peace while you are superior; and Allah is with you and will never deprive you of [the reward of] your deeds.} (Quran 47:35)
Step 5: If you must fight on behalf of others, side with the underdog. If two teams of believers are at war, fight on behalf of the victims, not the oppressors. This is another thing that leads to greater long-term peace.
{And if two factions among the believers should fight, then make settlement between the two. But if one of them oppresses the other, then fight against the one that oppresses until it returns to the ordinance of Allah. And if it returns, then make settlement between them in justice and act justly. Indeed, Allah loves those who act justly.} (Quran 49:9)
Step 6: Guard your own steps. Rather than entering conflicts with foolish people, turn away and wish them peace, refusing to follow in their footsteps.
{And when they hear ill speech, they turn away from it and say, ‘For us are our deeds, and for you are your deeds. Peace will be upon you; we seek not the ignorant.’} (Quran 28:55)
Step 7: Study The Message. The Quran is our friend and guide, a means by which Allah the Most High brings us to peace.
{By which Allah guides those who pursue His pleasure to the ways of peace and brings them out from darknesses into the light, by His permission, and guides them to a straight path.} (Quran 5:16)
Studying the Quran, understanding it, and making it a daily part of your personal growth is the best way to experience and promote peace in the world.
Visit Understand Quran Academy in this link.