Foundations of Peace, Justice, and Human Dignity in Islamic Teachings

By Dr. Zafar Darik Qasmi, New Age Islam

Abstract:

The world today is suffering from unrest, violence, and loss of peace. The main reason for this situation is that humanity has moved away from the teachings of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). His life provides a complete and timeless model for individual and social reform. Islam offers guidance in every aspect of life, including moral, social, political, and economic matters.

Before Islam, Arabian society was full of injustice, cruelty, tribal hatred, and moral corruption. Women were oppressed, human dignity was ignored, and violence was common. Through divine guidance, the Prophet (peace be upon him) transformed this society by teaching belief in one God, justice, equality, brotherhood, education, and peace.

He strongly promoted love, kindness, tolerance, and social justice. His teachings emphasised respect for human life, freedom of belief, and fulfilment of moral responsibilities. Even today, these teachings provide solutions to modern problems and clearly reject violence, extremism, and hatred, presenting Islam as a religion of peace and mercy.

Main Points:

·         The teachings of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) provide complete guidance for peaceful human life.

·         Islam strongly promotes justice, equality, brotherhood, and respect for human dignity in society.

·         The Prophet (peace be upon him) transformed a violent society into a moral and peaceful community.

·         Spreading peace, kindness, and tolerance is essential for building strong and safe societies.

·         Islamic teachings reject extremism and violence and promote compassion, mercy, and social harmony.

Today, the whole world is facing unrest, violence, and chaos, which have destroyed peace in society. The main reason for this situation is that we have disconnected ourselves from the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Until we develop strong character in our society and bring sincerity between our words and actions, we will continue to suffer from oppression, injustice, and cruelty.

The Qur’an clearly commands us in this regard:

لَقَدْ كَانَ لَكُمْ فِیْ رَسُوْلِ اللّٰهِ اُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ لِّمَنْ كَانَ یَرْجُوا اللّٰهَ وَ الْیَوْمَ الْاٰخِرَ وَ ذَكَرَ اللّٰهَ كَثِیْرًا. (الاحزاب:21)

 “Indeed, in the Messenger of Allah you have an excellent example to follow, for everyone who hopes for Allah and the Last Day and remembers Allah often.”

Today, there is a strong need to highlight those aspects and issues of human society about which Islam is being wrongly interpreted. These issues are widely discussed all over the world. Islam came fourteen centuries ago to guide humanity, and Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was sent for this purpose. Even today, his life remains a perfect role model for the entire world.

Despite great changes in individual and collective human life, no other personality can be presented as a complete model of life except the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), and no religion provides complete guidance except Islam. This raises an important question: why is this so? This question is not asked merely to satisfy Muslims, but also to convince non-Muslims of the greatness of Islam.

Whether it is the political, social, psychological, religious, or economic aspect of life, humanity still seeks guidance from Islam despite all modern changes. To understand this, we must study the society and time in which the Prophet (peace be upon him) was sent.

Before Islam, the Arabian region was full of oppression, brutality, and violence. Tribal conflicts were at their peak, moral values had disappeared, and there was no concept of human rights or human dignity. Women were treated worse than animals, and baby girls were buried alive. Truthfulness, mercy, and knowledge had no place in society. People took pride only in memory skills, tribal pride, and racial superiority. Immorality was so common that people performed the circumambulation of the Ka‘bah without clothes.

At that time, other great civilisations had also declined. Egyptian civilization was falling despite its progress, while Greek, Persian, and Indian civilisations had lost their influence on society.

In such circumstances, Allah showed great mercy to humanity and sent His beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) as Rahmat-ul-Alameen (Mercy for all worlds).

Importance of the Prophetic Teachings

The Prophet (peace be upon him) taught the world equality, justice, fairness, national unity, civilisation, good morals, economic balance, political justice, social harmony, freedom, generosity, patience, and tolerance. He laid the foundation of an educational revolution and decorated society with equality, brotherhood, and human dignity.

From the very first revelation, the Prophet (peace be upon him) invited people to worship one God and encouraged them towards knowledge. He promoted literacy and guided people even in matters related to human development. His first message gave awareness and dignity to humanity and taught thinking, reflection, balance, and wisdom.

The Qur’an states:

و لَقَدْ كَرَّمْنَا بَنِیْۤ اٰدَمَ. ( الاسراء: 70)

 “Indeed, we have honoured the children of Adam.”

The Prophet (peace be upon him) established equality and brotherhood, as the Qur’an says:

يَآ اَيُّـهَا النَّاسُ اِنَّا خَلَقْنَاكُمْ مِّنْ ذَكَرٍ وَّاُنْثٰى.  ( الحجرات: 13)

 “O people! We created you from a male and a female.”

At another place Allah Says:

يَآ اَيُّـهَا النَّاسُ اتَّقُوْا رَبَّكُمُ الَّـذِىْ خَلَقَكُمْ مِّنْ نَّفْسٍ وَّاحِدَةٍ .

(النساء: 1)

 “O people! Fear your Lord, who created you from a single soul.”

(Surah An-Nisa, 4:1)

He taught social justice:

قُلْ اَمَرَ رَبِّىْ بِالْقِسْطِ ۖ( الاعراف: 29)

 “Say: My Lord has commanded justice.”

(Surah Al-A‘raf, 7:29)

He also introduced the concept of freedom:

لَآ اِكْـرَاهَ فِى الدِّيْنِ. ( البقرہ: 256)

 “There is no compulsion in religion.”

This is a brief overview of Islamic teachings. Now, some important aspects are explained below.

The Prophet’s (peace be upon him) Concept of Peace

The world, especially Arabian society, was filled with violence and cruelty. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) strongly emphasised peace and security. He said:

-" أفشوا السلام تسلموا (مسند الشہاب ، حدیث نمبر: 718)

 “Spread peace (Salam), and you will remain safe.”

When you meet one another, greet each other with Salam? One benefit of this is that your hearts will remain safe from jealousy, hatred, anger, hostility, and other sins. Love between people will increase, and as a result, an atmosphere of peace and calm will develop in society.

Hazrat Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: وَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ،" لَا تَدْخُلُوا الْجَنَّةَ حَتَّى تُؤْمِنُوا، وَلَا تُؤْمِنُوا حَتَّى تَحَابُّوا، أَوَ لَا أَدُلُّكُمْ عَلَى شَيْءٍ إِذَا فَعَلْتُمُوهُ تَحَابَبْتُمْ، أَفْشُوا السَّلَامَ بَيْنَكُمْ"

(سنن ابن ماجہ ، کتاب السنہ ، باب فی الایمان)

 “You will not enter Paradise until you believe, and you will not truly believe until you love one another. Shall I tell you something which, if you do, you will love one another? Spread peace among yourselves.”

This clearly shows that the Prophet (peace be upon him) wanted to establish a peaceful, secure, and moral society where life, wealth, and honour were protected.

It is reported in Sahih Bukhari through Hazrat Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) instructed people to show kindness even to those Jews who were using bad words and wishing harm to him.

عن عائشة - رضي الله عنها - قالت : استأذن رهط من اليهود على النبي - صلى الله عليه وسلم - ، فقالوا : السام عليكم . فقلت : بل عليكم السام واللعنة فقال : " يا عائشة ! إن الله رفيق يحب الرفق في الأمر كله " . قلت : أولم تسمع ما قالوا " قال : " قد قلت : وعليكم " ( الصحیح البخاری ، کتاب الشھادات ، باب السلام الاستئذان)

“Hazrat Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) narrated that some Jews came to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and said, “Death be upon you.” Hazrat Aishah replied, “The same be upon you, and may Allah curse you and be angry with you.” The Prophet (peace be upon him) then said, “O Aishah, leave them. Avoid harsh words and bad behaviour.”

This hadith clearly shows the Prophet’s kindness, patience, and good manners, even towards those who behaved badly.

At the time of the First Pledge of ‘Aqabah, the Prophet (peace be upon him) gave the following instructions to the delegation from Yathrib:

·         Believe in Allah and His Oneness.

·         Do not steal.

·         Do not commit adultery.

·         Do not kill your daughters.

·         Do not accuse others falsely.

·         6.If what I tell you is good, then follow it.

These teachings focused on moral and social reform rather than revenge or hatred. They were the first practical steps towards building a peaceful society.

After migrating to Madinah, the Prophet (peace be upon him) delivered a sermon which included:

·         O people, fear Allah and live with piety so that your actions may improve.

·         Always remember that you will be answerable before the One Almighty Allah on the Day of Judgement for your deeds.

·         Give charity and help others as much as you can.

·         Be gentle and kind in your behaviour and speech, and do not let your heart become hard or cruel.

·         Love one another instead of spreading hatred.

·         Seek protection from the evil desires of yourself, heart, and mind.

·         Take guidance from the Holy Qur’an.

·         Always keep your promises and be faithful to your commitments.

 These teachings clearly show that the Prophet (peace be upon him) aimed to establish a successful, constructive, and welfare-based society founded on compassion, justice, and peace.

They challenge those who misuse the concept of jihad to mislead young people and the world. They also expose the false claims of those who label Islam as violence, terrorism, or extremism.

Dr. Zafar Darik Qasmi is an author and a New Age Islam Regular Columnist.

URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-ideology/peace-justice-human-dignity-islam-/d/138075

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