Role of Islam towards Peace and Progress

Today we lived in a multicultural world with many religions existing side by side. Islam is one of the three major world religions which along with Judaism and Christianity professes monotheism or the belief in a single Allah. The word Islam comes from the Arabic word "salam" which means "peace", "surrender" or "submission". The full meaning of Islam is peace through surrender to the will of Allah. The best way to understand Islam is a thorough study of its Holy sources rather than the practice of a few. The model of Islamic reality as preached in Quran and Hadith is completely different from the perceived by many. Islam as described in the Quran is a modern enlightened progressive religion. A Muslim is therefore someone who surrenders to the will of Allah. Islam is a religion of peace and tranquility. It lays stress on compassion, tolerance and patience. Islam teaches a collective sense of loyalty to Allah and equality of all human beings before him. A Muslim is one who avoids harming others with his tongue and hands, but still there are many non-muslims who have never met any Muslim. The only time they hear about Islam is on the news and most of the time these references are connected with violence.

Islam is a religion which teaches non-violence and does not love "fasad", (violence). Islam is rich with central values that promote peace building and conflict resolution. Quran and Hadith have attached a great importance to Jihad and not terrorism because Quran is not a sword or a gun. It is a book of ideology in such a case performing Jihad with the Quran would mean an ideological struggle to conquer people's heart and mind through Islam's superior philosophy. The period between seventeenth to fifteenth centuries is considered as the "GOLDEN AGE" of Islamic civilization. During this age there were many individuals who lived scholarly and pious lives, who in addition to excellence in the study of religious texts also excelled in materialistic education. At this time Islam was not just a set of religious beliefs but a set of ideas, ethics and ideals encompassing all aspects of human life.

The present paper will try to answer these questions: Is violence and radicalism being practiced in the name of Islam, How has Islam, being a religion of peace, gained a reputation as a belief of war, violence, intolerance and terror? What is the Islamic concept of jihad and what are the misperceptions about this concept. Is Islam contributing towards material progress?.