The Concept of Peace

For Muslims peace is not a single dimensional or specific idea. Peace is to be at rest with one's own wants and desires and to have peace with the world around them. There is a mutual relationship between this inner peace and the peace with the wider world. Muslim’s believe that you cannot be at peace with yourself until you are also at peace with others. It will also not be possible to live at peace with others until there is a sense of peace with yourself.

In Islam the concept of peace is two-fold. Individuals must firstly be at peace with Allah and secondly, be at peace with themselves and the rest of the world. In Islam the concept of peace is closely connected to the idea of submission. Islam has particularly effective methods for guiding the individual towards attaining inner peace. The aim of Muslim adherents is to submit to Allah and in this submission peace is found. Muslims recognize that peace is not possible outside of a relationship with Allah. Submitting to the will of Allah is the only way of achieving peace with Allah.

The Qur'an sets a clear path for Muslims to follow in their wish to submit to Allah. As well as submitting to Allah, Muslims must be prepared to observe the daily and yearly requirements known as the Five Pillars of Islam. The first pillar is Shahadah, a declaration of loyalty to God that translates to “I declare there is no God except God, and I declare that Muhammad is the messenger of God” . Adherents must say shahadah at least 17 times a day. The next pillar is called Salat, which means daily prayer and is completed by adherents at five regular times during the day. The third pillar is Zakaat, meaning ‘annual charity’. Zakaat requires adherents to sacrifice a share of their yearly savings for we...

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...uing a perfect submission to Allah through the faithful completing of the Five Pillars. The requirements of the Five Pillars are evidently stated in the Qur'an for Muslims. For Christians the New Testament provides meaningful guidance on the examples of the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Although both Muslims and Christians work determinedly for peace, their influence is limited. For Muslims the prejudices, misconceptions and stereotypes are difficult to overcome. Despite their best efforts the progress is slow and challenging. For Christians, the growing secularization of Western culture has led to a major fading of Christian impact, even in countries such as Australia where the bulk of the population are supposedly Christian. However both religions have principal teachings of peace that guide their adherents and contribute to individual and world peace.