Question:
Is this what you call the path of peace? In other words, they say there are religious conflicts among Muslims themselves in Muslim countries. When such conflicts exist, how can Islam be called a religion of peace?
Answer:
The first thing you must understand is this: conflict can arise even among people of the same religion. That does not mean the religion itself is wrong. For example, two brothers born to the same parents might fight each other violently.
If brothers fight, will you say the entire family structure itself is wrong? No. You will say those two individuals behaved wrongly. You will not declare that family life itself is false simply because two brothers fought. Similarly, conflicts may arise among religious people, but that does not make the religion itself wrong. Even atheists fight among themselves. Communists who reject the existence of God have many internal factions and conflicts.
History records many cases where one faction eliminated another. If atheists fight each other, does that mean atheism itself is wrong? Their answer would be that the individuals involved were wrong. Similarly, in many religions there are caste conflicts among people of the same religion. They belong to the same religion, but due to caste divisions they fight among themselves. When such fights happen, we say the conflict is wrong. We do not say the religion itself is the cause. If we want to blame a religion, we must show that the religion itself teaches that behaviour.
For example, if members of two political parties — say DMK and AIADMK — fight in a village, can we declare the entire party ideology wrong? No. We say a few people in that village behaved wrongly. If the party leadership ordered them to fight, then we could blame the leadership. But if individuals acted on their own, we cannot blame the ideology. Similarly, if Muslims fight among themselves, we cannot blame Islam unless Islam itself instructs such behaviour.
Take Iran as an example. People say Muslims fight among themselves there. But who lives in Iran? Muslims. In a country where everyone is Muslim, any conflict will obviously occur between Muslims. If a country had only Hindus and a conflict occurred, it would naturally be between Hindus. If a country had only Christians, the conflict would be between Christians. Therefore, these conflicts occur because of political or social reasons, not because Islam instructs people to fight. In fact, many of these conflicts arise from personal misunderstandings or political ambitions, not from Islamic teachings.
If you examine carefully, Muslims in India often follow Islamic practices more strictly than Muslims in some so-called Muslim countries. In Pakistan or Dubai people may wear Islamic clothing, but that does not necessarily mean they practice Islam properly. If some Muslims commit mistakes due to ignorance, how can the religion itself be blamed? If you want to criticize Islam, show a verse from the Qur’an that commands violence. Show a statement from the Prophetﷺ that instructs people to fight each other. Some Muslims take dowry.
Does Islam command dowry? No. Islam forbids dowry.
Some Muslims take interest (usury). Islam strictly prohibits interest. Islam instructs men to give mahr (a marriage gift) to women when they marry them. Yet some men take money from the bride’s family instead.
That is clearly against Islam. If someone violates Islamic teachings, how can his actions be blamed on Islam?
If people truly understood Islam, conflicts would not arise even between Muslims and people of other religions. Islam teaches that even those who belong to other religions are our fellow human beings and should not be harmed. In the Prophetﷺ’s final sermon he said: “Do not return after me as disbelievers by striking each other’s necks.” In other words, if someone kills another person, it means he has abandoned the true path of Islam. The Qur’an says that whoever kills a human being unjustly will face eternal punishment in Hell.
Therefore, when people commit such crimes, they are violating Islam, not following it.