Peace and Conflict
Muslim Attitudes Towards Peace
The word peace (salam) shares its root with the word Islam, which means submission to Allah. Muslims greet each other with “as-salamu alaykum” — peace be upon you. Surah 25:63 describes the servants of the Most Merciful as those who walk humbly upon the earth and, when spoken to harshly, reply with words of peace rather than aggression. For many Muslims this verse sums up how peace should shape everyday behaviour towards others.
Surah 25:63 teaches that the true servants of Allah walk the earth humbly and reply to hostility with words of peace, not aggression. Many Muslims see this as evidence that Islam is fundamentally a religion of peace.
The Role of Muslims in Peacemaking
Muslims believe they have a duty to build peace actively, not simply to avoid conflict. This means practising justice, offering forgiveness and seeking reconciliation with those who have caused harm. Surah 41:31–38 teaches that a good deed and a bad deed are not equal, and that repelling evil with something better can turn even an enemy into a close friend. This encourages Muslims to answer hostility with patience and generosity rather than revenge.
Muslims put peacemaking into practice today through interfaith dialogue, community reconciliation projects and international mediation. Imams and Muslim community leaders in Britain often work alongside people of other faiths on local peace initiatives, showing that peacemaking is a lived value and not only a belief.
Muslim Attitudes to Conflict
Muslims recognise that conflict can have real causes, such as injustice or the defence of the vulnerable, but the Qur’an sets clear limits on how conflict should be handled. Surah 2:190–195 instructs Muslims to fight only those who fight them, without exceeding proportionate limits, and states that persecution is worse than killing. It also teaches that fighting must stop as soon as the other side stops. Some Muslims apply situation ethics to conflict, judging whether force is justified by the particular circumstances rather than a single fixed rule.
Non-religious thinkers, including atheists and Humanists, sometimes argue that religion itself causes conflict, pointing to wars fought in the name of faith. Muslims respond that the Qur’an’s teaching on conflict is about restraint and self-defence, not aggression, and that most conflicts labelled “religious” are really driven by politics, land or power, with religion used as an excuse rather than a genuine cause.
Surah 2:190–195 teaches Muslims to fight only those who fight them, not to exceed proportionate limits, and to stop fighting as soon as the enemy stops. Persecution is described as worse than killing.
Muslim teaching on pacifism is divergent. Some Muslims interpret the story of Adam’s two sons in Surah 5:27–30 as support for non-violence: one son tells the other that he will not raise his hand to kill him even if attacked, because he fears Allah. Muslims who hold this view argue that refusing to retaliate, even when wronged, shows true submission to Allah’s will.
Other Muslims argue that Islam permits self-defence and does not demand total pacifism, since the Qur’an also allows fighting against oppression. Even so, passive resistance — non-violent protest against injustice — has been used by Muslims in practice, including during elements of the Arab Spring, when many protesters relied on peaceful demonstration rather than armed conflict to call for political change.
Just War Theory
Just War theory is understood differently by Sunni and Shi’a Muslims, but both traditions link it to the lesser Jihad — jihad of the sword. Surah 4:69–110 discusses fighting in the way of Allah and is used to argue that any such fighting must have a just cause, be declared by a legitimate authority, be a last resort, and avoid harming non-combatants. Muslims use conditions like these to judge whether a modern conflict counts as a just war.
Muslims disagree about whether a truly just war is possible today. Some argue that modern warfare, with long-range weapons and heavy civilian casualties, cannot meet the strict conditions of the lesser Jihad. Others apply situation ethics, arguing that each conflict must be judged on its own circumstances, and that a war fought purely in self-defence against oppression can still be just.
Holy War
A Holy War (Harb al-Maqadis) is a war fought specifically for a religious cause. The Qur’an contains teaching on both peace and war, and Muslims disagree about how these fit together, particularly regarding the lesser Jihad. Surah 8:61 teaches that if an enemy inclines towards peace, Muslims should also incline towards peace and trust in Allah. Surah 9:1–14, by contrast, addresses a specific historical situation of broken treaties and instructs firmer action against those who had betrayed agreements. Muslims interpret the balance between these passages differently: some stress the priority of the peace verses, while others argue that firm action is sometimes necessary and religiously permitted.
Surah 8:61 teaches Muslims to accept peace when an enemy offers it. Surah 9:1–14, addressing broken treaties in a specific historical context, permits firmer action — Muslims divide over how to balance these two teachings today.
Muslim teaching addresses the problems and benefits of weapons of mass destruction (WMD). Surah 5:32 teaches that killing one innocent person is like killing the whole of humanity, while saving one life is like saving all humanity. Many Muslims use this verse to argue that WMD are unacceptable, since they cause indiscriminate, mass killing that cannot separate combatants from innocent civilians.
Some non-religious thinkers apply utilitarianism to argue that possessing WMD can be justified if it deters greater conflict and produces the best overall outcome, even though the weapons themselves are destructive. Most Muslims reject this reasoning, responding that the scale of harm WMD can cause conflicts directly with Qur’anic teaching on the sanctity of every innocent life, whatever the intended benefit.
Issues Surrounding Conflict
Muslim teachings on violence, war and terrorism are divergent, but almost all mainstream Muslim voices reject terrorism, which targets civilians, as a betrayal of Islamic teaching on justice and the protection of innocent life. Malik’s Muwatta 21.3.10 records early Islamic instructions on how war should be conducted, including protection for non-combatants such as women, children and religious figures, and prohibitions on destroying crops and property. Muslims point to teachings like these to argue that Islam sets firm limits on how conflict may be fought, and that modern terrorism ignores these limits entirely.
Non-religious voices, including atheists and Humanists, sometimes argue that religious belief itself fuels violence and terrorism by offering people a justification framed as divine will. Muslims respond that such acts are a distortion of Islamic teaching rather than an authentic expression of it, and that Muslim scholars, community leaders and organisations actively campaign against extremism, working to correct the idea that violence can ever be justified by faith.