Peace - The Solution for Humanity

Peace - The Solution for Humanity

Lecture by Dr. Abu Aminah Bilal Philips

Peace Conference

Opening

All praise is due to Allah. And may Allah's peace and blessings be on the last messenger of Allah.

Islam is the Solution

Islam is the solution. In spite of the fact that the world would have us believe through the media and through distorted presentations that Islam is the problem. The fact of the matter is that it is the solution.

And I can say that with confidence. Though I live and we all live in a time of turmoil. A time where in most parts of the world where there are conflicts, where there are wars, Muslims seem to be at the center of it.

That is a reality none of us can deny. However, in spite of that fact, history teaches us something else. And if we are to understand the present situation, it is essential that we understand history.

Because we are a product of history. Islam today is no different from Islam which was brought 1400 years ago by the last of the prophets of Allah, Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). It is the same Islam.

However, the circumstances were different. And we can see in the history of the prophet, in his biography, that as a prophet his life went through phases. There were times when he was involved in conflict.

And because of that, some would say, that is a warring prophet. One who was fighting. Lives were taken around him.

What kind of a prophet could that possibly be? Where is the peace? However, if one takes that incident, a battle, out of his whole life, yes, you can come to that kind of a conclusion. However, when the battle is looked in the context of his life, where the final and most serious of the battles was the retaking of Mecca, where Muslims entered into Mecca without taking any lives and having defeated the forces that were opposed to him, he gave the people who opposed him tooth and nail, who took the lives of his disciples and his companions, took the

lives of Muslims simply because they believed that there was only one God worthy of worship, Allah. He set them free.

When they expected possibly the worst. When conquerors come in finally, they take revenge and take the lives of the inhabitants of the cities. Instead, he set them free.

He said, you are free to go. Free to choose. Free to believe as you please.

That is the reality.

Historical Examples of Islamic Peace

Omar ibn al-Khattab and Jerusalem

When the second caliph of Islam, Omar ibn al-Khattab, entered Jerusalem. Entered Jerusalem after a struggle with its inhabitants. What did he do? He followed that example. Leaving the inhabitants free to worship as they wished. Islam, Christianity, Judaism existed in Jerusalem, which today is the center of some of the biggest conflicts going on in the world today.

It remained that way. Under Muslim rule, a peaceful coexistence.

Muslims in Spain

And Muslims entered Spain with the invitation of the Spaniards.

And when they took over Spain, what did they do? Did they impose their religion on the Spaniards? Did they execute them on mass? No. They were free to practice their religion. And again, Jews were driven out of Europe.

From all parts of Europe, they were driven into Spain. They found refuge in Spain amongst the Muslims.

Maimonides, Maimonides, one of their greatest scholars, greatest Jewish scholars, who wrote their liturgy, who wrote the hymns that they sing, they use in their worship.

He wrote in Arabic in Spain, for the Jews of Spain and the world. Peaceful coexistence is exemplified in Spain. People need to study the history of Spain.

Salahuddin and Palestine

And when Salahuddin entered Jerusalem, entered Palestine, after the crusaders had come and taken it, ruled it with an iron fist for a hundred years. During that hundred years, though the majority of the population were Muslims, no adhan was heard from any minaret in Palestine for a hundred years. That was not peaceful coexistence.

That was oppression. Yet when Salahuddin took Jerusalem, took Palestine, what did he do? Tit for tat? An eye for an eye? No. He followed the example of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), and let the people free to worship.

And again, Christians, Jews and Muslims worshipped together, not in the same places of worship, but in their own places, living together and worshipping peacefully. That is the history. That is the history.

And I could give many more examples, but time is short. It is enough to show through history that Islam has been the solution. It has been a religion of peace.

And the religion which the majority of Muslims hold and believe in today is the same religion. The issue is only their ability to implement it. The power is no longer in their hands.

The Colonial Era and Its Impact

From the period of colonization, another force came into the world. Colonization with an iron fist, where religions were suppressed, as is recorded in London, the London Museum. There is a diary there, written by a Muslim, who was a slave in Jamaica, where I was born.

He wrote, life and slavery under the colonial rule, under the British. He had to hide his Islam, pray in secret, so he couldn't be seen. He was forced to eat pork, which was forbidden.

It's forbidden for Muslims. And he wrote out the whole Quran from his memory, and that is also preserved in the British Museum. That was a different set of times.

That was not peaceful coexistence. So, the current situation is a product of colonization of the Muslim world. Where Muslims have had to fight, to throw off the shackles of colonization, to regain their freedom.

And their lands remain in the hands of others, taken away and given arbitrarily to others. So they fight. They fight for the right to determine their own lives.

Understanding the Roots of Conflict

Self-determination is a right enshrined in the UN, which all nations subscribe to. So when we look at the conflicts today, it is best for us to look at the roots of the conflicts. What has created them? What has caused them? The solution lies in correcting what is at the roots.

Not in merely saying, don't be terrorists, don't blow yourselves up. Well, we agree. We shouldn't be.

We shouldn't blow ourselves up. But what has driven us to that state? Where among us there are those who feel it is better to strap bombs around oneself and explode them, than to continue living in the current situation. That

reach that state of desperation.

As they say, desperate people do desperate things. So peace will come, when these situations are corrected. But the message of peace, in spite of this problem, remains in the teachings of Islam.

The Message and Mission

And that is what we need to look to. And much of that, is what myself and the other speakers this evening, will be addressing. Looking at what Islam has to offer.

Because we are not here, fighting any battles, on the front lines. We are here, where Muslims in India, do have this opportunity. Elsewhere they don't.

Alhamdulillah, Muslims in India do have the opportunity, to spread this message, to share this message. To share with their fellow human beings, in this country, the message, the true message of Islam, which without a doubt, is a message of peace. And I hope that all of you, would attend the various talks, in order to benefit, from all that we have to share with you.

Not just non-Muslims, but Muslims. Because there is much, that the Muslim ummah, the Muslim nation, common Muslims need to learn about their religion. The ignorance, which is spread amongst them, can only be removed by knowledge.

And this conference, the peace conference, is a step in the right direction. It is a good effort, which we hope that God will bless. And we hope that you all would benefit from, as we benefit in sharing it with you.

Closing

END OF LECTURE

May Allah grant us all peace and understanding, and guide us to implement the true teachings of Islam in our lives.