SPIRIT OF ISLAM APRIL 2O18

12 Spirit of Islam Issue 64 April 2018 TOWARDS GLOBAL PEACE We often talk of peace in the context of war. But this is a very narrow and restricted notion of peace. Peace is deeply linked with the entirety of human life. Peace is a complete ideology in itself. Peace is the only religion for both—man and the universe. It is the master-key that opens the doors to every success. Peace creates a favourable atmosphere for success in every endeavour. Without peace, no positive action—small or big—is possible. A NEW AGE T HE present age is a most unique period of human history. Ancient man would have been unable to even comprehend such a phase of mankind. Many revolutions in human civilization have bestowed man with numerous blessings. Religious persecution has been abolished and replaced by religious freedom, traditional and superstitious beliefs have given way to a rational and scientific era, the age of antagonism and hostility has been put an end to and replaced by an age of inter-dependence. In other words, an era of problems has been eradicated and in its place we have only opportunities and more opportunities everywhere. But it is strange that Muslims are still living in conflict and controversy. In an age of religious freedom, they feel that they are still in the age of religious persecution. In scientific times, they continue to live with superstitions and irrational beliefs in an age of inter-dependence and collaboration they live with a mindset of hostility. It appears to them that they are under siege from their enemies and that their opponents are conspiring and plotting against them. In the age of opportunities they only seem to be beset by problems everywhere. Let us examine whether there is room for such thinking by studying the teachings of the Quran and the Prophet and by objectively analyzing the present situation of the world.