A RELIGION OF PEACE

Islam is a religion of peace in the fullest sense of the word. The Qur’an calls its way ‘the paths of peace’ (5:16). It states that God abhors any disturbance of peace (2:205).

In fact the root word of Islam is ‘silm’ which itself means peace. So the spirit of Islam is the spirit of peace. The first verse of the Qur’an breathes the spirit of peace. It reads:  In the name of God, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate.

This verse is repeated in the Qur’an no less than 113 times. It shows the great importance Islam attaches to such values as Mercy and Compassion. One of God’s names, according to the Qur’an, is As-Salam, which means peace. Moreover the Qur’an states that the Prophet Muhammad PBUH was sent to the world as a mercy to mankind.


The Arabic term Islam (إسلام) is derived from aslama, which means "to surrender" or "resign oneself". The Arabic word salaam (سلام) ("peace") shares the same consonantal root (s-l-m) with the words Islam and Muslim.

Muslims who are keen to emphasise their rejection of violence have used the phrase "a religion of peace" as a description of Islam, like Dalil Boubakeur, mufti of the Paris Mosque, who said in 2006, "The prophet did not found a terrorist religion, but a religion of peace."[7] After the 7/7 London bombings, some Muslims in the West increased their efforts to present Islam as a peaceful religion.[8]

Mahathir bin Mohamad, the former Prime Minister of Malaysia said in 2002,
Clearly Islam the religion is not the cause of terrorism. Islam, as I said, is a religion of peace. However through the centuries, deviations from the true teachings of Islam take place. And so [people who call themselves] "Muslims" kill despite the injunction of their religion against killing especially of innocent people.