Friday, April 28, 2006

The Only Means to Achieve Lasting Peace

Allah is as-Salam. As-salam means, roughly, the same as the English word peace, but with overtones of soundness, well being, unimpairedness, security and safety. Allah says of Himself, "He is Allah, other than Whom there is no god. He is the sovereign, the Holy, the Peace," (Q 59:23) and greets us with the words, "Peace – such is the greeting from the All-Compassionate Sustainer."(Q 36:58)

Our basic working premise concerning the subject of peace: Allah is by nature of His Being – Peace – there is no other place to get it from.

Our basic insight concerning world peace: any power, any system, any ideology, any organized or centrally controlled religion is by nature oppressive and usurping of the Divine Prerogative, regardless of either the doctrine upon which it is founded or the sincerity of its devotees. Any attempt, political, economic, military, scientific, philosophical or religious, to re-establish a world of knowledge ('ilm), justice ('adl) and mercy (rahmah) in the period stretching between the time of the death of Muhammad, the last prophet, upon whom be blessings and peace, and the appearance of al-Mahdi is ineluctably doomed to fail.

Our basic insight concerning individual, familial and communal peace: the Prophet said, "You will not have secure faith ('iman) until you love one another and have mercy on those who live upon the earth." He also said, "He who has no mercy will receive none."

Our recommendation is to seek peace where — and only where — it can be found. We believe, based on direct experience, that anything else is a waste of time.

- Sheikh Nooruddeen Durkee

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