9. Qiyam-e-Aman — Establishment of Peace
قیام امن
Dear friends! Islam is a foundational principle — and that principle is the Establishment of Peace. The Qur'an commands:
وَلَا تَسُبُّوا الَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ فَيَسُبُّوا اللَّهَ عَدْوًا بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ
"And do not insult those they invoke other than Allah, lest they insult Allah in enmity without knowledge." (Al-An'am, 6:108) — That is, do not revile the idols that others worship besides Allah, lest they retaliate by reviling Allah out of ignorance and hostility. Do not insult their deities, do not insult their religions — let them not be incited to return the insult. A principled exchange of ideas, yes — but not the stoking of strife and conflict.
Dear friends! All Muslims worship Allah and the command of Allah — and the Prophets and the hadiths of the Prophet are there. For those who follow the Prophet by clear and certain knowledge, it is possible to say they are the people of the Prophet. We think concerning them that they worship the Prophet — yet those who are among them will also tell us: it is impossible for us to say this about the Prophet. So we cannot say this to them. We say to them: this is not acceptable — do not say it. We are going in this direction — and Allah Most High says:
وَاعْتَصِمُوا بِحَبْلِ اللَّهِ جَمِيعًا وَلَا تَفَرَّقُوا
"And hold firmly to the rope of Allah all together and do not become divided." (Āl ʿImrān, 3:103) — That is, Allah commands us to hold firmly together and unite — not in any single assembly, but to hold firmly together and not become divided. The Qur'an also says:
وَلَا تُفْسِدُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ بَعْدَ إِصْلَاحِهَا
"And do not cause corruption upon the earth after its reformation." (Al-A'raf, 7:56) — Once a good order has been established in the land, do not cause corruption in it.
وَأَوْفُوا بِعَهْدِ اللَّهِ إِذَا عَاهَدتُّمْ وَلَا تَنقُضُوا الْأَيْمَانَ بَعْدَ تَوْكِيدِهَا وَقَدْ جَعَلْتُمُ اللَّهَ عَلَيْكُمْ كَفِيلًا إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَعْلَمُ مَا تَفْعَلُونَ
"And fulfill the covenant of Allah when you have taken it, and do not break oaths after their confirmation while you have made Allah, over you, a witness. Indeed, Allah knows what you do." (An-Nahl, 16:91) — Fulfill your covenants and do not break your oaths once you have confirmed them — for you have made Allah your witness.
Dear friends! We are now going to narrate some examples of things that cause corruption. Allah Most High says:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِنَّمَا الْخَمْرُ وَالْمَيْسِرُ وَالْأَنصَابُ وَالْأَزْلَامُ رِجْسٌ مِّنْ عَمَلِ الشَّيْطَانِ فَاجْتَنِبُوهُ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ إِنَّمَا يُرِيدُ الشَّيْطَانُ أَن يُوقِعَ بَيْنَكُمُ الْعَدَاوَةَ وَالْبَغْضَاءَ فِي الْخَمْرِ وَالْمَيْسِرِ وَيَصُدَّكُمْ عَن ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ وَعَنِ الصَّلَاةِ فَهَلْ أَنتُم مُّنتَهُونَ
"O you who have believed, indeed, intoxicants, gambling, stone altars, and divining arrows are but defilement from the work of Satan, so avoid it that you may be successful. Satan only wants to cause between you animosity and hatred through intoxicants and gambling and to avert you from the remembrance of Allah and from prayer. So will you not desist?" (Al-Ma'idah, 5:90-91) — Among the major causes of social discord and destruction of peace are intoxicants and gambling. Islam forbids them absolutely, not merely because of individual harm, but because they sow enmity and hatred between people and turn people away from God and prayer.
There are also corrupt nations who make their own laws and then abandon them. First they make the law, and then immediately a second law is put in place. This is how chaos spreads. Dear friends! We are commanded to be steadfast and patient:
فَقُولَا لَهُ قَوْلًا لَّيِّنًا
"And speak to him with gentle speech." (Ta-Ha, 20:44) — Even to Pharaoh and Haman, Allah commanded Moses and Aaron to speak gently. This is the Islamic principle of dialogue and peaceful persuasion — even with the worst of enemies, the method is patience, wisdom, and gentle address.
Dear friends! Islam is a foundational principle — and that principle is the establishment of peace and order, and to avoid and prevent corruption.