War, Peace, Freedom

Cont'd from page 3

As unfathomable as it may sound, it seems we went to war, in some manner, against God and His servants. And the angels knew we would let Satan influence us to shed blood (2:30, see Introduction).

We chose free will (33:72). We opted-in to see Satan’s demonstration. And what we are living in this world is proof of the differences between good choices and bad choices. To truly be free, we have to choose wisely with God’s help. Our choices can either bring freedom for ourselves and others around us, or we can make choices that harm ourselves and others.  True freedom comes from submission to God. It may come as a surprise that true freedom comes from surrendering our will to God’s will and observing His laws. But, when we think about it, any choice where we break God’s laws results in pain for ourselves or others. It can result in war or hardship and loss of property or health or well-being. Problems arise when we choose to commit evil or sin.

Another piece of why submission to God is so important in freedom, is because even if our  choices are good, other people may make bad choices. And without God to protect us – others’ choices can lead to loss of our freedoms. Loss of life, or happiness.

At the end of the day, it is a huge blessing that God controls all things including happiness. He makes us rich or poor. No one else can. Which means no one else can take it away either.

This is why it is in submitting to Him that we get the happiness and freedom we want. Because any sin you can think of ultimately will reduce the “life, liberty, pursuit of happiness.” What kinds of commands does God tell us to observe?

The Major Commandments
[6:151] Say, "Come let me tell you what your Lord has really prohibited for you: You shall not set up idols besides Him. You shall honor your parents. You shall not kill your children from fear of poverty―we provide for you and for them. You shall not commit gross sins, obvious or hidden. You shall not kill―GOD has made life sacred―except in the course of justice. These are His commandments to you, that you may understand."

Even the “simplest” of these, i.e., life being sacred is tough for humans to observe. Look at the homicide rates in the US (homicide is sadly the leading cause of death among children in USA). Or look at all the wars around us.

According to wiki, multiple wars claimed more than 10, 000 lives in 2023 alone: Russia-Ukraine, Israel-Palestine, Myanmar, Central Africa etc. And sadly this pattern has been going on for a while.

A 2003 NY Times article by former war correspondent Chris Hedges says in the history of the past 3400 years humans have been entirely at peace only for about 268 years or 8% of recorded history (https://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/06/books/chapters/what-every-person-should-know-about-war.html ).

A similar sentiment is echoed by Professor Robert Simpson from UCLA who says there have been no periods in history that have been free from war (https://www.ucl.ac.uk/culture-online/case-studies/2022/mar/can-there-ever-be-world-peace )
Given the above, it helps put into sobering context the Quranic verses on war. One may think that the verses on war are not relevant in our “modern, enlightened age”, but that’s not the case. We humans can still benefit from the key rules of war in verses like 2:190, 60:8-9 that make it clear we are never to aggress.

If only more people went by God’s command of greeting people with “Peace” and living by it. We can certainly use more peace in today’s world. When we pause to think on how we are so violent as a race, it comes down to idol worship and being influenced by Satan. Bad choices lead to pain and misery, and the loss of freedom.  The unfortunate origin of all this is in our own choices during the Great Feud. We pray that God helps us make the right choices so that we can, God willing, enjoy eternal freedom and happiness.

Faiz