The Foundations of Peace and Coexistence in Islamic Thought

The present paper is an attempt to examine the place of peace and war in Islam. A group of Muslims, citingnumerous Quranic verses on Jihad, emphasize the cruciality of war as a principle in relation with others; aworldview which can often be found among the followers of Salafism, Takfirism, jihadist Wahhabism, as wellas organizations such as Al Qaida and ISIL. However, in direct contrast with this view, there stand Muslimthinkers who criticize it thoroughly and underscore the fundamental place of peace in Islam based on itsanthropological, discursive, mystical, and jurisprudential principles. The main question raised by this paperis: What are the theoretical foundations of prioritizing peace in international relations in the politicalthoughts of a major section of Muslim thinkers Employing documental method, this study attempts toanswer the question based on the political thoughts of Imam Khomeini as a great Muslim thinker who wasthe theorist and architect of the Islamic Revolution of 1979 in Iran. The findings of the study indicate thatpreference of peace and coexistence in international relations has solid anthropological, discursive,mystical, and jurisprudential foundations in the political teachings of Islam.

Keywords:

Islam , peace , war , Imam Khomeini , Muslim thinkers , international relations