There is much talk today about peace and justice and we should ask

why in our epoch there is so much universal concern about these issues.

Gholamreza Aavani, Iranian Institute of Philosophy

There is much talk today about peace and justice and we should ask

why in our epoch there is so much universal concern about these issues.

It might be that humankind has grown into a new awareness of the supreme

values of peace and justice. But if this were the case, there would not be

so much tribulation, agitation and injustice to be seen all around. There

are many and plentiful counterexamples to be found in our present global

scene to refute this claim.

Again, it might be that this real concern about peace and justice is due

to the fact that we miss them in ourselves and in our surroundings and

consequently we feel their lack innately in our beings as when we talk

about health, when diseased, or speak of joy when aggrieved.

But physicians warn us that we cannot talk about disease unless we

have already gained an evident knowledge about health and certain

philosophers again are wont to tell us that disease is not something

positive, but rather it is a lack or a privation, that is the privation of

health. Disease ensues when conditions conducing to health, are lacking.

In the same vein it could be argued that injustice is a privation and not a

positive quality, but justice and peace on the contrary are positive

qualities that is qualities, in the nature of things or in other words they are

ontological.

In order, better to explain the ontological nature of these qualities, it

should be emphasized that we do not mean by these two terms, some sort

of psychological dispositions in which case their ontological and

epistemic values would be underrated if not completely abandoned.

Let us leave the psychological terms to psychologists. When

metaphysical and religious entities are reduced to psychological states,

they are emptied of their spiritual content and are relativized to the point

of becoming individual idiosyncracies.

In my understanding, that peace and justice are ontological qualities

embedded in the very nature of things is more or less a common belief in

all religions and it is on this basis that religions promulgate these two

virtues , in a cosmic, social and the individual scale. The great founders

of religions whether Moses or Jesus, Buddha or Prophet Muhammad have

been the harbingers of Divine peace and justice to the human race and in

my estimation, if there is ever to be peace and justice on the surface of

this globe it is only possible through a sympathetic and metaphysical

understanding of these supreme world religions.

As a preliminary remark I should say that the word “religion” is not a

homonymous (one name for quite different meanings) term but a

synonymous (one word used exactly for the same meaning) term as when

for example we use the word “human” for David, Jack, Mary and all other

human beings, male or female alike. If this were not the case it would not

be logically permissible to talk of religions in the plural or of the plurality

of religions (and by religion here I mean the classical religions of the

world) Religions, in order not to be homonymous must be essentially the

same, with of course, many accidental and peripheral differences. With

this proviso in mind I should proceed to discuss very briefly some of the

metaphysical presuppositions of peace and justice in religions with a

special emphasis on the religion of Islam. First of all, if we look for the

ontological source and fountain-head of peace and justice, we shall find

them nowhere else than in the source of all being called differently in

different religions as Yahweh, Elohim, Allah, God, Heaven, and the like.

In all religions peace can only be found in one’s reconciliation with

Heaven and in one’s making peace with the source of all being. In Islam

peace and justice are among the Most Beautiful Names of God :” He is

Allah than whom there is no other God, the Sovreign Lord, the Most

Holy one, Peace, the Keeper of Security, the Guardian, the Majestic, the

Compeller, the Superb, glorified be Allah from all that they ascribe unto

Him” (Qur. LIX , 23 )

This means that His attribute of peace, due to His quality of al- Latif

(The All- Subtle) has permeated everything.

Again religions view the being of the cosmos and man in a different

light which give peace and justice a different shade of meaning.

In religions, what we generally call being, is conceived in different

terms. In the Holy Quran, we seldom hear the word being. The Quranic

expression for this term is the Divine Mercy (rahma) and as a matter of

fact, one of the most comprehensive Divine names, next to the Holy

Name Allah, is the Name al-rahman or the All-Merciful ” Say, call Him

by the Name Allah or by the Name Al-rahman (All-Merciful) by

whichever Name you call Him to Him belong all the Most Beautiful

Names. (Qur.XVII) «His Mercy has encompassed everything»

(Qur.VII,156). So it can be safely said that everything in the universe is

an expression and a manifestation of Divine Rahmah. In addition, from

the same root, there is derived another attribute of God, Rahim, which is

usually rendered in English as the All-compassionate and designates the

special Mercy of God to believers and the folk of faith. It connotes the

special grace of God to believers, from which the disbelievers are

deprived. Again Sakinah or inward peace is one of the concomitants of

faith and a token of Divine Grace “It is He who sent down the Sakinah

(Inward peace) into the hearts of believers that they might add faith to

their faith” (Qur.XLVIII,5)

As the last remark, I would like to stress here that Islam, which is

usually rendered as “submission” is derived from the root Silm and means

to” make peace”. Islam is not only to submit oneself to the will of God; it

is also to make peace with the Divinity and with all the creatures. The

word of greeting and salutation in the Islamic community is Salamun

Alaykum ( or peace be upon you ) and according to the Holy Quran,

“peace” is the word of salutation of the people of paradise (Qur.XIV,23).

Again one of the epithets of paradise in the Quran is the ” Abode of

peace” (Dar-as-Salam) evidently because there the Divine peace reigns

supreme ” Therein they shall hear no idle talk, no cause of sin, only the

saying peace, peace”. Moreover Allah calls forth all people to the Abode

of peace (Qur.X,25). All believers, are enjoined to enter the peace of

God: “O believers, enter the peace, all of you, and follow not the steps of

Satan, he is a foe unto you.” Disbelievers make corruption on earth, but if

they incline to peace, the prophet is commanded to incline to peace and to

put his trust in God. (Qur.VIII,61), again believers are commanded not to

be faint in calling for peace (Qur.XLVII,85). Jesus Christ is alluded to as

a paragon of Divine peace: “And peace be upon him the day he was born,

the day he shall die and the day he shall be resurrected”.

Let us cast a cursory glance at the metaphysical presuppositions of

peace without which it could not be realized in the individual, social,

international or the cosmic level. One of the essential constituents of

peace is justice and that is why peace and justice are mentioned together,

and according to some philosophers such as Plato, peace is one of the

concomitants of justice. Plato has written extensively on the subject and

the subtitle of his magnum opus the Politeia or the Republic is On Justice

(peri dikaiosyne). This is very significant with regard to the fact that all

Abrahamic religions, in their historical development have had an

encounter with Greek philosophy. In Platonic philosophy, there is a

parallelism or rather a metaphysical correspondence between the

microcosm and the macrocosm, on the one hand and between man and

the state on the other. So here we shall proceed on a very brief discussion

of justice in the human being and for brevity, we forgo the discussion of

justice in the state and the cosmos mainly because according to Plato,

justice in the state is the same as justice in the human being but «writ

large» and perhaps in the cosmos «writ the largest».

Plato’s scheme of virtues, needless to say, is based on the tripartite

division of the soul, each virtue being the sum-total of one of the three

longitudinal levels in the hierarchy of the soul, justice being the

culmination and the outcome of these three virtues.

According to Plato, the lower part of the body is the locus of the

appetitive faculty which like a greedy horse voraciously devours

everything at its disposal and impedes the soul from taking flight toward

the heaven. The irascible faculty is seated in the breast and the highest

faculty of the soul, that is the intellective, is lodged in the head and due to

its nobility is separated from the rest of the body by the neck, Demiurge

having taken utmost care that it should not be mixed and intermingled

with the rest of the body.

Now according to Plato, each faculty has its distinctive virtue; the

virtue of the appetitive faculty is temperance (sophrosyne) or selfmastery,

which enables the soul to overcome the lasciviousness and

lustfulness of the appetitive faculty. The proper virtue of the irascible

faculty is courage (andreia) which is not blind insolence, but the right use

of this faculty in accordance with the verdicts of the intellect. The virtue

proper to and distinctive of the intellective faculty is sophia or the Divine

wisdom which causes the soul to ascend to the vision of the Idea of the

Good in the Realm Yonder, speculating the eternal archetypes of the

things earthly in the sphere below, contemplating the primordial ideas in

the intelligible universe, attaining to the real and absolute knowledge by

beholding the eternal prototypes in the Divine Realm. Justice

(dikaiosyne) is not possible without the possession of virtues and

particularly without the mastery and realization of wisdom, because if

justice is to put everything in the right place, its realization is impossible

without knowledge of the highest kind that is philosophy in the Platonic

understanding of the term.

Justice, in the true sense of the word can only be realized when the

intellective faculty reigns supreme in the human being, dominating wisely

the appetitive and the irascible souls. Justice in Plato’s view, whether

political or ethical is impossible without the realization of virtues. Farabi,

one of the greatest political philosophers of Islam has extensively dealt

with this issue in his numerous works especially in his Ideals of the

Inhabitants of the Virtuous City.

Justice in the state according to Plato is only realized when either

true philosophers become rulers or rulers become philosophers. Only

philosopher-kings can safeguard the supremacy of justice in the state, the

other two castes of the community, that is the guardians (representing the

appetitive soul in the state) on the one hand and craftsmen, farmers and

merchants (representing the appetitive soul) on the other, should serve as

the auxiliaries of the philosopher-king (representing the intellective soul)

in the state.

Let us consider for a moment the relationship of peace and justice

in Plato. It seems that for Plato the realization of peace in all its aspects,

whether in the individual or in a community, and for that matter even in

the cosmos is impossible without justice. In other words only a just,

equitable and righteous person can, in the final analysis be in peace with

himself and others. Justice, in itself requires that the higher should have

the upper hand with respect to the lower in the hierarchy, whether it be in

the faculties of the soul or in the community as a whole. Justice demands

that reason rule over the other faculties and that the supreme sage should

guide the governance of the community. It requires a sapiential

knowledge and a perennial wisdom and to that extent alone justice and

peace can be realized in the state and individual. Only a sage or a saint

can have peace of mind and tranquility of the soul.

Second, justice and peace can be realized in the community and

that can take place if and only if a sage-philosopher who is in possession

of the supreme science, takes in hand the helm. For Plato, the

achievement of peace, in an international scale is not feasible unless all

the kings and presidents are divinely endowed with the supreme wisdom,

or through Divine Grace and Providence, a Divine Ruler is destined to

take the reins of the government in his hand.

A third point to be noted in Plato’s theory is that both justice and

peace can be founded on virtue and the perfection of the soul. A wicked

man and a vicious society are barred from the beatitude of peace and

tranquility and instead are doomed to perturbation and confusion. As St.

Thomas Aquinas has aptly remarked (Summa Theologiae 2a2ae, 29.2)

total dedication to evil and vice cannot bring about peace in a wicked man

because evil, unlike good is not a unifying principle. The completely evil

man, if such were possible, would remain a victim of conflict between his

evil desires. Thus the peace of the wicked is not true peace but at most a

counterfeit of it.

Even if Plato can come to our succor whenever we have problems

in understanding the logic of faith and he has been much admired in all

ages by those who have had a taste for philosophical wisdom and has

been traditionally emulated by saints and sages alike, there are some other

points to be remarked with regard to this problem within the context of

Abrahamic traditions, especially in Islam and Christianity.

Let us add to the list of Platonic virtues, such basic religious virtues

as faith, charity, humility, love of God, love of neighbor, penitence,

devotion, worship and so on, and ask ourselves what dimensions do these

virtues add to the idea and the reality of peace and how can these virtues

help us in the realization of peace in our modern context. Let us start with

faith which is the sine qua non of the other religious virtues.

A person, who has a true faith in God, sees everything from a

Divine vantage point. For a believer God is the alpha and the omega of

everything or as the Holy Quran puts it: “He is the First and the Last, the

Outward and the Inward and he has knowledge of everything”. (Qur.

57.3) In such a worldview, man gets his dignity and worth from the

Divinity. Man is the pontiff and the vicegerent of God on earth. He is

made in God’s image and no creatures, even angels can boast of this

exalted rank. He has been made for God and the world has been made for

man. According to a sacred Prophetic tradition, nothing can encompass

and comprehend the Divinity except the heart of the pious believer.

According to a Quranic verse, the Divine Trust was offered to Heavens

and the Earth and the mountains and they refused to bear it and were

apprehensive of bearing it and man alone was able to carry the onus of

Divine Trust (Qur. 33, 72).

According to Rumi and many other Sufis, man was made in the

image of God and the world was made in the image of man. One

corollary of the above premises is that man obtains his authenticity only

from God, and not from himself, nor from the external world. Forgetting

God is equal to self-forgetfulness. One can only live a peaceful existence

only when one is reconciled to God and to Heaven. Abandoning God and

religion which by definition binds man to Him is to be entrapped in the

web of perplexity, confusion and self-deceit. Islam, which derives from

the root Silm meaning peace, literally means to make one’s peace with

God which by the way is not peculiar to man, but he shares this exalted

and sublime rank with all creatures in the world (Qur. 3.83). It is as if

man by reconciling himself to God, joins the universal chorus of Divine

glorification.

Another virtue which can be considered a concomitant of peace, without

which it could hardly be realized is the virtue of charity or self-sacrifice.

One meaning of charity is to choose other human beings over oneself and

to prefer their interests to one’s own interest. A sign of charity in

Christianity and Islam is to love one’s neighbor as oneself. It is generally

speaking to love other human beings in God and for the sake of God.

According to a well known prophetic tradition, a believer is the mirror of

another believer. This might mean that he has attained to such a state of

purification and perfection that he can reflect in himself all the spiritual

perfections of his brother in faith. It might mean that both of them being

believers behold each other through the mirror of Divine perfections.

Again, peace, in the true sense of the word is impossible without love of

God. It is inconceivable that humankind can experience peace without

utter devotion and ardent love of God, of which the love of the neighbor

is but a faint reflection. Love, especially love of God and love of the

lovers of God and love of the beloved ones of God, like a blazing fire

consumes the dross of impurity and sin and immerses the soul in the

infinite ocean of Divine Mercy and grace. «He loves them and they love

Him» (Qur. 5.54)

External peace moreover cannot be realized without inward

serenity and tranquility which are signs of true spiritual perfection. In the

Holy Quran a tranquil soul, or a soul at peace with God, is the one which

has attained to the highest degree of spiritual accomplishment. «O Soul at

peace, return unto thy Lord, well-pleased and well-pleasing! Enter thou

among my servants! Enter thou My paradise!» (Qur. 89.28-30). A true

sign of such tranquility is to be content with God at all events. It is to be

pleased with what he has wanted for us and to be grateful for the boons

and blessings which He has bestowed upon us out of sheer grace. As the

Holy Quran says: «God is well-pleased with them and they are well

pleased with Him.»

In concluding my paper I want just to refer to the beginning verses

of the Sermon of the Mount to show that the qualities which Jesus has

mentioned for true believers are necessary for the realization of peace in

all its multiple facets.

a- «Blessed are the poor in spirit; for theirs is the kingdom of

heaven. »

True faith goes hand in hand with spiritual poverty. In such poverty

resides the dignity and the true worth of man because man like all

other creatures is nothing in himself and is a purely contingent

being by nature and in this capacity receives every perfection from

his primordial source, i.e. God. This is to say that he gets his safety,

security and peace from God alone. «O men, you are the ones who

are poor in relation to God and He is the All-sufficient, the Allpraiseworthy.

» (Qur. 35.15)

b- «Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.»

Those who mourn, that is they who suffer for God and in the

way of God and those who suffer in the hope of bringing about

the kingdom of Heaven and in order to make the word of God

supreme. “They shall be comforted.” That is they shall be given

the peace of God. This verse implies that those who inflict harm

and cause suffering for others are deprived from Divine peace

and tranquility.

c- «Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.» This is

still another essential element for the fulfillment of peace.

Meekness and humility are the basic virtues extolled in all

religions. Humility is a concomitant of spiritual poverty and

charity. It is to bow down before the Divine majesty and glory

and to be cognizant of one’s essential nothingness. The arrogant,

the haughty and the supercilious are veiled from the Divine

grace and the Divine mercy. «The earth shall be the inheritance

of My righteous servants.» (Qur. 21-105)

d- «Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after

righteousness: for they shall be filled.»

This is still another prerequisite for the fulfillment of peace, that is

the virtue of justice, equity and righteousness as explained above.

To undergo hardships for the sake of righteousness, is considered

great in the sight of God. This signifies that cruelty, oppression,

and injustice deter one from attaining to peace and tranquility.

e- «Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy.» This

verse most splendidly shows us the interrelatedness of peace

and mercy. Clemency, compassion, forgiveness and forbearance

are the surest way to attract and assimilate the Divine Mercy.

According to the Holy Quran, His Mercy has encompassed

everything and the formula «in the Name of God the most

Merciful and the Most compassionate.» is repeated at the

beginning of every chapter of the Holy Quran and moreover it is

a sacred formula which is repeated by every pious Muslim when

he wants to start anything and to undertake any enterprise.

Mercilessness, inclemency and cruelty, so prevalent today can

never lead humankind to peace and justice.

f- «Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.» True

religion is the religion of the heart. Those who have sound and

pure hearts are the ones who are the beloved of God. Mundane

cleverness and worldly intelligence kill both the heart and the

Divine intellect in man. As it has been reported of the Holy

Prophet most of the people of paradise are those whom the

mundane and the worldly-greedy people presume to be

unintelligent. Concerning the disbelievers the Holy Quran says:

«They have hearts but understand not with them; they have eyes

but perceive not with them; they have ears, but they hear not

with them; they are like cattle; nay, rather they are further

astray.» (Qur. 7. 179) «God sets a seal on every heart which is

proud and arrogant.» «Surely that (the Holy Quran) is a

reminder to him who has a heart, or will give ear and is a true

witness.» (Qur. 50. 37). Abraham beseeches God in the

following words: «Degrade me not upon the day when they are

raised up, the day when neither wealth nor sons shall profit,

except for him who comes to God with a pure heart.» (Qur. 26.

89). Those who have a dead and a stony heart shall be drowned

and shall never reach safely to the shore of salvation.

g- «Blessed are the peace makers; for they shall be called the

children of God.» This verse is the crux and the climax of the

problem under discussion, but at the same time we should

remember that this verse presupposes the preceding ones as

logical premises, without which peace cannot prevail. «peacemakers

» are promised to be the children of God; that is those

who are the beloved of God. Those who do not make peace on

earth or those who disturb the Divine peace in our globe are

called in the Quran as those who make corruption on earth.

They are disbelievers, hypocrites or they are people of feeble

faith. «The believers are indeed brothers, so make peace

between your two brothers and fear God, haply you will find

mercy.» (Qur. 49.10) «If two parties of believers fight, make

peace between them.» (Qur. 49.9) «So fear God and obey you

me and obey not the commandment of the prodigal who do

corruption on earth and set not things aright.» (Qur. 26. 152)

In a word peace cannot be realized in the soul or established in the

community or on earth, unless one is reconciled to God through

following his prophets, saints and through carrying out his

commandments and by establishing his religions.

Source : www.irip.ir/