Islam is a peaceful religion with those who are peaceful
Question

                In the event of what has happened in Kenya today, and has happened in many other countries, how can Islam be called a peaceful religion?
Praise be to Allah.
    
    Islam is a peaceful religion because Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, 
    has called Himself as-Salaam (the One Free from all defects; this 
    word also means ‘peace’), and Islam is His religion that He has approved of 
    for mankind. Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of 
    the meaning):

    
    
    “He is Allah than Whom there is La ilaha illa Huwa (none has the right to be 
    worshipped but He) the King, the Holy, the One Free from all defects, the 
    Giver of security, the Watcher over His creatures, the All-Mighty, the 
    Compeller, the Supreme. Glory be to Allah! (High is He) above all that they 
    associate as partners with Him”

    
    
    [al-Hashr 59:23]. 

    
    Islam is a peaceful religion because it forbids mischief on earth.  Allah, 
    may He be glorified, says (interpretation of the meaning):

    
    
    “and do good as Allah has been good to you, and seek not mischief in the 
    land. Verily, Allah likes not the Mufsidoon (those who commit great crimes 
    and sins, oppressors, tyrants, mischief-makers, corrupt)”

    
    
    [al-Qasas 28:77]

    
    
    “Verily, Allah enjoins Al-Adl (i.e. justice and worshipping none but Allah 
    Alone - Islamic Monotheism) and Al-Ihsan (i.e. to be patient in performing 
    your duties to Allah, totally for Allahs sake and in accordance with the 
    Sunnah (legal ways) of the Prophet SAW in a perfect manner), and giving 
    (help) to kith and kin (i.e. all that Allah has ordered you to give them 
    e.g., wealth, visiting, looking after them, or any other kind of help, 
    etc.): and forbids Al-Fahsha (i.e all evil deeds, e.g. illegal sexual acts, 
    disobedience of parents, polytheism, to tell lies, to give false witness, to 
    kill a life without right, etc.), and Al-Munkar (i.e all that is prohibited 
    by Islamic law: polytheism of every kind, disbelief and every kind of evil 
    deeds, etc.), and Al-Baghy (i.e. all kinds of oppression), He admonishes 
    you, that you may take heed”

    
    
    [an-Nahl 16:90]. 

    
    The blood of the peaceful individual (one who is living under Muslim rule or 
    who has been granted the protection of the Muslim state) is regarded as 
    sacrosanct to such an extent that transgression against a single individual 
    with no justification is regarded as equal to transgression against all of 
    humanity. Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of 
    the meaning):

    
    
    “Because of that We ordained for the Children of Israel that if anyone 
    killed a person not in retaliation of murder, or (and) to spread mischief in 
    the land - it would be as if he killed all mankind, and if anyone saved a 
    life, it would be as if he saved the life of all mankind. And indeed, there 
    came to them Our Messengers with clear proofs, evidences, and signs, even 
    then after that many of them continued to exceed the limits (e.g. by doing 
    oppression unjustly and exceeding beyond the limits set by Allah by 
    committing the major sins) in the land”

    
    
    [al-Maa’idah 5:32]. 

    
    Islam is a peaceful religion that allows followers of other religions to 
    live in the Islamic state and practice their religion without putting any 
    pressure on them. They are the ones who are known as ahl adh-dhimmah 
    or ahl al-‘ahd (those living under Muslim rule and enjoying the 
    protection of the Muslim state). They are granted complete rights that are 
    not granted to them by the most democratic countries nowadays. 

    
    The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) ruled Madinah when 
    there were many Jewish tribes living there, and he established a 
    constitution between him and them which required all citizens to defend the 
    state and strive together for its wellbeing, and granted security to them, 
    their property and their children, with freedom of worship, trade and 
    travel. They mixed with the Muslims to such an extent that they used to 
    invite the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) to meals in 
    their homes, and he would accept their invitations. He (blessings and peace 
    of Allah be upon him) also gave them the right to judge matters amongst 
    themselves according to their own laws. 

    
    This is how the Rightly Guided Caliphs who succeeded him also acted; they 
    did not shed anyone’s blood on the basis of identity, ethnicity or religion. 
    Rather they resisted the aggression of hostile parties, supported those who 
    were weak and oppressed in the land, and strove to spread the religion of 
    Allah, call people to Him and tell them about Him: “so that those who 
    were to be destroyed (for their rejecting the Faith) might be destroyed 
    after a clear evidence, and those who were to live (i.e. believers) might 
    live after a clear evidence” [al-Anfaal 8:42]. 

    
    The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “If anyone 
    wrongs a mu‘aahid [non-Muslim living under Muslim rule], detracts from his 
    rights, burdens him with more work than he is able to do or takes something 
    from him without his consent, I will plead for him (the mu‘aahid) on the Day 
    of Resurrection.”

    
    Narrated by Abu Dawood (3052); classed as hasan by Ibn Hajar in 
    Muwaafaqat al-Khabr, 2/184; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh 
    Abi Dawood 

    
    It was narrated from ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) that 
    the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever kills 
    a mu‘aahid will not smell the fragrance of Paradise, although its fragrance 
    may be detected from a distance of forty years.”

    
    Narrated by al-Bukhaari (3166) 

    
    The basis for all of that is the verse in Soorat al-Mumtahinah in which 
    Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the 
    meaning):

    
    
    “Allah does not forbid you to deal justly and kindly with those who fought 
    not against you on account of religion and did not drive you out of your 
    homes. Verily, Allah loves those who deal with equity.

    
    
    It is only as regards those who fought against you on account of religion, 
    and have driven you out of your homes, and helped to drive you out, that 
    Allah forbids you to befriend them. And whosoever will befriend them, then 
    such are the Zalimoon (wrong-doers those who disobey Allah)”

    
    
    [al-Mumtahinah 60:8-9]. 

    
    And Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):

    
    
    “O you who believe! Stand out firmly for Allah and be just witnesses and let 
    not the enmity and hatred of others make you avoid justice. Be just: that is 
    nearer to piety, and fear Allah. Verily, Allah is Well-Acquainted with what 
    you do”

    
    
     [al-Maa’idah 5:8]. 

    
    Al-Baydaawi says in his Tafseer (commentary on the Qur’an) (303): 

    
    That is: do not let your intense hatred for the mushrikeen (polytheists) 
    cause you to fail to be just towards them and thus transgress against them 
    by doing things that are not permissible, such as mutilating the dead, 
    slandering them, killing women and children, or breaking treaties, because 
    of the resentment in your hearts. End quote. 

    
    Although Allah has instructed His slaves to show enmity towards the 
    disbelievers with regard to their religion and to disavow them, that too is 
    governed by the definitive general principle, which is to treat them justly 
    and fairly, and not to wrong or mistreat them. 

    
    Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 

    
    Justice (or fairness) is obligatory upon everyone towards everyone in all 
    circumstances, and injustice (or unfairness) is not permissible under any 
    circumstances, to such an extent that Allah, may He be exalted, has enjoined 
    the believers to treat the disbelievers with justice, as He says 
    (interpretation of the meaning):

    
    
    “Be just: that is nearer to piety, and fear Allah. Verily, Allah is 
    Well-Acquainted with what you do”

    
    
    [al-Maa’idah 5:8]. 

    
    The believers treated the disbelievers justly in accordance with the command 
    of Allah, because Allah told them: do not let your hatred of the 
    disbelievers make you fail to treat them justly; rather treat them justly, 
    for that is nearer to piety.

    
    End quote from Majmoo‘ al-Fataawa, 30/339 

    
    This is the “code of conduct” that governs Muslim practices and highlights 
    to you the peace, justice and security that Islam brought to the inhabitants 
    of earth. 

    
    But if you want to judge Islam on the basis of the actions of some of its 
    followers and adherents, then you must let us judge Christianity and Judaism 
    based on the actions of some of the followers of these two religions too. 
    How can it be said that Christianity is a religion of love when we see that 
    the holy war (crusade) that was declared by the US president Bush (the son) 
    is killing hundreds and thousands of people in Afghanistan, Pakistan and 
    Iraq? 

    
    Even if we accept that al-Qaeda has attacked peaceful citizens in the USA, 
    and we overlook the reports and studies that suggest otherwise and point to 
    the involvement of intelligence agencies, can that aggression be warded off 
    by occupying other countries? If Afghanistan was occupied in order to strike 
    at al-Qaeda in that country, then why was Iraq occupied, which led to the 
    killing of thousands and widespread abuse of prisoners [Abu Ghraib], and put 
    an end to the peace and security that existed before the occupation, so that 
    rivers of blood could continue to flow because of the consequences of 
    occupation? 

    
    How can it be said that Christianity is a religion of love, when we see 
    complete support for the Zionist occupation of Muslim lands, the expulsion 
    of millions from their homes, the imprisoning of hundreds of thousands, and 
    the wholesale replacement of one people by another? Didn’t the Jews live in 
    peace in Palestine and other Arab lands before the establishment of the 
    state of Israel? So why this occupation? And why do Western countries 
    continue to support this usurper state? Why does the Christian West support 
    this state, and why was it given the Balfour declaration by Great Britain in 
    order to kill Muslims and stir up the grave turmoil, trouble and war that 
    resulted from the planting of the Zionist entity in the region? 

    
    What do you want us to tell you about the current situation that is filled 
    with terrorism of Christian states and the blood they have on their hands, 
    represented by the new conservatives in the USA, Britain and elsewhere? 

    
    Or do you want us to tell you about the armed Christian terrorist groups, of 
    which there are more than forty-one, and more than twenty-two militias in 
    the USA alone? If we were to list for you the operations that these groups 
    have carried out throughout the world, it would take far too long. How about 
    if we listed all the terrorist groups throughout the world, which are 
    motivated by racist or religious beliefs, all of which have emerged from the 
    Christian world? 

    
    But let us set all of that aside. Why should we delve so deeply into the 
    Western world? Have you not heard about the Muslims in Central Africa, and 
    the massacres and atrocities to which they are being subjected? 

    
    Have you heard about the offenses being committed against the Muslims in 
    Myanmar, before the eyes of the entire world? 

    
    Do you want us to tell you about the past? The pages of history are filled 
    with the Crusades in which the Muslim lands were occupied and their blood 
    was shed for hundreds of years? 

    
    Do you want us to tell you about what happened to the Muslims in Andalus 
    (Spain) and the atrocities carried out against them by the Inquisition? 

    
    Do you want to us to tell you about the atrocities committed by European 
    colonialists – French, British, Italian, Portuguese and Dutch – in Muslim 
    lands? 

    
    Nevertheless, we – as an independent Islamic research organization – cannot 
    accuse Christianity, in the form that Allah sent down to the Messiah ‘Eesa 
    ibn Maryam (Jesus son of Mary – peace be upon him), of being a religion of 
    terror or aggression; rather it was a religion of peace, as were the 
    religions of all the Prophets. Rather terrorism occurrs among some of the 
    followers who distort the divinely revealed books, or follow their own 
    criminal agenda, or get confused and they are deceived by the Shaytaan 
    (Satan), so they begin to shed blood, transgress sacred limits and provoke 
    wars throughout the 
    world.                                                                                          
    

    
    We believe that we can find a great deal of common ground if we agree to 
    respect treaties and covenants, and restore people’s rights in Palestine, 
    Afghanistan and Iraq, and other countries that have long suffered oppression 
    and occupation, and the plunder of resources, sometimes in the name of 
    freedom and sometimes in the name of fighting terrorism. At that point we 
    will be able to find a way to debate calmly and wisely, for we are the 
    people of this call, as Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, says 
    (interpretation of the meaning):

    
    
    “Invite (mankind, O Muhammad SAW) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with 
    wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Quran) and fair preaching, 
    and argue with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who 
    has gone astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are 
    guided.

    
    
    And if you punish (your enemy, O you believers in the Oneness of Allah), 
    then punish them with the like of that with which you were afflicted. But if 
    you endure patiently, verily, it is better for As-Sabirin (the patient ones, 
    etc.)

    
    
    And endure you patiently (O Muhammad SAW), your patience is not but from 
    Allah. And grieve not over them (polytheists and pagans, etc.), and be not 
    distressed because of what they plot.

    
    
    Truly, Allah is with those who fear Him (keep their duty unto Him), and 
    those who are Muhsinoon (good-doers)”

    
    
    [an-Nahl 16:125-128]. 

    
    And Allah knows best.