Islam is a religion of peace in the fullest sense of the word. The Quran calls its way 'the paths of peace' (5:16). It states that God abhors any disturbance of peace (2:205).
The root word of Islam is 'silm', which means peace. So the spirit of Islam is the spirit of peace. The first verse of the Quran breathes the spirit of peace. It reads:
In the name of God, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate.
This verse is repeated in the Quran no less than 113 times. It shows the great importance Islam attaches to such values as Mercy and Compassion. One of God's names, according to the Quran, is As-Salam, which means peace. Moreover the Quran states that the Prophet Muhammad PBUH was sent to the world as a mercy to mankind. (21:107)
A perusal of the Quran shows that most verses of the Quran (and also the Hadith) are based on peace and kindness, either directly or indirectly. The ideal society, according to the Quran is Dar as-Salam, that is, the house of peace (10:25).
Islam attaches great importance to peace. In fact, Islam cannot afford not to be in a state of peace because all that Islam aims at-spiritual progress, intellectual development, character building, social reform, educational activities, and above all Missionary work-can be achieved only in an atmosphere of peace and harmony.
According to Islam, peace is not simply an absence of war. Peace opens doors to all kinds of opportunities that are present in any given situation. It is only in a peaceful situation that planned activities are possible. It is for this reason that the Prophet Muhammad (may peace be upon him) went to great extents to establish peace at all costs.
According to Islam, peace is the rule and war is only an exception. Even in defensive war we have to see the result. If the result is doubtful, Muslims should avoid war, even in a defensive situation. Stray acts of aggression are not enough for Muslims to rush into war. They have to assess the whole situation and adopt a policy of avoidance when war is not certain to achieve a positive result.
There are several examples of this kind in the early period of Islam. In Islamic history, one such example is that of the battle of the trench. In this event there was clear-cut aggression on the part of the antagonists, who traveled as far as 300 miles from Mecca to Medina only to attack the Muslims. But the Prophet got a trench dug in order to prevent an armed confrontation and thus avoided engaging in a defensive war.
