Islam means submission and is at the same time derived from the Arabic word "salam", meaning peace. It might not be understood by a non-classic Arabic speaker because of the differences in the use of the words peace and submission, especially when used in different contexts. In the word "Islam", many shades of meaning are implied. The word salam, translated as "peace", has much wider significance. It includes a sense of security, soundness, freedom from defects like in '"salim", preservation "sa'lem", deliverance like in "salama", salutation with those around us, resignation with satisfaction and no discontent, and the ordinary meaning of peace which is freedom from any jarring element. Submission to Allah in Islam brings peace on different levels beginning with the Muslim person to the whole community, or Ummah.
First, submission, or Islam, is in fact a psychological peace. It is a peace of the soul within the person who submits to his or her Creator. Some religions were perceived by some Western psycho-analysts as useful for studies in psychotherapy, such as the disciplines of Yoga, meditation, and self-denial in Buddhism or Hinduism. But, very few, if not, any of these modern scholars have dealt with Islam and tried to study objectively the efficacy of the Islamic psychotherapy which stems from the principle of peace, peace of the soul and the self, rather than denying one's self. Submission to God for a Muslim ends all the struggles he or she might have either within one's self or with others. Therefore, sumission makes a person very peaceful and tolerant. The more the person is sincere and faithful in his submission, the more the feeling of peacefulness is increased.
The idea of " life is suffering" in Buddhism which attracted and fascinated a lot of Westerners is in fact the opposite of the idea of peace in submission in Islam. Indeed, there is suffering in life when there is no submision to God. Allah says in the Qur'an: " No one who follows My guidance shall ever stray away nor regret it, while anyone who fails to remember Me will have a meager living and We shall summon him as blind person on Resurrection Day. He will say: My Lord, why have you summoned me as a blind person when I was sighted? He will say: Thus did Our signs come to you, and you forgot them, that is why you have been forgotten today."
Submission is the eternal peace, in this world and the Hereafter. Anyone who rejects to submit to Allah can never feel real peace even if he or she pretends to have attained peacefulness. Life in Islam is not suffering, it is a test where the submitter finds peace in his submission and does neither suffer that meager living as described in the Qur'an, nor is he metaphorically blind as the others are. There are two ways, the straight way and the wrong way. The straight way can be followed by submission in obedience of Allah and His Messenger (pbuh). While the wrong way, or ways, is followed by those who do not accept that submission and humiliation to their Creator, therefore they submit to Satan consciously or unconsciously, who controls them through their lusts, desires, and weaknesses. These lusts and desires are never satisfied because of the greediness of the people and this of course never provides happiness or satisfaction, but suffering and dissatisfaction in their life and in the Hereafter.
Second, Islam is a socio-political peace because submission to Allah means for a society a total rejection of corruption, wrong-doing, and abnormal behaviors. Submission to One God, Allah, leads to unity, love, and respect to others. An ideal society is what human beings have been dreaming of since even before Plato's 'Republic' or Augustine's 'Eternal City'. With Muhammad (pbuh), the ideal society was constituted of faithful followers called "Companions" who submitted to the Message in obedience to God and His Prophet and Messenger. The latter was the leader and the perfect embodiment of the Qur'an, as his wife, A'isha, described him: "His character was the Qur'an" (hadith).
The organization of that society started from basic requirements, such as the brotherhood between all Muslims. Peace was declared verbally in every daily encounter of a Muslim with his Muslim brother or sister. Salutation in its verbal for means: "peace be upon you!" Allah says in the Qur'an, "Salute each other a greeting of blessing and purity as from Allah" (24:61). And He also says: "When a courteous greeting is offered to you, meet it with a greeting still more courteous, or at least of equal courtesy. Allah takes careful account of all things" (4:86). The Prophet (pbuh) was once asked: "Which is the best Islam", he (pbuh) said: "You feed the hungry and you say Salam to those whom you know and those whom you don't know" (Bukhari and Muslim). He (pbuh) also said: "You won't enter Paradise unless you believe, and you won't believe unless you love each other" (Muslim). Even Ibrahim (pbuh), who declared himself a Muslim used to say "Salam". Allah says about Ibrahim: "When they entered his place they said "peace" and he said "peace" (Qur'an). Thus, expressing peace verbally is very important in Islam to unify people and to make them feel totally secure among themselves. But, peace also is physical action which cannot come unless there is sincere submission, because Islam is declaration, act, and belief.
Action is very important in Islam, and it the proof of true belief. A true Muslim, or submitter, is the one who is promoting peace rather than enmity, violence, and hatred. The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said: "The Muslim is the one that the other Muslims do not fear his hand and his tongue" (Bukhari and Muslim). This means that any verbal or physical action which results in harm, offense, and violence is contradictory to true submission, unless it is a matter of self-defense in reaction against outsider action. Peace is the general principle even in war. Allah says in the Qur'an: "But if the enemy inclines towards peace, you have to incline towards peace and trust in Allah, for Allah is the One who hears and knows" (8:61). While Muslims must always be ready for fighting a just cause, lest it be forced on them, even in the midst of the fight they must always be ready for peace if there is any inclination torwards peace on either side. There is no merit merely in a fight by itself. It should be a joyful duty not for itself, but to establish the reign of peace and righteousness and Allah's law, which is the perfect law.
To reign peace is the role of any Muslim. Even when Muslims won wars and battles, they didn't execute and torture their captives, but they were required to be peaceful towards them. Allah says in the Qur'an: "O Prophet! Say to those who are captives in your hands, ' if Allah finds any good in your hearts, He will give you something better than what has been taken from you, and He will forgive you', for Allah is Oft-forgiving Most Merciful" (8:70). Thus, the purpose of Muslims, or true submitters, is to bring people to God's Grace and Mercy.
Serving God in submission, is at the same time, freeing one's self from serving any other person. Real freedom comes through the complete submission to God, because the only One who deserves to be served is God. The Prophets themselves were servants of God and they have been the best submitters to God. They were the best example of human beings. Thus, anyone who doesn't recognize his or her servitude to God in submission and surrender while humiliating himself or herself, he or she, in fact, does not want peace. How can human beings have peace while they are competing in inventing all kinds of weapons, drugs, poisons, and promoting indecency, living in social injustice, individualism rather than brotherhood and solidarity, and living according to the jungle rule. Real peace on different levels, as we have encountered before, comes through submission to God, thus, Islam. Allah says: "The religion before Allah is Islam (submission to His Will" (3:19). Islam is the logical conclusion to a universal religion, because it is a non-sectarian and non-racial religion. For Islam is just submission to the will of God. Allah says: "If anyone desires a religion other than Islam, never will it be accepted of him, and in the Hereafter he will be in the ranks of those who have lost" (3:85).
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