The word and the greeting
“Islam” derives from the root s-l-m, which carries the meanings of safety, peace and surrender to God. Muslims greet one another with “as-salāmu ʿalaykum,” and As-Salām (The Peace) is one of the names of God. The Prophet ﷺ made spreading peace a part of faith:
لَا تَدْخُلُونَ الْجَنَّةَ حَتَّى تُؤْمِنُوا، وَلَا تُؤْمِنُوا حَتَّى تَحَابُّوا، أَوَلَا أَدُلُّكُمْ عَلَى شَيْءٍ إِذَا فَعَلْتُمُوهُ تَحَابَبْتُمْ؟ أَفْشُوا السَّلَامَ بَيْنَكُمْYou will not enter Paradise until you believe, and you will not believe until you love one another. Shall I tell you something that, if you do it, you will love one another? Spread peace among yourselves.
The sanctity of life
The Quran teaches that killing one innocent person is as if one had killed all of humanity, and saving one life is as if one had saved all of humanity:
مِنۡ أَجۡلِ ذَٰلِكَ كَتَبۡنَا عَلَىٰ بَنِيٓ إِسۡرَٰٓءِيلَ أَنَّهُۥ مَن قَتَلَ نَفۡسَۢا بِغَيۡرِ نَفۡسٍ أَوۡ فَسَادٖ فِي ٱلۡأَرۡضِ فَكَأَنَّمَا قَتَلَ ٱلنَّاسَ جَمِيعٗا وَمَنۡ أَحۡيَاهَا فَكَأَنَّمَآ أَحۡيَا ٱلنَّاسَ جَمِيعٗاۚ وَلَقَدۡ جَآءَتۡهُمۡ رُسُلُنَا بِٱلۡبَيِّنَٰتِ ثُمَّ إِنَّ كَثِيرٗا مِّنۡهُم بَعۡدَ ذَٰلِكَ فِي ٱلۡأَرۡضِ لَمُسۡرِفُونَ因此，我对伊司拉仪的后裔以此为定制：除因偿命或平乱外，凡枉杀一人的，如杀众人；凡救活一人的，如救活众人。我的众使者，确已昭示他们许多迹象。此后，他们中许多人，在地方上确是过分的。
Dealing with non-Muslims
Islam does not forbid kindness and justice toward those who do not fight Muslims over their faith; the Quran says God loves this:
لَّا يَنۡهَىٰكُمُ ٱللَّهُ عَنِ ٱلَّذِينَ لَمۡ يُقَٰتِلُوكُمۡ فِي ٱلدِّينِ وَلَمۡ يُخۡرِجُوكُم مِّن دِيَٰرِكُمۡ أَن تَبَرُّوهُمۡ وَتُقۡسِطُوٓاْ إِلَيۡهِمۡۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يُحِبُّ ٱلۡمُقۡسِطِينَ未曾为你们的宗教而对你们作战，也未曾把你们从故乡驱逐出境者，安拉并不禁止你们怜悯他们，公平待遇他们。安拉确是喜爱公平者的。
مَنْ قَتَلَ مُعَاهَدًا لَمْ يَرِحْ رَائِحَةَ الْجَنَّةِ، وَإِنَّ رِيحَهَا تُوجَدُ مِنْ مَسِيرَةِ أَرْبَعِينَ عَامًاWhoever kills a person under a covenant of protection will not smell the fragrance of Paradise, though its fragrance can be perceived from a distance of forty years.
Fighting: what is permitted and forbidden
Islam is not absolute pacifism: it permits repelling aggression, but binds it with strict ethical limits. The Quran allows fighting those who fight you, and forbids transgression:
وَقَٰتِلُواْ فِي سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلَّذِينَ يُقَٰتِلُونَكُمۡ وَلَا تَعۡتَدُوٓاْۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يُحِبُّ ٱلۡمُعۡتَدِينَ你们当为主道而抵抗进攻你们的人，你们不要过分，因为安拉必定不喜爱过分者。
The Prophet ﷺ forbade killing women and children:
نَهَى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ عَنْ قَتْلِ النِّسَاءِ وَالصِّبْيَانِThe Messenger of God ﷺ forbade the killing of women and children.
Verses often quoted out of context
Some critics, and some extremists too, quote the fighting verses of Surat At-Tawbah in isolation. In context they address a war with groups that had broken their treaties; the same passage exempts those who kept their treaties and commands protection for anyone who seeks safety, until he reaches a safe place:
وَإِنۡ أَحَدٞ مِّنَ ٱلۡمُشۡرِكِينَ ٱسۡتَجَارَكَ فَأَجِرۡهُ حَتَّىٰ يَسۡمَعَ كَلَٰمَ ٱللَّهِ ثُمَّ أَبۡلِغۡهُ مَأۡمَنَهُۥۚ ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمۡ قَوۡمٞ لَّا يَعۡلَمُونَ以物配主者当中如果有人求你保护，你应当保护他，直到他听到安拉的言语，然后把他送到安全的地方。这是因为他们是无知的民众。
宗教无强迫
Faith is a conviction of the heart, so no one may be forced into it:
لَآ إِكۡرَاهَ فِي ٱلدِّينِۖ قَد تَّبَيَّنَ ٱلرُّشۡدُ مِنَ ٱلۡغَيِّۚ فَمَن يَكۡفُرۡ بِٱلطَّٰغُوتِ وَيُؤۡمِنۢ بِٱللَّهِ فَقَدِ ٱسۡتَمۡسَكَ بِٱلۡعُرۡوَةِ ٱلۡوُثۡقَىٰ لَا ٱنفِصَامَ لَهَاۗ وَٱللَّهُ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ对于宗教，绝无强迫，因为正邪确已分明了。谁不信恶魔而信安拉，谁确已把握住坚实的、绝不断折的把柄。安拉是全聪的，是全知的。
And terrorism?
Targeting and terrorising civilians is forbidden by the texts of the Quran and the Sunnah, and has been condemned by leading Muslim scholars and institutions, including Al-Azhar. Those who do it in the name of Islam contradict its texts and do not represent Muslims, and most victims of such violence worldwide are themselves Muslims.
常见问题
What does jihad really mean?
Linguistically jihad means striving. It includes struggling to do good and to restrain the self; as armed fighting it has strict conditions: defending against aggression, under legitimate authority, never harming non-combatants.
Is Muslim history all peaceful?
No. Like any great civilisation, Muslims have fought wars and made mistakes. The standard is the text, which forbids injustice and aggression and commands fairness even toward opponents.
原文和译文正在接受学者审阅。