Abstract :
This short essay is not going to attempt a detailed analysis of violence, neither from the
perspective of human and social sciences nor that of religion per se. It shall rather argue that the
psychological basis of the phenomenon of aggression is found within the animal nature that is
common to all animals, and that it is not found outside this nature. Therefore, any analysis
concerning the nature of this phenomenon cannot be carried out sociologically. However, its
reflections within a society can be studied from this perspective. Hence, violence exists only in
the animal kingdom and it must be studied from this perspective if we wish to understand its real
nature. On the basis of this argument, our essay shall attempt to understand how Islam wants to
remedy it. We may, furthermore, argue in this vein that aggression belongs to the animal nature
and not to any particular mode of human activity though it is carried to that activity by humans.
No religion is inherently violent; if we do not remedy our nature we carry it into the religion and
add an interpretation of the religion to justify our violence on the basis of that religion. When
someone observes this from the outside he/she interprets the religion as being violent. Let us try
to investigate this from the perspective of human psychology and see its relevance in Islam.
