Reconciling Islam and Pacifism: A Traditionalist Approach

It is a common belief that Islam and pacifism are incompatible. Using a traditionalist approach to religious issues, this paper seeks to construct arguments for the opposite. It argues that Islam and pacifism can be harmonised and made compatible at three levels: international, national and individual. Based on the arguments put forth, the paper asserts that the issue of pacifism should not be restricted to issue of halal (permissible) i.e. upholding commandment of jihad versus absolute haram (forbidden) i.e. denial of jihad obligation. Instead, it is an issue where disagreement is permissible and the principle of ‘agreeing-to-disagree’ like many other religious issues can be upheld by all.