Peace, Justice, Forgiveness, Reconciliation

Peace is also important in Islam. Muslims greet one another with salaam alaykum, meaning ‘peace be upon you’. They believe submission to Allah can bring inner peace and encourage peaceful relationships with others. The Qur’an instructs believers to make peace when two groups quarrel (49:9). This gives peace-making a practical meaning: helping disputing people reach an agreement rather than allowing conflict to grow.

Justice: making peace fair and lasting

Justice means treating people fairly, protecting their rights and responding fairly to wrongdoing. Injustice is the opposite: people may be mistreated, denied their rights or left without a fair response to the harm they have suffered.

Justice and peace are closely connected. Stopping a dispute without addressing unfair treatment may leave resentment behind. For example, if one group continues to be oppressed, the absence of fighting does not mean that the underlying problem has been resolved. Working for justice can therefore help create a more lasting peace.

In 1948, the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It set out rights belonging to everyone, including the rights to life, liberty and security, freedom of thought and religion, and protection from torture. These rights provide a basis on which religious and non-religious people can challenge injustice, regardless of a person’s background.

Christians believe that God is just and that they should oppose injustice and protect others. Muslims also understand justice as a religious duty: people should be treated fairly so that they can live together peacefully. Religious believers may therefore connect justice with obedience to God, while non-religious people can support it through concern for human rights and human wellbeing.

Forgiveness: refusing to continue the cycle of revenge

Forgiveness means choosing to let go of resentment and the desire for revenge against someone who has done wrong. It does not necessarily mean that the hurt immediately disappears, that the action was acceptable or that it should be forgotten.

Forgiveness matters because revenge can produce further harm: one person retaliates, the other responds, and the conflict continues. Forgiveness can help break this cycle and make peace possible. However, it need not remove the offender’s responsibility. Someone may forgive an offender while still believing that a fair punishment is necessary.

Christians believe that God is forgiving and that Jesus’ death brings forgiveness and reconciliation between humanity and God. They are encouraged to reflect that forgiveness in their treatment of others. In Matthew 6:14–15, Jesus connects forgiving other people with receiving God’s forgiveness. When Peter asks how often he should forgive, Jesus answers ‘seventy times seven’ (Matthew 18:22): the point is repeated forgiveness, not keeping a tally until a limit is reached.

Muslims believe that Allah is forgiving and merciful, and that they should show mercy towards others. The Qur’an teaches, ‘But if you pardon and overlook and forgive — then indeed, Allah is forgiving and merciful’ (64:14). Forgiveness reflects Allah’s mercy and can help end hostility. Nevertheless, justice remains important; encouraging forgiveness does not mean treating wrongdoing as harmless.

Reconciliation: rebuilding a damaged relationship

Reconciliation means restoring peaceful relationships between people or groups who were previously in conflict. It can take place between friends, within families or between countries after a war. Sometimes a mediator — someone helping both sides communicate — assists them in reaching a peaceful agreement.

Forgiveness and reconciliation are related but different. Imagine that one friend has betrayed another’s trust. The hurt friend might forgive them and stop wanting revenge, but restoring the friendship also requires rebuilding trust. Forgiveness can open the way to reconciliation, but it does not automatically restore the relationship.

Jesus taught, ‘First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift’ (Matthew 5:24). This places repairing relationships ahead of making a religious offering. Christians are therefore encouraged to address disputes rather than leave them unresolved. In Roman Catholic Christianity, Reconciliation is also the name of the sacrament in which a person confesses sins and receives God’s forgiveness.

Muslims are encouraged to follow Muhammad’s example of repairing damaged relationships. Reconciliation puts the duty to make peace into action: instead of allowing disagreement to become lasting hostility, people seek a way to live together again.

Bringing the four ideas together

Peace is more likely to last when injustice is addressed, revenge is avoided and relationships are repaired. Justice deals with unfairness; forgiveness can reduce resentment; reconciliation rebuilds peaceful relationships.

These aims can create difficult choices. Religious and non-religious people may agree that peace is desirable but differ over how much emphasis to place on punishment, mercy or opportunities for offenders to rejoin society. Restorative justice can bring these concerns together by helping offenders and victims understand the harm caused and work towards repairing it. Reconciliation is a possible outcome, not something that can simply be assumed.