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Drew Cunningham
Dr. Barnsley
REL-2524
1/26/15
Quran ExerciseSalaam
The Quran is one of the most interesting holy books from the Abrahamic traditions
because of the way in which it was revealed and how it is set up as a text. The Revelation of the
Quran is seen in the tradition as the miracle of the prophet Muhammad, and it is the direct
correspondence between Muhammad and Allah. This distinction is of great importance when it
comes to interpreting the messages contained in the Quran. Since it is the literal word of Allah,
it is difficult to know the exact meanings of each of the Suras, and this can lead to confusion
about what Muslims are supposed to do and believe. This confusion is a common problem across
all Abrahamic traditions since these texts are very old. Another factor in how interpreting the
Quran can be difficult is the way in which the text is laid out. There is no sprawling narrative to
the Suras, but rather, they are arranged in length from longest to shortest. This lack of
overarching narrative can also lead to confusion in the ways in which passages are interpreted.
This essay will examine the word peace, and the different iterations of peace in the Quran, and
how it is used throughout the text in different ways to denote how Islam is a religion that can be
interpreted as having multiple conceptions of peace.
Peace is a difficult word to describe when translating from Arabic to English. In A
Concordance of the Quran there are four words that have the rough equivalent to the meaning
of peace and these are: salam, salaam, salm, and silm (Kassis 1077-78). All four of these contain
the word peace in their translation in the concordance. Combined, there are forty-nine uses of

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these words throughout the Quran in various ways (salam-5, salaam-41, salm-2, silm-1). Peace
in the Quran is not non-violence or lack of war for the most part, but it is largely about the
security and wellness of the Muslim community. This is evidenced in Sura 5:16 which states,
By which Allah guides those who pursue His pleasure to the ways of peace and brings them out
from darkness into the light, by His permission, and guides them to a straight path. Peace in this
passage is a reference to the safety that Allah promises to those who follow him and the
teachings of the Quran. This example shows how peace is referenced in a large number of the
Suras in which the term appears. Other passages that highlight this definition of salaam are: 6:54;
8:61; and 97:5. It is interesting that salaam is the word that appears the most frequently in the
Quran and it could stem from this that the most frequent use pertains to security.
There are two other uses of salaam that appear in the Quran that are of significance. The
first of which is the references to the Home of Peace in two different passages. The first is,
For them will be the Home of Peace with their Lord. And He will be their protecting friend
because of what they used to do (6:127). The second is, And Allah invites to the Home of
Peace and guides whom He wills to a straight path (10:25). The Home of Peace could a
reference to a heaven, or the Islamic equivalent, and how this is a place of rest and security.
Again, the definition of peace in this instance does not necessarily point to non-violence
although it is very probable that the home of peace would be absent of warbut the safety and
security of Muslims is highlighted. Also, it is interesting to note in Sura 6 the use of the word
protecting. This further establishes the aspects of security and safety that Allah offers to his
followers. The second significant use of salaam is peace as a blessing for a person, or as a
greeting to another human. The greatest examples of this usage of salaam are in Sura 37. This
Sura runs through many figures of the Abrahamic traditions such Noah, Abraham, Moses, Aaron

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and Elijah and offers peace upon them (37:79, 109, 120, 130 respectively). Wishing peace upon
these figures during their trials is a way of showing Allah will grant safety to those who follow
the right path. Following the right path is a common theme throughout the Quran and it
intriguing that this is brought up in this Sura. This Sura could then be taken as showing that if
individuals follow the path that has been set out for them by Allah, they earn his favor, and then
in turn, receive his blessings of peace and security.
To complicate this view of peace in the Quran, it is important to look at the other uses of
peace that stem from words that are not salaam. Without having knowledge of Arabic as a
language, it is difficult to try and determine the nuances that are present in the language, but this
is not so detrimental as to make this exercise fruitless. The word salam has a similar translation
as salaam in A Concordance of the Quran with peace being one of the main defintions, but it is
used in different contexts. This is shown especially in Sura 4. Salam appears twice in this Sura
and is used in the same manners as follows in both appearances, And if Allah had willed, He
could have given them power over you, and they would have fought you. So if they remove
themselves from you and do not fight you and offer you peace, then Allah has not made for you a
cause [for fighting] against them (4:90). This example of peace is vastly different than the
earlier word salaam because it is referring to peace in the context of conflict instead of security
or blessings. This passage is one that shows that the practice of Islam requires extreme amounts
of faith in Allah, and that Allah has supreme power over the world. He is the one from which
peace and conflict can arise and this may be seen as Islam being a faith that advocates for war.
This is not necessarily a fair interpretation based on this text, but again, it is open to
interpretation for the reader. Sura 4 is important to look at when interpreting the meaning of
peace in the Quran because it gives a look at the nuances of Arabic as a language and the

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difficulties that are present in interpreting literature in translation. In the cases of salam and
salaam it is important to realize that they are two separate words, and because of this distinction
they carry different meanings.
The other two words that are referenced as peace in the Quran are salm and silm. Salm is
peace in the more traditional non-violent sense that is used in mainstream media. Sura 8:61
elucidates this to the readers by stating, And if they incline to peace, then incline to it [also] and
rely upon Allah. Indeed, it is He who is the Hearing, the Knowing. This verse is the highlight of
the definition of peace in which the Quran points towards Allah as being the true peace. Allah
being a central component of peace is interesting in this discussion on the nature of peace in the
Quran because it brings up the definition of silm. Silm, while still being related to peace, is
actually a definition for Islam as notated in A Concordance of the Quran (Kassis 1078). This
word only appears once and is used as follows, O you who have believed, enter into Islam
completely [and perfectly] and do not follow the footsteps of Satan. Indeed, he is to you a clear
enemy (2:208). The use of the word silm to denote peace and Islam shows that peace is at the
core of the beliefs of Islam. The state of being at peace and having supreme faith in Allah and
following Islam ties back to the discussion of the Home of Peace that is referenced in Suras 6
and 10. The final resting place for Muslims is the Home of Peace with Allah and this place is one
that is safe and peaceful.
While there are four different words that are used to mean peace in the Quran, they do
not necessarily have the same meaning. Each word evokes a different context than the others,
and depending on the situation one is more appropriate than the other. Salaam is the most
prevalent of the words for peace and is actually tied to safety and security more than a state of
non-violence. Salam follows the more mainstream definition of peace being a word that refers to

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the state of not having conflict. Salm goes along with salam in having the more traditional
definition for peace and is used quite infrequently. Silm is the most interesting of the words used
for peace throughout the Quran. In A Concordance of the Quran the translator chose to use
peace, but in the translation of the Quran that was used, the word inserted was Islam. This
shows that Islam is a faith built on peace because of the connection to religion itself being known
as peace. While this is only used once throughout the entire Quran, it is a powerful testament to
the faith itself and the security, safety, and peace it can offer to those who practice Islam. These
four iterations of peace add to the understanding that Islam is a religion that has many different
conceptions of peace.

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Works Cited
Kassis, Hanna E. A Concordance of the Quran. Berkeley: U of California, 1983. Print.
"The Noble Qur'an - ." The Noble Qur'an - . Online Qur'an Project,
Web. 25 Jan. 2015. <http://quran.com/>.

n.d.