The word peace sounds good in theory, until you’ve lived under an oppressor’s version of it.
In Mecca, the first Muslims were promised “peace” if they stayed silent about Islam. No more torture, no more exile — so long as they abandoned their mission and accepted Quraysh rule.
In Palestine, the same bargain is offered today: stop resisting, accept occupation, and you may live without bombs — but also without freedom, dignity, or a future.
The question is as old as Islam itself: Is survival without justice really peace?
The Prophetic Precedent of ResistanceIn Mecca, the Prophet ﷺ and his followers faced:
Persecution — public beatings, torture, killings.
Expulsion — driven from their homes, property stolen.
Denial of worship — barred from the Ka‘bah, the holiest site.
When Muslims migrated to Medina, they gained political power and were commanded by God to resist oppression. Not for revenge. Not for dominance. But to secure:
Justice — the end of persecution and tyranny.
Freedom — the right to practise and spread Islam.
Islam’s answer to injustice was — and remains — clear: oppression is never acceptable, no matter how it is dressed up.
The False Peace of OppressionFor over 77 years, Palestinians have lived under a system that takes everything and calls it stability.
Their land stolen.
Their cities and villages turned into open-air prisons.
Bombs falling from the sky, bullets in the streets.
They are targeted for their faith, starved economically, assaulted psychologically, and stripped politically. In the cold language of Israeli politicians, killing Palestinians is merely “mowing the grass.”
This is why “peace” must be defined. There are two kinds:
False peace — where the oppressed are told to be quiet while injustice thrives.
True peace — where dignity, rights, and freedom are restored.
Peace is never morally neutral. We must ask: What does this peace preserve?
Hudaybiyyah: Peace with PurposeSome leaders today wave the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah as proof that Muslims should accept humiliating terms for the sake of “peace.” But the truth is, the Prophet ﷺ’s peace was nothing like the normalisation deals of our time.
By the time of Hudaybiyyah,
Muslims had already: Freedom to practise Islam in Medina.
An open path for the Islamic message to spread.
Yet serious issues remained:
Muslims in Mecca still faced persecution.
Pilgrimage to the Ka‘bah was still denied.
The Prophet ﷺ chose negotiation, not surrender. He agreed to a 10-year truce with Quraysh. Though some terms seemed unfavourable — such as delaying pilgrimage and allowing Quraysh to block Muslim converts — the treaty forced Quraysh to recognise Muslims as an independent political force.
It was a game-changer that shifted power dynamics without bloodshed. The agreement opened the door for Islam to flourish, ended years of hostilities, and secured the right to worship.
This was peace with dignity — not peace that buried justice.
Why Today’s “Peace Deals” Are DifferentModern so-called “peace agreements” in Palestine rarely aim to end oppression. Too often they:
Serve leaders’ personal gain.
Show allegiance to powerful nations whose strategic interests outweigh human rights.
Lock in the oppressor’s advantage and demand that the oppressed stay silent in exchange for crumbs.
These deals do not dismantle the oppression nor remove checkpoints, lift blockades, or return stolen land. They reward the oppressor for “negotiating” while punishing the oppressed for refusing to surrender.
These aren’t peace treaties. They’re contracts of surrender dressed up as diplomacy.
Hudaybiyyah was the opposite, designed to protect the faith, preserve dignity, and pave the way for a just victory. The Prophet ﷺ never accepted oppression as the price for peace.
The Lesson for Our TimeFrom the Prophet’s ﷺ example, Palestinians and their allies can take clear principles:
Peace must come with justice — anything less is surrender.
Patience is strength — but it must not turn into passive acceptance of tyranny.
Negotiation is noble — but only from a position of dignity, not fear.
So when you hear the word “peace” in the context of Palestine, ask yourself:
Is this peace that ends oppression, or peace that protects it?
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