The two world wars of the last century that we somehow lived through offer important lessons for humanity. Both of these tragedies showed that wars aren't merely a natural result of conflicts of interest between countries, because such conflicts can be resolved through diplomatic means. The real cause of war is the ideology of the people who make the decision to pursue it. This is the ideology that regards fighting, bloodshed and inflicting suffering as elements of human nature, and this is the real cause of violence.

This ideology is called Social Darwinism. It is the belief that humans are a mere kind of animal that came into existence as a result of a string of coincidences. World War I was the product of European leaders who openly expressed their Darwinist views. Those responsible for World War II also had strong faith in Social Darwinism.

Hitler borrowed this racist ideology and his faith in wars from Darwinism. His biography Mein Kampf (My Struggle) represents an adaptation of Darwin's "struggle to survive."

In his early years when he was working as a journalist, Italian fascist leader Mussolini was such a committed evolutionist that he even considered Darwin "the greatest thinker of the 19th century." During his dictatorship, he maintained the same ideology and claimed that the existence of war was a "law of evolution."

Although trained as a priest during his youth, Stalin became an atheist after reading Darwin's Origin of the Species. During his violent rule, he imposed the theories of Darwin and Lamarck - an even more primitive evolutionist - on the Russian people.

For these dictators who saw humans as herds of animals, shedding blood was a mere biological process. Behind the murders, we find the dictators' faith in Social Darwinism.

There will be no peace on earth as long as Social Darwinism continues to exist. This ideology invites nations and even whole civilizations to continuous conflict. According to Social Darwinism, this is humanity's reason for existence.

The reality, on the other hand, is very different. People exist not to fight with each other, but rather to serve God and lead their lives under His guidance. This requires love, forgiveness and peace. When people come to realize this, there will be an end to war and tears, and peace and happiness will prevail. This is revealed in the Qur'an:

God calls to the Abode of Peace and He guides whom He wills to a straight path. (Qur'an, 10:25)

Believers should cooperate with each other in order to spread friendship, fellowship and unity, for if they do not, turmoil and corruption will always plague the world. The Qur'an lays out this vitally important truth:

Those who disbelieve are the friends and protectors of one another. If you do not act in this way, that is, protect each other, there will be turmoil in the land and great corruption. (Qur'an, 8: 73)