In Arabic, “Embrace Islam and you shall have peace” is simply a two-word pun: aslam taslam, which most literally means “Submit, have peace.” In fact, perpetual warfare — that is, jihad — has been the true legacy of Mohammed’s ominous missive to the Christian emperor. After Heraclius refused to submit to Islam, an infinite barrage of jihad campaigns erupted, for centuries, until Constantinople — seat of Christendom — was finally conquered
Indeed, the above scenario best explains the etymological relationship between the words “Islam” and “peace” — a relationship often distorted through conflation. Even though “Islam” and the Arabic word for “peace” are formed from the same three-lettered root “s-l-m” — and thus are in fact related — only the word “Salam” means “peace.” “Islam” means “submit” or “surrender.” The connection between the two words, then, is clear: In Islam, peace is the goal, but only through submission — just as Mohammed plainly proclaimed to Heraclius.
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