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One of the fundamental truths established
by the sacred texts is that no one can be compelled to accept Islam. It
is the duty of Muslims to establish the proof of Islam to the people so
that truth can be made clear from falsehood. After that, whoever wishes
to accept Islam may do so and whoever wishes to continue upon unbelief
may do so. No one should be threatened or harmed in any way if he does
not wish to accept Islam.
Note:
It is not only forbidden to compel someone to accept Islam, it
is impossible to do so. Please consider the meaning of the
word"Islam" before continuing to read:
['Islam'; Ar. from the root 'slm'
(silm), to be in peaceful submission; to surrender; to obey; peace;
"Islam" lit. 'The active willful
surrender, submission, obedience, in purity to the will of another
(Allah) in complete peace.']
The
understanding from the meaning of the word "Islam"
itself makes it clear that there is no way that you could possibly
force someone to do something that requires them to do it of their
own free will and accord. If someone were "forced to
enter Islam" then it would not be "Islam"
anyway, as a condition of "Islam" is that it is by free
choice in peace. Forcing people into Islam is totally illogical and
certainly not acceptable in concept nor practice.
More
about the word "Islam" [click]
[Y. Estes]
Among the many decisive
pieces of evidence in this regard are the following:
Allah says: “Let
there be no compulsion in religion. Truth has been made clear from error.
Whoever rejects false worship and believes in Allah has grasped the most
trustworthy handhold that never breaks. And Allah hears and knows all
things.” [Surah al-Baqarah: 256]
Allah says: “If
it had been your Lord’s will, all of the people on Earth would have
believed. Would you then compel the people so to have them believe?”
[Surah Yunus: 99]
Allah says: “So
if they dispute with you, say ‘I have submitted my whole self to
Allah, and so have those who follow me.’ And say to the People of
the Scripture and to the unlearned: ‘Do you also submit yourselves?’
If they do, then they are on right guidance. But if they turn away, your
duty is only to convey the Message. And in Allah’s sight are all
of His servants.” [Surah Al `Imran: 20]
Allah says: “The
Messenger’s duty is but to proclaim the Message.”
[Surah Al-Maidah: 99]
It is important to note that these last two verses were revealed in Madinah.
This is significant, since it shows that the ruling they gave was not
just contingent on the Muslims being in Mecca in a state of weakness.
Some people might be wondering that if Islam indeed
advocates such an approach, then what is all this we hear about jihad?
How can we explain the warfare that the Prophet (peace be upon him) and
his Companions waged against the pagans?
The answer to this is that jihad in Islamic Law can be waged for a number
of reasons, but compelling people to accept Islam is simply not one of
them.
The reason why jihad was first permitted in Islam was so the Muslims could
defend themselves against persecution and expulsion from their homes.
Allah says: “To
those against whom war is made, permission is given (to fight), because
they are wronged – and verily Allah is Most Powerful for their aid
– (They are) those who have been expelled from their homes in defiance
of right – (for no cause) except that they say, ‘Our Lord
is Allah’. Did Allah not check one set of people by means of another,
there would surely have been pulled down monasteries, churches, synagogues,
and mosques, in which the name of Allah is commemorated in abundant measure.
Allah will certainly aid those who aid his cause, for truly Allah is full
of strength and might.” [Surah al-Hajj: 39-40]
Many of the earliest scholars mention that these were the first verses
of the Quran that was revealed regarding jihad. Thereafter the following
verses were revealed:
“Fight
in the cause of Allah those who fight you, but do not transgress limits;
for Allah loves not transgressors.
And slay them wherever you catch them and drive them out from whence they
drove you out, for oppression is worse than killing.
But fight them not at the sacred mosque unless they fight you there. But
if they fight you, slay them. Such is the reward of those who suppress
faith. But if they cease, Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. And fight
them on until there is no more tumult or oppression and there prevail
justice and faith in Allah. But if they cease, let there be no hostility
except to those who practice oppression.” [Surah
al-Baqarah: 190-193]
From this point on, the scope of jihad was broadened from being purely
for defense against direct attack to being inclusive of resistance against
those who suppress the faith and deny people the freedom to choose their
religion for themselves. This came later, because it is legislated for
the Muslims only when they are capable of doing so. In times of weakness,
Muslims may only fight against direct attack.
As for the spread of Islam, this is supposed to take place peacefully
by disseminating the Message with the written and spoken word. There
is no place for the use of weapons to compel people to accept Islam. Weapons
can only be drawn against those who persecute and oppress others and prevent
them from following their own consciences in matters of belief. The Muslims
cannot just stand by while people are being denied the right to believe
in Islam and their voices are being crushed.
This is the meaning of Allah’s words: “And
fight them on until there is no more tumult or oppression and there prevail
justice and faith in Allah.” [Surah al-Baqarah:
193]
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said in his letter to the Roman governor
Heracles: “I invite you to accept Islam. If you accept Islam,
you will find safety. If you accept Islam, Allah will give you a double
reward. However, if you turn away, upon you will be the sin of your subjects.”
[Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim]
Once people have heard the Message without obstruction or hindrance and
the proof has been established upon them, then the duty of the Muslims
is done. Those who wish to believe are free to do so and those who prefer
to disbelieve are likewise free to do so.
Even when the Muslims are compelled to fight and then subdue the land,
their duty thereafter is to establish Allah’s law in the land and
uphold justice for all people, Muslim and non-Muslim. It is not their
right to coerce their subjects to accept Islam against their will. Non-Muslims
under Muslim rule must be allowed to remain on their own faith and must
be allowed to practice the rights of their faith, though they will be
expected to respect the laws of the land.
Had the purpose of jihad been to force the unbelievers to accept Islam,
the Prophet (peace be upon him) would never have commanded the Muslims
to refrain from hostilities if the enemy relented. He would not have prohibited
the killing of women and children. However, this is exactly what he did.
During a battle, the Prophet (peace be upon him) saw people gathered together.
He dispatched a man to find out why they were gathered. The man returned
and said: “They are gathered around a slain woman.”
So Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) said: “She
should not have been attacked!” Khalid b. al-Walid was
leading the forces, so he dispatched a man to him saying: “‘Tell
Khalid not to kill women or laborers”. [Sunan Abu Dawud]
Note:
This
should not be misconstrued to indicate that the prophet, peace be upon
him, made the killing of women (and children, elders, clerics and other
innocents) to be haram (forbidden) at this particular point
and time. In fact, it was always haram (forbidden) and the
prophet, peace be upon him, was only reconfirming what was already in
place by the shari'ah (Islamic Law). [Y. Estes]
Therefore,
even in the heat of battle against a hostile enemy, the only people who
may be attacked are those who are actually participating in the fighting.
Had the purpose of jihad been to force the unbelievers to accept Islam,
the rightly guided Caliphs would not have prohibited the killing of priests
and monks who refrained from fighting. However, this is exactly what they
did. When the first Caliph, Abu Bakr, sent an army to Syria to fight the
aggressive Roman legions, he went out to give them words of encouragement.
He said: “You
are going to find a group of people who have devoted themselves to the
worship of Allah (i.e. monks), so leave them to what they are
doing.”
We have demonstrated that it is a principle in Islam that there is no
compulsion in religion and we have discussed the objectives of jihad.
Now, we shall turn our attentions to some texts that are often misunderstood.
One of these is the verse: “But
when the forbidden months are past, then fight the pagans wherever you
find them, and seize them and beleaguer them and lie in wait for them
in every stratagem (of war). But if they repent and establish regular
prayers and practice regular charity, then open the way for them, for
Allah is oft-forgiving, most merciful.” [Surah al-Tawbah:
5]
Some people – especially some contemporary non-Muslim critics of
Islam – have tried to claim that this verse abrogates the verse
“Let there be no compulsion in religion.” They argue that
the generality of this statement implies that every unbeliever who refuses
to accept Islam must be fought. They support their allegation by pointing
out that this verse is one of the last verses to be revealed about fighting.
However, this verse in no way abrogates the principle in Islamic Law that
there is no compulsion in religion. It may be general in wording, but
its meaning is quite specific on account of other verses of the Quran
that are connected with it as well as on account of a number of pertinent
hadîth. We will be discussing these texts shortly.
The people being referred to by this verse are the pagan Arabs who had
been waging war against the Prophet (peace be upon him) and who had broken
their covenant and treaties with him. This verse is not
speaking about the other pagan Arabs who did not break their
treaties and take up arms against the Muslims. It is also most
definitely not speaking about the Jews or Christians, or, for that matter,
the pagans who were living outside of Arabia.
If we look at the verses in Surah al-Tawbah immediately before and after
the one under discussion, the context of the verse becomes clear.
A few verses before the one we are discussing, Allah says: “There
is a declaration of immunity from Allah and His Messenger to those of
the pagans with whom you have contracted mutual alliances. Go then, for
four months, to and fro throughout the land. But know that you cannot
frustrate Allah that Allah will cover with shame those who reject Him.”
[Surah al-Tawbah: 1-2]
In these verses we see that the pagans were granted a four month amnesty
with an indication that when the four months were over, fighting would
resume. However, a following verse exempts some of them from the resumption
of hostilities. It reads: “Except
for those pagans with whom you have entered into a covenant and who then
do not break their covenant at all nor aided anyone against you. So fulfill
your engagements with them until the end of their term, for Allah loves
the righteous.” [Surah al-Tawbah: 4]
So when Allah says: “But
when the forbidden months are past, then fight the pagans wherever you
find them, and seize them and beleaguer them and lie in wait for them
in every stratagem (of war)”, we must know
that it is not general, since the verse above has qualified it to refer
to the pagan Arabs who were actually at war with the Prophet (peace be
upon him) and those who broke their covenants of peace.
This is further emphasized by a few verses later where Allah says: “Will
you not fight people who broke their covenants and plotted to expel the
Messenger and attacked you first?” [Surah al-Tawbah:
13]
Ibn al-Arabi, in his commentary on the Quran, writes: “It
is clear from this that the meaning of this verse is to kill the pagans
who are waging war against you.” [Ahkam al-Quran:
(2/456)]
Allah also say right after the verse under discussion:
“How
can there be a covenant before Allah and His Messenger with the pagans
except those with whom you have made a treaty near the Sacred Mosque?
As long as they stand true to you, stand true to them, for Allah does
love the righteous.” [Surah al-Tawbah: 7]
Another misunderstood text is the hadîth where the Prophet (peace
be upon him) said: “I have been commanded to fight the people
until they bear witness that there is no God but Allah and that I am Allah’s
Messenger. If they do so, then there blood and their wealth are inviolable
except in the dispensation of justice, and their affair is with Allah.”
[Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslims]
There can be no qualms about this hadîth’s authenticity, since
it is recorded in both Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim. However, this
hadîth is also not to be taken generally, out of context, and in
complete disregard to all the other textual evidence.
The term “people” here is not referring to all humanity. Ibn
Taymiyah says: “It
refers to fighting those who are waging war, whom Allah has permitted
us to fight. It does not refer to those who have a covenant with us with
whom Allah commands us to fulfill our covenant.” [Majmu
al-Fatawa (19/20)]
Islam commands the Muslims to be just with people of other faiths, whether
they be Jews, Christians, or pagans. Islam calls us to treat them kindly
and try to win their hearts as long as they do not take up arms against
us. Allah says: “Allah
forbids you not with regard to those who neither fight against you for
your faith nor drive you out of your homes from dealing kindly and justly
with them, for Allah loves those who are just.”
[Surah al-Mumtahanah: 9-10]
Allah commands Muslims to respect their non-Muslim parents and to accompany
them in this world in a good manner.
The Qur’ân commands us to argue with them in the best manner.
Allah says: “Argue
with the People of the Scripture in the best manner except those among
them who act oppressively. Say: We believe in the revelation that has
come down to us and in that which came down to you. Our God and your God
is one, and it is to Him we submit ourselves as Muslims.”
[Surah al-Ankabût: 46]
We are ordered to uphold our covenants with the non-Muslims and not betray
them or transgress against them. The Prophet (peace be upon him) gave
a stern warning to us against killing a non-Muslim with whom we are at
peace. He said: “Whoever kills one with whom we have a covenant
will not smell the scent of Paradise.” [Sahih Muslim]
The faith of a Muslim is not acceptable unless he believes in all of the
Prophets who were sent before (peace be upon them all). Allah says: “O
you who believe! Believe in Allah, His Messenger, the scripture that He
revealed to His messenger and the scripture that he revealed before. Whoever
disbelieves in Allah, His angels, His books, His Messengers, and the Last
Day has gone far astray.” [Surah al-Nisa]
There are two
important points that we would like to visit regarding this most discussed
and often misrepresented topic called, "jihad."
- The
meaning of the word; ['jihad'; Ar. from
the root 'jahada',to struggle; asert oneself, as in "making
great effort to arrive at a conclusion as to the meaning and interpretation
of Islamic Law (ijtihad)"; strive, as in, "striving
to complete a monumental task (jahed)"; "jihad"
lit. 'The struggle to attain the objective.]
- The
principle purpose of the institution of "jihad".
It must be understood that "jihad"
according to "shari'ah" (Islamic
Law) was instituted by Allah, The Law Giver Himself, only for the
purpose of raising, protecting and defending the "deen"
(way of Islam; "Laa elaha illa lah"
[none has the right to be worshipped, except Allah."]).
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