لطفا منتظر باشید ...
Isn't it true that
Islam
was spread by the Sword?
Answer
No! This is not true. However,
this is a common misconception in the minds of many people.
The Qur'an declares:
"There
is no compulsion in religion. The right direction is henceforth distinct
from error"
(Qur'an
2:256). This Qur'anic verse shows that God has made truth and
falsehood distinct from each other and, people are therefore free to choose
one or the other. No one can be forced to believe in a religion since belief
is something very personal. One who follows the Qur'an will not try to
force another person to believe.
Even the Prophet Muhammad (SAW)
could not force another person to become a Muslim. God revealed to him
the following words:
'And
if your Lord willed, all who are in the earth would have believed together.
Would you then compel people until they become believers? It is not for
any soul to believe except by the permission of Allah (Qur'an 10:99-100).
This instruction from God
makes it clear that anyone is mistaken who thinks that he or she can compel
others to believe. If God wanted, He could make everyone believers, but
rather has given them free choice. Even so, no one can believe, upon being
forced. It is the grace of God on a person that will result in belief.
Is there a teaching more beautiful than this? How could any true follower
of the Qur'an turn around and force his faith on others?
On the contrary, the Qur'an
instructs its followers on how to call people to true faith as follows:
"Call
unto the way of your Lord with wisdom and fair exhortation, and reason
with them in the better way (Qur'an 16:125).
Where does the Qur'an say call
people at the point of a sword? It does not. God instructed his messenger,
Peace be upon him and his progeny, as follows:
"Say:
This is my Way: I invite unto Allah with sure knowledge, I and whosoever
follows me" (Qur'an 12:108).
Here again, the call is to
be made with sure knowledge, with clear evidence. Putting these instructions
together, a Muslim understands that he or she must present Islam with clear
evidence (i.e. sure knowledge) and use wisdom and fair exhortation to reason
with people to accept the evidence for faith. Where is there any mention
of sword in all of this?
The Junior Encyclopedia of
Canada says:
"Islam is the fastest-growing
religion worldwide" (The Junior Encyclopedia of Canada, Hurtig Publishers,
Canada, 1990, Vol.2, p.396).
What explains this phenomenon?
Who is forcing anyone today to become Muslims? Muslims are not even engaged
in active preaching in any noticeable degree. People are voluntarily coming
into Islam because they find that Islam makes sense.
Huston Smith discusses in
his book entitled The World 's Religions, on page 256, how Prophet
Muhammad (SAW), granted freedom of religion to the Jews and Christians
under Muslim rule. The Prophet had a document drawn
up in which he stipulated that Jews and Christians shall be "protected
from all insults and vexations; they shall have an equal right with our
own people to our assistance and good offices," and furthermore,
that they shall "practice their religion as freely as the Muslims"
(Quoted in The World 's Religions by Huston Smith, Harper Collins, 1991,
p.256). Smith points out that Muslims regard that document as "the first
charter of freedom of conscience in human history and the authoritative
model for those of every subsequent Muslim state" (p.256).
So, was Islam spread by the
sword? The following short answer comes from Ira Zepp Jr., a non-Muslim,
in his book entitled A Muslim Primer:.
"It is unfortunate that
Islam has been stereotyped as the 'religion of the sword' or that Islam
was 'spread by the sword.' The historical reality is that the expansion
of Islam was usually by persuasion and not by military power. In any case,
Islam cannot be forced on anyone; if profession of the shahadah i.e. the
declaration of Islam is forced on someone, it is not true Islam"
(A Muslim Primer by Ira Zepp, Jr. 1992, Wakefield Editions. US, p.134).
Source: Common Questions
people ask about Islam
Author: Shabir Ally
