The Misconception that Islam was spread by Force




One misconception, promoted by the enemies of justice who do not read of the historical sources impartially but rehash old propaganda over and over again, is the false accusation that Islam was spread by compulsion and coercion. Various scriptures from the Majestic Qurían can rebut this vile slander.




Allah Most Exalted says in His Majestic Book:
(Let there be no compulsion in religion: Truth stands out clear from Error: whoever rejects Taghoot (Satan, idols, tyrants, etc) and believes in Allah, has grasped the most trustworthy hand hold that never breaks. And Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.) (2:256)




And He, the Most Exalted, says:
(If it had been your Lord's Will, they all would have believed, all the people on earth! Will you then compel mankind, against their will, to believe!) (10:99)




And He, the Most Exalted, says:
(Say, The Truth is from your Lord: Let him who will, believe, and let him who will, reject and disbelieve. We have prepared for the wrongdoers a Fire whose smoke and flames, like the wall and roof of a tent, will overwhelm them. If they implore for relief they will be granted water like melted brass that will scald their faces. How dreadful a drink! And how uncomfortable a couch to recline on!) (18:29)
















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Islam is The Religion of Peace


And He, the Most Exalted, says:
(But if they turn away, your duty is only to preach the
Clear Message.) (16:82)




And He, the Most Exalted, says:
(Therefore give admonition, for you are indeed one to admonish. But you are not one to manage the affairs.)
(88:21-22)




And He, the Most Exalted, says:
(Say: Obey Allah, and obey the Messenger: but if you turn away, he is only responsible for the duty placed on him, as you are likewise responsible for the duty placed on you. If you obey him, you shall be on right guidance. The Messenger's duty is only to preach the clear Message.) (24:54)




And He, the Most Exalted, says:
(If one of the pagan idolators ask you for asylum, grant it to him, so that he may hear the word of Allah, then escort him to where he can be secure. That is because they are men without knowledge.) (9:6)




These and many other verses of the Qurían and teachings of Prophetic traditions make it clear that no coercion or compulsion in religion is allowed: no one is ever to be forced against his will to convert to Islam. Faith must be by knowledge and free will and based upon firm conviction in the heart, followed by the testimony of correct word and good deed. A mere pronouncement on the lips of the creed of Islam, ìLA ILAHA ILLALLAHî (There is no god worthy of being worshipped except Allah alone) - is not enough to confirm one as a believer, even though, if said with the kernel of initial
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Islam is The Religion of Peace


faith, one immediately becomes a Muslim. As Allah said about
the Bedouins who professed verbally without firm conviction: (The desert Arabs say: ëWe believe.í Say: ëYou do not yet have real Faith, but rather say only: ëWe have submitted to Allah (aslamna: we are Muslims),í since Faith has not yet entered your hearts. But if you obey Allah and His Messenger, He will not slight you (the reward) of your deeds: for Allah is Most Forgiving, Most Merciful.)
(48:14)




It is known that someone cannot be forced to change what is in the depths of his heart, and that one may profess with his tongue what he dons not really believe with certainty: this is not Islam nor Islamic faith. For this reason Allah said the following about the one compelled under torture to renounce his faith in Islam:
(Anyone who utters words of disbelief after accepting Faith in Allah - except under compulsion while his heart remains firm in Faith - such as one who opens his breast to disbelief, on them is Wrath from Allah, and there will be a dreadful Penalty for them.) (16:106)




Disbelief occurs by opening the heart to disbelieve willingly, and upon this basis, one speaks evil and commits his criminal acts rebelling against Allah and the revealed guidance of the Messengers and becomes an apostate after being a Muslim.
Another accusation related to the above is that Islam was
spread by force of arms and warfare. It is an established fact that any system or government, regardless of its source, requires a protective force to defend it adherents, preserve its values, spread its principles, ensure a fair application of its law, and enforce the just execution of legal penalties against










criminals and those who rebel against the system. As reported
in the tradition of the Prophet (pbuh):
ìTruly, Allah admonishes with the authority of the ruler, more than what He admonishes with the Divine Revelation of the Quríanî (i.e. more by enforcing the punishments justly than the God-consciousness from reading scripture) (al-Hindi, Kanz-ul-A·maal)




Let us take a glimpse of the early days of Islam and its amazing spread over the known world to analyze the truth of this accusation in the light of documented historical fact. The Messenger of Allah Muhammad (pbuh) after his commission from Allah to arise and publicize the divine message of Islam, remained in the sacred city of Makkah for thirteen years inviting his people of the Quraish tribe and the visitors of Makkah to Islam. He engaged every possible way to inform and convey the message of the Qurían and the Sunnah, encountering false accusations, slander, persecutions, harassment, boycotts, threats, attacks, and brutal physical aggression from his people. Those who believed shared in his sufferings, and since he was not yet commanded by Allah to meet violence and aggression with armed defense, his followers persevered and suffered the harshest forms of persecutions withholding their hands and adhering to the precepts of peaceful missionary activity. Many were tortured and some were martyred for their faith in Islam, and the accounts of these brave souls bear testimony to the long sufferings his followers endured in this period of severe testing. The Prophet soothed the wounds of his companion Ammar ibn Yasir and his parents who eventually became the first martyrs of Islam with the words:












ìBe patient, O family of Yaser! Paradise will be your
permanent abodeî (Al-Hakim)
The Prophet (pbuh) allowed those of his followers that wished to immigrate to Ethiopia to escape from this oppression and torture. They sought refuge under the tutelage of its just ruler of the era, the Najashi, who eventually accepted Islam. Even in these dire circumstances Allah the Most Wise and Merciful commanded His Messenger Muhammad (pbuh) to be patient, forbearing and tolerant with his people while propagating the message. There are repeated examples of his exceeding mercy, graciousness, magnanimity, and compassion in the face of this continued violence and aggression. The Prophet and his companions stood firm in their belief and conveyance of the message, obeying the following command of Allah:
(Therefore patiently preserve, as did all the Messengers
of inflexible purpose; and be in no haste about the disbelievers. On the Day that they see the Punishment promised to them, it will be as if they had not tarried more than an hour in a single day. Your duty is but to proclaim the Message. None shall be destroyed except those who transgress.) (46:35)




And still he would pray for their guidance saying: ìO Allah! Guide my people, for they know not!î




The Prophet (pbuh) continued to propagate the message in Makkah, and to seek out any tribe that would be able to protect and aid him: he would present himself and his mission to the visiting individuals and tribes in Makkah and at the times of the great Arab markets and meeting places. Then it so happened that a group of the people of the city of Yathrib,








(nowadays known as ìMadinah,î City of the Prophet)
believed in the Message of Islam and gave him their pledge of allegiance to support and defend him in the same way as they would defend their own wealth, honor, integrity and household, if he were to seek refuge and immigrate with his band of believers to their hometown. This coincided with the persecution in Makkah reaching a grave critical stage, and the leaders of the Quraish tribe even conspired to murder the Prophet, may Allahís peace and blessing be upon him. The event of immigration was to be the watershed in Islamic history, for in Madinah the Prophetís first mosque was built, the brotherhood of Muslims expanded and grew, and the nascent Islamic state was established and developed under his direct guidance.
Note that Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and his followers never shed a drop of blood in retribution throughout these long years of persecution and oppression in the city of Makkah since he was not commanded to fight, but rather to be patient and persevere. Confrontation and armed hostilities from the Muslim side did not begin until two years after his immigration from Makkah to Madinah, when the Quraish tribe feared for its dominance and continued on the path of persecution and obstruction of the message of Islam, and after all avenues of peaceful propagation were exhausted.
Since the town of Madinah was in route of the Quraish
tribeís merchant caravans to Greater Syria, the first act of confrontation occurred when Allah's Messenger (pbuh) engaged a commercial caravan lead by the Quraishi nobleman Abu Sufyan. The Prophet (pbuh) intended to impose a kind of economic sanction on the tribe of Quriash to allow him to peacefully propagate his faith to others in the open, and to compensate the believers for the properties, possessions and