Was Islam Spread At The Point Of Sword

Was Islam Spread at the Point of Sword? The communication and information revolution is the stamp of our age. All these means provide man with a huge amount of worldly knowledge. Meanwhile, there are some Muslims, who have become busy acquiring the knowledge of the technological age, and therefore know only a little about their religion. No doubt, this lack of knowledge provides signs of weakness, as well as emaciation of the spirit, and paves the way to spiritual death. Accordingly, there is an urgent need to introduce and clearly portray, all the various aspects of Islamic knowledge, so that Muslims can bask in its serenity and continue on life's journey according to its way of life. At the same time, we Muslims must rectify our confusion and misguided ideas, so we can recognize the treasure we have in our hands; the greatness of Islam, and its code of life as a prerequisite to refute the enemies that face us and annihilate their false pleas. Among these false accusations, is that Islam was spread by virtue of military force and so considers war a means to deliver the Da`wah of Islam. Furthermore, these enemies continue defaming Islam by saying that Islam allows aggression against non-Muslims, and that if they refuse to accept Islam, are forced to pay Jizyah (tax). These enemies support their defamatory campaign against Islam and Muslims, by mistakenly quoting some verses from Surah At-Tawbah. All these pleas are completely wrong since they were cast by some orientalists and adopted by those who are eager to attack Islam. Unfortunately, what enflames the situation is that many Muslims are unable to defend such allegations because of their poor knowledge of the Deen. In these circumstances, it has become our duty to defend Islam and refute these allegations. We are sure that Allah will support us as He defends those who believe in Him. We implore Allah to grant us His Help and Mercy, "Nay, We fling (send down) the truth (this Qur'an) against the falsehood (disbelief), so it destroys it, and behold, it (falsehood) is vanished. And woe to you for that (lie) which you ascribe (to Us) (against Allah be uttering Allah has a wife and a son). (Al-Anbiya, 18)

1. First of all, neither reason nor history can believe that it is possible for a religion to be spread within a standard time –as it was in the case with Islam- using military force. Islam from its very beginning was initiated by the call of one man, namely, the Prophet (peace be upon him). Over the passage of time, some people followed him and proved to be the seed that produced the fruit of the early, pious Muslims and those of today. It is historically known that these few persons enjoyed no power except that of Almighty Allah. Military Power is helpless regarding spreading any call; this is a fact completely supported by history. If this fact had not been true, then the crusades-within a period of 300 years- would have brought some benefit, the Italian occupation of Libya would have christianized the Muslim nation, or even the Tartars would have managed to keep the Islamic countries under their dominion. However, the Tartars themselves, ended up strong defenders of Islam, even though at the onset, they were its fiercest enemies! Making a link between Islam and arbitrary violence, is obvious defamation of Islam and a display of ignorance. Surah At-Tawbah was revealed in the ninth year of the Hijrah, 15 months before the Prophet’s death and 22 years after the starting point of the mission of the Prophet, (peace be upon him), and after the influence of Islam had already reached its peak. Throughout this period, the Muslims adopted a stable strategy, which was portrayed in the verse that reads, “And if they belie you, say: "For me are my deeds and for you are your deeds! You are innocent of what I do, and I am innocent of what you do!" (Yunus, 41) and the verse that reads, “To you be your Way, and to me mine” (Al-Kafirun: 6) There is no suggestion of compulsion or aggression in these verses. Applying this strategy within 22 years before the revelation of Surah At-Tawbah, the tyrants who worshipped idols were treated kindly and with mercy. Throughout the 22 years that preceded the revelation of Surah AtTawbah, Islam asked the polytheists to consider the issue thoroughly and behave justly. Look at the tone of love and faithfulness that came in Surah Ash-Shura when addressing the unbelievers. Allah says, “So unto this (religion of Islam, alone and this Qur'an) then invite people O Muhammad and Istaqim (stand firm and straight on Islamic

monotheism by performing all that is ordained by Allah (good deeds) and by abstaining from all that is forbidden by Allah (sins and evil deeds) as you are commanded, and follow not their desires but say: "I believe in whatsoever Allah has sent down of the Books (all the holy books, - this Qur'an and the Books of the old from the Torah, or the Gospel or the Pages of Abraham) and I am commanded to do justice among you, Allah is our Lord and your Lord. For us our deeds and for you your deeds. There is no dispute between us and you. Allah will assemble us (all), and to Him is the final return." (Ash-Shu`ra, 15) Unfortunately, all these appeals were in vain and the polytheists remained scheming their malicious plots, and it seemed that they did not accept the strategy of “To you be your Way, and to me mine.” They were wished well by the Muslims, but in answer to this kindness, they did their best to kill them. One should consider how the Qur'an managed to treat this issue after the Muslims gained power after the conquest of Makkah. The polytheists were called to leave the land and seek another place to live. They were not threatened with death but were taken care of. They were given a period of four months to prepare themselves and be ready to leave. This period was not given to them out of weakness, but due to the hope that they would appreciate Islam justly and hence, live and deal with the Muslims and accept Islam from their hearts. There is no compulsion in people accepting Islam. We only present Islam and introduce its principles “Say: (It is) the truth from the Lord of you (all). Then whosoever will, let him believe, and whosoever will, let him disbelieve.” (Al-Kahf:29) We do not object to those who choose disbelief, and on the other hand, they should leave us alone to call others to the truth. If they did, they would be left in peace. Allah says, “…So, if they hold aloof from you and wage not war against you and offer you peace, Allah allows you no way against them” (An-Nisa’: 90) However, if they refuse and try to prevent others from converting to Islam, then the Muslims are obliged to fight them as they fight us. Allah says, “Fight in the way of Allah against those who fight against you, but begin not hostilities. Lo! Allah loves not, aggressors” (Al-Baqarah: 190)

Again He says, “…And wage war on all the idolaters as they are waging war on all of you” (At-Tawbah: 36) And He also says, “Will you not fight a folk who broke their solemn pledges, and purposed to drive out the messenger and did attack you first?…” (At-Tawbah: 13) This means that it was the polytheists, who initiated the war; thus it became inevitable that the Muslims would defend their religion and protect the Da`wah. Accordingly, Surah At-Tawbah is free from all kinds of instigation and it never permits launching war against others. The Surah makes exception to those who have made a covenant with the Muslims and prevents us from attacking them, the verse reads, “Excepting those of the idolaters with whom you (Muslims) have a treaty…” (AtTawbah: 4) The Surah then legislates a special kind of war against a special category of people, namely those who fight us and demolish our property. It is worthy to note that the Surah contained a covenant of peace and safety to those who do not participate in the war against the Muslims and are far from the whole atmosphere of fighting. Allah, the Almighty says, “And if anyone of the idolaters seeks thy protection (O Muhammad), then protect him so that he may hear the word of Allah; and afterward convey him to his place of safety. That is because they are a folk who know not.” (At-Tawbah: 6) This is the peak of wisdom and the care of the Muslims towards the non-Muslims; seeking their safety. Thus, can any sincere seeker of knowledge find a suggestion of aggression in this peaceful and just command? The issue is that we called them to believe in Allah alone but they refused; accordingly we asked them to leave us alone, but they did not do, so in the end it becomes incumbent on the Muslims to fight them. Allah granted us victory over them, but was there any kind of torture or was any one imprisoned? Surely not! Islam aspires for something more valuable than this. We should only deprive them of their weapons and make them live amongst us peacefully, having their property, religion, and chastity completely protected. They would live peacefully and we would defend them in exchange for some money that they should pay, which is called Jizyah. Touching the Heart

Under the shade of Islam, with the principles of coexistence with nonMuslims under the protection of the Islamic State, there is a story in Surah An-Nisa’ from verse 105 to 115. It narrates that one of the Muslims named Ti'mah was weak in faith. This man used to commit theft and entrusted what he had stolen to his Jewish neighbor, who kept the deposit without knowing that it had been stolen. Those who investigated the matter came and felt that the charge was limited between two houses; that of Ti`mah and that of the Jewish man. Finally, they found the stolen items in the house of the Jewish man, who said truthfully that Ti`mah had entrusted these things to him. Along with his tribe, Ti`mah again refuted the accusation; they made use of the situation that the convict was a Jew and was among the enemies of Islam. Thus they fastened the accusation onto him. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), thought good of Muslims and inclined to direct the conviction to the Jew, but Divine Revelation came down upon him from Heaven, "We have sent down to thee the Book in truth, that thou might judge between men, as guided by Allah: so be not (used) as an advocate by those who betray their trust." (An-Nisa’: 105) The verses continue to establish the truth, prove falsehood and save one of the avowed enemies of Islam and establishing his innocence, in spite of the circumstantial evidence that might have gotten him convicted. In this way, the verses establish a principal rule in Islam, "But if any one earns a fault or a sin and throws it onto one that is innocent, he carries (on himself) (both) a falsehood and a flagrant sin" (An-Nisa’: 112) How great is Islam! Surah At-Tawbah contains a declaration of immunity from those, who are accustomed to break their alliances as well as reminding us all of Allah’s Mercy. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was a Prophet, who fought the transgressors and granted love, mercy, and peace to those who sought these meanings. Allah the Almighty says, "Now has come unto you a Messenger from amongst yourselves: it grieves him that you should perish: ardently anxious is he over you: to the believers is he most kind and merciful." (At-Tawbah: 128) He did engage in war, because he hated oppression and transgression, not merely because he wanted to fight. Thereby, this Surah is concluded by Almighty Allah’s saying, "But if they turn away, say, ‘Allah suffices me: there is no god but He: on Him is my trust- He the Lord of the

Throne (of Glory) Supreme." (At-Tawbah: 129) This verse contains another important and fundamental principle in Islam that is to place one’s trust in his Lord and surrender to His command after performing his assigned part perfectly. Thus he would perform his work well and at the same time put his trust in Allah, the Lord of the Supreme Throne. Prof. Ahmad `Adil Nur ad-Din General Supervisor on the Social Service Committee at Mahmud Mosque.