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 At-
Tawbah, 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…” (At-
Tawbah: 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 non-
Muslims 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.