Disproving Violent Extremist Islamic Scholars and Islamophobic View That Islam Was Spread by Sword

By Kaniz Fatma, New Age Islam 20 May 2024 Islam Spread through Moral, Ethical, Rightful Behaviour and Not by Sword Main points 1. Agenda-driven, Islamophobic and Wahabi writings suggest Islam spread through the sword. 2. ISIS commander, Baghdadi, also declared Islam as a religion of fighting. 3. The Quran affirms religious freedom, demonstrating that humans are free to choose between truth and untruth. 4. Majority of Muslims believe that the spread of Islam was primarily motivated by moral ideals rather than force or the sword. 5. The Quran does not command Muslims to force people to accept Islam at the point of a sword. 6. Despite the possibility of forcing all non-Muslims to convert to Islam, Muslims chose not to, leading to over 80% of Indians not practising Islam today. 7. Non-Muslim scholars who were objective to study Islam discovered that the spread of Islam relied on reason, peace, kindness, justice, and logical behaviour. ----- According to certain agenda-driven, Islamophobic and violent extremist Islamic scholars’ writings, Islam was spread by the sword. Baghdadi, the commander of ISIS, also declared in 2015 that "Islam was never a religion of peace and that Islam is the religion of fighting”. This led to questions about whether Islam was propagated through sword and combat. You will be amazed to know that some Muslims who belong to Wahhabism proudly want to say that Islam was spread by the sword. A Wahabi-controlled website, Islam Question and Answer, wants to give the notion that sword also played a role in the spread of Islam. It says, “The Orientalists wanted to slander Islam by claiming that it was spread by the sword. The orientalist Thomas Arnold wrote his book The Preaching of Islam with the aim of killing off the spirit of jihad among the Muslims and proving that Islam was not spread by the sword, rather that it spread by means of peaceful preaching, free from any use of force. The Muslims fell into the trap that was set up for them. When they heard the orientalists’ accusations that Islam was spread by the sword, they said: You are mistaken, listen to a refutation from one of your own people, this Thomas says such and such. The defeatists among the Muslims come out to defend Islam, and they want to disavow Islam of this so-called lie, so they deny that Islam was spread by the sword, and they say that jihad is not prescribed in Islam, except in the case of self-defence.” [https://islamqa.info/en/answers/43087/was-islam-spread-by-the-sword] The aforesaid view is opposed by the majority of Muslims who think that the spread of Islam was primarily motivated by moral ideals rather than by force or the sword. This article presents strong proof to support the argument that Islam spread through moral, ethical, rightful, natural, human, and just behaviour rather than through the sword. Hence, this is a refutation of all those who say that Islam was spread by the sword. Islam has always recognised and protected the right to practise any religion. The Quran expressly affirms religious freedom in these terms: “There shall be no compulsion in [acceptance of] the religion. The right course has become clear from the wrong. So whoever disbelieves in Taghut and believes in Allah has grasped the most trustworthy handhold with no break in it. And Allah is Hearing and Knowing.” (2:256) This verse from the Quran demonstrates that humans are free to choose between truth and untruth since God has made them distinct from one another. Since religion is highly personal, no one can be forced to believe in it. A true follower of the Quran will not attempt to convert someone else. In this view, a person who identifies as a Muslim and forces others into accepting Islam is not a follower of the Quran. Islam values religious freedom and sincerity, rejecting hypocrites and promoting genuine believers. Forced conversion can only persuade someone to accept Islam superficially, resulting in hypocrisy and a decrease in genuine believers. Therefore, Islam encourages religious freedom and encourages genuine believers to embrace it. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), despite being a Messenger of God, could not force another person to convert to Islam, as God revealed to him certain words. “So, remind, [O Muhammad, peace be upon him]; you are only a reminder. You are not over them a controller.” (88:21-22) The Prophet's only duty was to remind the people of their basic yearning to believe in God, as noted in countless other verses where he is described as "a Warner of God's punishment" and "a carrier of good news" (Surah al-Baqarah, 2:119; Surah Saba, 34:28). As the verse (2:256) made clear, there is no need to force someone to accept Islam because it is easy to distinguish between the right and evil paths. God Almighty also reveals to His Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), “And had your Lord willed, those on earth would have believed - all of them entirely. Then, [O Muhammad], would you compel the people so that they become believers? And it is not for a soul to believe except by permission of Allah, and He will place defilement upon those who will not use reason.” (10:99-100) God makes it quite evident in this command that anyone who believes they can force someone else to believe is incorrect. If God wanted, He could make everyone believers, but rather has given them free choice. Even so, when coerced, nobody can believe it. Belief is the product of God's grace upon an individual. Is there a more exquisite lesson than this one? How could a sincere adherent of the Quran turn around and impose his beliefs on other people? Conversely, the Quran gives its adherents the following guidance on how to invite individuals to genuine faith: “Invite to the way of your Lord with wisdom and good instruction, and argue with them in the best way. Indeed, your Lord is most knowing of who has strayed from His way, and He is most knowing of who is [rightly] guided.” (16:125) Where does the Quran command Muslims to force people to accept Islam at the point of a sword?! No, it doesn't. God gave the following instructions to his messenger (peace be upon him): “Say, "This is my way; I invite to Allah with insight, I and those who follow me. And exalted is Allah; and I am not of those who associate others with Him." (12:108) Again, we learn from this verse that the decision must be taken based on solid information and proof. Combining these directives, a Muslim learns that he or she must utilise wisdom and just exhortation to persuade people to accept the evidence for faith and convey Islam with unambiguous evidence (i.e., certain knowledge). In all of this, where is the mention of a sword? There is no denying the fact that Muslims ruled over Andalusia, Spain, for about eight centuries. It is accepted history that at this time, Jews and Christians were free to practise their respective religions. For ages, there have been Christian and Jewish communities in the Muslim areas of the Middle East. The following nations have significant populations of Christians and Jews: Egypt, Morocco, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan. In his book, “The World's Religions”, Huston Smith describes how the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) let Jews and Christians to practise their religions freely while living under Muslim rule. Jews and Christians “shall be safeguarded from all insults and damage. They shall have an equal right to our help and good services and they shall profess their religion as freely as the Muslims”, according to a document the Prophet had prepared. Smith states that Muslims saw that document as the first proclamation of religious freedom in the annals of human history and the model for all subsequent Muslim states. Given that Muslims ruled over India for more than a millennium, it makes sense that they might force all non-Muslims to convert to Islam. However, they chose not to, and as a result, more than 80% of Indians do not practise Islam now. In a similar spirit, Islam swiftly extended throughout the east coast of Africa. Similarly, no Muslim army was ever dispatched to the east coast of Africa. Muslims make up the bulk of the population of Malaysia, with Indonesia having the largest Muslim population worldwide. Indonesia or Malaysia, however, has never been conquered by a Muslim force. It is a well-known historical fact that Indonesia adopted Islam due to its moral precepts rather than because of hostilities. Many regions that were historically under Islamic rule no longer have Islamic governments, yet the local populace still considers themselves Muslims. Additionally, they endured harm, pain, and injustice in order to disseminate the truth and inspired others to do the same. The same is true for people living in Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Iraq, North Africa, Asia, the Balkans, and Spain, as well as other regions. This demonstrates that the impact of Islam on the populace was one of moral conviction, in contrast to Western colonisation, which led to the forcible displacement of people from areas where the native peoples only had memories of sorrow, sadness, slavery, and oppression. According to renowned historian De Lacy O'Leary, the methodology of fanatical Muslims “marching throughout the globe and forcing Islam on conquered nations at the point of a sword is one of the most fantastically absurd myths that historians have ever repeated”. If there was a sword used to propagate Islam, it was the sword of reason and persuasive arguments. This sword is the one that wins over people's hearts and minds. When referring to this, the Quran states: “Invite to the way of your Lord with wisdom and good instruction, and argue with them in the best way. Indeed, your Lord is most knowing of who has strayed from His way, and He is most knowing of who is [rightly] guided.” (Qur'an 16:125) Examining the life of the Prophet in two stages will also help us to understand that Islam did not expand via the use of force. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) lived the last eleven years of his life in Medina, having spent the first thirteen years of his mission in Mecca. The Prophet served in Makkah for his first thirteen years as a prophet. Using force was historically both unimaginable and impractical because he and the Muslims were both minorities in Mecca. Instead, it was the persecution inflicted upon the Muslims that forced the Prophet and the Muslims to migrate from Mecca to Medina. The Prophet resided in Medina for the last eleven years. Before the Prophet migrated to Medina, the vast majority of its inhabitants, who belonged to the tribes of Aws and Khazraj, had embraced Islam. The inhabitants of Medina could not have been forced into acceptance or conversion. There was no way for the Prophet and his companions in Mecca to physically convert the inhabitants of Medina. Islam only expanded through propagation in Medina. The Prophet discovered that there was a small Jewish population in Medina that was unwilling to join Islam once he had arrived there. To clarify the rights and responsibilities of each religious group in Medina, he met them and invited them to an agreement with the Muslims. This is what the pertinent section of the charter says: “The Jews who sign this covenant will be shielded from any abuse and vexation and will have the same access to our help and good offices as our own people. Together with the Muslims, the Jews of the several branches of the 'Aws, the Najjar, Harith, Jashim, Tha'labah, and Aws, as well as everyone else residing in Medina, should constitute one composite nation. “The Jews' clients and allies will have the same freedom and security. The guilty will be sought out and dealt with. Jews and Muslims will work together to defend Medina from all adversaries. For all who abide by this Charter, Medina's interior shall be a holy place. The Muslim and Jewish clients and allies must be treated with the same deference as the principals.” This clearly shows that the Prophet promoted peaceful coexistence with followers of other religions rather than forcing people to adopt Islam. Some reports claim that Islam is the fastest-growing religion in the world. You have probably seen a lot of news reports about famous people becoming Muslims. Liam Neeson, Mike Tyson, Andrew Tate, Muhammad Ali, and numerous other celebrities are among the well-known individuals. Another touching story is about Joram Van Klaveren, a politician who used to write anti-Islamic books and was initially against Islam before converting to Islam. Why are Muslims becoming Muslims at this moment of peak anti-Muslim sentiment? Why is Islam the religion that is expanding the fastest in the world? What causes this phenomenon to occur? Who is converting someone to Islam these days? People are choosing to convert to Islam on their own volition because they see Islam makes sense. In his book “A Muslim Primer”, a non-Muslim writer Ira Zepp Jr. provides a brief answer to the question of whether Islam was spread through the sword: 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 the 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). Anti-Islamic groups promote a self-fabricated story about how Islam grew quickly, claiming that the religion was propagated by the sword. This is a completely false accusation against Islam, which is refuted by both enlightened and objective non-Muslim scholars as well as by Muslims themselves. The lines above contain quotes from non-Muslim thinkers, some of which are as follows: James A. Michener, a great intellectual, writes in the Reader’s Digest, under the title Islam: The Misunderstood Religion: “No other religion in history spread so rapidly as Islam. The West has widely believed that this surge of religion was made possible by the sword. But no modern scholar accepts that idea, and the Quran is explicit in support of freedom of conscience”. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi writes in Young Indian, 1924: “I became more than ever convinced that it was not the sword that won a place for Islam in those days in the scheme of life. It was the rigid simplicity, the utter self-effacement of the Prophet (SAW), the scrupulous regard for his pledges, his intense devotion to his friends and followers, his intrepidity, his absolute trust in God and his own mission. These and not the sword carried everything before them and surmounted every trouble.” British Prime Minister, Tony Blair said, "There is a lot of misunderstanding about Islam. It is a deeply reflective, peaceful, a very beautiful religious faith." (CNN.Com.Website) De Lacy O'Leary said, “History makes it clear however, that the legend of fanatical Muslims sweeping through the world and forcing Islam at the point of the sword upon conquered races is one of the most fantastically absurd myths that historians have ever repeated.” (Islam at the Crossroads, London,1923, p.8) Thomas Carlyle wrote: “The sword indeed: but where will you get your sword? Every new opinion, at its starting, is precisely in a minority of one, in one man's head alone, there it dwells as yet. One man alone of the whole world believes it; there is one man against all man, that he takes a sword, and tries to propagate with that, will do little for him. You must first get your sword! A thing will propagate itself as it can.” (Heroes and hero-worship, p.80) Diwan Chand Sharma wrote: “Muhammad was the soul of kindness, and his influence was felt and never forgotten by those around him.” (The Prophets of the East. Calcutta, 1935, p.122) Which of these thinkers and scholars are Muslims, in your opinion? These scholars are not Muslims. Many more experts who are not Muslims have conducted unbiased research using a sincere approach to learn the facts about how Islam was spread. Eventually, they knew that the spread of Islam throughout the world depended on reason, peace, kindness, justice, and logical behaviour and that the sword did not spread Islam. They discovered the truth because they studied Islam with all established rules of research and lacked the malicious intent of many modern-day Islamophobes. All of the Quranic verses and historical facts show unequivocally that Islam was not propagated by the sword but by its sublime teachings. ------- Kaniz Fatma is a classic Islamic scholar and a regular columnist for New Age Islam. URL: https://www.newageislam.com/the-war-within-islam/extremist-islamic-scholars-islamophobic-sword/d/132351 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism