For those who say Islam was spread by force (The Sowrd)?

Question

Force may conquer the body, but it cannot conquer the spirit. You may subdue an individual or community by the use of force, but you cannot make them believe that you are right. The Algerians were dominated by colonial France for about a hundred years, but that did not make them love their rulers. As soon as they had the opportunity, they rose in arms against their masters and broke their yoke.

It is illogical to believe that Islam had spread itself by force. Mohammad, as one person, could not force thousands or hundreds to embrace his faith. History testifies that Mohammad lived thirteen years in Mecca after he proclaimed his faith, under a constant threat from his opponents who were the overwhelming majority of the Meccans. Anyone that desired to join Islam was denounced, threatened, and persecuted by the Meccans; and, in spite of this, the number of Muslims steadily increased.

Can we conceive that Mohammad under these circumstances could convert people by force when he himself was a subject of persecution? At a later stage, the Muslims had become powerful enough to fight their opponents; and history shows that they did fight for Islam. But this does not mean that Islam had converted people by force. There are now over 100 million Muslims in Indonesia and scores of millions in West Africa.

All these millions were converted through peaceful contacts with Muslims who came to these areas as merchants or educators. There is, however, no reason to deny that Muslims were militant The Muslims actually were good defenders of their freedom We know that no ideology would spread or live in an unfree society. Freedom of belief, practice, and speech, are necessary for the growth of any ideology. In the absence of a constitutional protection of freedom, it would be the duty of the people of the ideology to secure their freedom on their own. If this does not justify the military might of the early Muslims, there will be no way to justify the military might of any modern nation that rises in arms to defend its freedom when it is threatened by its adversaries.

Answer 1

According to the Quran, "There is no compulsion in religion" (2:256), thus, no one can be forced to become a Muslim. While it is true that in many places where Muslim armies went to liberate people or the land, they did carry the sword as that was the weapon used at that time. However, Islam did not spread by the sword because in many places where there are Muslims now, in the Far East like Indonesia, in China, and many parts of Africa, there are no records of any Muslim armies going there. To say that Islam was spread by the sword would be to say that Christianity was spread by guns, F-16's and atomic bombs, etc., which is not true. Christianity spread by the missionary works of Christians. Ten-percent of all Arabs are Christians. The "Sword of Islam" could not convert all the non-Muslim minorities in Muslim countries. In India, where Muslims ruled for 700 years, they are still a minority. In the U.S.A., Islam is the fastest growing religion and has 6 million followers without any sword around.

Answer 2

You are so ignorant of the truth that I wonder if you are not being deliberately provocative. I wrote my master's thesis on the affect of the advent of Islam on the Persian civil service. In the course of my research I saw more than enough evidence that Islam was spread by "fire and sword", just as the Prophet commanded. You don't think so? Try telling a Sikh how peaceful you were. Then run, because they have been carrying weapons ever since your armies chased their ancestors into the hills and started butchering them for refusing to convert. If your Imam is telling you different he is a liar.

Answer 3

Muslims (Real One) do treat all the followers of all other religions peacfully and nicelly according to Shariah'a Law.
There is no force conversion in Islam and there is a story during th Prophet Mohammed's life that support my saying here it is:
Allah said,

[لاَ إِكْرَاهَ فِى الدِّينِ]

(There is no compulsion in religion), meaning, "Do not force anyone to become Muslim, for Islam is plain and clear, and its proofs and evidence are plain and clear. Therefore, there is no need to force anyone to embrace Islam. Rather, whoever Allah directs to Islam, opens his heart for it and enlightens his mind, will embrace Islam with certainty. Whoever Allah blinds his heart and seals his hearing and sight, then he will not benefit from being forced to embrace Islam.''

It was reported that the Ansar were the reason behind revealing this Ayah, although its indication is general in meaning. Ibn Jarir recorded that Ibn `Abbas said [that before Islam], "When (an Ansar) woman would not bear children who would live, she would vow that if she gives birth to a child who remains alive, she would raise him as a Jew. When Banu An-Nadir (the Jewish tribe) were evacuated [from Al-Madinah], some of the children of the Ansar were being raised among them, and the Ansar said, `We will not abandon our children.' Allah revealed:
إِكْرَاهَ فِى الدِّينِ قَد تَّبَيَّنَ الرُّشْدُ مِنَ الْغَيِّ]


(There is no compulsion in religion. Verily, the right path has become distinct from the wrong path.)''

to biblechick45:
the taxes that is applied for the non-Muslim (Jizyah) is equivalnet (and even lower sometimes) to what Muslim pay annually as Zakat. Any way this a law of Allah and according to Sharia'a if a very poor non Muslim living in Muslim country, he/she is not asked to pay Jizyah but instead the Muslim Gov has to pay to him from the Zakat money (this is historically proven)

Answer 4

another thing to add to your proof that it wasnt spread by the sword it this. The only reasons islam had ever gone on the offensive was for the freedom to talk to the people of the nation who was not allowing islam to spread...It attack those places that did not allow messengers, preechers and teachers to talk freely about islam. if a country was persecuting those who converted to islam, the muslim army would back them up as well




hand- A theif????? where do you get your sources!!!! his biterest enimies trustem him with their possessions...when he fled the city that was persecuting him, he risked his life to return those items back!!!!! i dont think a person who did that would ever be even tempted to resort to theivery...

i have no sources about being a rapist or a murdurer, so you metion a case when he could be considered one

please dont say stuff like that unless you have real logical proof..its spreads the wrong idea...if people went around saying that about the whole jesus is god thing i'd bet youd find loads of christians who would oppose the idea and be classified as extremists and fundementalists. most mulims who do that are just trying to defend their religion..many do not realize that its having a negative effect though..
( y do u think that the us is not trying to stop the muslim civil wars in the middle east hint hint... the us can benefit if there fighting eachother but if there united..pshh us has no chance...)

Answer 5

WRONG!

Conversion through force has happened on many occasions through history.

For example, note how Central and South America became Christian when the Spanish conquered the area.

Note how most of East Asia became Confucian when China imposed.

Note how African Americans were forced to come to America and convert to Christianity, and how they're among the most religious demographics in the country.

More examples exist, but those should suffice.

Answer 6

Nice post.

Can't help but laugh at biblechick........I wonder if she bothered to actually pay attention to what she wrote? There are so many inaccuracies her post is a joke. haha

Answer 7

I think you have a selective view of history. While not all conversion to Islam took place at the point of the sword, Muslims then and now have used violence as well as other coercive means to bring non-Muslims into their religion.

One less violent way was forcing the so-called infidels into dmmitude, making them pay taxes for the "privilege" of living as a Muslim in a non-Muslim land. It also is coercive to outlaw all religious beliefs and practices other than Islam (think Saudi Arabia) while punishing people for owning Bibles or meeting with other Christians. To preach the Gospel to Muslims or to convert from Islam is often punishable by death.

Another way is to kidnap non-Muslim women and force them into marriage to a Muslim man. (This by the way, is quite common today in the Middle East and Africa). Under Shariah law (another form of coersion when applied on non-Muslims), she has no right to divorce him and return to her family with the children born to her.

Throughout the Muslim world, Christians live in fear of their Muslim neighbors. Right now Hamas, in the name of Islam, is attacking and killing Palestinian Christians and Christian churches. Even in supposedly tranquil Muslim Indonesia, Muslim fanatics have been practicing genocide against Christian villagers. Neighboring Malaysia just had their Supreme Court rule that a former Muslim woman who had become a Christian had no "right" to convert to Christianity and could not change her identity card to reflect her chosen religion.

The list goes on. Does Christianity have a violent past ? Sure, some calling themselves Christians perpetuated horrible evil in the name of Christ. The point is, Christians recognize those things as evil and denounce that as unreflective of Christian character.

You, on the other hand, seem to minimize Muslim atrocities as acts of "self defense" and what I'm trying to tell you that these aggresive acts are going on right now. Ideologies spread all the time in the absence of freedom - communism for one works best when the government is totalitarian. In reality, the most free countries are the ones that allow freedom of conscience to choose one's religion freely. Isn't interesting how countries with the largest populations of Muslims don't really allow people of other faiths that same freedom.

Additional: so my post is a joke -please tell me are what my "inaccuracies" Sarah T. How many Christians do personally know in the Muslim world? I do, and know they live just as I said. The stories the converts from Islam there tell are horrifying. You're just used to Muslim behavior in North America where we do provide freedom of religion. Read the newspaper for once to see how "infidels" any where else are treated. The Koran may teach no coersion, but those issuing fatwas encouraging such acts are a whole other thing.

The thumbs down you Muslims keep giving me only prove that you cannot face the truth of your past or present outside your own peaceful, local community.