Spreading religion by way of the sword?
-
It bothers me when I read comments from christians (not on this site) who say the following
"Muhammad spread religion by way of the sword and Jesus spread religion by way of peace".
Are there any versus in the Quran that say this about the prophet or are they getting this from history books and/or hadith/sunnah?
Thanks,
dotty
-
1099 If your Lord willed, all who are on earth, would have believed. Would
you then, compel people to become believers? (2256, 764-6)94 Except those idolaters with whom you have a treaty and they have not
subsequently failed you, nor have they helped others against you. You shall
fulfill your treaty with them till their term. Surely, God loves those who are
mindful of His Laws.2256 (Although this Message has been sent down by the
Almighty) there is absolutely no compulsion or coercion in Ad-
Deen (and/or in the matter of religion) (This Rule shall have no
exceptions since Right has been made distinct from Wrong 34)
Whoever rejects false gods (such as the clergy, human
authorities’, and attains conviction in God, has grasped the
Unbreakable Support. And God is Hearer, Knower.6107 We could have created all people without free will and they would then
not associate any partners with Him. (But Guidance has been distinguished
from straying 2256) And We have not appointed you (O Messenger) as their
guardian, nor are you responsible for them.
6108 O Believers! Insult not the idols they set up besides God. They might
insult God in their ignorance and hurt themselves. To every community Our
Law has made their deeds seem fair. Then unto their Lord is their return and
He will tell them what they used to do.1019 All mankind were but one community (and are meant to be so); then
they differed (2213) Had not your Lord decreed the Law of free will for
humans, He would have judged their disputes immediately (230, 2256,
11118, 169, 762-3)2193 Hence, fight them only until there is no more harassment,
and Deen may be adopted for the sake of God alone. And if they
desist, then let there be no hostility except against those who
replace peace with aggression.2224 Let not your senseless oaths in the name of God deter you
from doing good to others, from being mindful of the Divine Laws,
and from making peace between people. God is Hearer, Knower.490 Fight not the hypocrites who join a people with whom you have signed a
peace treaty. And fight not those who come to you wishing not to fight you or
their believing relatives. Had God willed they could have fought you.
Therefore, if they leave you alone, and offer you peace, God has opened no
way for you but the way of peace. Your prime duty remains the establishment
and defense of the Divine Order in which there is no room for revenge (2422)Thomas Carlyle - Heroes, Hero Worship, and the Heroic in History London 1841
The lies which well-meaning zeal has heaped round this man are disgraceful to ourselves only. He was a great soul, one of that who cannot but be earnest. He was to kindle the world; the worlds Maker had ordered so . A man of truth and fidelity, true in what he did, in what he spake and thoughtthis is the only sort of speech worth speaking.Edward Gibbon - History of The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire London 1788
. The greatest crime, the greatest sin of Mohammad in the eyes of the Christian West is that he did not allow himself to be slaughtered, to be crucified by his enemies. He only defended himself, his family and his followers; and finally vanquished his enemies. Mohammads success is the Christians gall of disappointment . He did not believe in any vicarious sacrifices for the sins of others.De Lacy OLeary - Islam at the Crossroads London 1923
History makes it clear, however, that the legend of fanatical Muslims sweeping through the world and forcing Islam at the point of sword upon conquered races is one of the most fantastically absurd myths that historians have ever repeated.A. S. Tritton - Islam 1951
The picture of the Muslim soldier advancing with a sword in one hand and the Quran in the other is quite false.Mahatma Gandhi - Young India, 1924
The more I study, the more I discover that the strength of Islam does not lie in the sword. The more I desired to know the best of the life of one who holds today an undisputed sway over the hearts of millions of mankind.... 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, the scrupulous regard for pledges, his intense devotion to his friends and followers, his intrepidity, his fearlessness, his absolute trust in God and in his own mission. These and not the sword carried everything before them and surmounted every obstacle. When I closed the second volume of the Prophets biography, I was sorry there was not more for me to read more of that great life.
The verified sayings of Muhammad are a treasure of wisdom not only for Muslims but for all mankind - (M. K. Gandhis Preface to The Sayings of Muhammad by Sohrawardi).Reverend Bosworth Smith - Muhammad and Muhammadanism, London, 1874
Head of the State as well as the Church, he was Caesar and Pope in one; but he was Pope without the Popes pretensions, and Caesar without the legions of Caesar, without a standing army, without a bodyguard, without a
police force, without a fixed revenue. If ever a man ruled by a right divine, it was Muhammad, for he had all the powers without their supports. He cared not for the dressings of power. The simplicity of his private life was in keeping with his public life.
In Mohammadanism every thing is different here. Instead of the shadowy and the mysterious, we have history.... We know of the external history of Muhammad.... While for his internal history after his mission had been proclaimed, we have a book absolutely unique in its origin, in its preservation, on the Substantial authority of which no one has ever been able to cast a serious doubt.... Absolutely unique in history, Muhammad is a three-fold founder of a nation, of an empire and of a religion. The unlettered one bestowed upon the world the Book which is a miracle, the eternal miracle and the true miracle.Tor Andre - Muhammad, the Man and His Faith
Islam is a forceful spiritual energy. Its true meaning will manifest itself when it will be implemented on large scale.H. N. Spalding - Civilization in the East and West
Mohammad was the greatest Executive Officer for implementation of the Divine Will. Like other prophets he knew that time will come when all mankind will become one community . In Islam the believer is a worshiper and a soldier ever ready to go to the battlefield but only for that battle which is waged to eradicate the evil.W. Montgomery Watt - Muhammad at Mecca, Oxford, 1953
His readiness to undergo persecution for his beliefs, the high moral character of the men who believed in him and looked up to him as a leader, and the greatness of his ultimate achievement - all argue his fundamental integrity. To suppose Muhammad an impostor raises more problems than it solves. Moreover, none of the great figures of history is so poorly appreciated in the West as Muhammad.... Thus, not merely must we credit Muhammad with essential honesty and integrity of purpose, if we are to
understand him at all; if we are to correct the errors we have inherited from the past, we must not forget the conclusive proof is a much stricter requirement than a show of plausibility, and in a matter such as this only to be attained with difficulty.Islam is the only religion that gives dignity to the poor.
James Michener - Islam The Misunderstood Religion, Readers Digest, May 1955, pp. 68-70
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 wise modern scholar accepts this idea, and the Koran is explicit in the support of the freedom of conscience.Lawrence E. Browne - The Prospects of Islam, 1944
. Incidentally these well-established facts dispose of the idea so widely fostered in Christian writings that the Muslims, wherever they went, forced people to accept Islam at the point of the sword.
Under his influence people became united in one bond which they knew not, the bond of true monotheism. (The Eclipse of Christianity in Islam)K. S. Ramakrishna Rao - Mohammed The Prophet of Islam, 1989
My problem to write this monograph is easier, because we are not generally fed now on that (distorted) kind of history and much time need not be spent on pointing out our misrepresentations of Islam. The theory of Islam and sword, for instance, is not heard now in any quarter worth the name. The principle of Islam that there is no compulsion in religion is well known . In the person of the prophet of Islam we see the rarest phenomenon on earth walking in flesh and blood i.e. the union of the theorist, the organizer and the leader in one man.Raymond Lerouge - Life de Mohamet
The Arabian Prophet Mohammad is the founder of a revolution unparalleled in history. He founded a political state that will ultimately embrace the entire planet. The law of that Government would rest on justice and kindness. His teachings revolve around human equality, mutual cooperation and universal brotherhood.http//www.ourbeacon.com/siryousaidit.pdf
-
Edward Gibbon - History of The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire London 1788
. The greatest crime, the greatest sin of Mohammad in the eyes of the Christian West is that he did not allow himself to be slaughtered, to be crucified by his enemies. He only defended himself, his family and his followers; and finally vanquished his enemies. Mohammads success is the Christians gall of disappointment . He did not believe in any vicarious sacrifices for the sins of others.
That is a very interesting quote.
-
rotfl
There's no Compulsion in Islam means you should not force anyone to embrace Islam. It doesn't apply to Muslims as you can force a Muslim to practice if you are socially close to him in a way like how you sometimes in love force your reluctant guest to eat. Other Muslims you can force in a way the doctors force a child for a life-saving shot and if the parents of the child say don't force anyone for anything like that then the doctor cares the least about the shot though deeply worried about the child's life at its peril.
Coming to the distorted history forcefully-widely taught in all schools of the world been written by Prejudiced Europeans who hate Islam and Muslims, and the History written by Europeans who rape their own daughters and practice incest or at least do not mind their women having illicit sex, lacking high human respect, values, traits, ethics and ethiquettes, morally profligate and corrupt so much that their 70% children hardly know who one of their or both their parents is, cannot be true history. Also why should we Muslims believe in a history written by Europeans.
Also the Muslims who are Murthad or Leave Islam are a matter with Muslims. If an American Soldier in a Taliban uniform just standing before American Soldiers utters words like I will destroy America, then Imagine his condition in Abu Ghraib or Guantanamo. -
My dear Zarbenifaaq,
These words you use and the attitude you present is of the same ignorant level as the racist Westerners. May you attain more peace and wisdom.
-
It cant only be from just the hadith's, there's also taking islam out of context and completly ignoring what it says.
-
there's also taking islam out of context and completly ignoring what it says.
are you referring to the media or what?
and islam isn't the name of a religion
4213
Khalifa
He decreed for you the same religion decreed for Noah, and what we inspired to you
(muhammad), and what we decreed for Abraham, Moses, and Jesus "You shall uphold this one religion, and do not divide it." The idol worshipers will greatly resent what you invite them to do. GOD redeems to Himself whomever He wills; He guides to Himself only those who totally submit. -
Maybe I should have said the Quran. That would have been better. Its basically anyone who takes the teaching of their religion out of context or ignores it is when religious violence starts.
-
The verse that is always taken out of context is this one
95 When the four Sacred Months are over and if the idolaters are still
aggressing, (neither becoming law-abiding citizens of the State, nor
emigrating), subdue them whichever tribe they may belong to, take them
captive, and besiege them, and prepare for them ambush. But if they repent
from aggression, and help in the consolidation of the Divine System and in
setting up the Just Economic Order of Zakaat, then leave their way free.
Surely, God is Forgiving Merciful (so shall you be)Or as it is usualy translated
95 So when the restricted months have passed, then you may kill those who have set up partners/idolators wherever you find them, and take them, and surround them, and stand against them at every point. If they repent, and hold the contact-method, and contribute towards betterment, then you shall leave them alone. God is Forgiving, Merciful.
But the verse before and after it are always completely ignored
96 And if any of those who have set up partners seeks your protection, then you may protect him so that he may hear the words of God, then let him reach his sanctuary. This is because they are a people who do not know.
And these verses are always completely ignored
And fight in Gods cause against those who have initially waged war against you, and do not commit aggression, for God does not love aggressors ,
Hence, fight against them until there is no more oppression and all matters of faith would be let absolutely to God , and when they desist, all hostility should cease, and no use of force is allowed except against those who commit transgression (2193),
And if you need good reason to fear treachery from people, act against them openly and fairly (85,
And if they incline to peace, incline you to it as well, and place your trust in God And should they seek but to deceive you , God is enough for you (861-62),
And whenever any of those who associate others with God seeks your protection, grant him protection, so that he might hear the word of God , and arrange to let him reach the place where he can feel secure, for they might not know (96)
O you who have attained to faith! Be true to your agreements and promises ,
It may well be that God will bring about affection between you and those from among them whom you face as enemies, and God is all-powerful and God is much-forgiving, mercy-giving. As for such as do not fight against you on account of faith, and do not drive your forth from your homes, God does not forbid you from being kind to them and from behaving towards them with full equity, and God loves those who act equitably (60.
A requital for an offence should be the same as it without any excessiveness, and whoever pardons and makes peace, his reward rests with God Yet, as for any who only defend themselves after having been wronged, no blame whatever attaches to them; blame attaches but to those who oppress people and behave outrageously on earth, offending against all right But withal, if one is patient and forgives this is the best that requires a strong will(4239-43)
2238-40 God defends those who believe. God does not like any betrayer, rejecter.
It is permitted for those who have been persecuted to fight. And God is able to give them victory.
The ones who were driven out of their homes without justice, except that they said "Our Lord is God!" And if it were not for mankind being pitted against one another, then many monasteries, synagogues, contact-methods, and temples where the name of God is frequently mentioned would have been destroyed. God will give victory to those who support Him. God is Powerful, Noble. -
peace dotty
its definitely from hadith
Maybe I should have said the Quran. That would have been better. Its basically anyone who takes the teaching of their religion out of context or ignores it is when religious violence starts.
That is what I thought.
Although I have read the Quran 2 times completely and searched through many chapters when I study, I wanted to make sure I didn't miss something. I learn new things whenever I read it. I have not, however, read any hadith books... just small parts here and there. I have not been patient enough to read them more than a few minutes.
Thank you all for the posts!
peace
-
It's like as if a candle has been lit up flaming towards the anal holes of AgentXXX and Arnold Yasin. Thank God they have publicly at least achnowledged the West as Racist, irrespective of whether it has been diplomatically used or whole-heartedly. Ha! Ha! Ha!
-
Peace,
If you believe yourself to be a Muslim, then also act like one by not using bad language. Also the generalization is ignorant. 70-80% of all people on Earth believe their own people to be the best, thus making them all racist. I have hardly met any Muslim from any background that wasn't racist is some kind of form. Only the few could rise above racism. This counts for every person living anywhere on Earth.
But I doubt you are here to learn, just to shout stupid comments on threads. Future will reveal your true intention. And remember, false behaviour is not the behaviour of the Muslim tempt
-
It's like as if a candle has been lit up flaming towards the anal holes of AgentXXX and Arnold Yasin.
rotfl is this your personal experience my friend? no wonder why you are http//i73.photobucket.com/albums/i231/nabpeace/comments/104.gif rotfl rotfl rotfl
peace