WAS ISLAM SPREAD BY THE SWORD?
Question:
How
can Islam be called the religion of peace when
it was spread by the sword?
Answer:
It
is a common complaint among some non-Muslims
that Islam would not have millions of adherents
all over the world, if it had not been spread by
the use of force. The following points will make
it clear, that far from being spread by the
sword, it was the inherent force of truth,
reason and logic that was responsible for the
rapid spread of Islam.
1.
Islam means peace.
Islam comes from the root word salaam,
which means peace. It also means submitting ones
will to Allah (swt). Thus Islam is a religion of
peace, which is acquired by submitting ones will
to the will of the Supreme Creator, Allah (swt).
2. Sometimes force has to be used to
maintain peace.
Each
and every human being in this world is not in
favour of maintaining peace and harmony. There
are many, who would disrupt it for their own
vested interests. Sometimes force has to be used
to maintain peace. It is precisely for this
reason that we have the police who use force
against criminals and anti-social elements to
maintain peace in the country. Islam promotes
peace. At the same time, Islam exhorts it
followers to fight where there is oppression.
The fight against oppression may, at times,
require the use of force. In Islam force can
only be used to promote peace and justice.
3. Opinion of historian De Lacy
OLeary.
The
best reply to the misconception that Islam was
spread by the sword is given by the noted
historian De Lacy OLeary in the book "Islam at
the cross road" (Page 8):
"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 myth that historians have ever repeated."
4. Muslims ruled Spain for 800
years.
Muslims ruled Spain for about 800 years. The
Muslims in Spain never used the sword to force
the people to convert. Later the Christian
Crusaders came to Spain and wiped out the
Muslims. There was not a single Muslim in Spain
who could openly give the adhan, that is the
call for prayers.
5. 14 million Arabs are Coptic
Christians.
Muslims were the lords of Arabia for 1400 years.
For a few years the British ruled, and for a few
years the French ruled. Overall, the Muslims
ruled Arabia for 1400 years. Yet today, there
are 14 million Arabs who are Coptic Christians
i.e. Christians since generations. If the
Muslims had used the sword there would not have
been a single Arab who would have remained a
Christian.
6. More than 80% non-Muslims in
India.
The
Muslims ruled India for about a thousand years.
If they wanted, they had the power of converting
each and every non-Muslim of India to Islam.
Today more than 80% of the population of India
are non-Muslims. All these non-Muslim Indians
are bearing witness today that Islam was not
spread by the sword.
7. Indonesia and Malaysia.
Indonesia is a country that has the maximum
number of Muslims in the world. The majority of
people in Malaysia are Muslims. May one ask,
"Which Muslim army went to Indonesia and
Malaysia?"
8. East Coast of Africa.
Similarly, Islam has spread rapidly on the East
Coast of Africa. One may again ask, if Islam was
spread by the sword, "Which Muslim army went to
the East Coast of Africa?"
9. Thomas Carlyle.
The
famous historian, Thomas Carlyle, in his book
"Heroes and Hero worship", refers to this
misconception about the spread of Islam: "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 mans head alone.
There it dwells as yet. One man alone of the
whole world believes it, there is one man
against all men. That he takes a sword and try
to propagate with that, will do little for him.
You must get your sword! On the whole, a thing
will propagate itself as it can."
10.
No
compulsion in religion.
With
which sword was Islam spread? Even if Muslims
had it they could not use it to spread Islam
because the Qur'an says in the following verse:
"Let there be no compulsion in religion:
Truth stands out clear from error"
[Al-Qur'an
2:256]
11. Sword of the Intellect.
It
is the sword of intellect. The sword that
conquers the hearts and minds of people. The
Qur'an says in Surah Nahl, chapter 16 verse 125:
"Invite (all) to the way of thy Lord
with wisdom and beautiful preaching;
and argue with them in ways that are
best and most gracious."
[Al-Qur"an 16:125]
12. Increase in the world religions
from 1934 to 1984.
An
article in Readers Digest Almanac, year book
1986, gave the statistics of the increase of
percentage of the major religions of the world
in half a century from 1934 to 1984. This
article also appeared in The Plain Truth
magazine. At the top was Islam, which increased
by 235%, and Christianity had increased only by
47%. May one ask, which war took place in this
century which converted millions of people to
Islam?
13. Islam is the fastest growing
religion in America and Europe.
Today the fastest growing religion in America is
Islam. The fastest growing religion in Europe in
Islam. Which sword is forcing people in the West
to accept Islam in such large numbers?
14. Dr. Joseph Adam Pearson.
Dr.
Joseph Adam Pearson rightly says, "People who
worry that nuclear weaponry will one day fall in
the hands of the Arabs, fail to realize that the
Islamic bomb has been dropped already, it fell
the day MUHAMMED (pbuh) was born".
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