Dought & clear, - Reconciling between the verses “There is no compulsion in religion” [al-Baqarah 2:256] and “and we shall drive themout from there in disgrace, and they will be abased” [an-Naml 27:37].

** Allah, may He be exalted,says in Soorat al-Baqarah: "There is no
compulsion in religion" [al-Baqarah 2:256], and this is a well-known
Islamic principle. But in Soorat an-Naml we find that the Prophet of
Allah Sulaymaan (peace be upon him) sent a message to Bilqees
threatening her and compelling her to become Muslim. It seems to me
that this is contrary to the general principle. How can you explain
this?
Praise be to Allah.
Firstly:
The words of Allah, may He be exalted (interpretation of the meaning):
"There is no compulsion in religion. Verily, the Right Path hasbecome
distinct from thewrong path" [al-Baqrah 2:256] are not contrary to the
command to fight the mushrikeen who turn people away from the religion
of Allah, cause mischief on earth and spread kufr, shirk and
corruption. Fightingthem is one of the greatest deeds by meansof which
people prosperon earth and enjoy safety and stability, as Allah, may
He be exalted,says (interpretation of the meaning): "And fightthem
until there is no more Fitnah (disbelief and polytheism: i.e.
worshipping others besides Allah) and the religion (worship) will all
be for Allah Alone" [al-Anfaal 8:39].
Islam aims to achieve that which is in people's interests and to
protect them from that which is harmful to them.
The meaning of this verse is that the teachings of Islam are very
clear and the proof and evidence of its soundness are so clear and
definitive that thereis no need for compulsion. Whoever comes to know
the reality of Islam and is not stubborn or arrogant will enter
Islamwillingly. Rather the one who does not want to enter it is the
one who isarrogant and stubborn, who does not accept Allah as his Lord
or His Prophet as his messenger, and does notbelieve in the Book that
was revealed to him. For that reason, those mushrikeen who adhereto
their false religion and fight in support of their religion out of
arrogance and seek to spread mischief and kufron earth are to be
fought.
Nothing is more indicative of that than the fact that at the beginning
of Islam people entered the religion of Allah in crowds, the religion
in the name of which their fathers, relatives and friends had been
killed.
Many of the Sahaabah became Muslim after having fought to defendkufr,
such as Khaalid ibn al-Waleed, 'Amr ibn al-'Aas, Abu Sufyaan ibn Harb,
Mu'aawiyah ibn Abi Sufyaan and many others (may Allah be pleased with
them all). They became Muslim when the right path became distinct from
thewrong path for them and the teachings and strong proof of Islam
became clear to them. Sothey became Muslim willingly and joined the
troops of Allah after having been among the troops of the Shaytaan.
This is also indicated by the verse in which Allah, may He be exalted,
says (interpretation of the meaning): "And had your Lord willed, those
on earth would have believed, all of them together. So, will you (O
Muhammad SAW) then compel mankind, until they become believers?"
[Yoonus 10:99]. In other words, you are not able to do that and it is
not within your power; no one except Allah is able to do any of that.
End quote from Tafseer as-Sa'di, p. 374
Ibn Jizziy (may Allah have mercy on him) said:"There is no compulsion
in religion" means: the religion of Islam is very clear and its proof
of its soundness is self-evident, so there is no need to compel anyone
to enter this religion. Rather anyone who has sound understanding will
enterit of his own accord, without compulsion. This is indicated by
the words, "Verily, the Right Path has become distinctfrom the wrong
path" [al -Baqarah 2:256], i.e., it is clear that Islam is the right
path and kufr is the wrong path, so there is no need for compulsion
after this hasbecome clear.
End quote from at-Tasheel, p. 135
As-Sa'di (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
This refers to the perfection of Islam, because its proofs are perfect
and the signs of its soundness are clear. Because it is the religion
of reason and knowledge, the religion of sound human nature and of
wisdom, the religion of righteousnessand piety, the religion oftruth
and guidance, and it is perfect and acceptable to human nature, there
is no need to compel anyone to enter it, because compulsion is only
needed in the case of that which is off-putting and contrary to the
facts and truth, or that of which the proofs and signs are not clear.
Otherwise, anyone who comes to know this religion then rejects it and
does not accept it, itis because of his stubbornness, because right
path has become distinct from the wrong path, so no one has any excuse
for rejecting it and not accepting it. There is no
contradictionbetween this idea and the many verses that speak of
jihad. Allah enjoined fighting so thatthe religion (worship) will all
be for Allah aloneand to ward off the aggression of those whoare
hostile towards Islam. The Muslims are unanimously agreed that jihad
is ongoing and that jihad in word and in deed is a permanent
obligation. Any commentator who thinks that this verse contradicts the
verses of jihad, and is certain that it has been abrogated, holds a
weak view, as is obvious from the wording and the meaning and as is
clear to anyone who studies the verse, as we have pointed out.
End quote from Tafseer as-Sa'di, p. 954
He also said:
"Verily, the Right Path has become distinct from the wrong path"
[al-Baqarah 2:256] means: once the one becomes distinct from the
other, there is no room for compulsion, because compulsion can only be
in the case of an issue the soundness and merits of which are not
clear. But once it is clear that well-being and happiness in this
world and in the Hereafter are connected to it, then what reason can
there be for compulsion?
Something similar may be said concerning the verse (interpretation of
the meaning): "And say: 'The truth is from your Lord.' Then whosoever
wills, let him believe, and whosoever wills, let him disbelieve"
[al-Kahf 18:29]., i.e., this is the truth that clear
evidencedemonstrates is true, so that whoever wants to believe may do
so and let whoever wants to disbelieve may do so.
End quote from al-Qawaa'id al-Hisaan, p. 119
Az-Zarqaani (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
With regard to the sword and the concept of jihad in Islam, that was
not for the purpose of imposing belief on people or forcing any
individual or group to worship Allah; rather it was to ward off those
who would wield the sword, to prevent them from humiliating and
persecuting the one who entered Islam, and to compel them to leave the
call of truth alone without any obstacle or hindrance, so that there
will be no more titnah and the religion (worship) will all be for
Allah Alone (cf. 8:39).
End quote from Manaahil al-'Irfaan, 2/406
Some of the scholars are of the view that this verse applies
specifically to the People of the Book and those who come under the
same rulings, such as the Magians; they are not to be compelled to
enter Islam, because Allah, mayHe be exalted, says: "Fight against
those whobelieve not in Allah, nor in the Last Day, nor forbid that
which has been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger and those who
acknowledgenot the religion of truth (i.e. Islam) among the people of
the Scripture (Jews and Christians), until they pay the Jizyah with
willing submission, and feel themselves subdued" [at-Tawbah 9:29].
Ibn Qudaamah (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
If one whom it is not permissible to compel is compelled to enter
Islam, such as a dhimmi (non-Muslim living under Muslim rule) or a
non-Muslim who has been granted security, he is not deemed to be
aMuslim unless he shows signs of having become Muslim voluntarily.
End quote from al-Mughni, 10/96.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
The disbelief of one whois compelled to leave Islam is not to be
regarded as anything significant and neither isthe faith of one who is
compelled unlawfully to believe, such as the dhimmi who is complying
with the conditions (of being protected by the Muslim state and so
on), as Allah,may He be exalted, says concerning him: "There is no
compulsion in religion. Verily, the RightPath has become distinctfrom
the wrong path" [al-Baqrah 2:256]. This is unlike the one who is
compelled (to enter Islam) for a legitimate reason, such as those who
were fought of people who are in a state of war with the Muslims,
until they become Muslim, if the fight against them was to make them
choose between becoming Muslim or paying the jizyah.
End quote from al-Istiqaamah, 2/320
See also the answer to question no. 165408
The point is that the verse does not mean that people should be
compelled to enter the religion of Allah reluctantly and by force;
rather what it means is that Islam is easy and clear, with no
compulsion to enter it. The one who enters Islam becomes one of its
people, and the one who does not enter Islam is either one of theahl
adh-dimmah or one of those who have a covenant with the Muslims; he is
to be granted his rights to safety and security and he has to pay the
jizyah, or he is one of those who are in a state of war with the
Muslims and must be fought lest he spread corruption and kufr in the
land.
Secondly:
The words of Allah, may He be exalted, to His Prophet Sulaymaan (peace
be upon him): "Go back to them. We verily shall come to themwith hosts
that they cannot resist, and we shall drive them out from there in
disgrace, and they will be abased"[an-Naml 27:37], do not contradict
what we havesaid above. The Prophet of Allah Sulaymaan (peace be upon
him) had gained control over the land, as Mujaahid (may Allah have
mercy on him) said: Four people gained control over the earth, east
and west, two believers and two disbelievers. The two believers were
Sulaymaan ibn Dawood and Dhu'l-Qarnayn, and the two disbelievers were
Nebuchadnezzar and Nimrood ibn Kan'aan (Nimrod son of Canaan). No one
but they gained power over it.
Tafseer at-Tabari, 5/433
The king must be obeyed, especially if he issues commands that are in
the people's interests and are good for the people and the country,
such as believing in Allah and shunning kufr. So it is not permissible
for anyone to go against him in that regard, and whoever does go
against him must be fought, because he may cause trouble in the
kingdom and spread kufr and corruption in the land, and others
mayfollow him in that.
Moreover, there is nothing in the verse to suggest that he compelled
the queen, Bilqees, or anyone else to become Muslim. Rather what it
refers to is fighting her and her army. In fact she becameMuslim
voluntarily, because of what she sawof the great signs that Allah
granted at Sulaymaan's hands; it was not because of fear of fighting
and the sword. Allah, may He be exalted, tells us (interpretation of
the meaning): "She said: 'My Lord! Verily, I have wronged myself, and
I submit (in Islam, together with Sulaymaan (Solomon), toAllah, the
Lord of the 'Aalameen (mankind, jinns and all that exists)'"[an-Naml
27:44].
From the above it is known that the command to fight does not mean
compelling people to become Muslim.
Thirdly:
If we assume that this story refers to Sulaymaan (peace be upon him)
compelling the Queen of Saba' (Sheba) and the people with her to
accept his laws that Allah sent down to him, this has to do only with
the laws of Sulaymaan (peace be upon him), which were different to our
laws. Allah, may He be exalted,says (interpretation of the meaning):
"To each among you, We have prescribed a law and a clear way"
[al-Maa'idah 5:4].
As-Sa'di (may Allah have mercy on him) said: These laws, that were
different for different nations, are what changed according to changes
in times and circumstances. All of them were aimed at achieving
justice at the time when they were prescribed.
Emd quote from Tafseer as-Sa'di, p. 234
Moreover, this ruling, which allows the dhimmi to continue following
his religion and to be granted protection by the Muslims, and does not
require compelling him to enter the religion of Allah, will change at
the end of time, when 'Eesa (Jesus – peace be upon him) comes down. He
will abolish the jizyah and will not accept anything but Islam, and
there will be a great deal of good and blessing throughout the earth.
This is one of the things which indicate that fighting the mushrikeen
who turn people away from the religion of Allah is one ofthe greatest
means of bringing goodness and blessings to the people, common folk
and elite alike.
Al-Bukhaari (2222) and Muslim (155) narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may
Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messengerof Allah (blessings and
peace of Allah be upon him) said: "By the One in Whose hand is my
soul, soon the son of Maryam will descend among you as a just judge,
he will break the cross, kill the pigs and abolish the jizyah, and
wealth will become so abundant that no one will accept it."
An-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
With regard to the words of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah
be upon him), "and(he will) abolish the jizyah", the correct view
concerning their meaning is that he will not accept it, and he willnot
accept anything from the kuffaar except Islam. He will not leave alone
those who are willing to pay the jizyah,because it will not be good
enough; rather he will not accept anything except Islam or execution.
This is the view of Abu Sulaymaan al-Khattaabi and other scholars, may
Allah have mercy on them.
Based on that, it may be asked: Will this be different from the
Islamic ruling that exists today, which is that if the kitaabi (Jew or
Christian living under Muslim rule) pays the jizyah, it must be
accepted and it is not permissible to fight him or compel him to
become Muslim?
The answer to that is that this ruling is not ongoing until the Day of
Resurrection; rather it is limited to the time before 'Eesa (peace be
upon him) comes down. The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be
upon him) has told us in these saheeh hadeeths that it will be
abrogated.But 'Eesa (peace be uponhim) is not the one who will
abrogate it; rather itis our Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be
upon him) who explained that it will be abrogated. 'Eesa will rule in
accordance with our sharee'ah, which indicates that his refusal to
accept the jizyah at that time is what is prescribed by our Prophet
Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him).
End quote.
See also the answer to question no. 34770
And Allah knows best.

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