Clear Answers - Isn't it true that Islam was spread by the sword?

No. This is not true. However, this is a common misconception in the
minds of many people. The Qur'an declares:
There is no compulsion in religion. The right direction is henceforth
distinct from error (Qur'an 2:256).
This Qur'anic verse shows that God has made truth and falsehood
distinct from each other and people are therefore free to choose one
or the other.No one can be forced to believe in a religion since
belief is somethingvery personal. One who follows the Qur'an will not
try to force another person to believe.
Even the prophet Muhammad, on whom be peace, could not force another
person to become a Muslim. God revealed to him the following words:
And if your Lord willed, all who are in the earth would have believed
together. Would you then compel people untilthey become believers? It
is not for any soul to believe except by the permission of Allah
(Qur'an 10:99-100).
This instruction from God makes it clear that anyone is mistaken who
thinks that he or she cancompel others to believe. If God wanted, He
could make everyone believers, but rather has given them free choice.
Even so, no one can believe upon being forced. It is the grace of God
on a person that will result in belief. Is there a teaching more
beautiful than this? How could any true follower of the Qur'an turn
around and force his faith on others? On the contrary, the Qur'an
instructs its followers on how to call people to true faith as
follows:
Call unto the way of yourLord with wisdom and fair exhortation, and
reason with them in the better way (Qur'an 16:125).
Where does the Qur'an tell anyone to call peopleat the point of a
sword? It does not. God instructed his messenger, on whom be peace, as
follows:
Say: This is my Way: I invite unto Allah with sure knowledge, I and
whosoever follows me (Qur'an 12:108).
Here again, the call is to be made with sure knowledge, with clear
evidence. Putting these instructions together, a Muslim understands
that he or she must present Islam with clear evidence (i.e. sure
knowledge) and use wisdom and fair exhortation to reason with people
to accept the evidence for faith. Where is there any mention of sword
in all of this?
The Junior Encyclopedia of Canada says:
Islam is the fastest-growing religion worldwide (The Junior
Encyclopedia of Canada, Hurtig Publishers, Canada, 1990, Vol.2.
p.396).
What explains this phenomenon? Who is forcing anyone today to become
Muslims? Muslims are not even engaged in active preaching in any
noticeable degree. People are voluntarily coming into Islam because
they find that Islam makes sense.
Huston Smith discusses in his book entitled The World's Religions, on
page 256, how the prophet Muhammad, on whom be peace, grantedfreedom
of religion to the Jews and Christians under Muslim rule. The prophet
had a documentdrawn up in which he stipulated that Jews and Christians
shall be"protected from all insults and vexations; they shall have an
equal right with our own people to our assistance and good offices,"
and furthermore, that they shall "practice their religion as freely as
the Muslims" (Quoted in The World's Religions by Huston Smith, Harper
Collins, 1991, p.256). Smith points out that Muslims regard that
document as "the first charter of freedom of conscience in human
history and the authoritative model for those of every subsequent
Muslim state" (p.256).
So, was Islam spread by the sword? The following short answer comes
from Ira Zepp Jr., a non-Muslim, in his book entitled A Muslim Primer:
It is unfortunate that Islam has been stereotyped as the 'religion of
the sword' orthat 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 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). - - ▓███▓ Translator:->
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