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

No. This is not true. However, this is a common misconception inthe
minds of many people. The Qur'an declares:
There is no compulsion in religion. The right direction is henceforth
distinct from error (Qur'an2:256).
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 something very personal. One who follows the Qur'an will not
try to forceanother 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, allwho are in the earth would have believed
together. Would you thencompel people until they become believers? It
is not for any soul to believeexcept 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 can compel others to believe. If God wanted, He
could make everyone believers, but rather has given themfree choice.
Even so, no one can believe upon being forced. It is the grace of God
on a person that will result in belief. Isthere a teaching more
beautiful than this? How could any true follower ofthe 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 your Lord 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 people at the point of a
sword? Itdoes 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 ofCanada 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? Muslimsare 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
page256, how the prophet Muhammad, on whom be peace, granted freedom
ofreligion to the Jews and Christians under Muslim rule. The prophet
had a document drawn 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 subsequentMuslim 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' or that Islam was 'spread by the sword.' The historical
reality is that the expansion of Islam was usually by persuasion
andnot 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).

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As milk covers the water

Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) was mercilessly persecuted by
his master. Umayya bin Khalaf who was the worstenemy of Islam, would
make him lie down on theburning sand at mid-day and would place a
heavy stone on his chest so that he could not move even alimb. He
would then say to him: Renounce Islam orswelter and die in this state.
Even under these afflictions Bilal would exclaim: Ahad (the One Allah)
Ahad (the One Allah). At last Abu Bakr freed Bilal from Umayya.
Dear Muslims, when Bilal was asked how he endured all these
torturesand pain, he remarked that his belief in Allah covered all the
pains. It's like a glass of milk. If you put water into the glass of
milk, the water takes the colour of the milk. Thesame way, when Bilal
wastortured, his faith overcame the pain.

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What does Jihad mean?

The word Jihad representsa concept which is much misunderstood in the
West. The concept is explained nicely by the Christian scholar Ira 6.
Zepp, Jr. in his book entitled A Muslim Primer on pages 133-135. We
adapt from his answer thefollowing:
The essential meaning of Jihad is the spiritual, psychological, and
physical effort we exert tobe close to God and thus achieve a just and
harmonious society. Jihad literally means "striving" or "struggle" and
is shorthand for Jihad fi Sabeel Allah (struggle for God's cause). In
a sense, every Muslim is a Mujahid,one who strives for God and
justice.
Al-Ghazali captured the essence of Jihad when he said: "The real Jihad
is the warfare against (one's own) passions. Dr. Ibrahim Abu-Rabi
calls Jihad "the execution of effort against evil in the self and
every manifestation of evil in society." In a way, Jihad is the
Muslim's purest sacrifice: a struggle to livea perfect life and
completely submit to God.
Another form of Jihad is the striving to translate the Word of God
into action. If one has experienced God and received guidance from the
Qur'an, one struggles to apply that guidance in daily life. So the
larger, more prevalent meaning of Jihad is the spiritual struggle of
the soul. In this case, Jihad is always present for the believer
whether there is an external enemy or not. We should never reduce
Jihad to violence.
A third level of Jihad is popularly known as "holy war." The classic
passage is found in the Qur'an:
Fight in the way of Allah those who fight against you, but transgress
not the limits. Truly Allah likesnot the transgressors (Qur'an 2:190).
It is crucial to note here that what is condoned is defensive warfare;
Islam cannot justify aggressive war. Muhammad and the Tradition are
also against killing non-combatants, torturing of prisoners, the
destruction of crops, animals and homes. Adapted from Ira 6. Zepp,
Jr., A Muslim Primer (1992,Wakefield Editions, US) pp.133-135.
Robert Ellwood of the University of Southern California has the
following to say about the Muslim concept of Jihad:
Out of the community ideal of Islam comes the concept of jihad, or
holy war, which is designed to defend Islam and allow itssocial
practice, though notto force individual conversions, which is
forbidden. Since Islam in principle is a community as well as a
religion, presumably only an absolute pacifist would beable to reject
the theory of jihad out of hand, since other communities also fight to
defend or expand their ways of life. (Many Peoples, Many Faiths by
Robert S. Ellwood, 4th edition, Simon & Schuster,US, 1982, p.346).

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Value Yourself

It would be nice if we all had loving and supportive parents. Some do,
Alhamdulillah. But some have parents who are critical, demeaning and
harsh. If you have an abusive parent who tells you that you are
worthless, stupid and good for nothing, you can't spend your life
waiting and hoping for that parent to love you and be proud of you.
It's not going to happen, my friend. Most likely your parent was
raised harshly himself/herself and doesn'tknow how to act any other
way. Accept that reality and learn to value yourself, no matter what
anyone says.
You will have to be strong and independent in spirit. You will have to
find validation of your worth within yourself. You do have worth,
after all. You are as unique and beautiful as the sun and the moon,
the sea and the stars. You are special and gifted and you will need
torealize that on your own, even in the face of external abuse.
Seek your support from Allah.
"And We have certainly honored the children of Adam and carried them
on the land and sea and provided for them of the good things and
preferred them over much of what We have created…" – Quran, 17:70.
Allah has honored you. Dignity is your birthright. It's okay if you're
not perfect. No one is. You can still love yourself, with all your
special gifts and funny habits, and whatever is lacking, well, you can
work on it. That's what all of us do.
"I Know Who I Am"
It can be very hard to resist the negative labels that parents put on
us. Their words have a way of worming into our brains even when we
know better. We must be patientwith them and love them, without buying
into their negativity.
Write some positive affirmations about yourself. Affirmations are true
statements that express your best qualities,and also express what kind
of person you strive to be. They represent the ideal you.
I personally have a list of 29 affirmations, and here'snumber 12 on my list:
"12. I am a good son to my parents. I am patient and loving with them.
When speaking to them I maintain a positive, independent and calm
spirit, knowing who I am and confident in my choices."
Read your affirmations every day. Even if you don't quite believe your
own affirmations at times, even if you feel inwardly skeptical, keep
reading them. When you speak to your parents, breathe deeply and
slowly. Don't let anything they say make you anxious or excited. Tell
yourself silently, "I know who I am."
Allah loves you and has a plan for you. Believe this and move forward,
and when you have children, shut down the cycle of negativity and do
better than your parents did. It's okay to be better than your
parents. Any good parent wants their children to surpass them.
Show your own children patience, gentleness and endless love.
May Allah bless you and fillyour heart with self-knowledge,
self-dignity, and hope for the future.

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