For children, - Repentance in Islam (Tawbah, Taubah, Tobah): Inventor of a Religion and Repentance

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Imam Jafar Sadiq (as) related: "In ancient times there lived a man who sought to earn his livelihood and procure great wealth by lawful means but was unsuccessful. He then strived to achieve his objectives by unlawful means but once again failed.
Shaitan (Satan) appeared before him and said to him: "You tried to acquire great wealth by lawful as well as unlawful means but were unsuccessful. Do you want me to show you a way by which you would not only become wealthy but you would also attract numerous followers?"
The man expressed his willingness to know how he could get rich.
"Concoct a religion and invite people to follow it," suggested Shaitan (Satan).
The man fabricated a religion and soon, he had a lot of followers through whom he became rich.
One day he realized that he had made a mistake by leading numerous people astray so he resolved to inform the people of the falsity of his religion and the error of his ways. But however hard he stressed and emphasized, the people simply refused to accept his word.
"Your previous views were correct; have you become skeptical of your own religion now?" they asked. When he heard these words, he got some shackles and chained himself. He pledged that he would not unchain himself until Allah (SWT) accepted his repentance (Tawbah and Istighfar).
Allah (SWT) revealed to the Prophet of the time to convey the following message to the person: "By My Honour! Even if you weep and supplicate to the extent that every ligament of your body falls apart, I shall never accept your repentance, till you inform those people who have died after having been led astray by you of the reality and they turn back from your religion."

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Welcome to Islam, - * The miracle of honey as an alternative medicine

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Introduction
Honey is a sweet and viscous fluid produced by honeybees from the nectar of flowers. "The definition of honey stipulates a pure product that does not allow for the addition of any other substance. This includes, but is not limited to, water or other sweeteners," according to the United States National Honey Board 2003 and other nations' food regulations. Honey is significantly sweeter than table sugar and has attractive chemical properties for baking. Honey has a distinctive flavor which leads some people to prefer it over sugar and other sweeteners.
Liquid honey does not spoil. Because of its high sugar concentration, it kills most bacteria by crenation. Natural airborne yeasts cannot become active in it because the moisture content is too low. Natural, raw honey varies from 14% to 18% moisture content. As long as the moisture content remains under 18%, virtually no organism can successfully multiply to significant amounts in honey, though, importantly, enough bacteria survive to make honey dangerous for infants )especially Clostridium botulinum(.
The study of pollens and spores in raw honey )melissopalynology( can determine floral sources of honey. Because bees carry an electrostatic charge, and can attract other particles, the same techniques of melissopalynology can be used in area environmental studies of radioactive particles, dust, or particulate pollution.
A main effect of bees collecting nectar to make honey is pollination, which is crucial for flowering plants.
Islam and honey
More than 1400 years ago Allaah and His messenger sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, told us that honey can heal a variety of medical problems.
Allaah Says )what means(:"And the Lord inspired the bee, saying: Take your habitations in the mountains and in the trees and in what they erect. Then, eat of all fruits and follow the ways of your Lord made easy )for you('. There comes forth from their bellies a drink of varying colors wherein is healing for men. Verily in this is indeed a sign for people who think."]Quran 16:68-69[
The Prophet, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, has also told us of the healing found within honey for a variety of medical problems, including stomach ailments. It is reported by Al-Bukhaari, may Allaah have mercy upon him, that a man came to the Prophet, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, because his brother had a stomach disorder. The Prophet, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, said:"Let him drink honey."The man returned a second time complaining that no improvement happened in his brother’s case, and again the Prophet, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, responded: "Let him drink honey." The man returned again, and said: "I have done that but to no avail." Thereupon the Prophet, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, responded:"Allaah has said the truth, but your brother's stomach has told a lie. Let him drink honey."He drank it and was cured.
It is also reported that the Prophet, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, said:"Make use of the two remedies: honey and the Quran.")At-Tirmithi(
Modern medicine has only recently discovered the fact that honey is a remedy to many diseases. Traditional uses of honey have included honey mixed with lemon for sore throats. Honey coats the throat and reduces throat irritation. Research has already shown that honey blocks the growth of oral bacteria.
Honey has also been used for stomach pains and problems. Modern research shows that honey is effective when used in the treatment of gastric or peptic stomach ulcers. Research has also revealed that honey is effective in the treatment of various wounds and infections because of its antimicrobial )antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal( properties.
Researchers are not absolutely sure why honey heals but they are learning new things about honey everyday. As mentioned in the beginning, honey contains a variety of sugars and minerals. Honey is also considered an antioxidant. This means it allows the blood to circulate better and provide more oxygen to areas of the body such as the brain.
Honey can also be used externally to promote healing when applied to wounds, even postoperative wounds. Honey has also been effective in its use to treat burns. It has even been shown to be low in calories and useful as a sweetener for diabetics, people with heart disease or those overweight.
Although there is healing in honey for a variety of medical disorders, certain precautions should be taken:
1- Children under the age of one year should not be given honey due to the possibility of infant botulism. This type of food poisoning can be deadly, however, it only seems to affect infants under one year of age.
2- If you have any known allergies to specific plants, then you should make sure the honey you are using is not produced from that plant.
3- People with allergies to bee stings should be careful when using other bee-related products such as propolis or royal jelly.
However, if these precautions are followed, then honey may, Allaah willing provide healing for you.
Conclusion
Muslims acknowledge and accept that Allaah and His Prophet sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam know better and that our Creator Has revealed the truth. Therefore, we study the research that is available, not to confirm or deny the truth that has been revealed by Allaah and his Prophet, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, but to learn of new ways we can use honey.

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Welcome to Islam, - * The Expansion of the Universe in the Quran

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In 1929, in the California Mount Wilson observatory, an American astronomer by the name of Edwin Hubble made one of the greatest discoveries in the history of astronomy. While he observed the stars with a giant telescope, he found out that the light from them was shifted to the red end of the spectrum and that this shift was more pronounced the further a star was from the earth.
This discovery had an electrifying effect in the world of science, because according to the recognized rules of physics, the spectra of light beams traveling towards the point of observation tend towards violet while the spectra of the light beams moving away from the point of observation tend towards red. During Hubble's observations, the light from stars was discovered to tend towards red. This meant that they were constantly moving away from us.
Long before, Hubble made another very important discovery: Stars and galaxies moved away not only from us, but also from one another. The only conclusion that could be derived from a universe where everything moves away from everything else is that the universe constantly 'expands'.
To better understand, the universe can be thought of as the surface of a balloon being blown up. Just as the points on the surface of a balloon move apart from each other as the balloon is inflated, so do the objects in space move apart from each other as the universe keeps expanding.
In fact, this had been theoretically discovered even earlier. Albert Einstein, who is considered the greatest scientist of the century, had concluded after the calculations he made in theoretical physics that the universe could not be static.
However, he had laid his discovery to rest simply not to conflict with the widely recognized static universe model of his time. Later on, Einstein was to identify his act as 'the greatest mistake of his career'. Subsequently, it became definite by Hubble's observations that the universe expands.
What importance, then, did the fact that the universe expands have on the existence of the universe? The expansion of the universe implied that if it could travel backwards in time, the universe would prove to have originated from a single point. The calculations showed that this 'single point' that harbored all the matter of the universe should have 'zero volume' and 'infinite density'. The universe had come about by the explosion of this single point with zero volume. This great explosion that marked the beginning of the universe was named the 'Big Bang' and the theory started to be so called.
It has to be stated that 'zero volume' is a theoretical expression used for descriptive purposes. Science can define the concept of 'nothingness', which is beyond the limits of human comprehension, only by expressing it as a point with zero volume'. In truth, 'a point with no volume' means 'nothingness'. The universe has come into being from nothingness. In other words, it was created.
The Big Bang theory showed that in the beginning all the objects in the universe were of one piece and then were parted. This fact, which was revealed by the Big Bang theory was stated in the Quran 14 centuries ago, when people had a very limited knowledge about the universe; Allaah says )what means(:"Have those who disbelieved not considered that the heavens and the earth were a joined entity, and We separated them and made from water every living thing? Then will they not believe?"]Quran 21:30[
As stated in the verse, everything, even the 'heavens and the earth' that were not yet created, were created with a Big Bang out of a single point, and shaped the present universe by being parted from each other.
When we compare the statements in the verse with the Big Bang theory, we see that they fully agree with each other. However, the Big Bang was introduced as a scientific theory only in the 20th century.
The expansion of the universe is one of the most important pieces of evidence that the universe was created out of nothing. Although this fact was not discovered by science until the 20th century, Allaah has informed us of this reality in the Quran )revealed 1,400 years ago( saying )what means(:"And the heaven We constructed with strength, and indeed, We are ]its[ expander."]Quran 51: 47[

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Quraanic Exegesis, Dought&clear, - * Do the words of Allah, “And full-breasted maidens of equal age (wa kawaa‘ib atraaban)” describe the breasts of al-hoor al-‘iyn?

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I have a question which has been bothering me a little bit on my view of islam, regarding surah 78 verse 32-33. In english translation it says: (31) Gardens enclosed and vineyards, (32) And full-breasted'' maidens of equal age.
What does this verse mean exactly?
Does it litterally mean that people in paradise will be given women with good looking breast?
Doesnt feel good reading it in a relgious script.
I dont see why it has to be said anyway,it already says in the quran that men will get married with good looking wives . Whats the point of pointing out the look of the womens breast in paradise?
Praise be to Allah.
First of all, we thank you for getting in touch with our website and we hope that you will find it useful and beneficial.
To answer your question, we would say that any critic of any text, whether it is a sacred text or a work of human literature, must pay attention in his criticism to the environment in which the text originally appeared, in terms of time, place, people and circumstances. When the critic wants to develop a precise understanding of a particular expression, he also has to closely examine the roots of that phrase in the language in which it originally appeared, the various ways in which it is used, and the meaning and general context for which it is used.
The fair-minded researcher is the one who always assumes that translation is not able to transmit the meaning as intended, and the translation is not going to be able to choose the right vocabulary that conveys all the shades of meaning carried in the original words, on the basis of the environment in which the original words were used. If he does not bear this in mind, he will not be able to reach the proper understanding and correct conclusion.
Based on that, we say to you that with regard to the literal translation of the word kawaa‘ib, it is the plural of the word kaa‘ib, which refers to a female with developing breasts, as it says inMajmal al-Lughah, 1/787
Ibn Faaris (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
Ka‘bcomes from a sound root that is indicative of a thing beginning to develop and emerge. From the same root comes the wordka‘b, which refers to the ankle, which is the bone on the two sides of the lower leg where it meets the foot; and the wordKa‘bahwhich refers to the House of Allah, may He be exalted; it is so called because of its prominence and its square shape. A woman is described as kaa‘ib when her breasts begin to develop. End quote fromMaqaayees al-Lughah, 5/186. See alsoal-Qaamoos al-Muheet, p. 131;Lisaan al-‘Arab, 1/719. This is the literal meaning of the word in terms of linguistic roots.
But it is very inappropriate to limit one’s examination to the literal, dictionary meaning of the roots of a word in any language; rather it is also essential to pay attention to the context in which the speakers of that language themselves use a word. Do you not see that the Arabs use the wordal-haa’id(lit. menstruating) in ways other than its literal meaning? Rather they may use this word to refer to an adult woman who has reached the age when she begins to menstruate; they do not mean that she has got her monthly period at that moment in time. For example, it is proven from ‘Aa’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Allah does not accept the prayer of anyhaa’idwithout a head cover.” Narrated by Abu Dawood, 641. It is well known in Islamic teachings that it is not valid for a woman to offer the prayer at the time of her menses; rather it is forbidden for her to do that, according to scholarly consensus, until her period ends and she purifies herself after that.
The one who understands this word according to its literal, dictionary meaning will encounter this erroneous contradiction. But the one who understands it as it is used by the Arabs, referring to an adult woman who has reached the age when she begins to menstruate, even if she is not actually menstruating at the moment, will understand the hadeeth properly and will understand the way in which the Arabs use the word.
We may say something similar about describing a woman as kaa‘ib in Arabic; it is not intended as an erotic, physical description of any part of the woman’s body, as much as it is intended as a description of the girl in terms of the emergence of the signs of femininity in her, as an indication of her young age and youthfulness, so that men would be attracted to her. At this age the signs of femininity begin to appear in the girl. The point of using this word is not to describe the size of the breasts or to note their form or shape; rather the purpose is to highlight the woman’s youthfulness.
Ibn al-Jawzi (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
The woman is atiflah(little girl) when she is small,waleedahwhen she begins to walk, then akaa‘ibwhen her breasts begin to appear, then anaahidwhen they increase in size, thenma‘sarwhen she reaches the age of puberty, thenkhawdwhen she reaches the age of a young woman.
End quote fromAkhbaar an-Nisa’, p. 228.
It says inSharh Ma‘aani Shi‘r al-Mutanabbiby Ibn al-Ifleeli (vol. 1, 2/270): A young man is calledshaabband a young woman is calledkaa‘ib. End quote.
Imam az-Zajjaaj – who is one of the leading scholars of the Arabic language – says:
The phrase “wa kawaa‘ib atraaban(translated above as: And full-breasted maidens of equal age)” means that they are all of the same age, which is the pinnacle of youth and beauty.
End quote fromMa‘aani al-Qur’an wa I‘raabihi, 4/338
Look at how the scholars (may Allah have mercy on them) explain this description, kaa‘ib, as referring to one of the stages in a girl’s life; it is not intended as an erotic description of her body, even though that may be the literal meaning.
This is exactly the same as the way in which the Arabs use the word haa’id to refer to reaching the age of physical maturity; they do not mean that the woman is actually menstruating.
There is further clear evidence in the fact that the Arabs use this word in both poetry and prose in the context of describing a woman’s chastity and honourable nature, not in the context of an erotic description aimed at provoking desire. When the Arab poet describes a girl askaa‘ib, he is not referring to her breasts or their size or roundness; rather it is a description of any young girl, and this word is used in pure and refined types of love poetry that are far removed from any sexual connotations.
ath-Tha‘labi said inal-Kashf wa’l-Bayaan(10/118):
Hence al-Maawardi (may Allah have mercy on him) said in his commentary on the wordkawaa‘ibin this verse: It refers to maidens or virgins. This was stated by ad-Dahhaak.
End quote froman-Nukat wa’l-‘Uyoon, 6/188.
This report from ad-Dahhaak was narrated by Ibn al-Mundhir;ad-Durr al-Manthoor, 8/398
If you study the Holy Qur’an, you will always find metaphors using words that eloquently convey subtle meanings, such as the verse in which Allah describes the marital relationship (interpretation of the meaning):
“They are your garments and ye are their garments”
[al-Baqarah 2:187].
Other examples:
“And among His Signs is this, that He created for you wives from among yourselves, that you may find repose in them, and He has put between you affection and mercy. Verily, in that are indeed signs for a people who reflect”
[ar-Room 30:21]
“…or you have been in contact with women…”
[an-Nisa’ 4:43].
If you were to translate these phrases literally, the meaning would not be understood, because the literal translation of the words libaas (garments), sakan (repose) and lamas (touch, contact) does not convey what is meant. Rather the context of the verses indicates that what is meant here is a metaphor that refers to the reality of marital life, but from a spiritual point of view. But if you translate these words into English in the sense of sexual intercourse, that may lead to thinking that the Holy Qur’an speaks a great deal about physical desires and uses words that directly refer to that, when that is not the case.
We are establishing this so that you will understand the importance of the critic paying attention to Arabic usage of the word according to its context, and the importance of paying attention to the gap that a literal translation may cause between the real meaning and the literal meaning of the word.
After studying a number of translations of the meanings of the Holy Qur’an into English it becomes clear that the translators differed in the ways in which they rendered the meaning of this verse, “wa kawaa‘ib atraaban”; they fall into two categories.
The first group gave the literal meaning of the word without paying attention to the usage of this word in the context of referring to age. So the translation appeared in the following wording which caused confusion to the questioner:
“And young full-breasted (mature) maidens of equal age.”
It was translated in this manner by Dr. Taqiy ad-Deen al-Hilaali and Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan, in theTranslation of the Meanings of the Noble Qur’an, printed by theKing Fahd Complex for the Printing of the Holy Qur’an(p. 811). This is a link to their official site:
http://www.qu rancomplex.or g/Quran /Targama /Targama.asp?l =arb&t=eng& nSora=78& nAya=31
It was translated in a similar manner by both Laleh Baktiar and Ibrahim Walk.
This is an imprecise translation, not only because it does not pay attention to what we have discussed above of the intended meaning of the wordkawaa‘ib, but also because it does not pay attention to the dictionary meaning either. “Full-breasted” in English is indicative of the size of a woman’s breasts and describes them as being large and full, when in fact the literal, dictionary meaning of the wordkaa‘ibis the one whose breasts are beginning todevelop or have begun to appear, as quoted above from Arabic dictionaries. This means that they have begun to appear and take on the feminine form, not that they have become completely developed as is implied by the word “full”.
Arthur J Arberry translated it as follows:
“and maidens with swelling breasts, like of age.”
Sarwar translated it in a similar manner:
“maidens with pears-shaped breasts who are of equal age”
Another translation says:
“and voluptuous women of equal age”.
All of these are translations a focus on the physical shape of the breasts. Describing the breasts is being pear-shaped or voluptuous or swelling are phrases that are imprecise and do not reflect the intended meaning of the Arabic phrases.
The second group paid attention to what we have mentioned above and translated the meaning of the wordkawaa‘ibaccording to the context in accordance with the intended meaning, and not the unintended literal meaning. We will quote these translations here, with the names of the translators, and we call upon translators to correct their translations.
The best of them in our opinion is the translation of Maulana Muhammad Ali:
And youthful (companions), equals in age”
The other correct translations are as follows:
Marmaduke Pickthall: “And maidens for companions”
Abdullah Yusuf Ali: “Companions of equal age”
Muhammad Taqi Uthmani: “And buxom maidens of matching age”.
And Allah knows best.

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

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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 has become distinct from the wrong 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. Fighting them is one of the greatest deeds by means of which people prosper on earth and enjoy safety and stability, as Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):“And fight them 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 there is no need for compulsion. Whoever comes to know the reality of Islam and is not stubborn or arrogant will enter Islam willingly. Rather the one who does not want to enter it is the one who is arrogant and stubborn, who does not accept Allah as his Lord or His Prophet as his messenger, and does not believe in the Book that was revealed to him. For that reason, those mushrikeen who adhere to their false religion and fight in support of their religion out of arrogance and seek to spread mischief and kufr on 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 defend kufr, 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 the wrong path for them and the teachings and strong proof of Islam became clear to them. So they 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 fromTafseer 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 enter it of his own accord, without compulsion. This is indicated by the words,“Verily, the Right Path has become distinct from 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 has become clear.
End quote fromat-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 righteousness and piety, the religion of truth 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, it is 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 contradiction between this idea and the many verses that speak of jihad. Allah enjoined fighting so that the religion (worship) will all be for Allah alone and to ward off the aggression of those who are 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 fromTafseer 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 evidence demonstrates is true, so that whoever wants to believe may do so and let whoever wants to disbelieve may do so.
End quote fromal-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 fromManaahil 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, may He be exalted, says:“Fight against those who believe not in Allah, nor in the Last Day, nor forbid that which has been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger and those who acknowledge not 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 a Muslim unless he shows signs of having become Muslim voluntarily.
End quote fromal-Mughni, 10/96.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
The disbelief of one who is compelled to leave Islam is not to be regarded as anything significant and neither is the 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 Right Path has become distinct from 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 fromal-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 the ahl 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 them with 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 have said 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 may follow 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 became Muslim voluntarily, because of what she saw of 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), to Allah, 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 fromTafseer 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 of the 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 Messenger of 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 will not 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 upon him) is not the one who will abrogate it; rather it is 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).
And Allah knows best.

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