The Misconception that Islam was spread by Force (2/4)

The Prophet (sallAllahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) allowed those of his followers that wished to immigrate to Ethiopia to escape from this oppression and torture. They sought refuge under the tutelage of its just ruler of the era, the Najashi, who eventually accepted Islam. Even in these dire circumstances Allah the Most Wise and Merciful commanded His Messenger Muhammad (sallAllahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) to be patient, forbearing and tolerant with his people while propagating the message. There are repeated examples of his exceeding mercy, graciousness, magnanimity, and compassion in the face of this continued violence and aggression. The Prophet and his companions stood firm in their belief and conveyance of the message, obeying the following command of Allah:

“Therefore patiently preserve, as did all the Messengers of inflexible purpose; and be in no haste about the disbelievers. On the Day that they see the Punishment promised to them, it will be as if they had not tarried more than an hour in a single day. Your duty is but to proclaim the Message. None shall be destroyed except those who transgress.”   (Surah Al-Ahqaf, 46:35)

And still he would pray for their guidance saying: “O Allah! Please guide my people as they know nothing.”

The Prophet (sallAllahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) continued to propagate the message in Makkah, and to seek out any tribe that would be able to protect and aid him: he would present himself and his mission to the visiting individuals and tribes in Makkah and at the times of the great Arab markets and meeting places. Then it so happened that a group of the people of the city of Yathrib, (nowadays known as “Madinah,” City of the Prophet) believed in the Message of Islam and gave him their pledge of allegiance to support and defend him in the same way as they would defend their own wealth, honor, integrity and household, if he were to seek refuge and immigrate with his band of believers to their hometown. This coincided with the persecution in Makkah reaching a grave critical stage, and the leaders of the Quraish tribe even conspired to murder the Prophet, may Allah’s peace and blessing be upon him. The event of immigration was to be the watershed in Islamic history, for in Madinah the Prophet’s first Mosque was built, the brotherhood of Muslims expanded and grew, and the nascent Islamic state was established and developed under his direct guidance.

Note that Prophet Muhammad (sallAllahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) and his followers never shed a drop of blood in retribution throughout these long years of persecution and oppression in the city of Makkah since he was not commanded to fight, but rather to be patient and persevere. Confrontation and armed hostilities from the Muslim side did not begin until two years after his immigration from Makkah to Madinah, when the Quraish tribe feared for its dominance and continued on the path of persecution and obstruction of the message of Islam, and after all avenues of peaceful propagation were exhausted.

Since the town of Madinah was enroute of the Quraish tribe’s merchant caravans to Greater Syria, the first act of confrontation occurred when Allah's Messenger (sallAllahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) engaged a commercial caravan lead by the Quraishi nobleman Abu Sufyan.

The Prophet (sallAllahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) intended to impose a kind of economic sanction on the tribe of Quriash to allow him to peacefully propagate his faith to others in the open, and to compensate the believers for the properties, possessions and wealth which were unjustly confiscated by the Quraish in Makkah before the immigration. The caravan escaped the ambush but after learning about the incident the leaders of Quraish prepared a relatively large and well-equipped army to attack the Muslims. Consequently the first decisive battle took place at Badr, and the smaller and ill equipped Muslim force of 313 fighters crushed the arrogant Quraish army with a humiliating and decisive defeat.

Allah Most Exalted and Supreme, describes the just rationale for this battle and those to follow:

“They are) those who have been expelled from their homes unjustly, only because they say ‘Our Lord is Allah.’ If Allah did not check one set of people by means of another, many monasteries, churches, synagogues, and mosques, in which the name of Allah is commemorated in abundant measure, would surely have been pulled down. Allah will certainly aid those who aid His cause. Indeed Allah is Full of Strength, Exalted in Might. (They are) those who, if We establish them in the land, establish regular prayer, give regular charity, enjoin the right and forbid the wrong. And with Allah rests the end and decision of all affairs.”   (Surah Al-Hajj, 22:40-41)

And Allah the Wise and Sublime says:

“And why shouldn’t you fight in the cause of Allah, and for those who, being weak, are persecuted and oppressed? Men, women, and children, whose cry is: ‘Our Lord! Rescue us from this town, whose people are oppressors, and raise for us, from Yourself, a protector, and raise for us, from Yourself, a helper!”   (Surah An-Nisa', 4:75)

And Allah the Exalted says:

“Fight in the cause of Allah those who fight you, but do not transgress limits; for Allah loves not transgressors.” (Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:190)

In all the battles fought and all the victories that Allah's Messenger (sallAllahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) and his companions achieved within the period of twenty-three years of the Prophet’s mission in Makkah and then in Medinah, only three hundred and seventy five people were killed in this fighting. In the ninth year of the Hijra (Immigration) known as the Year of Delegations, the Prophet (sallAllahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) met with about a hundred various delegations from tribes over the entire Arabian Peninsula to confer and negotiate with the Prophet (sallAllahu ‘alaihi wa sallam). He met them with generosity and magnanimity and replied to all their questions and concerns about the Islamic Creed (Aqeedah) and Law (Shari’ah). The majority of them were suitably impressed by the call of the Prophet (sallAllahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) and they accepted Islam. The Messenger of Allah (sallAllahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) also sent letters to the leaders of the surrounding regions calling them to accept the Message of Allah as will be mentioned below.

In the Prophet’s (sallAllahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) lifetime and soon afterwards, the entire Arabian Peninsula was for the first time in its history unified in one just and egalitarian rule of law and divine religion. The majority of Arabs accepted Islam willfully in droves after hearing the Qur’an, seeing the example of the Prophet in his Sunnah (Way) and his companions, and witnessing the Islamic system, with only a few holdouts among some Jewish and Christian pockets, allowed to remain within the Islamic State on their old faith by contract stipulating specific rights and obligations and the payment of the Jizya tax in lieu of the state’s protection and not participating in military service. Indeed this revolutionary change was a miraculous achievement considering the meager material means by which it took place and its lasting worldwide effect, and Allah Most Great gives success to whom He will.

(Continued)