Was islam spread by the sword ?

1
Was Islam spread
by the sword ?
The Plain Truth

2
Islam
The Religion of Peace
 Was Islam spread at the point of a sword? Was the Muslim emblem "The
Quran or the sword?" Were the Muslims imperialist and after mundane
power or loot?
 Some like to think in the affirmative; others in the negative, and some are
undecided, perplexed and reluctant.
 But where does the Qur'an stand? What does the history of Prophet
Muhammad (pbuh) reveal in this connection?
 It is imperative that every honest person who has respect for truth and
human dignity to find out for himself, and to reveal his findings to others.

3
Islam
It’s Stand on War
 The Qur'an (Surah Al Baqarah:216) says:
"Fighting is prescribed for you, and you dislike it. But it is possible that
you dislike a thing which is good for you, and that you love a thing
which is bad for you. Allah knows, and you know not"

4
Islam
It’s Stand on War
 The Quran makes it clear that, whether we want it or not, war is a necessity
of existence, a fact of life, so long as there exist in the world injustice,
oppression, capricious ambitions, and arbitrary claims.
 This may sound strange but is it not a matter of historical record that
humanity from the dawn of history has suffered from local, civil and
global wars?
 And is it not also a fact that, more often than not, victorious allies settle
their disputes over their gains and the status of their vanquished
enemies through threats of war and violence?
 Even today humanity lives under constant fear of war in many hot spots in
the world. Could Allah overlook these facts of life? Or could the Quran fail to
deal with the matter in a realistic and effective manner? Certainly not !
And that is why Islam has recognized war as a lawful and justifiable
course for self-defense and restoration of justice, freedom and peace.

5
Islam
 Thus, although realistic in its approach, Islam never tolerates aggression
from its own side or from any other side, nor does it entertain wars or the
initiation of wars.
 Muslims are commanded by Allah not to begin hostilities, or embark on any
act of aggression, or violate any rights of others.
 The Quran (Surah Al Baqarah:190 – 193) says :
"Fight in the cause of Allah those who fight you, and do not transgress
limits (begin not hostility): For Allah loves not transgressors”.

6
Islam
And slay them wherever you catch them, and turn them out from where
they have turned you out; for tumult and oppression are worse than
slaughter; but fight them not at the Sacred Mosque, unless they (first)
fight you there; but if they fight you, slay them. Such is the reward of
those who suppress faith.

7
Islam
But if they cease, God is Forgiving, Most Merciful.
And fight them on until there is no more persecution or oppression, and
there prevail justice and faith in God; but if they cease, let there be no
hostility except to those who practice oppression"

8
Islam
 It is thus clear that war is neither an objective of Islam nor is it the normal
course of Muslims.
 It is only the last resort and is used under the most extraordinary and
compelling circumstances when all other measures fail. This is the
actual status of war in Islam.
 Islam is the religion of peace, its meaning is peace; one of Allah’s Names is
Peace; the daily greetings of Muslims and angels is peace; Paradise is the
abode of peace, the adjective “Muslim” means Peaceful.
Peace is the nature, the meaning, the emblem and the objective of
Islam.
 Every being is entitled to enjoy the peace of Islam and the kindness of the
Muslims, regardless of religious, geographical or racial considerations, as
long as there is no aggression against Islam or the Muslims.

9
Islam
 If non-Muslims are peaceful with the Muslims or even indifferent to Islam,
there can be no ground or justification to declare war on them.
 There is no such thing as religious war to force Islam on non-Muslims,
because if Islam does not emerge from deep convictions, from within, it is
not acceptable to Allah, nor can it help its professor.
 If there is any religion or constitution that guarantees peaceful freedom of
religion and forbids compulsion in religion, it is Islam, and Islam alone.

10
Islam
 The Quran (Surah Al Baqarah : 256) says :
"Let there be no compulsion in religion : Truth stands out clear from
Error; Whoever rejects Evil and believes in God has grasped the most
trustworthy handhold, that never breaks. And God hears and knows all
things."

11
Was Islam spread
by the sword ?
Historical Facts

12
Islam and the Sword
Historical Facts
 One of the bizarre myths perpetuated about Islam, during centuries of
mistrust during and after the Crusades, was that Muslim armies forced
people to accept Islam at the point of the sword.
Unfortunately this myth survives to this day.
 Many believe that Islam spread because of a "holy campaign of terror"
carried out by the early Muslims ie non-Muslims were offered the freedom to
choose either Islam or death !
 Many Western scholars have now repudiated this myth. The historian De
Lacy O’Leary wrote in “Islam At the Cross-roads” (page 8) :
"History makes it clear however, that the legend of fanatical Muslims sweeping
through the world and forcing Islam at the point of the sword upon conquered
races is one of the most fantastically absurd myths that historians have ever
repeated."

13
Islam and the Sword
Historical Facts
 Indeed, it is a historical fact, that Islam spread much faster during periods of
peace than in periods of war.
 This no evidence of consistent forcible conversion anywhere in the history of
Islam.
 Many distinguished Western historians have attested this fact. Foremost
among whom is Sir Thomas W. Arnold in his book, "The Preaching of
Islam".
 Also there are Prof Marshall G.S. Hodgson in his book, "The Venture of
Islam", Albert Hourani in his book, "A History of the Arab People", Ira
Lapidus in his book, "History of Islamic Societies", L.S. Starorianos in his
book, "A Global Hisotry, the Human Heritage" and many others.

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Islam and the Sword
Historical Facts
 Islam is an amazing blend of simplicity and rationality: a very simple religion
yet very rational at the same time.
 Professor Marshal G.S. Hodgson has explained the reasons for the
popularity of Islam as follows:
"Muslims made a personal appeal to people's religious consciousness. On the
level of straight argument, they often put forward the populistic intelligibility of
Islam. Muslims commonly ridiculed, in the name of intellectual good sense, the
more mythically convoluted teachings of older traditions. This could seem
attractively straightforward to people dissatisfied with taking things on faith
from a learned priest whose mysteries they could not comprehend. A single
Creator, to be worshipped by each person for himself, on the basis of revelation
that had been given to a famous prophet whom millions already acknowledged.
This was at once intelligible and plausible."

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Islam and the Sword
Historical Facts
 The unambiguous and uncompromising belief in the Unity, the Greatness,
the Wisdom of God, the Creator of the universe, is unparalleled among
other religions.
 The French professor Edouard Montet said,
"The dogma of the unity of God...has always been proclaimed in the Qur'an with
a grandeur, a majesty, an invariable purity and with a note of pure conviction
which is hard to find surpassed outside the pale of Islam. A creed so precise,
so stripped of all theological complexities and so accessible to the ordinary
understanding might be expected to possess and does indeed possess a
marvelous power of winning its way into the consciences of men."
 Besides its simple and rational creed, Islam offers an impressive set of
rituals which has gained the admiration and, subsequently, the conversion
of many non-Muslims.

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Islam and the Sword
Historical Facts
 The second pillar of Islam, salah, the prayer, has been described as follows
by Sir Arnold :
"The religion of the Muslim is continuously present with him and, in the daily
prayer, manifests itself in a solemn and impressive ritual which cannot leave
either the worshipper or the spectator unaffected."
 Sir Arnold also narrates the story of an Egyptian Jew who converted to
Islam at the end of the 13th century mainly because of the sight of the
Juma'a prayer.
 In addition to the prayers, the other pillars of Islam, Zakah, Hajj, Siyam,
have always been factors in attracting many to Islam.
 Even now, one meets converts who were impressed by the social justice of
Islam brilliantly expressed in the payment of Zakah.

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Islam and the Sword
Historical Facts
 The genius of Hajj and Siyam have also been a determining factor in the
conversion of many.
 Cassius Clay (now Muhammad Ali, an American; three times World
Heavyweight Champion, formerly a Christian embraced Islam in 1965)
has said :
"I have had many nice moments in my life. But the feelings I had while standing
on Mount Arafat on the day of Hajj, was the most unique. I felt exalted by the
indescribable spiritual atmosphere there as over a million and a half pilgrims
invoked God to forgive them of their sins and bestow on them His choicest
blessings. It was an exhilarating experience to see people belonging to different
colors, races and nationalities, kings, heads of states and ordinary men from
very poor countries all clad in two simple white sheets praying to God without
any sense of either pride or inferiority. It was a practical manifestation of the
concept of equality in Islam."
(Speaking to the daily "Al-Madinah," Jeddah, 15 July, 1989)

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Islam and the Sword
Historical Facts
 It is the union of rationalism and ritualism that explains the power that Islam
has exercised over the hearts and minds of so many people.
 Islam simply gives the truth, neat and clear in a visible and tangible form.
 It is presented to human beings in the form of a miraculous book, the Quran.
 The marvelous power and beauty of the words of the Quran have always
been a decisive factor in conversion to Islam.
 The famous American convert, Ms Margaret Marcus (now Maryam
Jamilah) formerly a Jew, essayist and author of many books, embraced
Islam in 1962. After a deep study of both the Old Testament and the
Quran, she had cited the Quran as the major factor of her conversion.

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Islam and the Sword
Historical Facts
 Cat Stevens (now Yousuf Islam): British; formerly a Christian and a
famous pop singer embraced Islam in 1973 said
"It will be wrong to judge Islam in the light of the behavior of some bad
Muslims who are always shown on the media. It is like judging a car as a bad
one if the driver of the car is drunk and he bangs it into the wall. Islam guides
all human beings in the daily life - in its spiritual, mental and physical
dimensions. But we must find the sources of these instructions, the Qur'an and
the example of the Prophet. Then we can see the ideal of Islam."

20
Islam and the Sword
Historical Facts
 Islam continued to spread, as it does now, when Muslims were not
prevailing economically, socially or politically.
 The famous historian, Thomas Carlyle, in his book Heroes and Hero
Worship, refers to this misconception about the spread of Islam:
“The sword indeed, but where will you get your sword? Every new opinion, at
its starting is precisely in a minority of one; in one man’s head alone. There it
dwells as yet. One man alone of the whole world believes it, there is one man
against all men. That he takes a sword and tries to propagate with that will do
little for him. You must get your sword! On the whole, a thing will propagate
itself as it can.”
 If Islam was spread by the sword, it was the sword of intellect and
convincing arguments. It is this sword that conquers the hearts and minds
of people.

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Islam and the Sword
Historical Facts
 The Quran (Surah Al Nahl :125) says
:
“Invite to the way of your Lord with wisdom and good instruction, and
argue with them in a way that is best.”

22
Islam and the Sword
Historical Facts
1. When Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) finally entered Makkah at the head of a
Muslim army in AH 8, he did not force the Makkans to convert because
they had violated their peace treaty with the Muslims.
 The Prophet entered with great humility, ordering that there should be
no fighting or bloodshed.
 He forgave all those who had opposed him and the growth of Islam for
so many years. Those who wanted to leave were allowed to do so.
 The whole city, so impressed by the men they had fought against for so
long, converted to Islam.

23
Islam and the Sword
Historical Facts
2. When Umar (ra) entered Jerusalem at the head of a Muslim army in 638
CE, he entered the city on foot, as a gesture of humility in a city sacred to
Muslims, Christians, and Jews.
 There was no bloodshed, no massacres or forced conversions.
 Those wanting to leave were allowed to do so with all their possessions
and those wanting to stay were granted protection for their lives, their
property, and their places of worship.
 Umar (ra) very famously declined to pray one of the daily prayers in the
Church of the Holy Sepulcher, lest in years to come Muslims might try to
turn it into a mosque in his memory.
 Instead, Umar (ra) cleansed the so-called Temple Mount with rose water
and built a small mosque there, where the Dome of the Rock now
stands.

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Islam and the Sword
Historical Facts
 All of this is in marked contrast to what happened when the Crusaders later
took Jerusalem.
 Seventy thousand men, women and children were slaughtered and any
remaining Muslims and Jews were driven out.
 When the city was recaptured by Salah Ad-Din (Saladin), the Christian
inhabitants were granted protection and were escorted to safety by the
Muslim army.
But those who have a different aim would have us believe that it is
Islam that is cruel !

25
Islam and the Sword
Historical Facts
3. Indonesia, has the largest number of Muslims in the world, and the
majority of people in Malaysia are Muslims. But, no Muslim army ever
went to Southeast Asia.
 It is an established historical fact that Indonesia entered Islam not due
to war, but because of its moral message. Islam was spread not by
soldiers, but by merchants.
 The honesty and integrity of these first few Muslim merchants, whose
names are celebrated as part of Indonesia's history, so impressed the
people that they wanted to be like them.
Similarly, Islam spread rapidly on the East Coast of Africa and
likewise no Muslim army was ever dispatched to the East Coast of
Africa.

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Islam and the Sword
Historical Facts
4. Despite the disappearance of Islamic government from many regions
once ruled by it, their original inhabitants have remained Muslims.
They have carried the message of truth, inviting others to it as well, and in
so doing endured harm, affliction and oppression.
eg the Balkans and certain parts of Europe.
This shows that the effect of Islam on the population was one of moral
conviction, vis a vis occupation by Western colonialists, who were finally
compelled to leave lands and whose people held only memories of
affliction, sorrow, subjugation and oppression.

27
Islam and the Sword
Historical Facts
.
5. Islam’s history of tolerance and mutual respect :
The Glorious Quran (Surah Al Baqarah:256) says:
“ Let there be no compulsion in religion.
Truth stands out clear from error ”
 Traditionally Muslims have treated other religions with respect, even when
they were in a position to use force.
 Muslims ruled Spain for about 800 years :
 Described as Islam's Golden Age, this was a time when the Islamic
civilization flourished. It was centuries ahead of northern Europe.
 During this Golden Age, the rights of Christians and Jews were
respected and honored, and many rose to high positions in courts.

28
Islam and the Sword
Historical Facts
 When the Catholic monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella reconquered
southern Spain, Muslims and Jews were either forced to convert to
Christianity or were put to death. Mosques and synagogues were
desecrated and destroyed. The excesses of the Spanish Inquisition are a
historical fact.
 Muslims have ruled Arabia for 1400 years, except for brief periods of British
and French rule. Yet there are today 14 million Arabs who are Coptic
Christians whose families have been Christians going back several
generations.
 The army of Amr ibn Al-`Aas entered Egypt in 642 CE. In Cairo he built
the first mosque of Africa.
 He also ordered that the Muslims had a duty to protect the rights of the
Christians living in Egypt.

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Islam and the Sword
Historical Facts
 It was to be another two centuries before the population of Egypt
became Muslim.
 To this day, there are nearly seven million Christians living there.
 For 14 centuries they have lived in peace with their Muslim neighbors
and they were never forced to convert.
 We might ask if Islam was taken to America by the sword, or taken to
Denmark or Ireland or Poland by the sword. It wasn't. And yet Islam is now
the world's fastest growing religion !

30
Islam and the Sword
Historical Facts
6. The Muslims ruled India for about a thousand years and they had the
power to forcibly convert each and every non-Muslim of India to Islam.
 Today more than 80% of the population of India is non-Muslim. All
these non-Muslim Indians are bearing witness to the fact that Islam
was not spread by the sword.
 Thomas Arnold, a former Christian missionary in India, who cannot be
accused of being pro-Islam, in his famous book ‘The Preaching of Islam’,
indicates that there have been certain periods where Muslim rulers have
diverted from religious tolerance, but it was due to a deviation from
Islamic principles, rather than conformance to them.
 He concludes that the two primary reasons for the spread of Islam all
over the world were merchants and the Sufis, two groups of people
who went out, worked with humanity and gently invited others to their
faith.

31
Legal Safeguards for non-Muslims under
Islamic Law
 In the book The World’s Religions (Harper Collins, 1991, p. 256) Huston
Smith discusses how prophet Muhammad (pbuh) granted freedom of
religion 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 harm;
they shall have an equal right with our own people to our assistance
and good offices,” and further, “they shall practice their religion as
freely as the Muslims.”
 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.

32
Islamic Law
 The Quran and Sunnah (Traditions of the Prophet) explicitly dictate
regulations and rights for the protection of non-Muslim minorities living
under the rule of Islam.
 The Prophet (pbuh) has even said that if a Muslim hurts a covenanted
person (a non-Muslim living under the rule of Islam) or commits any
injustice to him, then on the Day of Judgment the Prophet (pbuh) would
be the advocate on behalf of the non-Muslim against the Muslim.
 Islamic law protects the privileged status of minorities, and that is why non-
Muslim places of worship have flourished all over the Islamic world.

33
Islamic Law
 Islamic law also allows non-Muslim minorities to set up their own courts,
which implement family laws drawn up by the minorities themselves.
 The life and property of all citizens in an Islamic state are considered
sacred whether they are Muslims or not.
What would be the sense and need for all of these prescriptions and advice,
if Islam required that they be compelled to accept the religion?

34
Was Islam spread
by the sword ?
What others say

35
Islam and the Sword
Notable Views
 For the propaganda that it was the sword of steel, that is, force, which was
instrumental in the universal expansion of Islam, given below are quotations
from the writings of some of the prominent non-Muslim scholars and leaders
refuting this baseless accusation.
 M.K. GANDHI :
 "....I became more than ever convinced that it was not the sword that won a
place for Islam in those days in the scheme of life. It was the rigid simplicity,
the utter self-effacement of the prophet, the scrupulous regard for his
pledges, his intense devotion to his friends and followers, his intrepidity, his
fearlessness, his absolute trust in God and in his own mission. These, and
not the sword carried everything before them and surmounted every
trouble."
 (Young India, 1924.)

36
Islam and the Sword
Notable Views
 A.S. TRITTON :
 "The picture of the Muslim soldier advancing with a sword in one hand and
the Qur'an in the other is quite false.
 (Islam, London, 1951, page 21.)
 DE LACY O'LEARY :
 "History makes it clear, however, that the legend of fanatical Muslims,
sweeping through the world and forcing Islam at the point of sword upon
conquered races is one of the most fantastically absurd myths that
historians have ever repeated.“
 (Islam At Crossroads, London, 1923, pg 8.)

37
Islam and the Sword
Notable Views
 EDWARD GIBBON :
 "The greatest success of Mohammad's life was effected by sheer moral
force without the stroke of a sword.
 (History Of The Saracen Empire, London, 1870.)
 K.S. RAMAKRISHNA RAO :
 "My problem to write this monograph is easier because we are not generally
fed now on that (distorted) kind of history and much time need not be spent
on pointing out our misrepresentations of Islam. The theory of Islam and
sword, for instance, is not heard now in any quarter worth the name. The
principle of Islam, there is no compulsion in religion, is well known.
 (Mohammed : The Prophet Of Islam, Riyadh, 1989, page 4.)

38
Islam and the Sword
Notable Views
 JAMES A MICHENER :
 "No other religion in history spread so rapidly as Islam... The West has
widely believed that this surge of religion was made possible by the sword.
But no modern scholar accepts that idea, and the Qur'an is explicit in
support of the freedom conscience.
 (Islam - The Misunderstood Religion, Readers' Digest (American Edition)
May 1955.)
 LAWRENCE E. BROWNE :
 "Incidentally these well-established facts dispose of the idea so widely
fostered in Christian writings that the Muslims, wherever they went, forced
people to accept Islam at the point of the sword.
 (The Prospects Of Islam, London 1944.)

39
Islam and the Sword
Notable Views
 BARACK HUSSAIN OBAMA :
 "So I have known Islam on three continents before coming to the region
where it was first revealed. That experience guides my conviction that
partnership between America and Islam must be based on what Islam is, not
what it isn't. And I consider it part of my responsibility as President of the
United States to fight against negative stereotypes of Islam wherever they
appear.”
 “Islam has a proud tradition of tolerance. We see it in the history of
Andalusia and Cordoba during the Inquisition. I saw it firsthand as a child in
Indonesia, where devout Christians worshiped freely in an overwhelmingly
Muslim country.”
 “Islam is not part of the problem in combating violent extremism — it is an
important part of promoting peace.”
(Excerpts from the famous Cairo University speech by the 44th
US President,
on 4th
June 2009)

40
Was Islam spread
by the sword ?
Conclusion

41
Islam and the Sword
Conclusion
 History bears witness that Muslims ruled Spain (Andalusia) for about 800
years. During this period the Christians and Jews enjoyed freedom to
practice their respective religions, and this is a documented historical fact.
 Christian and Jewish minorities have thrived in the Muslim lands of the
Middle East for centuries. Even today countries such as Egypt, Morocco,
Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan have significant Christian and Jewish
populations.
 Muslims had ruled India for centuries, and had the power to force every non-
Muslim of India to convert to Islam, but they did not, and thus more than
80% of the Indian population remains non-Muslim.

42
Islam and the Sword
Conclusion
 The “sword of Islam” did not convert all the non-Muslim minorities in Muslim
countries.
 In India, where Muslims had ruled for more than 800 years, they are still a
minority.
 It is clearly evident, therefore, that Islam did not spread by the sword.
 Today the fastest growing religion in America and Europe is Islam.
 The Muslims in these lands are a minority. The only sword they have in
their possession is the sword of truth. It is this sword that is converting
thousands to Islam.

43
Islam and the Sword
Conclusion
 Islam is so strong and so self-assured that it does not need to use force to
attract others to it.
 The moral and intellectual superiority of Islam over all other religions has
manifested itself so clearly throughout the history of Islam.
 Despite all the ills of Muslims everywhere, Islam continues to be the fastest
growing religion on earth.
 Professor Huston Smith, an eminent American religious studies scholar
in his book, "The Religions of Man" says, "In some areas where Islam and
Christianity are competing for converts, Islam is gaining at a rate of 10 to1."

Was islam spread by the sword ?

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