Was Islam Spread By the Sword?

[Zainab_M]

Source: Facebook by By Raouia-Rawiya Barradi


"HOW CAN ISLAM BE THE RELIGION OF PEACE WHEN IT WAS SPREAD BY THE SWORD?"

This used to be a common complaint among non-Muslims that Islam would not have millions of adherents all over the world, if it had not been spread by the use of force. The following points will make clear, that far from being spread by the sword, it was the inherent force of truth, reason and logic of the Glorious Qur’aan that was responsible ( and still is ) for the rapid spread of Islam. Islam makes it an article of faith to believe in all the previous prophets that were sent for the guidance of mankind over the centuries, unlike the Jews and the Christians. The Jews reject Jesus (pbuh) and Muhammed (pbuh) and the Christians reject Muhammed (pbuh). Remarkable fact: In Arabic the word ‘sword’ has twelve different words to describe it, but it is not mentioned even once in the Glorious Qur’aan. Lo! Behold! Amazingly, the word ‘sword’ is written 448 times in 404 verses in the Bible, and yet Christianity claims to be the religion of peace! Christian religious scholars and historians have now admitted the deception of accusing Muslims of spreading Islam by the sword. Even the Roman Catholic Church in the Vatican has had to admit that this was an absurd accusation that through repetition was given a semblance of credence.
 
The fact is that the reverse is true. The Church after the Nicene Council of 325 massacred by the sword 12,000,000 (twelve million) Unitarian followers of Jesus (pbuh) during the Inquisition period as recorded in the book titled ‘Apology to Muhammed and the Qur’aan’, written by a Christian historian, Mr. John Davenport . How conveniently the Christians missionaries forget that according to their own concocted Bible they attribute the following sayings to Jesus which prove the exact opposite of their claims that Jesus (pbuh) was a prince of peace:

Matt.10-34: Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.
 
Matt.10-35: For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.

Luke 12:53: The father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father; the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother; the mother in law against her daughter in law, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.
 
On the other hand the Glorious Qur'aan states unequivocally:
 
Qur’aan Chap 64.v.12- And obey Allah and obey the Messenger; but if you turn away, the duty of Our Messenger is only to deliver (the message) clearly.

Qur’aan Chap 2:256- “There is no compulsion in religion. The right direction is henceforth distinct from error”

Qur’aan Chap 10: 99 – “And if your Lord willed, all those who are in the earth would have believed (all) together. Will you then compel people until they become believers?

Huston Smith in his book titled “The World’s Religions” says on page 256: “The Prophet Muhammed (pbuh) granted freedom of religion to the Jews and Christians and had a special document drawn up to this effect. In it was also stated- They shall be protected from all insults and vexations; shall have equal rights with the Muslims and have the assistance of the Muslims, and to practice their religions as freely as the Muslims.” Ira Zepp Jr in his book titled “A Muslim Primer” says: “It is unfortunate that Islam has been stereotyped as the ‘religion of the sword’. In any case, Islam cannot be forced on anyone; if profession of the shahadah (the declaration of Islamic belief) is forced on anyone, it is not true Islam”.

Does this not prove the lies and hatred of those who say that Islam was spread by the sword? It also means submitting ones’ will to Allah (swt). The best reply to the misconception that Islam was spread by the sword is given by the noted historian De Lacy O’Leary in the book “Islam at the cross road” (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 myth that (Christian) historians have ever repeated.”

Muslims ruled Spain for 800 years
The Muslims in Spain never used the sword to force the people to convert. Later the Christian Crusaders came to Spain and massacred the Muslims in wholesale slaughter. There was not a single Muslim in Spain who could openly give the ‘adhan’, the call to prayers. This is recorded in the history books and proves that in fact the sword spread Christianity.
 
20 million Arabs are Coptic Christians
Muslims were the lords of Arabia for 1,400 years. For a few years each the British and the French ruled. Overall, the Muslims ruled Arabia for 1,400 years. Yet today, there are 20 million Arabs who are Coptic Christians i.e. Christians since generations. If the Muslims had used the sword there would not have been a single Arab who would have remained a Christian.

More than 80% non-Muslims in India
The Muslims ruled India for about 1,000 years. They had the power of converting each and every non-Muslim of India to Islam. Today more than 80% of the population of India is non-Muslims (Hindus, who are idol worshippers). All these non-Muslim Indians are witnesses today that the sword did not spread Islam when Muslims ruled India for those 1,000 years.  During the time that Muslims ruled India the Hindus were given equal opportunities to work and were not discriminated against. However, after India gained independence in 1947 (through the equal efforts of Muslims and Hindus); the Hindus who are in the majority marginalized the Muslims completely. They are discriminated against and are denied equal opportunities to work etc. A poll commissioned by the Indian Government in 2006, found that the Muslims are the most disadvantaged and poorest people in the whole of India, even more so than the lowest caste Harichans. It was also reported by the B.B.C. World service on the 18th December 2006 that the Muslims of India are the most excluded group in that country because of their religion.
What a turnaround when others rule over Muslims!

Indonesia, Malaysia & East Coast of Africa
Indonesia is a country that has the maximum number of Muslims in the world. The majority of people in Malaysia are Muslims. No Muslim army ever went to Indonesia and Malaysia to forcibly convert the people to Islam. Similarly, Islam has spread rapidly on the East Coast of Africa. One may ask, if Islam was spread by the sword, “Which Muslim armies went to Indonesia, Malaysia and the East Coast of Africa to force them to become Muslims?” 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 try 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.”
 
“Invite (all) to the way of thy Lord, with wisdom and beautiful preaching, and argue with them in ways that are best and most gracious.” (Al-Qur’aan 16:125)
 
Islam is the sword of intellect that conquers the hearts and minds of people, and makes them revert to Islam willingly.

Increase in the world religions from 1934 to 1984
The Reader’s Digest ‘Almanac’, yearbook 1986, gave the statistics of the increase of percentage of the major religions of the world from 1934 to 1984. At the top was Islam, which increased by 235%, and Christianity had increased only by 47%. May one ask which Muslim army converted millions of people in the 20th century, mainly Christians at the point of a sword to Islam?
 
Islam is the fastest growing religion in America and Europe
Today the fastest growing religion in Europe, America and all over the world is Islam. Which sword is forcing people in the West to accept Islam in such large numbers?

On the 18/07/2005, on B.B.C. news report it was acknowledged that ISLAM is still the fastest growing religion in the world, not withstanding the 9th September 2001 bombings in America; 3/11/ 2004 Madrid train bombings, and the London bombings of 7/7/2005.

Again on the 16th December 2006, it was reported on the B.B.C. Radio that Islam is on the rise in the U.K. and Europe.
 
“People who worry that nuclear weaponry will one day fall in the hands of the Arabs, fail to realize that the Islamic bomb has been dropped already, it fell the day MUHAMMED (PBUH) was born”. Dr. Joseph Adam Pearson

(Recent statistics of polls taken by CNN and Time (2004) have found that after the 9/11 bombings 20,000 Americans reverted to Islam, and amongst them, two thirds (66%) have been women. The Western Media portrays Islam, as a religion that suppresses women and unjust, then why is it that more women are accepting Islam than men? Does this not prove that the Western Media is waging a war against Islam?

However, with the Grace of Allah yet more and more women are becoming Muslims all over the world).



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Indeed, Islam is the only unaltered Divine Message of Truth, peace, compassion and forgivness. Our beloved Prophet (SAAW) was the most perfect demonstrator of the great qualities of the Final Divine Message. Islam is certainly the ONLY Faith NEVER spread by the sword from the 7th century uptil to date. The Beauty and Charisma of Truth imbedded within Islam is too profound and Islam does NOT require the help of something as ordinary as the "sword" as do the man-made values of present-day Christianity and other faiths.

Praise be to Allah Almighty, and love, peace and blessings on the final Messenger and Seal of the Prophets.

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[N. Truth Seeker]

Fantastic points.  well done zakir naik. 

Thanks for posting this sister zeynab.

btw .. it is very sad to read how they bad mouth zakir naik in many non-Muslim sites of south asia.


  to all

[Zainab_M]

Please note:  The article on this topic by Zakir Naek has been removed and replaced by this one, which is a lot more comprehensive.