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Was Islam Spread By the Sword?

Well the answer to that is yes, it was spread by the sword but not the sword you think of. Rather, it was spread by the sword of intellect, the sword that wins over the hearts and minds on the basis of evidence and clear proof. Islam is a religion of peace. The word Islam comes from the root word “salaam” which means peace. It also means submitting one’s will to Allah, The Exalted. Peace and violence are opposite ideas, so forcing the religion of peace on someone is contrary to the idea of the religion in the first place. Orientalists wanted to defame Islam by declaring that it was spread by the sword, but the truth is, Islam was never spread by violence.
Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was the most kind of humans and he always promoted Islam by peaceful means. His benevolent methods changed the disbelievers’ hearts for good and made them accept Islam. It was not by aggression but clear facts, with liberty and free will. Allah says in the Qur’an to use perception in your words and actions when inviting people towards Islam, “Invite (all) to the way of your Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching; and argue with them in ways that are best and most gracious”. [Qur’an 16:125]
Islam was never forced on people nor can it ever be forced on people. Even if there were people who accepted Islam due to fear of life or violence just for the sake of argument, this kind of belief is not acceptable in Islam as Islam is the acceptance of Allah, The Exalted, as God in heart and soul and not just by tongue as told by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah in Majmoo al-Fataawa, 28/263. The purpose is that all of the religion should be for Allah alone, and that the word of Allah should be supreme. Hence Allah says: “Indeed, we have sent Our Messengers with clear proofs, and revealed with them the Scripture and the Balance (justice) that mankind may keep up justice”. [Qur’an 57:25]
Written by: Mateeba Quazi
Edited by: Noorain A
Team IR
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