NO COMPULSION IN RELIGION

 

(On 8^th September 2002 after Maghrib prayer)

 

Having outlined some of the most essential and detailed aspects of faith, and having precisely defined the status of God and the nature of His relationship with the rest of creation, the Surah goes on to describe the proper behaviour of the believers as they adopt this faith and pass it on to others, and assume the leadership of mankind.

 

There shall be no compulsion in religion. The right way is henceforth distinct from error. He who rejects false deities and believes in God has indeed taken hold of a most firm support that never breaks. God hears all and knows all. God is the Patron of the believers. He leads them out of darkness into the light. As for the unbelievers, their Patrons are false deities who lead them out of light into darkness. Theirs is the fire wherein they shall abide. (Ch. 2 verses 256-7)

 

Islam looks at religious faith as a matter of conviction, once the basic facts are provided and explained. Faith is never a matter of coercion or compulsion. To achieve this conviction, Islam addresses the human being in totality. It addresses the human mind and intellect, human common sense, emotions and feelings, the innermost human nature, and the whole human conscious being. It resorts to no coercive means or physical miracles that confound the mind or that are beyond human ability to rationalize and comprehend.

 

By the same token, Islam never seeks converts through compulsion or threats or pressure of any kind. It deploys facts, reasoning, explanation and persuasion.

 

In contrast, we find that Christianity, the last revealed religion before Islam, was imposed by force after the Roman Emperor, Constantine the Great, made Christianity the official religion throughout his empire. He adopted the same brutal means his predecessors had used against Christian minorities. These were not restricted to subjects who did not convert to Christianity, but were also used against Christians who would not accept the official doctrine sanctioned by the emperor.

 

Islam came to declare and establish the great universal principle that: “There shall be no compulsion in religion. The right way is henceforth distinct from error.” This reflects the honour God has reserved for man and the high regard in which man’s will, thought and emotions are held, and the freedom he is granted to choose his beliefs, and the responsible position he is afforded to be judge of his own action. Here lies the essence of human emancipation which 20^th century authoritarian and oppressive ideologies and regimes have denied mankind. Modern man has been deprived of the right to choose and live other than according to what is dictated by the state, using the full force of its colossal machinery, laws and powers. People are today given the choice only to adhere to the secular state system, which does not allow for a belief in God as the Creator and Master of the world, or to face annihilation.

 

Freedom of belief is the most basic right that identifies Man as a human being. To deny anyone this right is to deny him or her humanity. Freedom of belief also implies the freedom to express and propagate one’s belief without fear of threat or persecution; otherwise, that freedom is hollow and meaningless.

 

Islam, undoubtedly the most enlightened view of life and the world, establishing a most sensible human and social system, takes the lead in declaring this most fundamental principle.

 

It teaches its adherents, before anyone else, that they are forbidden to compel others to embrace Islam. This Islamic approach stands in total contrast to that of man made systems and regimes, which, despite all their inherent shortcomings, impose their beliefs and policies by the force of the state and deny their opponents the right to dissent or even live.

 

Faith is light that permeates man’s soul and conscience to radiate from within his being and illuminate all things, ideas and values around him. It gives the believer a clear vision and a steady and confidant understanding that enable him to identify, discern and choose. It lights his route to God and His laws and teachings, and puts man in perfect concord with the world around him. He proceeds through life in total harmony, free of all conflict and at peace with his human nature.

 

The light of faith and truth is one and unique and leads to the one straight path; while darkness, in the sense of evil, can take various shapes and forms. There is darkness in caprice and uncontrolled desires; there is darkness in deviation, conceit and tyranny, there is darkness in abject acquiescence and servility; there is darkness in ostentation and hypocrisy, in lechery and greed, and in cynicism and skepticism. All these forms of darkness stem from the evil of abandoning God’s Guidance and submitting to powers and laws other than His leaving the light that radiates from God plunges man into darkness and despondency, and the ultimate end is even worse: “As for the unbelievers, their patrons are false deities who lead them out of light into darkness. Theirs is the fire wherein they shall abide.”

 

The statement, “There shall be no compulsion in religion.”, raises the question of whether this principle can be reconciled with the obligatory duty of jihad, or taking up arms for the defense and protection of the faith, which Islam has openly advocated and the Quran has established in verses such as: “Keep on fighting against them until all strife is eliminated and God’s religion reigns Supreme.” (verse 193)

 

As indicated in verse 193 of this Surah, Islam considers religious persecution and any threat to religion more dangerous for the future stability and existence of Islam than actual war. The survival and prosperity of the faith take precedence over the preservation of human life itself. Islam justifies the defense and protection of life and possessions by force, and allows even greater justification for the use of force in defense of the faith.