Salam Aleikom brothers and sisters. I bet most of us have heard of the quranic verse, "there is no compulsion in religion" . However we still see often polemics against Islam argure that Islamic religion allows people to be converted by force. I have seen this argument rebutted by islamic-scholars. However some days ago, i saw a polemic against islam quoting a statement from Abu Bakr from the seerah [ ibn ishaq ] , it says:
Abu Bakr said: "You asked me for the best advice that I could give you, and I will tell you. God sent Muhammad with this religion and he strove for it until men accepted it voluntary or by force." (Ibn Ishaq, pp. 668-669)
Ibn Ishaq, Sirat Rasul Allah, translated as, The Life of Muhammad, (translator: A. Guillaume), Karachi: Oxford University Press, 1998.
The above quote seems to support the idea that islam allows Muslims to convert others by force. Could someone comment for me on the isnad of the above hadith, and tell if it;s authentic, weak or a forgery.
As-salamu alaikum warahmatullah
Akhee Karim, Inshaallah this coming Eid will be blessed for you and for every other Muslim. The Hadeeth you mentioned is weak, as Imam al-Haithami said in, Majma` az-Zawa-id (5/186). One of the narrators, Esa Ibn Sulaiman, is weak, while Esa Ibn Atiyyah, another narrator, is unknown. Even if the Hadeeth is held as authentic, it is not what the enemies of Islam wish it means. All what the Hadeeth says is that some people became Muslim on their own, meaning they did not fight against Islam and Muslims before accepting Islam. Some others, meanwhile, became Muslim after they were defeated in battle. Thus, they accepted Islam ‘Kurhan’. It is well-known that Mu`awiyah Ibn Abi Sufyan, may Allah be pleased with him and with his father, accepted Islam willingly. Yet, another unsubstantiated Hadeeth claims that Sa`d Ibn Qais said to Mu’awiyah that he and his father became Muslim ‘Kurhan’; [Siyaru A`lami an-Nubalaa, by adh-Dhahabi]. This word, ‘Kurhan’, does not mean by force, but it pertains to ‘dislike; hatred; discomfort’. Obviously, one can dislike Islam but still become Muslim for different reasons, such as seeking financial compensation or to be hypocrite, or for simply knowing Islam is the truth and wishing to practice it so that they may love it later on. There is another meaning found in another Hadeeth collected by al-Haithami in, Majma az-Zawa-id (9/77), which states that Abdullah Ibn Abbas said to Umar Ibn al-Khattab, “The Messenger of Allah died while he was pleased with you. You then supported the Caliph after him, following the way of Allah’s Messenger. You then used those who came willingly against those who turned away, until people entered Islam willingly or Kurhan.” Obviously, this Hadeeth, which is Hasan, is in reference to fighting reverts from Islam during Abu Bakr’s Khilafah. Proof: Ibn Abbas said next, “Then, the Caliph (Abu Bakr) died while he was pleased with you.” It is well-known historically that Abu Bakr’s Khilafah was almost entirely spent fighting reverts from Islam (al-Murtaddun). These are people who entered Islam outwardly but their hearts did not enter Islam completely. When the Prophet of Allah, peace be upon him, died, they reverted from Islam thus committing a major crime for which they were fought and forced to reenter Islam or be killed for committing the crime of reversion from Islam.
Dear Brothers: always challenge those who claim that Islam supports forced mass-conversion to it to bring real evidence to one incident in which the Prophet of Allah, salla allahu alaihi wa-sallam, or the Four Khulafaa forced any nation or tribe to become Muslim under threat of death. ‘Kurhan’ does not only pertain to physical force, it also applies to dislike and discomfort. If ‘Kurhan’ only means being forced under threat of physical pain or death, then what meaning would that give to Allah’s Statement, {We commanded man to be kind to his parents, his mother carried him Kurhan and gave birth to him Kurhan}.
As-salamu alaikum warahmatullah
Jalal Abualrub
Edited by islam life on 13-12-2007 05:26
Djazakallah Shayk Jalal for the nice answer, this clarifies a lot dear brother. Hamdoelilah the issue is clear now to me . May Allah reward you for this answer.
