Farook Ahmed :
Most non-Muslims believe that ever since the birth of Islam in the desert of Arabia, swords played a very crucial role for its rapid rise and spread over an extensive area of the globe. Some Christian historians remarked that ancient Muslim soldiers first used-“word then sword” in order to proselytize non-Muslims into Islamic faith. They also maintained that the circumference of Islam exponentially widened due to forcible conversion on pain of death. They further argue that before Muhammad, no prophet who came prior to him, used swords for conversion.
At present guns have taken the place of swords and the Islamists are mindlessly using guns to convert, extract vengeance and terrorize the people of other faiths. These are the charges generally leveled against Islam. Now let us examine whether there are any truth or tangible substance in the aforesaid views or charges. God revealed Torah to Moses and Bible to Jesus long before He revealed the Koran to Muhammad (Sm). Koran is the final updated edition of the Torah and the Bible. That is why we see many striking similarities amongst these three revealed divine books. When Muhammad (Sm). began preaching Islam, he was alone and he had no ability to use sword to convert anybody into his faith. He secretly and silently urged upon people to accept his religion.
The beauty of the true faith convinced and attracted few people to accept the new religion. Through peaceful preaching, Muhammad (Sm) could gradually increase the number of his following. Here we see no use of sword by Muhammad (Sm). When the number of his adherents rose to 313, the battle of Badr took place. The war of Badr was forcibly imposed upon Muhammad (Sm). He was not the attacker but defender. Subsequently Muhammad (Sm) took part in 17 battles as defender not as aggressor. In the plain of Arafat where Muhammad (Sm) delivered his last sermon was attended by one hundred thousand Muslims of whom not a single person was converted by the threat of sword. After the victory of Mecca Muhammad (Sm) did not force anyone to accept Islam. Rather he declared a general amnesty for those who opposed, tortured and banished him from his birth place.
So the charge that Muhammad (Sm) used sword to convert people into his faith does not hold good. The Koran emphatically declares not to commit excesses with religion. God never commanded Muhammad (Sm) to bring people into the fold of Islam by using force or threat. The holy Koran allows Muslims to use sword, guns or force only when they are attacked. It is forbidden in Islam to be the aggressors. After the death of Muhammad (Sm), his followers had to wage many wars to defend their faith and territory. Dispassionate Historians observe that amazing expansion of Islam occurred because it promulgates equal rights, equal dignity, and equal opportunity for all human beings. It is regrettable that some Muslims are using guns, explosive and other lethal weapons to terrorize people in the name of Islam. Their acts are vicious, condemnable and wholly anti- Islamic. They are rendering disservice to both Islam and humanity. The activities of ISIS in Iraq and Syria are most obnoxious and unislamic. The ISIS is harming Islam and scandalizing the whole Muslim community all over the world. They are far removed from the true teachings of Islam. We despicably condemn the beheading of an American journalist by the ISIS.
We all sensible Muslims are of the view that an organization like ISIS will destroy the greatness and dignity of Islam. Muhammad(Sm) was the last progeny of all earlier prophets. Muslims, Christians and Jews— these three nations have been descended from the same patriarch Ibrahim. Had the Bible and the Torah not been corrupted, the Koran would have been the holy scripture of the Christians and the Jews like the Muslims. Then we would have one nation and one faith. Perhaps this was the intention of God. God has given mankind freedom of action, freedom of thoughts, freedom of conscience and full liberty of disobeying the divine laws. So human race are capable of being obedient or disobedient to God at will. The Christians, Jews and the Muslims are blood-related nations because they have been descended from the same stock. For this reason a Muslim man can marry a Christian woman without conversion.
The relationship amongst these three nations should have been on the basis of mutual love, respect and cordiality. Muhammad(Sm), Moses and Jesus should find a respectable place in the heart of every Christian, Jews and Muslim because the same one God resides in their hearts.
The Koran emphatically enjoins the Muslims to revere Moses and Jesus as they were the true prophets of God like the last and final prophet Muhammad(Sm). The Christians waged ten bloody crusades against the Muslims where thousands of swords were used in the name of God— the one God who created Moses, Jesus and Muhammad and the same God who is the author of the Koran, Bible and the Torah. The sword of Muhammad(Sm) is still preserved for public view at Top Kepi museum in Turkey. This sword was never used against any innocent man and Muhammad(Sm) did never ask his followers to use swords against Christians or Jews to convert them into Islamic faith. The Muslim army during the lifetime of Muhammad(Sm) and also after his death was under strict order not to kill women, children, and innocent men and destroy standing crops and fruit bearing trees.
The Koran explicitly declares that killing of an innocent man amounts to decimating a whole community and saving the life of a single innocent man is like saving the lives of a whole community. So the mindless and free use of swords is forbidden by the Koran. So the Muslims who use swords or guns without any valid cause are not true Muslims as they disobey the instructions of God. The era of swords had gone long ago. Now is the age of guns, bombs and missiles. So let us see who uses these lethal weapons more without justification. No doubt, America has become the most belligerent and the most gun-happy nation in the world.
She has used bombs and missiles almost on dozens of countries in the world killing uncountable number of people. Following the footpath of America, Israel is doing the same in the Arab countries. America is a Christian and Israel is a Jewish country whose prophets and holy books are held in high respect by the Muslims.
The Ten Commandments are the bedrock of Jewish religion. It forbids Jews not to kill innocent people. The Koran contains the exact words, meaning and spirit of the Ten Commandments. A few days ago, Israel mercilessly killed three thousand women, Children and innocent men in Gaza. Ten Commandments were defied and flouted by Israel.
Islam is now the fastest growing religion in America. Every year hundreds of American non-Muslims are embracing Islam as their new religion. Who is now using swords or guns in America for such mass conversion? Islam is also rapidly expanding in European countries. Large scale conversions are often reported in western newspapers. Again we may ask who is using swords or guns there to spread the message of Islam. The historical truth is that Islam was never preached nor conversion was obtained by the threat of swords.
(The writer is ex DIG of Police)
