The last and true divine religion of Islam is a religion of peace, forgiveness, and mercy. Islam is a religion that does not believe in compulsion and promotes the absolute and sincere submission to the commands of Allah Almighty. Therefore, it is imperative for any person who claims to be a Muslim to be a believer of Islam after his own heart and aspirations. Furthermore, a Muslim should obey the rules and orders of Almighty Allah wholeheartedly and from his soul with his full contentment. Allah says in Holy Quran;
“Let there be no compulsion in religion. Truth stands out clear from Error….” (2:256)
The duty of Muslims:
In these circumstances, the duty of Muslims is to foster truth and goodness and to denounce evil according to the commands of Allah;
“O my son! Establish regular prayer, enjoin what is just, and forbid what is wrong…”(31:17)
From this particular verse, it is clear that the role of Muslims is just to perform and encourage noble and just deeds and to ask people to refrain from evil ways and call them to the righteous path that is the path of Allah.
The life of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is an example:
Muhammad (PBUH) propagated Islam for more than 23 years and during all these years, he did not try to convert anyone to Islam by force. He faced unbelievable and intolerable atrocities from his opponents during the course of his long struggle. Even then, he did not maledict anyone nor he tried to take revenge from his severest of enemies. On the other hand, when he started to teach Quran to the people of Arabia, he tried to convince them to embrace Islam through elucidating the teachings of this new religion. Then he left the decision of choosing between rights and wrong to the free conscience of people to whether they want to enjoy the mercies of Allah or want to suffer from wrath of the Creator.
The use of power is unlawful:
The use of power or unlawful resources to force Non Muslims to Islam is out of question. Allah has not allowed any Muslim to force or oppress any one to embrace Islam. If an individual or a group tries to do so, he is not doing any service to the good name of Islam. In fact, these people act against the clear instructions of Noble Quran and the sayings of Holy Prophet (PBUH).
Implications of avoiding compulsion:
There is a great significance behind avoiding compulsion in the religion. The world “Islam” literally means “submission.”Muslims are people person who promulgate peace and submit themselves completely to the will of Allah. Therefore, in order to become an ardent Muslim, one should firmly believe in Allah and must follow his rules and regulations with full zeal and zest. Thus, if any disbeliever does convert to Islam under oppression and duress, he will not become a Muslim by heart, but will rather be a hypocrite.
Who are hypocrites?
Hypocrites are those persons who apparently believe in Allah and Islam but works against Islam and the welfare of Muslims and promotion of Islam. Allah defines the fate of hypocrites with the following words:
“The Hypocrites will be in the lowest depths of the Fire: no helper wilt thou find for them” (4:145)
In another occasion Allah Says:
“O Prophet! strive hard against the Unbelievers and the Hypocrites, and be firm against them. Their abode is Hell― an evil refuge indeed” (9:73)
The status of hypocrites to Allah is clear from these two verses of Holy Quran. Apart from these verses, Allah has explained the characteristics of hypocrites and their hatred against Islam in detail in other parts of Quran. For example, Allah mentions that these people apparently believe in Allah on Judgment day but they unwillingly perform religious duties and rites because they actually happen to be stern disbelievers.
What Muslims should do?
Here, Muslim should try to spread Islam through peace and compassion by following the actual teachings of Islam. They should try to convince non-Muslims that only Islam is the religion that establishes peace and stability and guarantees success in both worlds. They need to invite people to study Islam and then leave the decision to their thinking and conscience.
Muslims can refer their non-Muslim friends to academies where they can learn Quran online or to the renowned and reliable Muslim scholars rendering valuable services in terms of preaching of Islam. However, the best way to persuade disbelievers to embrace Islam is to present yourself as a practical application of a true Muslim.
Conclusion:
From above discussion, it has been ascertained that suppression and force do not produce staunch Muslims but give rise to the breed of people called as hypocrites that are most disliked by Allah. Therefore, any system that produces such “Muslims” who will suffer from wrath of Allah on Judgment day is not acceptable in Islam.
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