Exegesis of the saying of Allah the Exalted: “There is no compulsion in religion,” and the ruling on one who disbelieves in a Prophet

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Question:
What is the meaning of the saying of Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He:

There shall be no compulsion in [acceptance of] the religion. The right course has become clear from the wrong.

لَا إِكْرَاهَ فِي الدِّينِ قَد تَّبَيَّنَ الرُّشْدُ مِنَ الْغَيِّ

[Al-Baqarah 2:256]

, and likewise His saying, the Exalted:

And whoever desires other than Islam as religion - never will it be accepted from him, and he, in the Hereafter, will be among the losers.

وَمَن يَبْتَغِ غَيْرَ الْإِسْلَامِ دِينًا فَلَن يُقْبَلَ مِنْهُ وَهُوَ فِي الْآخِرَةِ مِنَ الْخَاسِرِينَ

[Ali 'Imran 3:85]

? Honorable Shaykh, I hope you will clarify the meaning of these two noble verses, as I have some questions about them. Also, will one who believes in the past prophets and messengers not enter Paradise? And is it obligatory for everyone to embrace the pure Islamic religion? May Allah reward you with good.

Answer:
As for the saying of Allah the Exalted,

There shall be no compulsion in [acceptance of] the religion

لَا إِكْرَاهَ فِي الدِّينِ

[Al-Baqarah 2:256]

, its meaning is that religion does not enter the hearts by force, because only Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) possesses the hearts. And Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) says to His Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him),

Indeed, [O Muhammad], you do not guide whom you like, but Allah guides whom He wills

إِنَّكَ لَا تَهْدِي مَنْ أَحْبَبْتَ وَلَٰكِنَّ اللَّهَ يَهْدِي مَن يَشَاءُ

[Al-Qasas 28:56]

. Therefore, it is not possible to compel someone to accept Islam or to force it into their hearts against their will. Rather, that happens only through a person’s faith in their heart and their desire for Islam. This does not mean that jihad is abandoned and it is said,

There shall be no compulsion in [acceptance of] the religion

لَا إِكْرَاهَ فِي الدِّينِ

[Al-Baqarah 2:256]

, because Allah has commanded jihad, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) fought the disbelievers, the polytheists, the Jews, and the Christians. The meaning of the verse is clear: no one can place faith in anyone’s heart by any means, whether by coercion, compulsion, or otherwise. Rather, this is in the hand of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He). As for the rest of the question, which is: if a person believed in all the messengers but did not believe in Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), and he lived during the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) but did not believe in him, is he a disbeliever? His faith in the messengers is not valid, because whoever denies the message of one prophet has disbelieved in all of them. Allah the Exalted said, “Indeed, those who say, ‘Our Lord is Allah,’ and then say,

⁽¹⁵⁰⁾ Indeed, those who disbelieve in Allah and His messengers and wish to discriminate between Allah and His messengers and say, "We believe in some and disbelieve in others," and wish to adopt a way in between - ⁽¹⁵¹⁾ Those are the disbelievers

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَكْفُرُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَرُسُلِهِ وَيُرِيدُونَ أَن يُفَرِّقُوا بَيْنَ اللَّهِ وَرُسُلِهِ وَيَقُولُونَ نُؤْمِنُ بِبَعْضٍ وَنَكْفُرُ بِبَعْضٍ وَيُرِيدُونَ أَن يَتَّخِذُوا بَيْنَ ذَٰلِكَ سَبِيلًا أُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْكَافِرُونَ

[An-Nisa 4:150-151]

, are the truth

⁽¹⁵¹⁾ Those are the disbelievers, truly. And We have prepared for the disbelievers a humiliating punishment. ⁽¹⁵²⁾ But they who believe in Allah and His messengers and do not discriminate between any of them - to those He is going to give their rewards. And ever is Allah Forgiving and Merciful.

وَأَعْتَدْنَا لِلْكَافِرِينَ عَذَابًا مُّهِينًا وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا بِاللَّهِ وَرُسُلِهِ وَلَمْ يُفَرِّقُوا بَيْنَ أَحَدٍ مِّنْهُمْ أُولَٰئِكَ سَوْفَ يُؤْتِيهِمْ أُجُورَهُمْ

[An-Nisa 4:151-152]

, and Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.” This applies to the one who disbelieved in Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), or in 'Isa (peace be upon him), or in any other of the messengers. Whoever disbelieves in one prophet has disbelieved in all of them, especially after the sending of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), for it is not permissible for anyone on earth except to follow him. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said,

No Jew or Christian from this Ummah will hear of me and then not believe in what I have brought, except that he will enter the Fire.

لا يسمع بي من هذه الأمة يهودي ولا نصراني، ثم لا يؤمن بالذي جئت به إلا دخل النار.

Yes.

Source قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، ما معنى قوله تعالى﴿لا إكراه في الدين ﴾وقوله(ومن يبتغ غير الإسلام...﴾الآية وهل يجب اعتناق الإسلام؟ — youtube.com

The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.

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