The Ruling on Freedom of Belief and Clarifying the Meaning of "There is no compulsion in religion"
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The questioner:
He asks and says: We hear these days the repetition that Islam guarantees freedom of belief, and they cite its freedom.
The Shaykh:
Abundant.
The questioner:
Freedom of belief, and they cite His saying, the Exalted:[Al-Baqarah 2:256] Is this correct?
The Shaykh:
This is a lie against Allah, Mighty and Majestic. Islam did not come with freedom of belief. Islam came with the prohibition of shirk (associating partners with Allah) and kufr (disbelief), and fighting the mushrikin (those who associate partners with Allah). If it had come with freedom of belief, people would not have needed the sending of the messengers and the revelation of the books, nor would people have needed jihad and fighting in the path of Allah. "Everyone follows their own desire, everyone is free." No, Allah, Glorious and Exalted, did not say[Adh-Dhariyat 51:56] as if everyone should follow their own desire. Rather, He said "so that they may worship Him." He, the Exalted, said: [Al-Anfal 8:39] So the one who refuses to worship Allah is fought and not left until he returns to the religion or is killed. It did not come with freedom for the disbelieving religions. It did not come with freedom for the disbelieving and atheistic religions. This is a lie against Allah, Blessed and Exalted. Otherwise, why would Allah send the messengers, reveal the books, legislate jihad, and make the hudud (fixed punishments) and penalties obligatory, except to protect people from false beliefs and corrupt opinions, to protect them because they are the servants of Allah? So they must worship Allah alone, having no partner with Him, or the deterrent that Allah, Blessed and Exalted, legislated is applied to them. As for His saying, the Exalted: [Al-Baqarah 2:256] its meaning is not freedom of opinion. Its meaning is that we are unable to force a person to enter the religion into his heart. This is not possible except for Allah. [Al-Qasas 28:56], so the guidance of hearts is in the hand of Allah. It does not happen through compulsion, but only through choice. But we fight the disbelievers and the mushrikin, as Allah commanded us to do. We enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong. We explain the religion to people. We do not say "no compulsion in religion" in the sense that we do not force people into the religion. But we explain the religion to them and punish the one who abandons this religion. As for his heart being guided, that is the domain of Allah; it is not possible except for Allah, Blessed and Exalted. This is the meaning of [Al-Baqarah 2:256], like His saying: [Al-Qasas 28:56] And the one who said: [Al-Baqarah 2:256] said: "And fight them until there is no fitnah (trial, discord or temptation) and the religion is all for Allah." Why do you take one verse and leave the other? Yes.
He asks and says: We hear these days the repetition that Islam guarantees freedom of belief, and they cite its freedom.
The Shaykh:
Abundant.
The questioner:
Freedom of belief, and they cite His saying, the Exalted:
There shall be no compulsion in [acceptance of] the religion
لَا إِكْرَاهَ فِي الدِّينِThe Shaykh:
This is a lie against Allah, Mighty and Majestic. Islam did not come with freedom of belief. Islam came with the prohibition of shirk (associating partners with Allah) and kufr (disbelief), and fighting the mushrikin (those who associate partners with Allah). If it had come with freedom of belief, people would not have needed the sending of the messengers and the revelation of the books, nor would people have needed jihad and fighting in the path of Allah. "Everyone follows their own desire, everyone is free." No, Allah, Glorious and Exalted, did not say
And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me.
وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَالْإِنسَ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُونِAnd fight them until there is no fitnah and [until] the religion, all of it, is for Allah.
وَقَاتِلُوهُمْ حَتَّىٰ لَا تَكُونَ فِتْنَةٌ وَيَكُونَ الدِّينُ كُلُّهُ لِلَّهِThere shall be no compulsion in [acceptance of] the religion
لَا إِكْرَاهَ فِي الدِّينِIndeed, [O Muhammad], you do not guide whom you like, but Allah guides whom He wills
إِنَّكَ لَا تَهْدِي مَنْ أَحْبَبْتَ وَلَٰكِنَّ اللَّهَ يَهْدِي مَن يَشَاءُThere shall be no compulsion in [acceptance of] the religion
لَا إِكْرَاهَ فِي الدِّينِIndeed, [O Muhammad], you do not guide whom you like, but Allah guides whom He wills
إِنَّكَ لَا تَهْدِي مَنْ أَحْبَبْتَ وَلَٰكِنَّ اللَّهَ يَهْدِي مَن يَشَاءُThere shall be no compulsion in [acceptance of] the religion
لَا إِكْرَاهَ فِي الدِّينِ
Source
مقولة الإسلام ضَمِنَ حرية الاعتقاد — alfawzan.live
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.