Reconciling: {So whoever wills, let him believe} and “I was commanded to fight the people”
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Question:
Allah the Exalted said: In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful: [Al-Kahf: 29], and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Sahih Muslim 22 to the end of the hadith. How can one reconcile the text of the verse with the text of the hadith, and respond to the enemies of Islam who claim that Islam spread by the sword?
Answer:
This verse is Meccan, from before the command to fight was given. This verse is Meccan, from Surat al-Kahf, and al-Kahf is a Meccan surah containing turning away from the disbelievers and not fighting them. Rather, it calls to Allah: whoever wills, let him believe, and whoever wills, let him disbelieve. It calls to Allah and teaches people the good. So whoever wills, let him believe and accept, and whoever wills, let him not accept, and his reckoning is with Allah.
So you are now among the people in most of the world in this manner: you guide people to the good and teach them the religion of Allah. So whoever accepts from you, praise be to Allah, and whoever does not accept, his affair is with Allah, not with you. It is not upon you to guide them, but Allah guides whom He wills. It is only upon you to convey the message, and upon Allah is the reckoning.
As for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), he said this after he had migrated, after he had become strong, when he had strength and an army. He said this statement:Sahih al-Bukhari 25.
And He (Exalted and Majestic is He) said in His great Book: [At-Tawbah: 5]. This was said by Allah (Exalted and Majestic is He) to His Prophet after he had migrated, after the Muslims had settled, after the Muslims had become strong, and after they had an army and strength. Allah addressed them with this.
So if you have an army and strength with which you can fight Europe and America, then do this. But as long as you cannot do this, it is upon you to call to Allah, guide to Him, teach people the good, and guide them to it. Guard your tongue from what harms the da'wah, from what divides the word, and from what causes problems that deprive people of the good and lead them into evil.
Allah the Exalted said: In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful:
And say, "The truth is from your Lord, so whoever wills - let him believe; and whoever wills - let him disbelieve."
وَقُلِ الْحَقُّ مِنْ رَبِّكُمْ فَمَنْ شَاءَ فَلْيُؤْمِنْ وَمَنْ شَاءَ فَلْيَكْفُرْI have been commanded to fight against people till they testify that there is no god but Allah, that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah
أمرت أن أقاتل الناس حتى يشهدوا أن لا إله إلا الله، وأن محمدًا رسول اللهAnswer:
This verse is Meccan, from before the command to fight was given. This verse is Meccan, from Surat al-Kahf, and al-Kahf is a Meccan surah containing turning away from the disbelievers and not fighting them. Rather, it calls to Allah: whoever wills, let him believe, and whoever wills, let him disbelieve. It calls to Allah and teaches people the good. So whoever wills, let him believe and accept, and whoever wills, let him not accept, and his reckoning is with Allah.
So you are now among the people in most of the world in this manner: you guide people to the good and teach them the religion of Allah. So whoever accepts from you, praise be to Allah, and whoever does not accept, his affair is with Allah, not with you. It is not upon you to guide them, but Allah guides whom He wills. It is only upon you to convey the message, and upon Allah is the reckoning.
As for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), he said this after he had migrated, after he had become strong, when he had strength and an army. He said this statement:
I have been ordered (by Allah) to fight against the people until they testify that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and that Muhammad is Allah's Messenger (ﷺ), and offer the prayers perfectly and give the obligatory charity, so if they perform that, then they save their lives and property from me except for Islamic laws and then their reckoning (accounts) will be done by Allah.
أمرت أن أقاتل الناس حتى يشهدوا أن لا إله إلا الله، وأني رسول الله، ويقيموا الصلاة ويؤتوا الزكاة فإذا فعلوا ذلك؛ عصموا مني دماءهم، وأموالهم إلا بحق الإسلام، وحسابهم على اللهAnd He (Exalted and Majestic is He) said in His great Book:
And when the sacred months have passed, then kill the polytheists wherever you find them and capture them and besiege them and sit in wait for them at every place of ambush. But if they should repent, establish prayer, and give zakah, let them [go] on their way
فَإِذَا انْسَلَخَ الْأَشْهُرُ الْحُرُمُ فَاقْتُلُوا الْمُشْرِكِينَ حَيْثُ وَجَدْتُمُوهُمْ وَخُذُوهُمْ وَاحْصُرُوهُمْ وَاقْعُدُوا لَهُمْ كُلَّ مَرْصَدٍ فَإِنْ تَابُوا وَأَقَامُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَآتَوُا الزَّكَاةَ فَخَلُّوا سَبِيلَهُمْSo if you have an army and strength with which you can fight Europe and America, then do this. But as long as you cannot do this, it is upon you to call to Allah, guide to Him, teach people the good, and guide them to it. Guard your tongue from what harms the da'wah, from what divides the word, and from what causes problems that deprive people of the good and lead them into evil.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.