FAQ in dawah: 'Islam spread by the sword' allegation

Christianity and atheism has the highest death toll in human history

• Professor Naveed Sheikh, who has taught Middle East Studies at Keele University and has been the Editor-in-Chief of the international peer-reviewed journal 'Politics, Religion & Ideology' for over 10 years, in his book 'Body Count' (2015) looked at human death toll in first 2,000 years CE (i.e. 0 - 2008 CE) due to politically and religious motivated violence. Here's the highest six (p. 19):
  1. Christianity = Averaging 177 million (or 30%)
  2. Atheism i.e. communist block = Averaging 125 million (21.5%)
  3. Sinic i.e. China and neighbouring states = Averaging 108 million (18.5%)
  4. Buddhism = Averaging 88 million (15%)
  5. Indigenous i.e. part of Africa and Native Americans = Averaging 45 million (8%)
  6. Islam = Averaging 32 million (5.5%)
• 50% of the events or battles were related to Christianity. While 25% were related to Islam
• Examples of wars where 10s of millions killed and were not for religious reasons include: World War 2, Mao's China, Stalin's Russia, and World War 1
• Some may argue "they had the weapons to do it". But the issue was the ideology behind their action, not just weaponry. Because anyone with weaponry can kill
• A young Joseph Stalin read 'Origin of Species' by Darwin and was heavily influenced by it when he became the Soviet dictator. He thought humans were all just matters and atoms. So all he was doing was arranging these
• If you believe in evolution, it makes no sense to give charity. Darwin also had bad view of disabled people, he said they've not been chosen by nature so we should get rid of them. It was all about survival of the fittest
• To some extent, you don't need religion to know what's right and wrong. We have an innate disposition, called 'fitrah' in Islam
• Atheist can still have a moral compass but it's subjective. It's not really morality as it's only your-opinion-versus-mine

Lawless Arabian society pre-Islam

• Era of 'Jahiliyyah' (Age of Ignorance)
• It was a lawless society where every tribe was with war with each other
• Violence was part of that society. It was endemic
• Arabs conducted themselves in destructive and sinful ways, frequently practicing gambling, drinking alcohol, usury, and fornication. The only positive was the poetry of the time. Arabs were masters of poetry
• Makkah was a town that had a cultic function. It had shrines and idols. It was a grand town which attracted people from all over Arabia
• Makkans became rich from accommodating the visitors e.g. providing Zamzam water, clothing, food, etc.
• Now comes Muhammad, one of their own, who's trying to stop all that. So it annoyed the people
• Initially they thought Muhammad was crazy (i.e. he was 'majnun' or possessed by Jinn)
• Muhammad had little protection from his family/tribe
• Some of his companions had to flee to Abyssinia (present-day Ethopia and Eritrea)

Is fighting required?

• War is the worst of human activities
• But not all war are bad e.g. fighting an evil dictator or regime
• War is one tool for transformational process to meet Muhammad's vision for monotheism in Arabia
• To fix jahiliyyah and bring about unity where no war would be required, the early Muslims would have to fight wars for few years
• Only then will Muslims will have security, become prosperous, be literate, flourish in commerce, and most importantly be god-fearing
• Muhammad sent people on multiple raids, often to capture camels, goats or horses of other tribes. And bringing them as a booty to build a sustainable economic system for his new community in Madinah
• Raids were often a way of training young men principles such as courage, discipline, teamwork, brotherhood, self sacrifice, etc., in preparation of upcoming greater war with Quraysh and hypocrites

"Islam spread by the sword"

• Yes, but only in territorial sense. Not in a religious sense as Islam strictly forbids injustice
• Muhammad's first 13 years were not 'Years of Peace' as some wrongly point out. Prophet's companions and families were murdered, tortured, beaten up, sold into slavery and boycotted. He himself was never beaten up but his people were
• Last 10 years in Madinah Muhammad didn't 'become violent'. Quraysh and idolaters did not let them live in peace so Muhammad had to launch military campaigns to defend his community
• Prophet was involved in 25-29 battles and physically fought in 9. He sent his army for expeditions to around 60 raids. A total of 80+ fights in 10 years, equating to around 8-a-year or a fight every 6 weeks
• Majority of these were defensive. Other battles were preemptive and can be justified
• For example, in the first battle, Battle of Badr, Prophet escaped Makkah as they were trying to kill him and his companions. They followed him to Madinah and fought him there
• He fought Arabian tribes and Romans. He was threatened by Persians and all sorts of people. His small community became a garrison community. They had to dig ditches around Madinah to protect themselves
• Muslims once raided a caravan carrying goods as they had left all their goods in Makkah and needed things to survive and to reclaim what was rightfully theirs
• We believe early Muslims went to help people who were living under tyranny and oppression. They were invited by non-Muslims to come and help them
• Muslims fought Persians and Romans to take land from them and bring justice to the people
• There are so many testimonies saying in Byzantine territory (e.g. Syria, Jordan, Palestine, Egypt) the people were inviting Muslims to remove the Roman Byzantine who were oppressing the people
• Muslim civilization gave breathing space to Jews and Christians (e.g. in Spain, Morocco)
• During the conquest of Makkah Muhammad entered with a huge army to fight against the Makkans who were persecuting him and his followers for 13 years, killing his companions, and fighting multiple battles. The opposition army was led by his distant cousin Abu Sufyan. However, when they surrendered, Muhammad let everyone go for free. He also allowed Abu Sufyan to tell his army and followers that there was no harm to them. This Arabic custom of allowing a tribal chief or army leader to proclaim defeat to his own people, helped the chief to maintain dignity in the eyes of his followers
• So at the height of his power, when he had the military means to slaughter his bitter enemies, Muhammad allowed his captives to go for free instead of killing them. Many of them accepted the faith and became Muslim. Those that didn't were also forgiven. Such was his compassion and mercy

"Kill the disbelievers" verse in Qur'an

• Al-Baqarah 2:191, An-Nisa 4:89 and At-Tawbah 9:5 wrongfully interpreted as Qur'an encouraging Muslim to persist in violence until disbelievers are converted to Islam or killed
• Al-Baqarah 2:191 refers to the 10-year peace treaty (Treaty of Hudaybiyyah) agreed between Muslims and their alliance and Quraysh and their alliance. One of Quraysh's alliance broke treaty by slaughtering Muslim alliance. Two weeks later Allah revealed the verses 190 - 193. He said to fight (v. 191) but not to transgress as Allah doesn't love transgressors (v. 190) and to show the enemies mercy if they surrender (v.192 & 193). So the verse isn't a license to kill everyone, but specifically about some murderers who broke a peace treaty through an act of terrorism during the Prophet's life. Interestingly, Muhammad made peace with Makkans and didn't kill anyone because of this verse
• An-Nisa 4:89 refers to hypocrites who ran away during Battle of Uhud and deserted the Muslim army. In martial law deserters are usually shot to death. Muslims were debating what to do: forgive or punish. So Allah told them not to be divided (v. 88) and not to take these hypocrites as allies and if they turn their swords on you, kill them (v. 89). So you can only do it in self-defence. And not to harm them if they withdraw or offer peace (v. 90)
• At-Tawbah 9:5 is similar to Al-Baqarah 2:191 in that there was a peace agreement with the polytheists or pagan Arabs but they broke it. So Allah commands Muslims to fight them - only those who broke the treaty and not those who upheld it (v. 4). But if the treaty-breakers seek protection then don't harm them either and escort them to safety (v. 6). This shows that even in situation of war there are ethics of war in Islam and forgiveness is encouraged by Allah
• At-Tawbah 9:5 was revealed in the context of Romans threatening to invade Arabia. It's an instruction on how to deal with hostile forces attacking Islam. The 'jizya' (tax paid by non-Muslims) is much lower than those paid by Muslims (who have to pay zakah, zakat al-fitr, and voluntary sadaqah). Also jizya not paid by those who are unable (e.g. women, children, old people, poor, etc.). In Islamic state, all citizens - Muslim or non-Muslim - have right to state services, social security, and defence security. Also non-Muslims not obligated to serve in Muslim army. Today, every country charges its citizen tax, so jizya is nothing different
• If Islam was bloodthirsty, there'd be no Jews or Christians living safely under Islamic rule for over 1,000 years in various Muslim countries
• However, if war is waged on Muslims, they have Allah's permission to fight back in self defence. And Allah is Most Capable of helping them win (Al-Hajj 22:39)
• When disbelievers are coming up with evil plan, remember Allah too is planning against them (Az-Zukhruf 43:79)
• In the Qur'an, there are repeated injunctions to mercy, to limit suffering, allow peace to happen. This is absent in the Bible

Qur'an against violence

• Our positive claim: If it wasn't for religion we'd all be extinct
• Every religion teaches thou shall not kill
• "An eye for an eye" is only in self defence. That's not the same as atheistic worldview of no morals, no values, we're all just atoms
• Islam cannot be spread by sword as it's against Allah's commands
• Killing one innocent person - regardless of their faith or culture - is like you've killed whole of humanity. Saving one person is like you saved whole of humanity (Al-Ma'idah 5:32)
• Allah says there's no compulsion in religion as truth stands clearly from falsehood (Al-Baqarah 2:256). And this verse is specifically taking about non-Muslims
• It's absolutely haram or forbidden to force people to accept Islam. Our task is only to convey the message. Guidance and reversion only comes from Allah
• If people want to accept Islam willingly, then let them accept it. If they don't want to accept it, then be kind to them (Al-Mumtahanah 60:8)
• When it was forced on people, the scholars of Islam were the first to stand up against this

Genocide encouraged in Bible

• In the minds of ordinary Christians and Jews, the Qur'an teaches warfare while the Bible teaches love, forgiveness and mercy
• Yet, Bible's dark passages are not as well known as they should be. Else Christians and Jews wouldn't be so confident as dismissing the Qur'an as a military manifesto, without ever reading it
• Bible, when looked at objectively, is far more violent than Qur'an. Not only in the bloodshed it describes, but the bloodshed it commands
• Moses fought offensive battles according to the Bible, attacking territories without provocation (Book of Numbers talks about massacres being committed)
• Moses commanded his army to kill women and children (2 Samuel 15:3)
• Lord orders total extermination of enemies, of families, women, children and babies and races and even their livestock (1 Samuel 15:1-4). In this chapter Saul rebuked by Prophet Samuel for not fully carrying out the genocide
• Some Christians (usually Evangelical and conservatives, not liberals) try to justify child killing by saying things like their parents were terrible, if the children had lived they would've grown up and taken vengeance on the Israelite, etc. The Nazis used the same excuse to kill Jewish children during the holocaust
• Encourages modern day suicide attack in Palestine (Judges 16:28-30)
• After children of Israel escape Egypt to settle in their new land in Canaan, God proclaims he'll "make my arrows drunk with blood, while my sword devours flesh" (Deuteronomy 32:40-42)
• Books of Joshua and Judges is full of military warfare, enslavement and race war where Moses authorises his army, once they reach Canaan, to annihilate everyone in the cities who'breathes. God commands show them no mercy
• Joshua, Moses successor, and his army killed 12,000 men and women of Ai and burned the city. He then hanged and crucified the king (Joshua 8)
• In the Bible God drives the believers to do worse and worse things on people
• Biblical violence is marked by indiscriminate savagery e.g. smash the skulls against the rocks of those who seize Babylon's infants (Psalms 137:9)
• God says anyone who curses their father or mother should be put to death (Matthew 15:3-4)
• Jesus of New Testament is the same God of Old Testament. So whatever God commands in Old Testament Jesus commanded
• Christians don't follow teaching of Old Testament but they still follow moral values of it
• All scripture is God-breathed and useful for teaching (2 Timothy 3:16). Paul was referring to Old Testament as it was the only scripture that existed then. So Paul is telling us to follow Jewish scripture with all its stories of genocide, not to ignore them as ancient stories
• Plenty of example where Christians have used the stories in the Bible to justify their mass killing. Everyone is an Amalekite or Canaanite to somebody. Massacres include the crusades, 16th and 17th century killing in Europe, colonists in Americas and Africa
• Exodus myth: exodus portrayed as the vision of escaping oppression and building a holy realm in new discovered lands. Instead exodus from Egypt lead to conquest of Canaan and rooting up native peoples - like they did with native Americans in USA, aborigines in Australia, and black Africans in South Africa
• Muhammad didn't do anything like Moses, Joshua, and other Israelite prophets of Old Testament
• We Muslims reject the wrongful actions attributed to prophets in the Bible such as Moses, Joshua, Jesus, etc. We believe they're pious people and free from sin. These passages in Bible were not revealed by God but instead added by historians to inflate the machoism of Israelite prophets

Bringing about higher moral compass and worship of one true God

• Muhammad encouraged and brought a level of piety and moral conduct that bothered people
• Muhammad believed in absolute monotheism. There wasn't one supreme God and many smaller gods, but simply just one God
• No dualism in Islam (i.e. equal and opposite type of power), like you found in a variant of Hinduism or Zoroastrianism at the time
• Prophet had great respect for the People of the Books (i.e. Christians and Jews, amongst others)
• But Christians in Arabia at the time were only Trinitarians. There was no Unitarians
• Yet the Qur'an still allowed Muslim men to marry Christian women because of their love for Allah and Jesus. But major differences between the two faiths addressed in chapter 2 Al-Baqarah