Was Islam Spread By Sword?

[Rehmat]

The western non-Muslim – both historians and intellectuals are at loss to prove that Islam was spread - <b>not by PEACEFUL MEANS but by SWORD</b>.


Allow me to expose this <b>Jewish Myth</b> in detail:


Islam comes from the root word ‘salaam’, which means peace. It also means submitting one’s will to Allah (swt). Thus Islam is a religion of peace, which is acquired by submitting one’s will to the will of the Supreme Creator, Allah (swt).


Each and every human being in this world is not in favour of maintaining peace and harmony. There are many, who would disrupt it for their own vested interests. Sometimes force has to be used to maintain peace. It is precisely for this reason that we have the police who use force against criminals and anti-social elements to maintain peace in the country. Islam promotes peace. At the same time, Islam exhorts it followers to fight where there is oppression. The fight against oppression may, at times, require the use of force. In Islam force can only be used to promote peace and justice.


The best reply to the misconception that Islam was spread by the sword is given by the noted historian De Lacy O’Leary in the book "Islam at the cross road" -: "History makes it clear however, that the legend of fanatical Muslims sweeping through the world and forcing Islam at the point of the sword upon conquered races is one of the most fantastically absurd myth that historians have ever repeated."


Muslims ruled Spain for about 800 years. The Muslims in Spain never used the sword to force the Christian and Jew SERFS (Slaves) to convert. Later the Christian Crusaders came to Spain and wiped out over five million Muslims and Jews. There was not a single Muslim in Spain who could openly give the Adhan,


Muslims were the lords of Arabia for a long time. For a few century the British and the French ruled. Overall, the Muslims ruled Arabia for 1400 years. Yet today, there are 20 million Arabs who are Coptic Christians. If the Muslims had used the sword there would not have been a single Arab who would have remained a Christian.


Indonesia is a country that has the maximum number of Muslims in the world. The majority of people in Malaysia are Muslims. May one ask, "Which Muslim army went to Indonesia and Malaysia?"


The famous historian, Thomas Carlyle, in his book "Heroes and Hero worship", refers to this misconception about the spread of Islam: "The sword indeed, but where will you get your sword? Every new opinion, at its starting is precisely in a minority of one. In one man’s head alone. There it dwells as yet. One man alone of the whole world believes it, there is one man against all men. That he takes a sword and try to propagate with that, will do little for him. You must get your sword! On the whole, a thing will propagate itself as it can."


Today the fastest growing religion in America is Islam. The fastest growing religion in Europe in Islam - Which sword is forcing people in the West to accept Islam in such large numbers?

[reepicheep]

I've read lots of conflicting stuff, written by Muslims, about the topic of Jihad and whether Islam was "spread by the sword". I don't know which Muslims to believe.


One Muslim fatwa website which seems to be very respected by Muslims can be found at www.islam-qa.com. Here are a couple of fatwas from that site. This web site not only claims that Islam was spread by the sword, but also calls for Muslims to rise up in physical Jihad:


Question #34830: Ruling on physical jihad


Question #43087: Was Islam spread by the sword?


I'm curious: do any of you agree with these fatwas? Or perhaps a better question is: what do you think of the www.islam-qa.com website? Does it accurately portray Islamic beliefs?

[Muslimah]

Bismillah


Peace reepi


I didnt read the fatwas, but I am aware of this site.


Now u may browse this board for numerous threads on Jihad and Qital (this is the physical fighting). Also there is another thread on this topic which is Islam and sowrd.


As for fighting we are commanded in Quran to fight those who fight us. Just to be brief. If the fatwa is calling for Jihad, it does so to deter the enemies off Muslim land. I mean we must defend ourselves against physical aggression.


reepi btw I saw u discussing about the jews on another thread


I know this may be off topic but u r a catholic right? it means u belive that Jesus died on the cross. waiting for an answer.

[reepicheep]

Muslimah wrote:


> I know this may be off topic but u r a catholic right?


No, I'm not Roman Catholic. I'm a Lutheran. More specifically, I belong to a group called "Lutheran Church Canada" which is the Canadian arm of the larger "Lutheran Church Missouri Synod" in the USA.


Incidently, the word "catholic" can be used two ways. When the letter "C" is capitalized, then


Catholic = Roman Catholic Church


When the letter "c" is lower case, then


catholic = universal


So, as a Christian I believe I am a member of the catholic Christian church (i.e., the "universal church" which all Christians belong to). But I don't belong to the Roman Catholic church.


The reason I bring this up is that, on occasion, I have encountered Muslims who are confused between the terms catholic and Catholic. I figured it wouldn't hurt to clarify the two meanings of the word.

[reepicheep]

Rehmat wrote:


> That's Funny. My Padre in Catholic school told me:


>


> catholic = Based on Christ's teachings (Nazarene Jews)


>


> Catholic = Based on St. Paul's teachings


Your Padre was wrong.

[Rehmat]

Your Padre was wrong.

What you think of this Jew-to-Christian-to-Muslim


Since becoming Muslim, I was asked, time and again: "Why did you embrace Islam ? What was it that attracted you particularly ?" -- and I must confess: I don't know of any satisfactory answer. It was not any particular teaching that attracted me, but the whole wonderful, inexplicably coherent structure of moral teaching and practical life programme. I could not say, even now, which aspect of it appeals to me more than any other. Islam appears to me like a perfect work of architecture. All its parts are harmoniously conceived to complement and support each other: nothing is superfluous and nothing lacking, with the result of an absolute balance and solid composure. Probably this feeling that everything in the teachings and postulates of Islam is "in its proper place," has created the strongest impression on me. There might have been, along with it, other impressions also which today it is difficult for me to analyse. After all, it was a matter of love; and love is composed of many things; of our desires and our loneliness, of our high aims and our shortcomings, of our strength and our weakness. So it was in my case. Islam came over me like a robber who enters a house by night; but, unlike a robber, it entered to remain for good.


Ever since then I endeavoured to learn as much as I could about Islam. I studied the Qur'an and the Traditions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him); I studied the language of Islam and its history, and a good deal of what has been written about it and against it. I spent over five years in the Hijaz and Najd, mostly in al-Madinah, so that I might experience something of the original surroundings in which this religion was preached by the Arabian Prophet. As the Hijaz is the meeting centre of Muslims from many countries, I was able to compare most of the different religious and social views prevalent in the Islamic world in our days. Those studies and comparisons created in me the firm conviction that Islam, as a spiritual and social phenomenon, is still in spite of all the drawbacks caused by the deficiencies of the Muslims, by far the greatest driving force mankind has ever experienced; and all my interest became, since then, centred around the problem of its regeneration.


From "Islam, Our Choice" by Leopold Weiss – A Jew scholar converted to Islam an took the name - Muhammad Asad (1900 - 1992)


Iz he not <b>COOL</b>

[Muslimah]

Muslimah wrote:
> I know this may be off topic but u r a catholic right?


No, I'm not Roman Catholic. I'm a Lutheran. More specifically, I belong to a group called "Lutheran Church Canada" which is the Canadian arm of the larger "Lutheran Church Missouri Synod" in the USA.

Bismillah


Peace reepi till u come back Insh a Allah


u answered half of the question but not the other half I think u knew the implication.


By virtue of any sect, u do believe that Jesus (may Allah forgive me for saying this) died on the cross dont u????

[Shereen]

Today the fastest growing religion in America is Islam. The fastest growing religion in Europe in Islam - Which sword is forcing people in the West to accept Islam in such large numbers?

Indeed a very good question who say that Islam was spread by sword. Good topic

[Anyabwile]

<i>"History makes it clear that the legend of fanatical Muslims sweeping through the world and forcing Islam at the point of the sword upon conqured races is one of the most fantastically absurd myths the historians have ever repeated"</i>


That kind of says it all...fantastically absurd...love it. I've never ever heard of any Muslim claiming Islam was srpead by the sword. Even if they did say this, i wouldn't agree with it or think they know their history to well. As no one else who's a serious and honest historian or who has read books by serious and honest historians, seems to agree with this notion of Islam being spread by the sword. I think as Shereen pointed out Rehmat kind of ended this debate nicely anyhow.

[Muslimah]

Bismillah


as salam alykom


I am here to echo both Anya's and shereen's opinion.


and I am waiting for reepi to come back on 31st. Insh a Allah