Lives of the Companions Reject the Notion of Compulsion — Seal of the Prophets Vol. 2
Introduction
In this discourse from The Life & Character of the Seal of the Prophets (Volume 2), Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad (ra) details the historical events and scholarly insights surrounding Lives of the Companions Reject the Notion of Compulsion.
Book Series: The Life & Character of the Seal of the Prophets (Volume 2)
Author: Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad (ra)
Section: II – Commencement of Jihad by the Sword and Fundamental Discussion on Jihād
Pages: Book pp. 48–49 (PDF pp. 72–73)
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Historical Account
Then, there are certain signs of faith by which an individual is recognized, and they can never be instilled in a person who has been converted to Islām by force of the sword. For example, true faith possesses love, it possesses sincerity, it possesses sacrifice and indignation. It is impossible for these qualities to be found in an individual whose faith is merely a faith of display, and who expresses a certain belief merely due to fear, while the heart of such a person remains devoid of faith. Therefore, we should study the lives of the Companions and then determine whether their state appears to be like that of such people, whose religion had been altered by the might of the sword? Does their faith not possess the fragrance of love? Do their hearts appear to be devoid of sincerity? Did they not possess the spirit of sacrifice? Does it seem as if there is a lack of indignation within them? If this is not the case -and indeed it is not -and all of these signs exist within the Companions, and not only that, but exist to an exceptional standard and every achievement
of their lives is a testimony to their faith, sincerity, love of Islām, sacrifice and indignation, how great an injustice would it be to doubt the truthfulness of their faith. Do not go far, take the example of ‘Ikramah bin Abī Jahl. His father, Abū Jahl, was thirsty for the blood of the Holy Prophetsa, and perished in this very pursuit. Even the state of ‘Ikramah himself was such that he fought against the Holy Prophetsa in every war, and exerted all his efforts to wipe out Islām. Eventually, at the occasion of the Victory of Makkah he fled from Makkah, considering subservience to the Holy Prophetsa as being a cause for humiliation. Historians write that he was among those people whom the Holy Prophetsa had ordered to be executed. However, when he finally became Muslim, the state of his faith and sincerity was such that in the reign of Ḥaḍrat Abū Bakrra, he exhibited unparalleled sacrifices in order to uproot the rebels. During a war when an occasion of brutal carnage ensued, and people were being slaughtered as though grass being cut with a scythe, ‘Ikramah took a few companions and leaped into the heart of the army. Various people attempted to hold him back saying, “Right now the war has taken a dangerous turn, it is not wise to enter the enemy ranks in this manner,” but ‘Ikramah did not stand down. He would move forward saying, “I fought against Muḥammadsa for the sake of Lāt and ‘Uzzā. Today I shall not stand back from fighting in the way of God.” At the completion of battle, his corpse was found severely pierced by spears and sword wounds. His financial sacrifices were such that when ‘Ikramah would receive a portion from the spoils of war, he would readily spend it on charity, alms, and in the service of faith. He would often say that, “There was a time when I would spend in opposition to the religion of God, but now I am not put to ease until I spend in His cause.” Are these the people who were converted to Islām by fear of the sword?
[Al-Iṣābatu Fī Tamīziṣ-Ṣaḥābah, By Aḥmad bin ‘Alī bin Ḥajar Al-‘Asqalānī, Volume 4 (Tatimmah ‘Ain), pp. 443-444, ‘Ikramah bin Abī Jahl, Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon (2005) * Usdul-Ghābah Fī Ma‘rifatiṣ-Ṣaḥābah, By ‘Izzuddīn Ibnul-Athīr Abul-Ḥasan ‘Alī bin Muḥammad, Volume 3, pp. 566-569, ‘Ikramah bin Abī Jahl, Dārul-Fikr, Beirut, Lebanon (2003) * Al-Istī‘āb Fī Ma‘rifatil-Aṣḥāb, By Abū ‘Umar Yūsuf bin ‘Abdillāh, Volume 3, pp. 190-192, ‘Ikramah bin Abī Jahl, Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon (2002)]
Desire of the Holy Prophetsa to Reconcile Rejects the Notion of Compulsion
Another proof that these wars of the Holy Prophetsa were not for the purpose of converting people to Islām by force, is that he would always desire
Book Series: The Life & Character of the Seal of the Prophets (Volume 2)
Section: II – Commencement of Jihad by the Sword and Fundamental Discussion on Jihād | Navigation: « Previous: [No Individual Has Ever Been Coerced to Become Muslim] | Next: [Desire of the Holy Prophet (sa) to Reconcile Rejects the Notion of Compulsion] »