The major religions in the world each have one very special Prophet or figure that they consider the holiest.

In Christianity for instance, it is obviously Jesus.

Judaism…Moses.

And so on.

In the previous article "Brief Biography of Prophet Muhammad (PBUHH)", we spoke briefly about his blessed biography and some of the major events that occurred in his life. However, in this article we will focus the methods which Prophet Muhammad used in propagating Islam. 

Prophet Muhammad, the one who introducd Islam to the arrogant and ignorant Arabs of that time, became Islam’s most prominent figure.

But, how did this religion become one of the top five religions in the world?

How did all this start?
 

“The only reason Islam is a world religion is because it spread by the sword”.

This is a common accusation made against Muslims and Islam in general.

This is a hot topic that causes so much debate, it is appropriate to analyze and study this topic to better understand whether it is valid or not.

In the city of Mecca about 610 AD, the Almighty God appointed Muhammad, the chosen one (al-Mustafa), with no official education to be His last Messenger to mankind. The message and the religion that was introduced to man through Muhammad, was called Islam.

Islam completely changed the intellectual outlook of Arabia, so much so that it divided the history of Arabs into pre-Islamic era known as the era of Ignorance, and the post Islamic era. Within a span of 23 years Prophet Muhammad transformed the barbarous and impious Arabs into a civilized and religious nation. During his life and also after his death, Muslims took the message of Islam to every corner of the world and within a few years Muslims became the super power of the era.

In its early stages when Prophet Muhammad, his wife Khadija and his cousin Ali were the only monotheists on earth, Prophet Muhammad prophesized that “a time shall come when there will be no house on earth whether made of mod or wool but the Almighty Allah will admit the Word of Islam into it.”

The rise of Islam was the most amazing event in human history. It intiated from a desert amidst illiterate people with no civilization, yet within a century built the then most advanced and vast human civilization.

Islam, like Christianity, is a proselytizing religion, meaning that followers of these religions believe that it is their duty to share their religion and try to convert others to their religion.

However, some people believe that the Prophet forced others to convert by sword.

We will mention these important points and we’ll let you decide for yourself.

Let us first look at the issue of “conversion by force” from the Qur'anic perspective.

The Qur'an is very clear on this issue:

“There is no compulsion in religion; verily the guidance has become clear from the error. So whosoever rejects the idol and believes in God, he has laid hold onto the most firm rope which will not break; God is All-hearing, All-knowing.” (2:256)

There can be no force in accepting Islam; Islam wants sincere believers, not hypocrites. By forced conversion, you only increase the numbers of hypocrites, not the number of true believers.

The Prophet of Islam has also been mentioned as a reminder, not as a person who forces Islam upon others:

“Therefore, you remind (them), for you are only a reminder; you are not a controller over them.” (88:21-22)

The life of the Prophet Muhammad may be divided into two parts:

(a) first thirteen years of the Prophet's mission in Mecca,

(b) the last eleven years of his life in Medina.

1. In Mecca

The first thirteen years of the Prophet's mission passed in Mecca. He and the Muslims were a minority in Mecca; and so force was inconceivable and a historical impossibility. It was persecution that forced him to migrate from Mecca to Medina.

2. In Medina

The last eleven years, the Prophet lived in Medina. The majority of the people of Medina -belonging to the tribes of Aws and Khazraj- had accepted Islam prior to the Prophet's migration to that city. Obviously, this acceptance or conversion of the people of Medina could not have been achieved by force! The Prophet and his followers in Mecca had no means to physically convert the people of Medina. Islam spread in Medina through propagation only.

Once he settled in Medina, the Prophet realized that there was a minority Jewish community in that city that had no inclination to accept Islam. He met them and invited them to a pact with the Muslims so that each religious group in Medina knew its rights and obligations. The relevant part of the charter reads as follows:

The Jews who enter into this covenant shall be protected from all insults and displeasures; they shall have an equal right as our own people to our assistance and good offices. The Jews of the various branches of 'Aws, Najjar, Harith, Jashim, Tha'labah, Aws, and all others residing in Yathrib (i.e., Medina) shall form with the Muslims one composite nation.

They shall practice in their religion as freely as the Muslims.

The allies of the Jews shall enjoy the same security and freedom. The guilty shall be pursued and punished. The Jews shall join the Muslims in defending Yathrib (i.e., Medina) against all enemies. The interior of Yathrib shall be a sacred place for all who accept this Charter. The clients and allies of the Muslims and of the Jews shall be as respected as the principals…

This clearly shows that the Prophet did not force people to accept Islam, rather he promoted peaceful co-existence with followers of other faiths.

The Wars During the Prophet’s Life

What about the battles that the Prophet Muhammad fought after he established his political power in Medina? Was that for the purpose of imposing Islam upon others?

Let us briefly look at the major battles of that era:

2 AH, The Battle of Badr

Muslims confronted the Meccan forces at Badr—80 miles from Medina, and 200 miles from Mecca. The location and the circumstances are quite clear that the Meccan infidels were the aggressors.

3 AH, The Battle of Uhud

Named after a mountain just outside Medina. Meccans came to extract revenge for the defeat in Badr.

5 AH, The Battle of Ahzab (or Khandaq)

The Meccan unbelievers, in alliance with the Jews of northern Arabia, came to attack the Muslims in Medina.

6 AH, The Peace-Treaty of Hudaybiyya

In the 6th year after the Prophet's migration, accompanied by Muslims, he decided to go for pilgrimage to Mecca. The infidels prevented the Muslims from entering the city of Mecca. After lengthy negotiations, both parties signed a peace treaty for the term of ten years.

The implications of this peace treaty were very far-reaching:

Firstly, until the signing of this treaty, the Muslims were mostly busy in defending themselves against the Meccans (their external enemies) and the Jews (their internal enemies).

Secondly, only after the signing of this treaty, did the Muslims feel safe and secure enough to travel to regions and countries outside Medina. The peace-treaty gave Muslims the opportunity to start an organized campaign to propagate Islam among surrounding tribes and countries.

Thirdly, from the 6th year of the Prophet's migration to the 9th year, so much propagation and missionary work had occurred that almost the entire Arabian Peninsula came into the fold of Islam–without the force of sword!

9 AH, the Conquest of Mecca

Only when the Meccans violated the conditions of the peace-treaty, did the Muslims take over the city of Mecca without bloodshed—thereafter, in 9th AH, Mecca was declared as a holy city where idol-worshipping was forbidden.

Even then the idol-worshippers of Mecca were given four months' grace period to stay and study Islam. If they were still not convinced of Islam's message, then they were to be asked to leave the holy territory of Mecca. (See the Qur'an Surah at-Tawba, 9:3)

Two Phases of Prophet Muhammad's Life

First Phase: Meccan era of the first 13 years. He was in a minority, and so force not possible.

Second Phase: Medina era of the last 11 years of his life.

1st to 6th year: defending against the aggression of the Meccan forces and their allies.

7th to 9th year: propagation & outreach to others resulting in conversion of almost the entire Arabian Peninsula

In all such cases, we see that neither sword nor force was used to convert people to Islam. Especially for the Jews and the Christians —whom Islam recognizes as Ahlul Kitab— Islam guaranteed them freedom of their faith and religious practices under Islamic rule.

Years after years, more people have converted to the religion of peace.

Today, there are nearly 1.7 billion Muslims in the world and the number is going up.

Now you know why.

So, no, Islam did not spread by sword, it spread through the message of the Holy Prophet as it is the most righteous.