Ahmadiyyat - The Renaissance of Islam — Page 125
THE REN AISSANCE OF ISLAM 125 positively and repeatedly lay stress upon the obligation of every Muslim to strive constantly in the cause of Allah with all his faculties and resources. For instance, it is said: '0 ye who believe, bow down and prostrate yourselves in Prayer, and worship your Lord, and work righteousnes that you may prosper. Strive in the cause of Allah a perfect striving, for He has exalted you and has laid no hardship upon you in the matter of religion' (22:78--9). Again the Prophet was commanded: 'So do not give way to the disbelievers and put forth against them by means of the Quran a great effort' (25:53). It needs to be noted that this verse was revealed at Mecca, when there was no question of taking up arms in defence. Another verse, also revealed in Mecca, says: 'We will surely guide in Our ways those who strive after Us' (29:70). There are many other verses in the Holy Quran that urge the Muslims to strive in the cause of Allah with their belongings and their lives. The Arabic expression for striving isjehad, and no doubt when after the migration to Medina the Muslims were per- mitted to take up arms for the purpose of repelling the aggression of the Quraish and of other tribes, fighting in the cause of Allah became one of the forms of striving in His path. The object of such fighting was not to compel anyone to believe in Islam, but to frustrate the designs of the Quraish and other hostile tribes to stamp out Islam and to force the Muslims to repudiate their allegiance to it. Unfortunately, however, in the course of the centuries when spiritual and moral values began to suffer a decline, an impression gradually gained ground that to force a person at the point of the sword to declare himself a Muslim was a highly meritorious act and was an obligation imposed upon every Muslim as part of his faith. This was a fundamental and most harmful error. The verses cited above, and there are many others to the same effect, establish quite clearly that no kind of compulsion in matters of religion is permissible in Islam. The Holy Prophet, peace be on him, has also made it clear