The Life & Character of the Seal of Prophets (sa) - Volume II — Page 53
II - Commencement of Jihād by the Sword & Fundamental Discussion on Jihād 53 son of Umayyah bin Khalf, a chieftain of the Quraish, and who was a staunch enemy of Islām, did not become a Muslim at the Victory of Makkah either. It was in this very state of disbelief that he sided with the Holy Prophet sa , and participated in the Ghazwah of Ḥunain. Many other idolaters also took part in this war. However, gradually the truth of Islām began to manifest itself upon him due to the beautiful character of the Holy Prophet sa and then, ultimately, he became a Muslim at his own will. 1 Now the question is that if the Holy Prophet sa and his Companions would forcefully convert people to Islām, why were people not coerced to enter Islām after the Victory of Makkah, when the Quraish had lost their strength completely, and the Muslim army was dominant? After the Victory of Makkah, what better opportunity could the Muslims have found for their forceful propagation, when a very large community could have been made to enter Islām at the slightest wave of the sword? However, Islām brought a message of religious freedom and it was ordered that there should be no compulsion in the matter of religion. Therefore, it was with utmost honesty that the Holy Prophet sa and his Companions left every single individual free to his own conscience, so that everyone could follow the religion of their choosing. However, Islām was not such a religion that, if the idolaters of Arabia were to receive an opportunity to calmly contemplate, they would not be won over by its qualities in comparison to their own religion. Hence, it was not the iron sword, but the sword of argumentation and signs, which did its work and in a very short time, the region of Arabia was cleansed of the element of polytheism. Causes of War Now the question which arises relates to the circumstances and people against whom the Muslims were permitted to engage in a Jihād of the sword, and what were its causes. In response to this question, we need not say anything of our own accord. The historical accounts are clear and by studying them an individual who possesses even the slightest insight can reach the correct conclusion, provided that his eyes are not covered by the 1 * Al-Iṣābah Fī Tamīziṣ-Ṣaḥābah, By Aḥmad bin ‘Alī bin Ḥajar Al-‘Asqalānī, Volume 3, pp. 349-351, Ṣafwān bin Umayyah, Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon (2005) * Usdul-Ghābah Fī Ma‘rifatiṣ-Ṣaḥābah, By ‘Izzuddīn Ibnul-Athīr Abul-Ḥasan ‘Alī bin Muḥammad, Volume 2, pp. 420-421, Ṣafwān bin Umayyah, Dārul-Fikr, Beirut, Lebanon (2003) * Al-Istī‘āb Fī Ma‘rifatil-Aṣḥāb, By Abū ‘Umar Yūsuf bin ‘Abdillāh, Volume 2, pp. 274-275, Ṣafwān bin Umayyah, Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon (2002)