Through Force or Faith? — Page 132
?— A Reply to Pope Benedict XVI 132 At another place, this subject is described with further detail: اْوُّدَو ْوَل َنْوُرُفْكَت اَمَك اْوُرَفَك َنْوُنْوُكَتَف ًءٓاَوَس They wish that you should disbelieve as they have disbe- lieved, so that you may become alike. ( S u rah an-Nis a ’, 4:90) Ibn ‘Umar ra has elaborated this subject, presented by the Holy Quran, by saying: ُ ُون َ فِتْنَۃ ٌ ، قال َ ابن ك َ َ ت ل ى َّ قول ُ و َ قَاتِلُوهُم ْ حَت ي َ هللا َّ عَن ْ اْبْن ِ عمر َ (رضي هللا عنه) أن ُفتن ُ في ي ان الرجل ك ً ف ل م ُ قلی ل ان الإ س ك ْ ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص إذ هللا ِ ٰ عهد رسول ى ٌ عمر َ قد فعلنا عل ُن فتنَۃ ك َ م ُ فلَم ت ل ثُر َ الإ س ك ى ُوثقونہ ُ حت ي نہ, إمَّا يقتلونه ُ و إمّا ي د Allah, the Exalted, says, ‘Fight these infidels who fight with you until there is no oppression left in the land. About it, Ibn ‘Umar says, We implemented this commandment of God in this way that in the times of the Messenger of Allah, when Muslims were very few and anyone who accepted Islam was persecuted, in the path of faith, by the infidels; Some were killed and some were incarcer- ated. But when Muslims gained in number, new converts faced no persecution. ( Bukh ā rī , Book of Commentary, on S u rah al-Anf a l, 8:40) Sanction of War of Self-Defence These were the adversities Muslims faced and they tolerated them with remarkable patience and fortitude for almost fifteen years