Through Force or Faith? — Page 168
?— A Reply to Pope Benedict XVI 168 were intended to conquer land and amass wealth. ( Al-Kindy, The Apology, Translated by W. Muir, Society for the Promotion of Christian Knowledge, Second Edition, London, UK, 1887, p. 46. CG Pfander: Mizan al-Haqq. Religious Tract Society, London, UK, 1910, p. 353) Third: The third category of objections goes even beyond. It alleges that the Holy Prophet s as fought wars to eliminate his reli- gious opposition and to force people into accepting his faith. In this vein, it is alleged that as long as Muslims remained weak, they preached peace but no sooner did they gain power, they started wars, rampage and pillage, and Islam spread due to coercion and sword. This is the objection that the Pope, while quoting an excerpt from the dialogue of the Emperor Manuel and adding his own remarks which are false anyway, has put forward. (CG Pfander: Mizan ul Haqq,. Religious Tract Society, London, UK, 1910, p. 354. Al-Kindy, The Apology, Translated by W Muir, Society for the Promotion of Christian Knowledge, Second Edition, London, UK, 1887, p. 100. EM Wherry: The Quran, London, Trübner & Co, 1882, vol. 1, p. 84. E Gibbon: Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Edited by JB Bury, New York, Frank De Fau & Company, 1906, vol. 9, Chapter 50, p. 65. ) In the following, all three categories of objections shall be answered from the authentic books and Islamic sources. In this context, we shall first present the Holy Quran, which is argua- bly the most authentic and contemporary document about the teachings of the Holy Prophet s as and his life. It will show the atti- tude of the Holy Prophet s as and his followers in his time vis-à-vis the wars. Moreover, it tells us the historic backdrop of that time.