Through Force or Faith? — Page 119
Chapter 2 — Islamic Teachings about Jihad 119 also shows that this jihad was the striving against the self and striving with Quran, that is, the propagation and dissemination of teachings brought by the Quran, which was ongoing with utmost zeal and passion in spite of every kind of oppression and perse- cution, and the Holy Prophet Muhammad s as was receiving such verses in which the infidels were being challenged boldly and this grand proclamation was being blazoned: َو ۤاَل ْمُتْنَا َنْوُدِبٰع ۤاَم ُدُبْعَا ْمُكَل ْمُكُنْيِد َو َيِل ِنْيِدْلُق اَهُّيَاٰۤي َنْوُرِفٰكْلا ۤاَل ُدُبْعَا اَم َنْوُدُبْعَت َو ۤاَل ْمُتْنَا َنْوُدِبٰع ۤاَم ُدُبْعَا َو ۤاَل اَنَا ٌدِباَع اَّم ْمُّتْدَبَع Say, ‘O ye disbelievers! ‘I worship not that which you worship, ‘Nor worship you what I worship. ‘And I am not going to worship that which you worship, ‘Nor will you worship what I worship. ‘For you your religion, and for me my religion’. ( S u rah al-K a fir u n, 109:1–7) From the above mentioned verses, it is quite evident that Pope’s assertion is totally false because the jihad was ongoing in the period of weakness too and it was jihad of propagation and proc- lamation of the faith. Moreover, it also proves that Islam has never considered war as the primary form of jihad. On the contrary, it was the jihad of propagation and proclamation of faith that was foremost for it; about which there is the permanent injunction of Islam in emphatic words that coercion is not justified in any circumstance, Quran says: ْمُتْمَلْسَاَء١ؕ ْنِاَف اْوُمَلْسَا ِدَقَف اْوَدَتْها١ۚ َو ْنِا اْوَّلَوَت اَمَّنِاَف َكْيَلَع ُغٰلَبْلا١ؕ َو ُهّٰللا ٌۢرْيِصَب ِداَبِعْلاِبْنِاَف َكْوُّجٓاَح ْلُقَف ُتْمَلْسَا َيِهْجَو ِهّٰلِل َو ِنَم ِنَعَبَّتا١ؕ َو ْلُق َنْيِذَّلِّل اوُتْوُا َبٰتِكْلا َو َنّٖيِّمُاْلا But if they dispute with thee, say, ‘I have submitted myself