Understanding Islam — Page 78
WHAT IS JIHAD? 76 Call unto the way of thy Lord with wisdom and goodly exhortation, and argue with them in a way that is best. Surely, thy Lord knows best who has strayed from His way; and He knows those who are rightly guided. 29 As a result, the Holy Quran has left no room whatsoever for forcing others to convert to the faith of Islam. Some critics hint that the greatest expansion of Islam happened during the years of warfare and conquest, but this claim does not hold up to historical scrutiny. Islam was spreading during the early Makkan years so much so that it raised alarm among Makkan leaders, which in itself became one of the biggest reasons why they started persecuting them. Later on, Muslims migrated to Mad ī nah and that was also because Islam had spread to Mad ī nah and it was a place where the persecuted Muslims of Makkah could find a safe haven. All of this increase in their numbers happened prior to any warfare. Then, the wars started and although the number of Muslims kept on increasing but it was in a comparatively limited way. It was only when the Treaty of Hudaibiyya