The Holy War — Page 249
Proceedings—Debate 3 June 1893 249 murdered innocent victims, unleashing brutal torture upon them. And just as they had expelled the Muslims from their homes and heaped destruction upon them, and taken possession of their wealth and prop- erties and homes, the same should be done to them. However, just as God Almighty had given them some exemption, saying that their chil- dren and women should not be killed, so did He permit that if anyone of them becomes a believer on his own before he is killed, such shall be saved from the punishment which he had become liable for by virtue of his previous crimes and the shedding of blood. The Holy Quran is filled with such statements just like this very verse that I have presented. And together with this, there is this other verse as well: 1 (17/13)— َنْيِذَّلَا اْوُجِرْخُا ْنِم ْمِهِراَيِد ِرْيَغِب ٍّقَح ۤاَّلِا ْنَا اْوُلْوُقَّي اَنُّبَر ُهّٰللا Meaning that: Alas those oppressed who have been driven out of their homes unjustly only because they said, ‘Our Lord is Allah’. Then, after this, I present this verse: 2 َو ْمُهْوُلِتاَق ىّٰتَح اَل َنْوُكَت ٌةَنْتِف َّو َنْوُكَي ُنْيِّدلا ٗهُّلُك ِهّٰلِل Meaning that kill those idolaters of Arabia until no rebellion remains and religion—meaning governance—becomes wholly for Allah. How is compulsion deduced from this? All that can be found from this is that you fight them until their power is broken and mischief and disorder are lifted, so that those people who had secretly embraced Islam should also be able to follow its commandments openly. If it had been the desire of Allah, the Lord of Glory, that faith should be forced upon people, as Deputy sahib is understanding things, then why were Jizyah [taxes], reconciliations, and treaties made allowable? And why were the Christians and Jews permitted to live in peace by paying 1. S u rah al- H ajj, 22:41 [Publisher] 2. S u rah al-Anf a l, 8:40 [Publisher]