Murder in the Name of Allah — Page 12
CHAPTER 2. THE PREACHING OF ISLAM:. TWO CONFLICTING VIEWS 1 When every method of persuasion (over 13 years of preaching) had failed, the Prophet sa took to the sword. . . that sword removed evil and mischief, the impurities of the heart and the filth of the soul. The sword did something more. It removed their blindness - they could see the light of truth and it also cured them of their arrogance; arrogance which prevents people from accepting the truth. . . stiff necks and proud heads bowed with humility. . Maulana Abul Ala Maududi. Muhammad preached Islam with a sword in one hand and the Quran in the other. . Prof. Wilfred Cantwell Smith 2 The critics are blind. They cannot see that the only sword Muhammad wielded was the sword of mercy, compassion, friendship and forgiveness - the sword that conquers enemies and purifies hearts. His sword was sharper than the sword of steel. . Gyanandra Dev Sharma Shastri. These are two conflicting views about the way in which the message of. Islam was conveyed to the world. Critics, especially orientalists, claim that the wars the Prophet of Islam fought were offensive wars and that people were converted by force. According to objective historians, however, this view is not upheld by the facts. The Prophetsª did not use force to preach and all the battles he fought were defensive. The expansion of Islam was due to the Prophet's spiritual and moral power. . Nevertheless, the view that Islam was spread by force is, unfortunately, held by some Muslim leaders. They, like the orientalists, divide the life of the Prophets into Meccan and Medinite periods. They maintain 12