Through Force or Faith? — Page 114
?— A Reply to Pope Benedict XVI 114 Jauzi (died A. H. 751 / A. D. 1350) writes in the commentary of this verse: Strive mightily with Quran. This chapter belongs to Meccan period and in it, jihad means striving by propaga- tion and argumentation. ( Tafs i r ibn Qayyim, vol. 3, p. 212) In the Holy Quran, the injunction to convey [the message] is found repeatedly and with great emphasis. The purpose is to deliver mankind from darkness and error by carrying the light of Islamic teachings to it. Therefore, there is this injunction from the Lord, in the Holy Quran: ُعْدُا ىٰلِا ِلْيِبَس َكِّبَر ِةَمْكِحْلاِب َو ِةَظِعْوَمْلا ِةَنَسَحْلا َو ْمُهْلِداَج ْيِتَّلاِب َيِه ُنَسْحَا١ؕ Call unto the way of thy Lord with wisdom and goodly exhortation and argue with them in a way that is best. ( S u rah an-Na h l, 16:126) That is, to invite the wise from among the opponents to the path of your Lord with such convincing arguments that their doubts are removed, and for the ordinary people from among the oppo- nents, put forth easy-to-understand arguments because they are not capable of discerning subtleties, and with the stubborn among the opponents, argue gently so that they do not recoil further away from Islam in their antagonism.