Through Force or Faith? — Page 126
?— A Reply to Pope Benedict XVI 126 coercion or terrorism. Because of this state of Muslims, Allah, the Exalted, exhorts them at another place saying: اَنَّل ْنِم َكْنُدَّل اًرْيِصَنَنْوُلْوُقَي ۤاَنَّبَر اَنْجِرْخَا ْنِم ِهِذٰه ِةَيْرَقْلا ِمِلاَّظلا اَهُلْهَا١ۚ َو ْلَعْجا اَنَّل ْنِم َكْنُدَّل اًّيِلَو١ۙۚ َّو ْلَعْجا َو اَم ْمُكَل اَل َنْوُلِتاَقُت ْيِف ِلْيِبَس ِهّٰللا َو َنْيِفَعْضَتْسُمْلا َنِم ِلاَجِّرلا َو ِءٓاَسِّنلا َو ِناَدْلِوْلا َنْيِذَّلا And what is the matter with you that you fight not in the cause of Allah and of the weak—men, women and children—who say, ‘Our Lord, take us out of this town, whose people are oppressors, and make for us some friend from Thyself, and make for us from Thyself some helper?’ ( S u rah an-Nis a ’, 4:76) This way, the subject is expounded that ‘We are instructing you to fight them, not because you are dominant and strong and their fate is at your mercy. On the contrary your enemies are so strong and powerful that you are naturally scared that if you confront them you would be slaughtered. But, despite this, We command you not to hesitate or waver in confronting them because God is with you’. Background of the Defensive Wars Now the questions arise as to what were the circumstances under which, and who were the people against whom, Muslims were permitted to engage in defensive wars and what were the real reasons for it? In an answer to these questions, the Holy Quran has mentioned these matters at great length. Similarly, records of history are also quite clear by study of which a person of even