Through Force or Faith? — Page 144
?— A Reply to Pope Benedict XVI 144 had attacked Muslims at the Battle of Badr. Therefore Muslims were permitted to defend against them because the safety of Muslims was not possible without effective action against them. In َ سَأُلْقِي فِي قُلُوب ِ الَّذِين َ كَفَرُوا ْ الرُّعْب Allah, the Exalted, has expressed the fact that He would strike awe and fear in the hearts of the Infidels in spite of the apparent weakness and deficiencies of Muslims. َّفَوُي ْمُكْيَلِا َو ْمُتْنَا اَل َنْوُمَلْظُتَو َنْيِرَخٰا ْنِم ْمِهِنْوُد١ۚ اَل ْمُهَنْوُمَلْعَت١ۚ۠ ُهّٰللَا ْمُهُمَلْعَي١ؕ َو اَم اْوُقِفْنُت ْنِم ٍءْيَش ْيِف ِلْيِبَس ِهّٰللا َو اْوُّدِعَا ْمُهَل اَّم ْمُتْعَطَتْسا ْنِّم ٍةَّوُق َّو ْنِم ِطاَبِّر ِلْيَخْلا َنْوُبِهْرُت ٖهِب َّوُدَع ِهّٰللا َو ْمُكَّوُدَع And make ready for them whatever you can of armed force and of mounted pickets at the frontier, whereby you may frighten the enemy of Allah and your enemy and others besides them whom you know not, but Allah knows them. And whatever you spend in the way of Allah, it shall be repaid to you in full and you shall not be wronged. ( S u rah al-Anf a l, 8:61) Explanation : The critics of Islam criticize this verse that Muslims are enjoined not only to make war preparation but also to terror- ize. This objection is not justified. Indeed this noble verse con- tains a grand message. Commenting on this verse, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian as , the founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, explains this wisdom: Rib āt are the steeds that are kept at the frontiers. Allah, the Exalted, enjoins the Companions to be vigilant to combat the enemies and by this word Rib āt directs their attention to the comprehensive and meaningful preparedness. Two