Did Islam Spread Through Conquest?
Answered by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Question
Were the early conquests an “invasion”? Did the Companions weigh peaceful means, and does Islam value a non-Muslim’s life — especially under a law that seems to permit enslaving non-combatants?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate.
Your religion does not permit the harm you fear, and the clearest way to see this is to keep apart three things that the word “invasion” has fused into one.
I hear the distress in your question, and it is the distress of a good heart: you are not asking how to excuse wrongdoing but whether your faith commands it. It does not.
The first thing is plain history. As empires rose and expanded, the early Muslim state was among them, and not every act of every army was necessarily in keeping with the Sacred Law. Honesty about the past is no wound to the faith.
The error to avoid is confusing what states did with what the religion ruled.
The second is the legal cause of fighting (qital) in the Companions’ wars. In the Sacred Law, fighting answers aggression, the breaking of treaties, and the forcible barriers that powers placed between people, and a free hearing of the message (da‘wa).
It never answers a person’s refusal to believe. The Quran fixes both the cause and its limit: “And fight in the path of Allah those who fight you, but commit no transgression whatsoever; Verily Allah loves not transgressors.” [Quran 2:190; Keller, The Quran Beheld]
And over the whole of it stands the verse that settles faith itself: “There is no compelling anyone to enter the faith.” [Quran 2:256; Keller, The Quran Beheld]
Belief at the point of a sword is a contradiction in terms, and the historians record that forced conversion was, in fact, very rare.
The third is the Sacred Law’s protection of life, and here your concern is directly addressed. Non-combatants are not lawful targets, and never were.
Abu Bakr (Allah be pleased with him) instructed the army not to kill a woman, a child, or an aged person, not to harm the monk in his cell, and not to cut down a fruit-bearing tree. Umar (Allah be pleased with him) forbade taking the protective tax (jizya) from women, children, and the destitute elderly.
A protected non-Muslim (dhimmi) under Muslim rule was owed safety, justice, and dignity. So the law you fear has been read to you wrongly: the Sacred Law shields the non-combatant, it does not surrender him.
A Faith That Guards the Life of the Innocent
Every human life carries sanctity, and in the Quran’s own measure, to take one life unjustly is as though one had killed all of mankind. [Quran 5:32]
So set down the fear that your religion is indifferent to a non-Muslim’s life; it is not, and the proof sits in its own founding instructions.
If a particular classical ruling still troubles you, bring it to a trustworthy scholar with its exact wording and full context, for what reads as cruelty in a fragment almost always reads as restraint in the whole.
Allah is the Most Merciful of the merciful, and the faith He gave reflects Him.
And Allah knows best.
[Shaykh] Faraz Rabbani
Related Answers
- Is It Hypocritical for Muslims to Criticize Non-Muslim Occupation If Classical Law Permits Muslims to Rule over Non-Muslims? — distinguishing classical rule from modern occupation.
- Does Islam Force Non-Muslims to Convert to Islam? — why coerced belief contradicts the faith itself.
- Does Islam Give Non-Muslims Freedom of Speech? — the rights and dignity owed to non-Muslims under Muslim rule.
- What Is the Punishment for Apostasy in Islam? — context for a frequently misread classical ruling.
Shaykh Faraz Rabbani is a recognized specialist scholar in the Islamic sciences, having studied under leading scholars from around the world. He is the Founder and Executive Director of SeekersGuidance.
Shaykh Faraz stands as a distinguished figure in Islamic scholarship. His journey in seeking knowledge is marked by dedication and depth. He spent ten years studying under some of the most revered scholars of our times. His initial studies took place in Damascus. He then continued in Amman, Jordan.
In Damascus, he was privileged to learn from the late Shaykh Adib al-Kallas. Shaykh Adib al-Kallas was renowned as the foremost theologian of his time. Shaykh Faraz also studied under Shaykh Hassan al-Hindi in Damascus. Shaykh Hassan is recognized as one of the leading Hanafi jurists of our era.
Upon completing his studies, Shaykh Faraz returned to Canada in 2007. His return marked a new chapter in his service to the community. He founded SeekersGuidance. The organization reflects his commitment to spreading Islamic knowledge. It aims to be reliable, relevant, inspiring, and accessible. This mission addresses both online and on-the-ground needs.
Shaykh Faraz is also an accomplished author. His notable work includes “Absolute Essentials of Islam: Faith, Prayer, and the Path of Salvation According to the Hanafi School.” This book, published by White Thread Press in 2004, is a significant contribution to Islamic literature.
His influence extends beyond his immediate community. Since 2011, Shaykh Faraz has been recognized as one of the 500 most influential Muslims. This recognition comes from the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Center. It underscores his impact on the global Islamic discourse.
Shaykh Faraz Rabbani’s life and work embody a profound commitment to Islamic scholarship. His teachings continue to enlighten and guide seekers of knowledge worldwide.
