Was Islam Spread By The Sword? - Shocking Data Destroys the Myth!

Was Islam Spread By The Sword? - Shocking Data Destroys the Myth!

Was Islam spread by the sword? Are Islam and violence the same thing? And if Islam is a religion of peace, why were battles fought? For centuries, these claims have been repeated again and again. But how true are they? If someone asked you these questions, how would you answer? And more importantly, what does history itself tell us? Now let’s go back to where it all began, and see how nations throughout history accepted Islam: by sword, or by another power. The year was 610. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) had started this path all alone. In the cave of Hira, he received the very first revelation alone. But the message he brought was so beautiful and powerful that, over time, people began to join this religion willingly. At the beginning, the call to Islam was made secretly. The first Muslims, despite all the pressure and persecution, never gave up their faith. They were tortured, laid down on the burning sands, tied up in their homes, and left without food, and even pressed onto burning fires. And all of this was only because they said, “My Lord is Allah. There is no god besides Him.” The Prophet (peace be upon him) told them to be patient. And they kept following the path of dawah - the call to Islam. The year was around 620. After 10 years of oppression in Mecca, Allah prepared a new land where this message would grow: Medina. When many people in Medina heard the message of Islam, they turned to it with admiration. They did not accept Islam by force or threats; they saw the true value of the message. The Prophet ﷺ migrated to Medina with the Muslims of Mecca. When he arrived in the city, he made an agreement with all the people: believers, idol worshippers, and Jews. The aim was to live together in peace. As people saw the Prophet’s ﷺ life, his manners, and his actions, Medina soon became the center of Islam. It was conquered not by the sword, but through words and peace. But of course, the anger of the Meccans had not cooled down. In fact, it was at its peak. Three battles took place in that period: Badr, Uhud, and the Trench. Badr was the first battle. Initially, Muslims set out to intercept the caravan that the Meccans had organized. But since the Meccans marched out with an army, the clash became inevitable. Uhud and the Trench were clearly defensive battles, fought only because Meccan forces came to attack Medina. And do you know how Mecca came to accept Islam? Not through these three battles. The Prophet (peace be upon him) signed a ceasefire with them, the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah. And once peace was established, Muslims and the Meccan idol worshippers began to meet and talk with each other. Hatred and prejudice were replaced with peace. This gave them the chance to see the beauty of Islam more closely. They no longer listened to the Quran with prejudice. And many decided to become Muslims. In fact, in the two years after Hudaybiyyah, the number of people who entered Islam was many times more than before. They were joining Islam, not by the sword, but by their own free will. But still, many people did not believe, and two years later, they broke the peace agreement. After this, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) marched towards Mecca with an army of 10,000. He wanted to conquer the city without war. And he succeeded. The people gave up and accepted it. Just like Medina, Mecca was conquered with almost no bloodshed. So, what happened after the conquest? For years, these people had oppressed the Prophet ﷺ and the Muslims. Now, they felt ashamed and kept their heads down. They waited to see what would happen to them. The Prophet ﷺ looked at them for a while. What would he do now? Would he now treat them the same way they had treated him before? Would he insult and shame them, starve them for months, drive them out of their homes, or pour camel intestines on them? None of that. Instead, he said words that would always be remembered in history. “There is no blame on you today. May Allah forgive you, and He is the most merciful of those who show mercy. Go, you are free.” On the day of the conquest of Mecca, a general amnesty, forgiveness, was declared. The people witnessed the Prophet’s ﷺ sincerity with their own eyes. Very soon, the majority, even his worst enemies, accepted Islam. It was not the sword, but mercy that conquered Mecca. After that, tribes all across Arabia began entering Islam in huge groups. And all this happened in only 21 years. In all these events, the sword was only a symbol to defend and to show that Muslims were not weak. After all, no state can exist without an army, right? That was necessary. But what truly spread the religion was the Quran. It answered every question and gave proofs that convinced both the mind and the heart. It brought justice to society, gave peace to the heart, and made life truly meaningful. The best example that disproves the claim of spreading by the sword is Southeast Asia. Today, Indonesia is the most populated Muslim country in the world. And not a single Islamic army ever fought in Indonesia. What reached this land were not armies, but merchants and preachers who gained people’s trust through their good character. Bangladesh was not very different. Again, its real spread came through preachers who won people’s hearts. In the 13th century, trade ships crossing the Indian Ocean carried Muslim merchants to the coasts of Southeast Asia. But they weren’t only carrying spices or cloth. With their good character, their words, and their honesty in trade, they were also carrying Islam. No lies, no cheating on the scales. And when they gave a promise, they kept it. The local people of Indonesia saw in these merchants how Islam shapes daily life. At the same time, with the efforts of calling people to Islam, the number of Muslims kept growing more and more. There was no pressure and no threat. Everything happened by free choice. And this sparked the slowly spread to other islands. Today, nearly 250 million Muslims live on these islands. The same pattern was seen in Malaysia. The Sultan of Malacca also accepted Islam through the influence of Muslim merchants. After that, the people also accepted Islam. With no war, but through words and good examples, a whole region became Muslim. In sub-Saharan Africa, the picture was similar too. Islam spread along the caravan routes through the efforts of callers. It became a reason for local kings and people to choose Islam. Today, more than 300 million Muslims live in those lands. And the story of Bangladesh is not much different. Before, its people were Hindus. For centuries, they had been oppressed under the caste system. When they saw the freedom and salvation that Islam brought, they embraced it in large numbers. And today, about 150 million Muslims live in Bangladesh. So, where is the war? Where is the sword? Some of you may now be asking, “But what about the battles? They are real too.” So, how should we understand them? Now, let’s move to the time after the Prophet’s ﷺ death. The Muslims chose Abu Bakr as their leader and caliph. He was the Prophet’s ﷺ closest friend. When he became caliph, he faced important political crises. One was with the Sassanid Empire in the lands of today’s Iran, and the other was with Byzantium. A few years earlier, Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) had sent a letter to the Sassanid King Khosrow, inviting him to Islam. But Khosrow arrogantly ripped up the Prophet’s ﷺ letter. And he did not stop there. “Put chains on Muhammad’s ﷺ hands and feet and bring him before me!” This was a clear and heavy declaration of war against the Islamic state. The injustices faced by Muslims under Sassanid rule only added fuel to this tension. Byzantium, on the other hand, killed the companion who was sent to them as a messenger by cutting off his head. And instead of making up for this, they raised an army of about 100,000 against the Muslims. The two sides met in the Battle of Mu’tah. So there was already an ongoing war, and neither of the two empires took a step towards peace with the Muslims. And they were the ones who lit the fire. Later, the second caliph, Umar, continued the struggle. During this time, not a single offer of peace came from the other side. In fact, before every battle, the Muslims would make the same offer: “Either you become Muslim, or make peace with us by agreeing to pay a tax.” Making this offer was a rule, and it was often presented before the battle started. Many places that are today Muslim lands were conquered in this period. Syria, Jerusalem, Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Azerbaijan, and others. Now, there are two things we need to clearly separate. The conquest of a region by a Muslim state is one thing, and the people of that region becoming Muslim is something very different. After the conquests, no non-Muslim was ever forced to become Muslim. Nor were they told, “This is now a Muslim country, there is no place for you,” and then driven out. Instead, Muslims built schools and academies. Scholars and preachers grew there. They explained the faith to the people, and the people began to accept Islam by their own choice. If you want proof that there was no sword or any kind of pressure, look at Armenia. Even though it was under Muslim rule for about a thousand years, the land is still Christian. Or take the 15 to 20 million Arabs who are still Christian today. The existence of these people proves this truth. Islam does not force people to become Muslim by the sword. Now, let’s put two scenes side by side. What happened when a land was conquered by Muslims, and what happened in the opposite case, when a Muslim land was taken by non-Muslims? Now, I’ll take you to two scenes from history. One is an incredible example of mercy… the other of destruction. One is the conquest of Jerusalem by Umar, and the moment he entered the city. And the other is the fall of Al-Andalus from Muslim rule. Throughout history, when a city or region was conquered, usually the same picture was seen. The people were oppressed, their goods were stolen, their places of worship were burned, their religious freedom was restricted, and life was made unbearable with heavy taxes. But the Islamic conquests completely broke this pattern. When Jerusalem was under Byzantine rule, it was surrounded by the army sent by Umar. Its people agreed to hand over the city in peace, on the condition that the caliph himself would come to receive it. This was another conquest without bloodshed. Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) entered the city walking, wearing simple clothes. He added a decree written saying that the lives of the Christians and their churches were under protection. He guaranteed that they could practice their religion freely. Christian leaders were allowed to keep their positions. Before this, the people had to pay many different heavy taxes even though their rulers were of their own faith. “This is the last of my seed. My children starve while your granaries overflow. God will surely send us a savior.” But under Islamic rule, they only had to pay just one smaller tax, and as a result, the standard of living of the people improved. This tax, called jizya (tax on non-Muslims), also meant they did not have to join the army, and their safety was secured. Women, the elderly, and religious leaders did not have to pay this tax at all. Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) even arranged a salary from the state treasury for old people who could not support themselves, even if they were non-Muslims. “When they were young, we took work from them. We cannot leave them on the street when they are old.” As you can see, Muslims introduced the first example of a retirement system in history. There was no discrimination in law. So much so that it’s well known that Umar once stood side by side with a Jew in court, being judged under the same conditions. A similar case is also recorded for the fourth caliph, Ali (may Allah be pleased with him). Islam introduced a system in which there was a complete order, from the economy to law, from family to education. A system that fought against lies, oppression, taking interest, taking bribes, and immorality. This was the system that the people of Jerusalem gained, and this understanding was kept alive in the centuries that followed. But sadly, the second picture was completely different. Al-Andalus, the land that is part of today’s Spain, was once under Muslim rule. The foundations of many fields of science were laid there by Muslim scholars. Muslims and non-Muslims lived together in peace, until the Christian armies conquered the region. From that day on, a full policy of massacre and exile began against Muslims and Jews. When the peace agreement was signed, Muslims were promised religious freedom. But soon, it became clear that this promise was only a lie. From 1499, forced baptisms began. Later, Islam was banned all across Spain, and those who remained Muslim were threatened with death or exile. The result: hundreds of thousands of Muslims were forced to migrate, and those who stayed had to live like Christians and practice their religion in secret. But even then, they were still attacked. Thousands of people, suspected of being Jews or Muslims, were killed in a very cruel way, and an entire civilization was wiped out. Now, think about it. Mercy in Jerusalem, and destruction in Al-Andalus. Both are called by the same word, “conquests”. But the results are completely opposite. By the way, do you know where the tens of thousands of Jews who had to leave that day went? They were welcomed by another Muslim state, the Ottomans. The doors were opened for them. They were given places to live, and their safety was protected. And ironically, today we can all see together how thankful they are. There is an interesting study: from the beginning of the common era until today, meaning in over 2,000 years, about 579 million people have died in wars. And do you know how many of those deaths fall under the title of jihad (struggle)? Less than 5%. 95% of all people who died in wars had nothing to do with Islam. The cause of wars in the world was not Islam. The real reasons were secular ones, like struggles for power, nationalism, and economic interests. World War II, the Hundred Years’ War, the Napoleonic Wars, the Mongol invasions, the colonial wars, mass killings of civilians, women, children, the elderly, rape, torture of prisoners… None of these had anything to do with Islam. On the contrary, if the ethics of jihad (struggle) in Islam had been followed, none of these things would ever have happened. Because it’s completely different. War is fought only between armies; no harm is done to civilians. During battle, anyone who surrenders is spared. His life is protected. Torture is forbidden. And prisoners cannot be mistreated. That’s why the claim “blood equals Islam” makes no sense from the very beginning. And when we look at today, what do we see? In Myanmar, the Buddhist government is forcing Muslims out of their homes, their land. Villages are being burned, roads are being cut off, lives are being thrown into the sea. In East Turkestan, the Chinese government is oppressing the Uyghur Muslims. Worship is banned. Reading the Quran is a crime. In India, some radical groups are attacking Muslims. Masjids (mosques) are being burned. People are lynched in the streets. In Palestine, the situation is getting worse every day. If there is any violence, it’s directed at Muslims. You can be sure. You tell me: is Islam a religion of violence, or do we witness violence only when Islamic principles are not applied?