Does Jizyah Contradict “There Is No Compulsion in Religion”?
Does Jizyah Contradict There Is No Compulsion in Religion?
Some ill-intentioned people imagine that the Qur’an contradicts itself between the words of Allah Almighty:
“There is no compulsion in religion.”
And His words Almighty:
“So whoever wills - let him believe; and whoever wills - let him disbelieve.”
And His words Almighty:
“Fight those who do not believe in God or in the Last Day and do not consider unlawful what God and His Messenger have forbidden and do not adopt the religion of truth from among those who were given the Scripture - until they pay the jizyah with willing submission while they are subdued.”
Their aim behind this is to attack the Noble Qur’an and describe it as contradictory.
Ways to Refute the Doubt
There is no contradiction between these verses. The verse “There is no compulsion in religion” was revealed regarding a specific incident among the Ansar, but its ruling is general. Islam did not force anyone to embrace it, and fighting was legislated for specific and legitimate purposes, not for forcing people into faith.
The refutation rests on three main points.
First, the first place was revealed specifically regarding the Ansar, but its ruling is comprehensive. The point is the generality of the wording, not the specificity of the reason.
Second, Islam did not force anyone to embrace it for many noble reasons.
Third, Islam legislated war and fighting for specific and legitimate goals. It was not legislated merely to attack others without justification as the falsifiers claim.
The Verse Was Revealed Regarding the Ansar, but Its Ruling Is General
The first place was revealed specifically for the Ansar, but its ruling is comprehensive. The meaning is in the generality of the wording, not the specificity of the reason.
If a woman among them was poor and gave birth to a child, she would vow to have him among the Jews, seeking thereby to prolong his life. So Islam came while among them were these women.
When Banu Al-Nadir were expelled, the Ansar said: “O Messenger of God, our children and brothers are among them!”
The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, remained silent about them, so the verse was revealed:
“There is no compulsion in religion.”
The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:
“Give your companions a choice. If they choose you, then they are from you, and if they choose them, then they are from them. So, send them with them.”
However, the ruling of the verse is general and includes all creation. The point is the generality of the wording, not the specificity of the reason, as is well known in the principles.
Islam Did Not Force Anyone to Embrace It
Islam did not force anyone to embrace it. This is clearly shown in many noble verses.
“There is no compulsion in religion.”
“Would you then compel people to be believers?”
“Then remind. You are only a reminder.”
There are many reasons why Islam did not force anyone to embrace it.
It generates hypocrisy and produces individuals who lie in wait for the nation and rush to betray it and destroy it from within.
It destroys and kills the human personality.
It instills hatred in hearts and plants grudges in souls.
It tends to aversion and instills reactions and explosions in the soul when circumstances permit.
It damages the reputation of the Islamic call at home and abroad.
It makes the work of a person who is forced unacceptable to Allah, because He, the Almighty, does not accept any work except that which is sincere to Him.
The one who is forced to believe out of fear will not turn to Allah sincerely, and any faith that is like that is not acceptable.
For all this, Islam called people to enter it with faith, conviction, and choice, and announced its fixed slogan to the world:
“There is no compulsion in religion.”
Why Islam Legislated Fighting
Islam legislated war and fighting for specific goals.
Dr. Al-Buti explains these reasons and mentions among them: repelling injustice and aggression against the land of Islam, preserving covenants and agreements, and removing obstacles that stand in the way of the Islamic call.
Repelling Injustice and Aggression
The first reason is injustice and aggression against the land of Islam.
“And fight in the way of Allah those who fight you but do not transgress. Indeed, Allah does not like transgressors.”
The verse itself places a limit: fighting is against those who fight Muslims, and transgression is forbidden.
Preserving Covenants and Agreements
The second reason is preserving covenants and agreements.
If there are covenants or agreements between the Islamic state and a foreign state, and that state breaks those covenants, this is justification for fighting it.
“But if they break their oaths after their covenant and attack your religion, then fight the leaders of disbelief. Indeed, there are no oaths to them. Perhaps they will desist.”
It is understood from this verse that if the polytheists break their covenant, it is permissible to fight them.
Removing Obstacles to the Islamic Call
The third reason is removing the obstacles that stand in the way of the Islamic call.
It is known that the call of Islam is a universal call, and that the mission of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, is for all people. This means that it must reach every nation and enter every country.
Everyone who stands in the way of the call and prevents its transmission, whether tyrants or deified rulers, must be removed from the path so that the call reaches the peoples pure, clear, and open.
The peoples are then the ones who decide their fate: either they enter Islam voluntarily and by choice, or they remain in their religion and pay the jizya to the Islamic state in exchange for protection from aggression.
The goal is not to force belief into the hearts of people. The goal is to remove tyrannical barriers that prevent the call from reaching people.
What confirms that the goal of fighting is to remove tyrants and deified rulers is the position of Rab’i bin Amir with Rustum, the commander of the Persian army, when he challenged him and said:
“We were sent only to bring the servants out of the worship of servants, to the worship of God, and from the narrowness of this world to the spaciousness of this world and the hereafter, and from the injustice of religions to the justice of Islam.”
If Islam had imposed its existence and adoption by force of the sword and coercion, the Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, would not have accepted the jizya from the owner of Ayla, a town in Palestine now known as Eilat, nor from the people of Jarba, nor from the people of Adhruh after the Roman hordes withdrew before him when he went out to fight them on the day of Tabuk.
The nature of victory drives a person to seize the largest share of it. However, the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, refused to fight the people of these lands when he found their inclination towards peace, in compliance with the words of Allah Almighty:
“But if they incline to peace, then incline to it and rely upon God. Indeed, it is He who is the Hearing, the Knowing.”
The Sword Verse Suspicion
Under the title “The Sword Verse Suspicion,” Dr. Abdul-Sabour Marzouq wrote, refuting these unjust statements about Islam and removing the suspicion of contradiction and confusion raised in this regard.
They claim that there is a verse in the Qur’an that Muslim commentators agreed to call “the sword verse,” and that it abrogated one hundred and twenty verses of the Qur’an that permit or call for kindness and peace.
Here we must pause.
Reality in the lands of Islam confirms that Islam entered and spread in lands that no Muslim armies entered and in which no battles took place.
The entire region of East and Southeast Asia is the best witness to this. So are the regions of Central Africa, Southeast Africa, and West Africa. This is the testimony of reality to the invalidity of this statement.
The First Claimed Sword Verse
Some claimed that the sword verse is the saying of Allah Almighty:
“Indeed, the number of months with God is twelve months in the register of God from the day He created the heavens and the earth; of these, four are sacred. That is the right religion, so do not wrong yourselves during them. And fight the polytheists all together as they fight you all together. And know that God is with the righteous.”
It is clear from its wording that it calls upon Muslims to deal with their enemies in the same way:
As they fight you, fight them likewise.
The Second Claimed Sword Verse
Others claimed that the sword verse is the saying of Allah Almighty:
“So when the sacred months have passed, then kill the polytheists wherever you find them and capture them and besiege them and lie in wait for them at every place of ambush. But if they repent and establish prayer and give zakah, then let them go on their way. Indeed, God is Forgiving and Merciful.”
Dr. Yusuf Al-Qaradawi says that this verse was revealed about the polytheists of the Arabs who broke the covenant, expelled the Muslims from their homes, and rushed to fight them.
This is indicated by the words of Allah Almighty:
“Will you not fight a people who broke their oaths and intended to expel the Messenger and they initiated it against you the first time? Do you fear them? But God has more right that you should fear Him, if you are believers.”
Dr. Al-Qaradawi adds that before this verse, we read the words of Allah Almighty:
“Except for those among the polytheists with whom you made a treaty and then they have not failed you in anything nor supported anyone against you. So fulfill your treaty with them until their term. Indeed, God loves the righteous.”
After that comes the words of Allah Almighty:
“And if any of the polytheists seeks your protection, then grant him protection so that he may hear the word of God and then escort him to where he will be secure. That is because they are a people who do not know.”
No fair person, Muslim or non-Muslim, would deny the right to confront someone who breaks a treaty or helps an enemy.
The Third Claimed Sword Verse: Jizyah
Others said that the sword verse is the words of Allah Almighty:
“Fight those who do not believe in God or in the Last Day and do not consider unlawful what God and His Messenger have made unlawful and do not adopt the religion of truth from among those who were given the Scripture - until they pay the jizyah with willing submission while they are subdued.”
This verse was revealed after the Battle of Tabuk, which involved confrontation with the Byzantine Roman Empire.
It is clear from the words of Allah Almighty:
“Until they pay the jizyah with willing submission.”
That what is meant is: until they do not return to fighting you again, submit to the Islamic state, and pay it the tax of their protection.
Peace Is Still Binding When the Enemy Inclines to Peace
What makes clear that the saying “the verse of the sword” and its use as evidence to condemn Islam is an unjust saying and a baseless accusation is the saying of Allah Almighty:
“But if they incline to peace, then incline to it and rely upon God. Indeed, it is He who is the Hearing, the Knowing.”
And after that, His saying Almighty:
“And if they intend to deceive you - then sufficient for you is God. It is He who supported you with His victory and with the believers.”
In short, the suspicion that Islam is the religion of the sword, or that it spread by the edge of the sword, is invalid.
The Balanced Qur’anic Framework for Relations With Non-Muslims
It is worth noting that there are two verses in the Holy Qur’an in Surat Al-Mumtahanah that form a balanced general framework defining the relationship between Muslims and non-Muslims in a fair moral vision for both parties.
Its essence is:
We are at peace with those who are at peace with us, and we are hostile to those who are hostile to us.
The two verses are the words of Allah Almighty:
God only forbids you from those who fight you because of religion and expel you from your homes and support in your expulsion - from making friends with them. And whoever makes friends with them - those are the wrongdoers.”
This just, balanced, moral, and humanitarian standard is one of the greatest witnesses to Islam’s fairness to itself and to others.
It is only rejected by those who have aggression as part of their nature, so they attack and attack again. Then, if the ones being attacked respond to this aggression, they cry out: “This is a terrorist who practices terrorism, and we have the right to crush him and water the earth with his blood!”
Islam in its dealings with others is just, fair, and great. It preserves and protects the rights of others, and it does not neglect its own right and the right of its followers. Its standard in all of this is the protection of truth and justice.
Conclusion
There is no contradiction between the verses used by these people as evidence for their claim.
The intended meaning of the first place is that it was specific to the Ansar, because some of their sons and brothers lived among the Jews. They had sought to prolong the lives of children by placing them among the Jews. When the Ansar embraced Islam, they wanted to force them to convert to Islam, but the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, refused. Then the verse was revealed:
“There is no compulsion in religion.”
Despite this, the verse applies to all creation, because its ruling is general and comprehensive. The point is the generality of the wording, not the specificity of the reason.
Islam did not force anyone to enter it for many reasons, including that compulsion subdues and humiliates the human soul, destroys and kills the human personality, instills hatred in hearts, makes forced faith unacceptable to Allah, sows hypocrisy in society, produces lurking and traitorous individuals, damages the reputation of the Islamic call, and instills in the soul reactions and explosions when circumstances permit.
Islam legislated war and fighting for specific goals, including repelling injustice and aggression from the land of Islam, preserving covenants and agreements, and removing obstacles that stand in the way of the Islamic call.
Did the Verse of the Sword Abrogate the Verses of Tolerance in the Quran
Source Notes
Al-Jahfil is the plural of Al-Jahfal, meaning a large army.
Al-Tahrir wa Al-Tanwir, Al-Taher Ibn Ashur, Dar Sahnoon for Publishing and Distribution, Tunis, n.d., Vol. 2, Part 2, pp. 27-28, with some modifications.
Freedom of Belief in Islamic Law, Dr. Abdullah Naseh Alwan, Dar Al-Salam, Egypt, 4th edition, 1424 AH / 2004 CE, pp. 31-33.
Freedom of Belief in Islamic Law, Dr. Abdullah Naseh Alwan, Dar Al-Salam, Egypt, 4th edition, 1424 AH / 2004 CE, pp. 43-49, with some modifications.
Letters to the Mind and Conscience of the West, Dr. Abdul Sabour Marzouq, The Egyptian-Lebanese House, Cairo, 1st edition, 2006, pp. 253-256.