contradiction in the Qur’an regarding freedom of belief and compulsion to believe

 Content of the doubt:

Some ill-intentioned people imagine that the Qur’an contradicts the words of God Almighty: “There is no compulsion in religion” (Al-Baqarah: 256), and His words Almighty: “So whoever wills - let him believe; and whoever wills - let him disbelieve” (Al-Kahf: 29), with 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 (29)” (At-Tawbah). They ask: How does the Qur’an stipulate in the first and second places freedom of belief, and that there is no compulsion in religion, then in the third place it orders people to be compelled to accept religion and fight those who do not believe in it?! Their aim behind this is to attack the Noble Qur’an and describe it as contradictory.

Ways to refute the doubt:
1) The first place was revealed specifically regarding the Ansar, but its ruling is comprehensive, so the point is the generality of the wording, not the specificity of the reason.
2) Islam did not force anyone to embrace it for many noble reasons.
3) Islam legislated war and fighting for specific and legitimate goals, and it was not legislated merely to attack others without justification as the falsifiers claim.

Details:
First: The first place was revealed specifically for the Ansar, but its ruling is comprehensive, so the meaning is in the generality of the wording, not the specificity of the reason:
It was reported on the authority of Saeed bin Jubair and others in their interpretation of the words of God Almighty: “There is no compulsion in religion” (Al-Baqarah: 256), that he said: It was revealed specifically for the Ansar; where if a woman among them was poor[1]and gave birth to a child, she would vow to have him among the Jews, seeking thereby to prolong his life, so Islam came and among them were these women, so when the 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” (Al-Baqarah: 256). 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”[2]. However, its ruling 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[3].

Secondly: Islam did not force anyone to embrace it for many reasons:
Islam did not force anyone to embrace it, and this is clearly shown in many noble verses, such as the Almighty’s saying: “There is no compulsion in religion” (Al-Baqarah: 256), and the Almighty’s saying: “Would you then compel people to be believers (99)” (Yunus), and the Almighty’s saying: “Then remind. You are only a reminder (21)” (Al-Ghashiyah).
There are many reasons why Islam did not force anyone to embrace it, Among them is that coercion:
· Subdues and humiliates the human soul.
· Generates hypocrisy and produces individuals who lie in wait for the nation and rush to betray it and destroy it from within.
· Destroys and kills the human personality.
· Instills hatred in hearts and plants grudges in souls.
· Tends to aversion and instills reactions and explosions in the soul when circumstances permit.
· Damages the reputation of the Islamic call at home and abroad.
· 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, and 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[4]“There is no compulsion in religion” (Al-Baqarah: 256).

Third: Islam has legislated war and fighting for specific goals, including:
Dr. Al-Buti explains these reasons, mentioning among them:
1. Injustice and aggression on the land of Islam, as Allah the Almighty says: “And fight in the way of Allah those who fight you but do not transgress. Indeed. Allah does not like transgressors (190)” (Al-Baqarah).
2. 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, as Allah the Almighty says: “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 (12)” (At-Tawbah). It is understood from this verse that if the polytheists break their covenant, it is permissible to fight them.
3. 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 God 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 clear. The peoples are the ones who decide their fate: if they want to enter Islam voluntarily and by choice, or if they want to remain in their religion and pay the jizya to the Islamic state in exchange for protection from aggression.
What confirms that the goal of the fighting is to remove the tyrants and the 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 its adoption by force of the sword and coercion, the Messenger - may God 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, and from the people of “Jarba,” and from the people of “Adhruh” after the Roman hordes [5] withdrew before him when he went out to fight them on the day of Tabuk, for the nature of victory drives a person to seize the largest share of it. However, the Messenger of God - may God 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 God 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 (61).” (Al-Anfal) [6] .
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 the state of confusion raised in this regard - saying: “Many of the missionaries and orientalists who are unjust to Islam say: Islam legislated fighting - jihad - to force people to enter it by force, and that it spread by the sword. They prove that there is a verse in the Qur’an that Muslim commentators have 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 have a pause:
We have previously indicated that the reality in the lands of Islam confirms that it 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, as are the regions of Central Africa and its Southeast and West Africa. This is the testimony of reality to the invalidity of this statement.
Let us return to the verse that they called “the verse of the sword.” Some of them said: It is the saying of God Almighty: “Indeed, the number of months with God is twelve [lunar] 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 (36)” (At-Tawbah). 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. Others said: This verse is the saying of God 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 (5)” (At-Tawbah). Dr. Yusuf Al-Qaradawi says: This verse was revealed about the polytheists of the Arabs who broke the covenant and expelled the Muslims from their homes and rushed to fight them. This is what is indicated by the words of God 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 (13)” (At-Tawbah).
Dr. adds: Al-Qaradawi: Before this verse, we read the words of God 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 (4)” (At-Tawbah). After that comes the words of God 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 (6)” (At-Tawbah). The context does not speak of any aggression or any fighting, except with those who broke the treaty or helped the enemy to fight the Muslims. I do not think that anyone - Muslim or non-Muslim - would deny this right to confront someone who breaks the treaty or helps the enemy, as his situation in this case is like that of an enemy who must be confronted.
Let us return to the verse of the sword - and we are still with Dr. Al-Qaradawi - Others have said: The verse of the sword is the words of God 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 (29)” (At-Tawbah). This verse was revealed after the Battle of Tabuk, which was in a fight with the Byzantine Roman Empire. It is clear from God Almighty’s words: “until they pay the jizyah with willing submission” that what is meant is: until they do not return to fighting you again, and submit to the Islamic state and pay it the tax of their protection.
What makes clear that the saying “the verse of the sword” and its consideration as evidence of condemnation of Islam is in fact an unjust saying and a baseless accusation is the saying of God 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 (61)” (Al-Anfal), 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 (62)” (Al-Anfal).
In short, the suspicion and saying that Islam is the religion of the sword, or that it spread by the edge of the sword, is invalid.
It is worth noting that there are two verses in the Holy Qur’an in Surat Al-Mumtahanah that form a balanced general framework that defines the relationship between Muslims and non-Muslims in a fair moral vision for both parties - Muslims and non-Muslims - the essence of which 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 God Almighty: “God does not forbid you from those who do not fight you because of religion and do not expel you from your homes - from being righteous toward them and acting justly toward them. Indeed, God loves those who act justly (8). 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 (9)” (Al-Mumtahanah). I believe that you see - as I do - that this just and balanced moral and humanitarian standard that the two previous verses have defined is the greatest witness 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?!
Do you not see with me that Islam in its dealings with others is just, fair and great, and that it preserves and protects the rights of others, and does not neglect its own right and the right of its followers, and its standard in all of this is the protection of truth and justice [7] .

Conclusion:
There is no contradiction between the verses that these people used as evidence for their claim, and us, for the following:
The intended meaning of the first place is that it is specific to the Ansar, because there were some of their sons and brothers who lived among the Jews; They sought to prolong his stay, so when they embraced Islam, they wanted to force them to convert to Islam, but the Prophet - may God bless him and grant him peace - refused, and 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.
- Destructs and kills the human personality.
- Instills hatred in hearts.
- Makes the faith of a person who is forced unacceptable to God.
- Sows hypocrisy in society and produces lurking, traitorous individuals.
- Damages the reputation of the Islamic call.
- 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.
- Removing obstacles that stand in the way of the Islamic call.
 

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[1] Al-Maqalat: is a woman who has no living children.

[2] It was included by Al-Tabari in his interpretation (5/409), interpretation of Surat Al-Baqarah, verse (256), No. (5818), and Al-Tahawi in Sharh Mushkil Al-Athar (6339).
[3] Al-Tahrir wa Al-Tanwir, Al-Taher Ibn Ashur, Dar Sahnoon for Publishing and Distribution, Tunis, n.d., Vol. 2, Part 2, p. 27, 28, with some modifications.
[4] Freedom of Belief in Islamic Law, Dr. Abdullah Naseh Alwan, Dar Al-Salam, Egypt, 4th ed., 1424 AH/2004 AD, p. 31: 33.
[5] Al-Jahfil: plural of Al-Jahfil, which is a large army.
[6] Freedom of Belief in Islamic Law, Dr. Abdullah Naseh Alwan, Dar Al-Salam, Egypt, 4th ed., 1424 AH/2004 AD, p. 43: 49, with some modifications.
[7] Letters to the Mind and Conscience of the West, Dr. Abdul Sabour Marzouq, The Egyptian-Lebanese House, Cairo, 1st ed., 2006, pp. 253-256.