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No Compulsion in Religion
2:254 “O you who believe! Spend out of what We have given you before the day comes in which there is no bargaining, neither any friendship nor intercession, and the deniers, they are the unjust.” I think this verse is saying “you can’t take it with you.”
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2:255 is a collection of statement glorifying Allah. There are innumerable parallels in the Bible especially in the Book of Psalms. It is also referred to as “Ayat al Kursi”, the Verse of the Throne, and is believed to have the power to drives away demons and bring good luck and blessing to those who recite it. Remember I told you in Chapter 1 that reciting “The Cow” brings blessing?
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2:256 “No compulsion is there in religion: already the right way is distinct from the wrong way. So whosoever disbelieves in Taghut and believes in Allah has laid hold of the most firm handle, unbreaking. Allah is hearing, knowing.”
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The word “Taghut” is used as a general term describing idol worship. It is Syriac in origin, and another proof that the Quran is not in pure Arabic. It has been translated as “Error”, and it sounds almost exactly like the Hebrew word for Error. And it makes sense, I guess, as those who follow idols are deemed in error by those who adhere to monotheism.
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The gist of this verse is: We will not force you to submit to Islam, but if you elect not to, then you are gravely in error, and on a shaky and fragile foundation.
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Violations of the No Compulsion Verse
It is astounding to see the extent to which 2:256 has been violated by Islamic rulers and Imams. The history of the Islamic empire is littered with events in which the sward was used to spread Islam.
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It began right after Muhammad’s death, in the Riddah wars (the “Wars of Apostasy”) of Abu Bakr, the first Caliph, who subdued all opposing Bedouin tribes in Arabia and forced them to accept Islam. It appears to me that for these reasons, some scholars claim that this verse was abrogated by 9:73, which says:
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“O Prophet, struggle with the unbelievers and hypocrites, and be harsh with them. Their refuge is Hell, and evil is the journey.”
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But I don’t see how: although verse 9:73 recommends fighting the Unbelievers, it says nothing about forcing them to submit to Islam.
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I don’t believe there is any verse in the Quran that could be construed as a call for compelling Unbelievers to submit, so in my opinion, the “no compulsion” provision of verse 2:256 is not revoked.
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An earlier verse from the same surah, verse 9:29, lays out the terms of the treaty with those who lose the battle against the Muslims and fall under Islamic occupation, but choose not to submit to Islam.
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If they surrender, but reject Islam, they become subjects of the Islamic state, reduced to a status of lower class residents on their own land, pay special taxes not imposed on Muslims, such as head tax or protection fees (Jizya) and land tax (Kharaj), humiliated, derided, and otherwise reminded of their foolish decision. 9:29 actually supports 2:256 on the no compulsion count.
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The reality was that many of the people in the occupied lands opted for submission to Islam out of convenience or to avoid the hardships of life as an oppressed caste.
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So while 9:29 does not call for forced conversion, its provisions present an almost irresistible temptation for taking the easy way out.
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Back to preaching: 2:257 “Allah is the guardian of those who believe. He brings them out of the darkness into the light. And those who disbelieve, their guardians are the Taghut, who take them out of the light into the darkness. They are the inmates of the fire, in it they shall abide.”
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How many times, and in how many different yet similar ways can you say the same thing?
