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Answer to the Opponents of Islam Old enemies made peace with each other in order to destroy the Prophet, by attempting to blacken the fair name of the Prophet and sully his reputation. Everywhere they proclaim that he was a magician, a sorcerer, a mad man , a poet, and they stirred up the ignorant against him. This is the same satanic strategy that the enemies of truth always use in order to undermine and defeat great personalities. These efforts proved futile as he rejected with disgust all their promises of power and wealth, with all firmness demanded of the bearer of a Heavenly mission. He proclaimed; “I swear by The Almighty Allaah that if you were to put the sun in my right hand and the moon in my left, I would never abandon my mission until the religion of The Almighty Allaah spreads over the globe or I lose my life in propagating it, The Almighty Allaah did not raised me up to be a Prophet in order that I might accumulate the wealth of this world, rather He raised me up to convey his message to mankind and to call men to Him.” Opponents of Islam criticise that Islam relied on military force in order to secure its progress. However, we see that the Prophet never initiated hostilities against any group or people, whether it is the Jews or the Quraysh or the Byzantines. History bears witness that all the wars raised by the Most Noble Messenger (Peace be upon him), were defensive in nature; the purpose was always to respond to the attacks of the enemy, with the exception of certain cases where the Muslim were convinced that the enemy would persist in its aggressiveness and treachery and were correspondingly ordered to take the initiative in defending themselves. Did the Muslims carrying weapons at the very dawn of Islam when the polytheists began turning to Islam in droves? Did the Muslims start a war in order to defuse and propagate the religion of The Almighty Allaah? Every one knows that in the very beginning, far from attacking any group or nation, the Muslims were themselves the victims of aggression. |
Islam had recourse of military force and began an armed struggle at a time when people were deprived of thought and denied the opportunity to choose the correct path. Islam issued its proclamation of war in order to defeat the oppressive tyrants who prevented the Islamic call from being practiced freely and to put an end to the stifling of thought. Only then would humanity be able, in an atmosphere to choose with absolute freedom, a correct path in life. If Islam had not acted thus, truth would have been stifled in the cradle. The opponents of Islam rose vehemently against this new religion, with all its rules and regulations. For them, it was a struggle to defend their ancestral customs and traditions. They were not preparing to listen to the logical and innovative teachings of Islam. Instead, they strongly opposed it. So during such circumstances, it became inevitable to defend the new faith. We also find in the history of many countries, how they resorted to war to defend their beliefs and ideologies, where as others resorted to senseless wars, killing innocent people, in order to extend their territories, or to broaden their power and influence. But the Prophet of Islam never engaged his followers in blood shed to satisfy his whims. He never seized anyone’s property for his own use. He was a reformer devoted to advancing the cause of humanity and easing the plight of the poor and helpless. |
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