“I am convinced about the veracity of my opinions, but I do consider it likely that they may turn out to be incorrect. Likewise, I am convinced about the incorrectness of the views different from mine, but I do concede the possibility that they may turn out to be correct.” — Imam Shafa’i
I have selected this beautiful ayah because it is a clear and direct renunciation of our very common attitude and approach to Faiths other than Islam and our impatience as to their existence. We are told in this ayah that if Allah Ta’aala had wished so, the whole humanity—one and all—would have been Believers. But HE has not done that. For “these methods would have defeated the wisdom that underlies the creation of mankind” says Maulana Maudoodi. As part of the HIS over all scheme of assessment and evaluation of mankind on the Day of Judgement, HE has bestowed freedom of choice and deeds to all humans on this planet. They are free to accept Divine guidance or reject it. Man is expected to utilize his God given qualities and faculties to reach the Truth. Not to do so would be a sin. But the temptation to force your Faith on others by whatever means like physical compulsion, social pressure or inducement must be strongly avoided. “Forced faith is no faith” as per Yousuf Ali.
Please note the emphatic way the Holy Text is chastising any attempt to curb this human right to choose one’s own faith granted by God Almighty. Allah Ta’aala is apparently censuring our Beloved Prophet “Are you going to compel people till they are Believers”. There is not even a distant chance that the Messenger of God would ever do such a thing. This in fact, is a very forceful demand on Muslims to practice full freedom of choice for one and all in matters of Faith. Elsewhere Allah Ta’aala Subhaanahoo declared this in no uncertain terms[3]
“Let there be no compulsion1 in religion”
Yet there is a strong Islamic scholarly opinion that—while accepting the individual right to choose their religion—non Muslims have no right to rule in this world because because of their “batil kaa nizam”. They are free to practice their own faith but only under the supremacy of Islamic rule. This appears to be a formula for a perpetual conflict between Muslims and non-Muslims till the Muslims are undisputed masters of the world. Thus the 6% Muslims in USA and 16% Muslims in India not only have a right
but should physically fight to rule and establish an Islamic government with an Islamic “nizaam” in America and India! As a matter of fact, this is the narrative behind the philosophy and strategy of Al Qaeeda, ISIS and their likes.
Similarly the the very common belief—by clerics and laity alike—of death to the Murtid/apostate runs undoubtedly contrary to the proclamation of the index ayah. Dr. Israr Ahmed agrees that there is no punishment prescribed in the Quran for the apostate. Yet very strongly and forcefully believes in the beheading of the murtid on the basis of the example of Hazrat Moosa who executed, after descending from mount Toor those who had committed shirk and had started worshipping a self made cow. Mufti Mohammed Shafi comes out with a very novel reason for the execution of Murtid. An apostate has insulted Islam, he claims and “the insult of such a binding authority deserves no less a punishment”. Suddenly the driving force behind the death and destruction in the name of blasphemy against our Prophet stands out.
Maulana Maudoodi equates Islam with a State. A murtid has committed treason against the State and must therefore die.
According to Nasr, Seyyed Hossein et al in their modern tafseer “The Study Quran” “Many classical and contemporary scholars, although not a majority, have declared that the mere changing of one’s religion is no cause for punishment by the community.” During certain periods of our Prophets life, leaving Islam meant joining the Quraish—the enemy—amounting to a destabilizing political act and in many cases sedition and treason. “This is, why the first Caliph, Abū Bakr, took up arms against the tribes who left the Muslim community in the so-called riddah wars, and why the Prophet left many people alone who left the religion”. Additionally, some early religious authorities, such as Ibn ʿAbbās and ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib, as well as Abū Ḥanīfah and Sufyān al-Thawrī, did not allow the execution of women who renounced Islam.
In a very sharp contrast to these scholarly opinions, there is a very clear ayah in our Holy Text on the subject of apostasy:[4]
“And if any of you Turn back from their faith and die in unbelief, their works will bear no fruit in this life and in the Hereafter; they will be companions of the Fire and will abide therein.”
Please follow closely the carefully and meaningfully selected simple words of the Quran: فَيَمُت which means “then he dies”—signaling natural death; not execution— وَهُوَ كافِرٌ meaning “and he is a kaafir” i.e. he remains a kafir even on his death bed; he had a life after turning to Kufr but did not relent. Then Allah Ta’aala Subhaanahoo proceeds to announce HIS three punishment. HE has not left the retribution for this crime to us; HE has announced it HIMSELF: good deeds wasted, abode in hellfire and a permanent stay there in. To me as a PPK Muslim this ayah simply rules out execution of a Muslim just because he rescinds his religion. In doing so he has insulted his own personality and not my beautiful Deen.
There are other powerful ayahs in the Quran to emphasize complete freedom of choice to select one’s Faith. e.g.[5]
“And say: “The truth [has now come] from your Sustainer: let, then, him who wills. believe in it. and let him who wills. reject it.”
Kindly note there is a clear liberty to reject also. One more ayah. After tracing the birth of man and his growth till he “listens and sees” Allah Ta’aala Subhaanahoo declares:[6]
“Verily, We have shown him the way: [and it rests with him to prove himself] either grateful(and accept it) or ungrateful (and reject it).
Once again a rejection is an obvious option. Another ayah which is very focussed on this subject:[7]
“And had thy Sustainer so willed, He could surely have made all mankind one single community: but [He willed it otherwise, and so] they continue to hold divergent views “ or put it differently “but they will not cease to dispute”.
Lastly, an additional ayah on this subject:[8]
“VERILY, all this is an admonition: whoever, then, so wills, may unto his Sustainer find a way”.
The very next ayah in the Quran following the index ayah may appear confusing about what we have been discussing:[9]
“No soul can believe, except by the will of God, and He will place Doubt (or obscurity) on those who will not understand”
Apparently, the first half of the ayah appears to contradict the latter half. It starts by stating that belief is willed by God and no soul can achieve it without HIS permission. Let us think about it.
The index ayah formulates a general rule concerning faith and its acceptance or rejection: Had your Lord so willed, all people on earth, in their entirety, would have believed and faces us with a rhetoric question: Do you, then, try to compel people to believe?
The ayah following the index ayah which we are explaining right now introduces definite confusion by declaring that no human being can believe, except by God’s leave and then inculcates the need to use reason to avoid God’s abomination. Bear with me; as of now I also am confused. Man has full liberty of thought and planning. Does he have “full” liberty of actions also? He has the freedom to pull out his gun, pull the trigger and shoot at a person to kill. It is clear that he has the freedom to shoot. Does he have or should he have the freedom to kill also another person? That’s the million dollar question; and here we enter the domain of theology and philosophy.
The generally accepted principle defines that the enforcement of all the blessings is in the power of Allah alone; therefore none can acquire or confer on anyone any blessing without the permission of Allah. In other words, nothing happens without God’s will. HE has followed this principle with the angels also. In His wisdom, which we may or may not understand, God has created man with a dual susceptibility towards good and evil, to follow guidance or sink into error. Human Will is weak and limited. It needs Devine assistance for us to reach the Truth. Moreover , based on our concept of Almighty God, all consequences are ascribed to HIM, the Cause of Causes. To get back to our example: man is free to shoot; but it’s consequences are fully under Divine control and for obvious reasons.
After addressing the limitation of human reason, the ayah is strongly exhorting us to think and deliberates about matters of faith; a strong negation of the principle of Taqleed. The ayah then proceeds to chastise those who do not use reason to study and understand their religion. The defilement that God lays upon those who do not use reason is either HIS wrath of HIS punishment. The rhetorical question in the earlier ayah no. 99 “Do you then, try to compel people to believe?” emphasizes that compulsion is not acceptable. As a general rule Islamic jurisprudence does not allow compulsion in matters determined by reason and conscience. Sayyid Qutb explains thus: “People follow their freely chosen ways and God determines the consequences of every type of action. The result is the sum of these consequences.They receive their reward on the basis of how conscientiously they seek to be properly guided”. This is confirmed at the end of the same verse “it is HE who lays abomination on those who will not use their reason”. Those who decide to shut their minds and decide not to reflect on the signs and proofs pointing to the right faith will suffer abomination i.e. the worst type of spiritual impurity. This is what they deserve for not using their reason, which has resulted in their disbelief and their denial of truth. It should be noted that the Arabic word “al ragasa” has been variously translated as defilement, uncleanliness, filth, loathsome evil (of disbelief) and abomination. Allah Ta’aala dumps all this on those who refuse to reason and reflect in matters of Faith! Just imagine!! As stated earlier this is spiritual impurity in the form of Allah’s wrath and punishment.
Maulana Maudoodi summarizes the argument sensibly: “for Allah provides for such a one the means of attaining it in proportion to the sincerity of his intention and the extent of his exertion and grants him its correct knowledge required for faith. But He throws the filth of ignorance, deviation, wrong thinking and wrong doing on the one who is not a seeker after the truth and does not use his common sense properly because of his prejudices, or does not use it at all in search of the truth. And this is what such people deserve”.
Nasr Sayid Hussein et al in their The Study Quran have explained this anomaly clearly “Despite the fact that people have been given the choice to believe or not believe in God, the blessing of belief itself is contingent on God’s allowing His servants to know Him”. He then quotes the early Sufi figure Dhu’l-Nūn al-Miṣrī (d. 245/ 859) who is reported to have said, “I came to know my Lord through my Lord. Had it not been for my Lord, I would not have known my Lord” (al-Risālah al-Qushayriyyah [Damascus, 2000], 475).
……..and Allah knows best.
May Allah Ta’aala bless us with true understanding–“fahm”–of our Deen, Aameen.
Dr. Khalid Mitha
