By Arman Neyazi, New Age Islam
30 March 2021
How can anyone think of educating or
re-educating anyone else by compulsion when a human being, does not like to be
compelled, under any circumstances. Compulsion creates a negative feeling. If
one wishes someone to accept his ideas one will have to keep teaching him with
love and affection that is Dawah, invitation to listen not to accept.
Acceptance has to come through, on its own after understanding what is being
taught. If the Dawah is right, it will bring result, today or tomorrow. One
will have to wait, simply cannot compel.
Look at a child, if you forbid him/her to
not to do something, he or she will certainly do it or will try to do it to the
best of his/her ability or physical strength. Human beings are psychologically
built like this.
Image
used for representational purpose only
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With the passage of time, a man gets more
intelligent, starts understanding things better than before and through his
wisdom accepts the things or does the things as commanded by elders of his
family or the society. But if one is compelled to accept something about which
he does not know anything or about which one has always learnt in negative
through his elders, will never accept it through with heart and if compelled to
accept it, will be more harmful than useful in the days to come. And I am
talking of the social activities, which are temporary and the child or the
adult, with the passage of time, may understand sooner or later, and accept
what he/she was being compelled to do or not to do.
Religion is not like any other social
activities. Religion with us is by birth. We do not have a choice of upholding
the teachings of religion after getting wiser. Religion is a vast and mystical
thing which one witnesses from the time of one's birth through various
religious customs and rituals, like Azan and many other things, in almost all
religions.
Do we know that a kid has the sense of
learning through watching and listening from the time of birth, if yes, we must
acknowledge that the religious customs and rituals which we have witnessed
right from the time of our birth till we become adults, leave impeccable
impressions on our mind. Our acts and religious behaviours take the form of the
others around us and we inherently start liking the religion and its customs.
Can this impeccable religious impression be left behind, so easily, even we try
our best? Does not seem possible even for the sake of love and affection. To my
mind, it is almost impossible.
The
Almighty Allah, the best knower of everything says in the Holy Quran:
“And if your Lord willed, all those who are
in the earth – everyone of them – would have accepted faith; so will you (O
dear Prophet Mohammed – peace and blessings be upon him) force the people until
they become Muslims?” (The Quran -10:99)
In the above mentioned Ayat, Allah says,
“And if your Lord willed, all those who are in the earth – everyone of them –
would have accepted faith'.
Then the question is why He does not will
so. If the Almighty Allah did not will, there has to be some very serious
reason behind it. We should study and try to understand the message behind this
Ayat and the common people should be preached by our religious scholars not to
even think about converting anyone by compulsion.
People who think that forced compulsion
will bring divine blessings to them should think twice and study the above
mentioned Ayat. If Allah did not will everyone on this earth to believe, who
are we, His slaves, to go against His will. Do we think we are wiser and
powerful (Nauzobillah)?
If you think someone has taken or is taking
the wrong path by not having faith in Islam, talk to him and keep talking, that
is called Dawah, till he himself accepts that he was on the wrong path. Dawah
is to invite not to compel anyone to accept your faith.
For example, when there is a celebration of
any kind at your house, you invite others to attend your celebration, you do
not compel. And if you are so socially powerful to make people attend by
compulsion, they will come but not with blessings but ill feelings in their
hearts, even if they will not let their feelings come out in the open. This
situation will create negative waves which will translate into the devastation
of some kind.
Forced conversions by any standard and for
any reason is unacceptable in front of Allah, the Almighty.
If there are conversions (not forced) for
the sake of love, I must admit that this must be a divine love. Love is a very
powerful and mystic feeling, if it is a true love that can change one's life
forever. When in love one ceases to think even for them with whom he/she has
been in love for so many years, as his parents and relatives and friends, and
converts to a totally different world. But whether he/she accepts that
religious conversion by heart and whether there is any use of such converted people
for the religion concerned, is doubtful.
If the marriage has been performed after
the compelled conversion there is no reason to believe any positive thing will
happen in the life of the married couple or the religion concerned. Allah
certainly does not like the people who compel anyone to accept His Deen as it
is like going against His command.
Forced
Conversion/Image used for representational purpose only
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Religion by compulsion, cannot be useful
rather it looks like having very dangerous, evil consequences for all
concerned.
To strengthen the truth behind the Forced
Conversion being unholy, evil, and against the command of Allah, we can
consider the first part of the Ayat 18:29 in which the Holy Quran says:
“And proclaim, “The Truth is from your Lord”; so
whoever wills may accept faith, and whoever wills may disbelieve” (The Quran - 18:29)
Muslims all over the world will certainly
not even think of forced conversion, for whatever the reason, in the light of
the above Quranic command. And if they do so, that will be going against the
will of the God.
And Allah knows the best.
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Arman Neyazi is a columnist with NewAgeIslam.com
URL:
New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic
Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism