Was Islam Spread By The Sword?

"How can Islam be called the religion of peace, when it was spread by the sword?" It is a common complaint among some non-Muslims that Islam would not have millions of the adherents all over the world, if it had not been spread by the use of force. The following points will make it clear, that far from being spread by the sword, it was Islam's inherent force of truth, reasons and logic that was responsible for its rapid spread:

1. Islam means PEACE.
Islam comes from the root word ‘salaam’, which means peace. It also means submitting one’s will to God Almighty. Thus Islam is a religion of peace, which is acquired by submitting one’s will to the will of the Supreme Creator, Allah swt.

2. Sometimes force has to be used to maintain peace.
Each and every human being in this world is not in favor of maintaining peace and harmony. There are many who would disrupt it for their own vested interests. Sometimes force has to be used to maintain peace. It is precisely for this reason that we have the police force, which uses force against criminals and anti-social elements to maintain peace in society. Islam promotes peace. At the same time, Islam exhorts it's followers to struggle and fight against oppression. The fight against oppression may, at times, requires the use of force. In Islam force may only be used to promote peace and justice.

3. Opinion of historian De Lacy O' Leary.
The best reply to the misconception that Islam was spread by the sword is given by the noted historian De Lacy O’Leary in the book “Islam at the cross roads” (Page 8):
“History makes it clear, however, that the legend of fanatical Muslims sweeping through the world and forcing Islam at the point of the sword upon conquered races is one of the most fantastically absurd myths that historians have ever repeated."

4. Muslim ruled Spain for 800 years.
Muslims ruled Spain for about 800 years. The Muslims in Spain never used the sword to force the people to convert. Later the Christian Crusaders came to Spain and wiped out the Muslims. There was not a single Muslim in Spain who could openly give the ‘adhaan’, that is the Muslims’ call for prayers.

5. Fourteen million Arabs are Coptic Christians.
Muslims were the lords of Arabia for 1400 years. For a few years the British ruled, and for a few years the French ruled, but overall, the Muslims ruled Arabia for 1400 years. Yet today, there are 14 million Arabs who are Coptic Christians i.e. Christians since generations. If the Muslims had used the sword, there could not have been a single Arab who would have remained a Christian.

6. More than 80% non-Muslim in India.
The Muslims ruled India for about a thousand years. These Muslim rulers did not use any force in order to convert people to Islam. Today more than 80% of the population of India consists of non-Muslims. All these non-Muslim Indians are testimony today that Islam was not spread by the sword, nor was any force used for conversion to Islam.

7. Indonesia and Malaysia.
Indonesia is a country that has the maximum number of Muslims in the world. The majority of people in Malaysia are Muslims. May one ask, “Which Muslim army went to Indonesia and Malaysia?"

8. East Coast of Africa.
Similarly, Islam has spread rapidly on the East Coast of Africa. One may again ask, if Islam was spread by the sword, “Which Muslim army went to the East Coast of Africa?"

9. Thomas Carlyle.
The famous historian, Thomas Carlyle, in his book “Heroes and Hero Worship”, refers to this misconception about the spread of Islam: “The sword indeed, but where will you get your sword? Every new opinion, at its starting is precisely in a minority of one. In one man’s head alone. There it dwells as yet. One man alone of the whole world believes it, there is one man against all men. That he takes a sword and tries to propagate with that, will do little for him. You must get your sword! On the whole, a thing will propagate itself as it can."

10. No compulsion in religion.
With which sword was Islam spread? Even if Muslims had it they could not use it to spread Islam because the Qur’an says in the following verse:
“Let there be no compulsion in religion: Truth stands out clear from error” [Al-Qur’an 2:256]

11. Sword of the Intellect.
It is the sword of intellect. The sword that conquers the hearts and minds of people. The Qur’an says in Surah Nahl, chapter 16 verse 125:
“Invite (all) to the way of thy Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching; and argue with them in ways that are best and most gracious.” [Al-Qur’an 16:125]

12. Increase in the world religions from 1934 to 1984.
An article in Reader’s Digest ‘Almanac’, year book 1986, gave the statistics of the increase of percentage of the major religions of the world in half a century from 1934 to 1984. This article also appeared in ‘The Plain Truth’ magazine. At the top was Islam, which increased by 235 percent, while Christianity had increased only by a mere 47 percent. May one ask, which war took place in this century which converted millions of people to Islam?

13. Islam is the fastest growing religion.
Islam is the fastest growing religion in America and Europe. Today the fastest growing religion in America is Islam. The fastest growing religion in Europe is Islam. Which sword is forcing people in the West to accept Islam in such large numbers?

14. Dr. Joseph Adam Pearson.
Dr. Joseph Adam Pearson rightly says, “People who worry that nuclear weaponry will one day fall in the hands of the Arabs, fail to realize that the Islamic Bomb has been dropped already, it fell on the day Muhammad (Our Prophet, peace be upon him) was born”.
*The author, Dr Zakir Abd Karim Naik is a Muslim scholar, public speaker, and writer on the subject of Islam and other comparative religion. Naik is a medical doctor by profession, having attained a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery (MBBS) from Maharashtra. Naik is the founder and president of the Islamic Research Foundation(IRF), a non-profit organization which also owns and broadcasts the free-to-air global Peace TV channel from Mumbai.