Was Islam Spread By the Sword?

One of the bizarre myths perpetuated about Islam, during the centuries of mistrust
during and after the Crusades, is that Muslim armies forced people to accept Islam at
the point of the sword. Unfortunately this myth survives to this day.
Many Western scholars have now repudiated this myth. he great historian !e "acy
O#"eary wrote in $Islam %t the Cross&roads'(
)*istory ma+es it clear however, that the legend of fanatical Muslims sweeping
through the world and forcing Islam at the point of the sword upon con,uered races
is one of the most fantastically absurd myths that historians have ever repeated.)
Indeed, it is a historical fact, that Islam spread much faster during periods of peace
than in periods of war. Islam continued to spread, as it does now, when Muslims
were not prevailing economically, socially or politically.
*istory of olerance and Mutual -espect
he .lorious /ur#an says(
)"et there be no compulsion in religion( ruth stands out clear from error) 0%l&/ur1an
2(2345
raditionally Muslims have treated other religions with respect, even when they
were in a position to use force.
Muslims ruled 6pain for about 788 years. !uring these 788 years, until Muslims were
finally forced out by the crusaders, non&Muslims flourished in 6pain. Muslims have
ruled %rabia for 9:88 years, e;cept for brief periods of <ritish and =rench rule. >et
there are today 9: million %rabs who are Coptic Christians whose families have
been Christians going bac+ several generations.
he Muslims ruled India for about a thousand years. hey had the power to forcibly
convert each and every non&Muslim of India to Islam. oday more than 78? of the
population of India is non&Muslim. %ll these non&Muslim Indians are bearing witness
to the fact that Islam was not spread by the sword.
homas %rnold, a former Christian missionary in India, who cannot be accused of
being pro&Islam, in his famous boo+ @he Areaching of Islam#, indicates that there
have been certain periods where Muslim rulers have diverted from this tolerance,
but it was due to a deviation from Islamic principles, rather than conformance to
them.
*e concludes that the two primary reasons for the spread of Islam all over the world
were merchants and the 6ufis, two groups of people who went out, wor+ed with
humanity and gently invited others to their faith.
"egal 6afeguards for non&Muslims under Islamic "aw
he /uran and 6unnah Braditions of the ArophetC e;plicitly dictate regulations and
rights for the protection of non&Muslim minorities living under the rule of Islam. he
Arophet even said that if a Muslim hurts a covenanted person Bi.e. a non&Muslim
living under the rule of IslamC or commits any inDustice to him, then on the !ay of
Eudgment the Arophet BpbuhC would be the advocate on behalf of the non&Muslim
against the Muslim. What would be the sense and need for all of these prescriptions
and advice, if Islam re,uired that they be compelled to accept the religionF
he -apid 6pread of Islam
%n article in -eader1s !igest @%lmanac1, year boo+ 9G74, gave the statistics of the
increase of percentage of the maDor religions of the world in half a century from
9GH: to 9G7:. his article also appeared in @he Alain ruth1 magazine. %t the top
was Islam, which increased by 2H3?, and Christianity had increased only by :I?.
May one as+, $Which war too+ place in this century which converted millions of
people to IslamF'
Indonesia is a country that has the ma;imum number of Muslims in the world. he
maDority of people in Malaysia are Muslims. 6imilarly, Islam has spread rapidly on
the Jast Coast of %frica. May one as+, )Which Muslim army went to Indonesia and
Malaysia, and to the Jast coast of %fricaF)
oday the fastest growing religion in %merica and in Jurope is Islam. Which sword
is forcing people in the West to accept Islam in such large numbersF