Explaining Hadith about fighting disbelievers until they become Muslim

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ

In the Name of Allah Most Merciful Most Kind

Short Answer

No, Islam does not say we have to fight people and force them to become Muslim. Rather it says the opposite. We are forbidden from coercing people to become Muslim. As for the Hadith in Bukhari, it needs to be understood in light of other Hadith narrations and Qur’anic verses. Which will clarify that there is no coercion in Islam.

Explanation

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: أُمِرْتُأَنْأُقَاتِلَالنَّاسَحَتَّىيَقُولُوا: لاَإِلَهَإِلَّااللَّهُ،فَمَنْقَالَهَافَقَدْعَصَمَمِنِّيمَالَهُوَنَفْسَهُإِلَّابِحَقِّهِ،وَحِسَابُهُعَلَىاللَّهِ

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: I have been commanded to fight the people until they say, there is no god but Allah. If they say it, they will have safeguarded their life and property from me. Except by its right and their reckoning is with Allah. (Sahih al-Bukhari, 1399).

The blessed Prophet ﷺ was mentioning one of several possibilities in the Hadith above. When it comes to engaging with non-Muslims, the Quran and Sunah provide many possibilities. If they are hostile, then war becomes inevitable. If they are peaceful then peace is always preferable. But we never fight people to force them to become Muslim.

If they live in Muslim lands, then they have the option to keep their religion and pay Jizyah. Which is a tax non-Muslim residence of Muslim lands pay. Since, they cannot be asked to pay Zakah as that is worship and we do not compel people to join our methods of worship.

Other evidence

In the following text (Nass), Imam Ibn Humam cites verse 29 of Surah al-Towbah to clarify that the Hadith is not taken to mean that we must fight non-Muslims. Rather they have the right to remain upon their religion and pay Jizyah. Which is an incredibly low tax that non-Muslims have to pay. Since they are not required to pay Zakah. As that is worship and obligatory upon Muslims alone.

أُمِرْت أَنْ أُقَاتِلَ النَّاسَ حَتَّى يَقُولُوا لَا إلَهَ إلَّا اللَّهُ وَإِنْ امْتَنَعُوا دَعَوْهُمْ إلَى أَدَاءِ الْجِزْيَةِ بِهَذَا أَمَرَ – عَلَيْهِ الصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ – أُمَرَاءَ الْأَجْنَادِ» وَقَدْ ذَكَرْنَاهُ مِنْ حَدِيثِ بُرَيْدَةَ (وَلِأَنَّهُ أَحَدُ مَا يَنْتَهِي بِهِ الْقِتَالُ كَمَا نَطَقَ بِهِ النَّصُّ) قَوْله تَعَالَى {قَاتِلُواالَّذِينَلايُؤْمِنُونَبِاللَّهِ} [التوبة: 29] إلَى قَوْلِهِ سُبْحَانَهُ {حَتَّىيُعْطُواالْجِزْيَةَعَنْيَدٍوَهُمْصَاغِرُونَ} [التوبة: 29] وَهَذَا إنْ لَمْ يَكُونُوا مُرْتَدِّينَ وَلَا مُشْرِكِي الْعَرَبِ. (فتح القدير)

I was commanded to fight the people until they say, “There is no god but Allah.” And if they refuse, call them to pay the Jizyah. This is what the Prophet ﷺ commanded the generals of the armies. We have already mentioned it in the Hadith of Buraydah. (And because it is one of the things that fighting ends with, as the text states). The Almighty’s saying: Fight those who do not believe in Allah. [At-Tawbah: 29] up to His saying, Glory be to Him: Until they pay the Jizya willingly while they are humbled. [At-Tawbah: 29]. This applies if they are neither apostates nor Arab polytheists. (Imam Kamal al-Deen Ibn al-Humam 861H, Fath al-Qadir).

The Holy Quran (Surah Towbah verse 9) makes it abundantly clear that there are various options with regards to non-Muslims. However, for us to fight people and force conversion is not one of them. Rather Jizyah is explicitly mentioned in the Holy Quran. Such verses must be considered when trying to understand the above Hadith.

Anyone who wants to understand any aspect of Islam must look at all relevant Quranic verses and prophetic Hadith. It is completely unacceptable to isolate a particular verse from the Quran or Hadith of the Prophet ﷺ. This is such an elementary principal that it is concerning to have to point it out.Thus, the claim that we must fight people and force conversion is undoubtedly false.

 

(فَإِنْ أَسْلَمُوا كَفُّوا عَنْ قِتَالِهِمْ) لِقَوْلِهِ – عَلَيْهِ الصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ -: «أُمِرْتُ أَنْ أُقَاتِلَ النَّاسَ» الْحَدِيثَ، وَلِمَا سَبَقَ مِنَ الْحَدِيثِ، وَلِأَنَّ الْمَقْصُودَ إِسْلَامُهُمْ وَقَدْ حَصَلَ. قَالَ: (فَإِنْ لَمْ يُسْلِمُوا دَعَاهُمْ إِلَى أَدَاءِ الْجِزْيَةِ) لِمَا سَبَقَ مِنَ الْحَدِيثِ (الاختيار لتعليل المختار)

(If they embrace Islam, they cease fighting them) because of the Prophet’s ﷺ saying: I have been commanded to fight the people. The Hadith. Also, because of what has preceded in Hadith. And because the objective was their conversion to Islam, which has already been achieved. He said: If they do not embrace Islam, they are called to pay the Jizyah. Due to the previous Hadith. (Imam Abu al-Fadl al-Mowsili 683H, al-Ikhtiyar).

Hadith commentary

Many Imams of Ahl al-Sunnah have clarified that the Hadith does not command us to fight people and force them to become Muslim. This clarification has been provided by earlier and later scholars. And by scholars from different backgrounds and legal schools. Thus, there should not be any room for confusion.

(أمرتأنأقاتلالناسحتىيقولوا: لاإلهإلاالله)ولا يجوز أن يكون أهل الكتاب داخلين تحت هذه الجملة. (شرح صحيح البخارى لابن بطال)

I was commanded to fight the people until they say: There is no god but Allah. It is not permissible to include the People of the Book under this statement. (Imam Ibn Battal 449H, Sharh Sahih al-Bukhari).

 

وقد قال صلى الله عليه وسلم ” أمرتأنأقاتلالناسحتىيقولوالاإلهإلاالله” الحديث ” وإن امتنعوا دعوهم إلى أداء الجزية ” به أمر رسول الله عليه الصلاة والسلام أمراء الجيوش ولأنه أحد ما ينتهي به القتال على ما نطق به النص وهذا في حق من تقبل منه الجزية ومن لا تقبل منه كالمرتدين وعبدة الأوثان من العرب لا فائدة في دعائهم إلى قبول الجزية لأنه لا يقبل منهم إلا الإسلام قال الله تعالى: {تُقَاتِلُونَهُمْأَوْيُسْلِمُونَ} [الفتح: 16]. (الهداية في شرح بداية المبتدي)

The Prophet ﷺ said: I have been commanded to fight the people until they say, there is no god but Allah. If they refuse, they call them to pay the Jizyah. This is what the Messenger of Allah ﷺ commanded the leaders of the armies to do. because it is one of the ways to end fighting, as the text states. This applies to those from whom the Jizyah is accepted. As for those from whom it is not accepted, such as apostates and idol worshippers among the Arabs, there is no benefit in calling them to accept the Jizyah. Since nothing but Islam is accepted from them. Allah Almighty says: Fight them or they submit. (Surah al-Fath: 16). (Imam Burhan al-Deen al-Marghinani 593H, al-Hidayah fi Sharh Bidayat al-Mubtadi).

Hadith Application

As we see from the Nusoos (texts) above, scholars have applied the Hadith above to certain communities. Those being pagans in Arabia, according to the Hanafi interpretation. Which was a relatively small proportion of the residents in Islamic lands, even in the era of the Sahabah. If they wanted to remain in the Arabian peninsula then they had to accept Islam.

The Hadith is certainly not applicable to Jews and Christians. Nor is it applicable to non-Muslims outside of the Arabian Peninsula according to the Hanafi Madhab. Once again proving that the accusation that the Prophet ﷺ commanded us to fight people and force them to become Muslim is false.

Coercion

There should be no confusion over the issue of Muslims being allowed to fight people and force them to embrace Islam. Such behaviour has been repeatedly and clearly prohibited in the Holy Quran.

لَاإِكْرَاهَفِيالدِّينِقَدْتَبَيَّنَالرُّشْدُمِنَالْغَيِّ

There is no compulsion in religion. Guidance has become distinct from falsehood. (Surah al-Baqarah, 256)

 

وَلَوْشَاءَرَبُّكَلَآمَنَمَنْفِيالْأَرْضِكُلُّهُمْجَمِيعًاأَفَأَنْتَتُكْرِهُالنَّاسَحَتَّىيَكُونُوامُؤْمِنِينَ

If your Lord had willed, everyone on earth would have believed, all of them. Then, will you coerce the people to become believers? (Surah Yunus, 10).

 

لكمدينكُمْوليدين

To you your religion, and to me my religion. (Surah al-Kafiroon, 6)

The truth is that Islamophobes lie about Muslims constantly and they have misled people into thinking that the above Hadith commands Muslims to forcibly convert people. Such Islamophobes constantly contradict themselves since they are lying and inconsistent.

On the one hand they say we force everyone to become Muslim. And on the other they say we oppress our non-Muslim minorities. If the first statement is true, then the second is impossible. Since we would not have non-Muslim minorities. But they do not care about the truth or consistency. Their only goal is to defame Islam and slander Muslims.

Practical reality

Islamophobes constantly lie about Islam and Muslims. Often these lies are so brazen that little reflection or research is required to identify the falsehood. That is certainly the case with the lie that the blessed Prophet commanded us to fight people and force them to embrace Islam. The slightest research will inform us that non-Muslims have resided in the Muslim lands since the time of the Prophet ﷺ and his companions.

Syria, Iraq and Egypt all have significant communities of non-Muslims who have been present since the time of the Prophet ﷺ. This can be observed in these lands by anyone who is willing to spend 30 seconds on the internet to check. Thus, Islamophobes will only be able to perpetuate this lie amongst people, unwilling or incapable of basic research or reflection.

Conclusion

As seen from the abundant evidence above, the Hadith in Sahih al-Bukhari does not command us to fight people and force them to become Muslim. Rather the Hadith is mentioning one of several possibilities. Muslims will only fight hostile disbelievers. Not all disbelievers. Islam encourages people to become Muslim. It does not coerce it. They have the right to remain upon their religion and pay tax.

Due to the onslaught of hostility and propaganda against Muslims, it is even more emphatically obligated upon Muslims to study Islam. It has never been acceptable for Muslims to remain ignorant regarding Islam. However, in the current circumstances such ignorance is even more reckless and deeply disturbing.

And Allah Most High Knows Best.

–Answered by Shaykh Noorud-deen Rashid (09.05.24)