Unfettered Religious Freedom in Islam - Fact or Fiction? Part 1

Speaking against the terrible treatment of non-Muslims and violation of their religious and human rights in the Islamic world, many modern educated Muslims, especially those living in the Western countries, often make extraordinary claims that Islam allows unfettered religious freedom to non-Islamic peoples. For example, Brig. Gen. (Retd) Ashrafuzzaman wrote a well-articulated essay on "Religious Freedom in Islam" in a Bangladeshi web magazine, in which he claimed that 'Islam allows total religious freedom' to the non-Muslims. He derived this conclusion from the text of the holy Koran and examples of Prophet Muhammad.

This assertion is, however, is in total contrast to what evidently exists in the Muslim world. The history of Islam, usually written by the pious Islamic historians and scholars, does not present a good picture of the treatment of non-Muslims under the Islamic rule either. Moderate Muslims find unfettered religious freedom in Prophet Muhammad's life and actions, but the history and biographies of the prophet, written by the pious Islamic scholars like Ibn-Ishaq, al-Waqidi, ibn-Sa'd, At-Tabari and Imam al-Ghazzali et al., depict a terrible and often cruel treatment of the non-Muslims by the Prophet.

The intolerant verses of the Koran

When the critics of Islam cite violent verses from the Koran to suggest the intolerant nature of Islam, most educated moderate Muslims quickly make allegation of quoting the verses out of context for the purpose of defaming Islam, which otherwise stands for peace and tolerance. Yet, those Muslims will hardly come forward to enlighten the critics about the correct context of the verses in question. Others come up with vague, false or misleading interpretation or context of such verses to make their case in favor of religious freedom in Islam. One of the oft-cited violent verses of the Koran is 'fight and slay the pagans wherever ye find them' [Q 9:5], which appears to advocate a complete annihilation of the idolaters (pagan, heathens) instead of tolerance of any kind. Brig. Zaman in his essay presented a circumstantial context of this verse before moving on to making his case for what he calls 'total religious freedom in Islam'.

He says Muslims led by Prophet Muhammad made an expedition towards Syria (expedition of Tabuk in October, 630 AD), because they received intelligence that the Byzantine army was mobilizing a force there for attacking the Muslims. This verse was revealed in the run up to the preparation of this expedition. But when Muslim army arrived near Syria, they found no signs of build-up of the Byzantine army and they returned without any confrontation.

Brig. Zaman's has got the context totally wrong to which I will come back later. But his cooked up story, however, is ridiculous in all aspects of it. Even if we would agree that the intelligence of the Byzantine army's preparation was true, the Muslim army, if peaceful and non-aggressive, as claimed by Brig. Zaman, would not set on an aggressive expedition to deter it. Instead, Muslims should have stayed home and fortified their defenses. Moreover, going on an aggressive attack on an army already in preparation is a ridiculous and suicidal war strategy for even an aggressive army. Brig. Zaman, with an illustrious career in defense, should have known this simple fact about war strategies. This story is even more ridiculous given the Byzantine army had just reached the pinnacle of power in the world after defeating the Persians a couple of years earlier. In 630, the Muslims were too paltry a force to think that they could thrash down the world's most powerful army by going on an aggressive offensive.

The fact that Muslims did not see any build-up of force in the Syrian border meant that the intelligence was either false or the story of such build-up was concocted by Prophet Muhammad or by later Muslims historians. The fact that Khalid al-Walid had earlier made a limited foray into that territory suggests that Prophet Muhammad had wanted to make a bigger inroad. Given the power of the Byzantine army, a huge expedition was needed and for convincing the people to come onboard, such a story of imminent danger might have been essential. Hence, the Muslim army's increasing military might and their limited success in that dangerous front earlier, might have had made them aggressive and launched the expedition on their own in order to conquer the periphery of the Byzantine empire.

This idea is supported by the fact that during that expedition of Tabuk, Muslims conquered a few small dominions between Damascus and Medina some of them by force and other by threat of military aggression. A letter sent to the prince of the Ayla tribe read:

"To John ibn Ru'ba and the chief of Ayla. Peace be upon you. .. I will not fight you until I have written thus unto you. Believe or else pay tribute (Jizyah). ...Ye know the tribute. If ye desire security by sea and by land, obey Allah and his apostle.... But if ye oppose and displease them , I will accept nothing from you until I have fought against you and taken captive your little ones and slain the elder; for I am the apostle of Allah in truth...." [Muir, p402]

It is ridiculous to claim that when Muslims were on a defensive aggression to deter an impending attack on their territory, Muhammad would send such threatening letter expressing barbaric and cruel intents for the purpose of extending the domain of Islam. Neither the content of the letter shows any glimpse of religious freedom for the Christian Ayla tribesmen. Muslim's subsequent aggression and significant inroad into the Byzantine territory by the year 638 AD and into other territories within their power also give credence that there was always an intention to attack the Byzantine territory in the Muslim camp.

Prophet Muhammad's first biography by Ibn Ishaq also says nothing of an impending attack by the Byzantine army. But instead, it describes the prophet's aggressive intent of attacking the Byzantine frontier, much to the Muslim warriors' disagreement and unwillingness to join the expedition in rough weather condition of the time. [Ibn Ishaq, p602]

Now coming back to the correct context of the verse 9:5 (Slay the pagans, wherever ye find them), this verse is totally unrelated to the Tabuk expedition. Instead, it was revealed a few months later during the Hajj in 631 AD. After conquering Mecca and capturing the Ka'ba, the Prophet allowed the Pagans to perform the pilgrimage and visitation to the sacred house but only took the charge of collecting the toll. In order to avoid the place, still tainted by the idolaters, the Prophet never undertook pilgrimage to the sacred house during this period, but sent a delegation from Medina. During the 631 Hajj pilgrimage, the Prophet sent a delegation of 300 hundred men with Abu Bakr at its head. Immediately afterwards, Allah allegedly revealed these verses and he later sent Ali forward to join the delegation and pronounce those verses during the Hajj. After the animal sacrifice rituals, Ali pronounced the latest revelations from Allah before the assemble congregation:

"[Quran 9:1-5] Freedom from obligation (is proclaimed) from Allah and His messenger toward those of the idolaters with whom ye made a treaty. Travel freely in the land four months, and know that ye cannot escape Allah and that Allah will confound the disbelievers (in His Guidance). And a proclamation from Allah and His messenger to all men on the day of the Greater Pilgrimage that Allah is free from obligation to the idolaters, and (so is) His messenger . So, if ye repent, it will be better for you; but if ye are averse, then know that ye cannot escape Allah. Give tidings (O Muhammad) of a painful doom to those who disbelieve, Excepting those of the idolaters with whom ye (Muslims) have a treaty, and who have since abated nothing of your right nor have supported anyone against you. (As for these), fulfil their treaty to them till their term. Lo! Allah loveth those who keep their duty (unto Him). Then, when the sacred months have passed, slay the idolaters wherever ye find them, and take them (captive), and besiege them, and prepare for them each ambush. But if they repent and establish worship and pay the poor-due, then leave their way free. Lo! Allah is Forgiving, Merciful."

These verses were tailor-made to remove the last vestiges of idolatry from the sacred house of Ka'ba. Secondly, they were also meant for the forcing all pagans into Islam by reneging any obligation Allah and his apostle had offered to them the earlier year and by the giving command to kill the idolaters wherever found after a four-month grace period was over. The idea is supported by the fact that the Prophet made pilgrimage journey the next year in 632 (farewell Hajj) after paganism was completely wiped off from the Ka'ba and the city of Mecca with this command.

The fact that the Byzantine territory was inhabited by the Christians but the verse is meant for exterminating the idolaters also proves Brig. Zaman totally wrong.

The tolerant verses

Deceptive Muslims would normally scour the whole Koran to extract a few verses which sound relatively reconciliatory, yet hardly worthy of any value for peaceful coexistence in the modern civilized society. Brig. Zaman has done exactly the same ignoring scores of cruel, aggressive and retaliatory verses. He also did not bother to consider the temporal context of revelation of those apparently non-aggressive verses. Weren't those verses revealed during the early days of Prophet Muhammad's preaching mission when his community was only a feeble force? Isn't it true that all the hate-filled and retaliatory verses were revealed only when the Muslim community had become a fighting force?
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References

1. Ibn Ishaq, The Life of Muhammad (Sirat Rasul Allah, trs. A Guillaume) Oxford University Press, Karachi.

2. William Muir, The Life of Mahomet , Voice of India, New Delhi, 2002.

3. WM Watt, Muhammad at Medina, Oxford University Press, Karachi, 1981

4. WM Watt (2), Islam and The Integration of Society , Routledge & Kegan Paul; London, 1961