Is Islam a Religion of Peace?

[Argamemnon]

As far as I know, this is the whole context of 'fight them until the religion of all is Islaam'.

I disagree and so do many scholars. I will have to find what it actually means though, since I have forgotten it. I don't want to give false information, but I know what you said is wrong.

 

[MSalman]

You say - 'fight them until the religion of all is Islaam' which I presume you're quoting from the Qur'an or hadith - doesn't sound very 'peaceful?'

yes, i rephrased an ayah of the Qur'aan. The argument of 'peaceful' can be subjective sometime, even if it is an objective as I mentioned earlier the whole concept of physical jihad or this ayah must be understood within the context. We follow the footsteps of Prophet Muhammad (sal-allahu 'alayhi wa salam); he called people to Islaam and later on sent letters and his companions to different nations to spread the message. As a result, some tribes became his allies, others came under his protection and others became enemies. So, they fought the enemies: took initative or defended themselves. and as you know number of things can happen as a result of war: peace treaty, give the nation to enemy etc. However, it doesn't mean force people to accept Islaam or randomly kill them. Refer to the following links and i'm sure they would help:
The wisdom behind jihad
Ruling on jihad and kinds of jihad
Ruling on physical jihad

Don't forget that we're here to please Allah Ta'ala not people. So, it doesn't matter to us what you think about the Sharee'ah rulings: like it or not. If you like it that's good for you and if you don't then too bad for you.

and certainly Allah knows best

I disagree and so do many scholars. I will have to find what it actually means though, since I have forgotten it. I don't want to give false information, but I know what you said is wrong.

As-Salamu 'Alaykum brother
no problem brother, let's hear what the classical scholars have said regarding these kinds of ayaat. My understanding can certainly be incorrect but please don't quote me contemporary comparative religion scholars. Jazak Allah khair!

 

[Amadeus85]

I see it that way that muslims believe that european colonialism was always bad and muslim colonialism was always good, .

 

[- Qatada -]

Thinker, since Islam brought more good to them civilizations than bad [for the masses] - then that's something praiseworthy. If you disagree with this, then ask yourself whether you support injustice or not. If you believe that human rights matter (which Islam upholds and actually introduced with firm foundations) - then you agree that it was worthy of Islam removing them civilizations oppressive rulers. Even if you don't agree with Islamic rule, in the majority of cases - the people were pleased with Muslims as their rulers compared to their previous rulers (i.e. due to lower tax rates, more freedom in religion and equal rights in court etc), and the colonialist regimes (which were only intended for the benefits of the colonialists themselves put down the people they ruled over [due to them being 'inferior races' (based on the 'survival of the fittest' theory), whereas Islam brought benefit for the people i.e. the great Caliphs Umar ibn Al Khattaab, Umar ibn Abdul Aziz who lived in mud houses while ruling 1/3 of the earth with justice. etc.)



Peace.

 

[Thinker]

Thinker, since Islam brought more good to them civilizations than bad [for the masses] - then that's something praiseworthy. If you disagree with this,
Peace.

I am not disagreeing with anything I was just trying to progress the question.

As usual in these discussions some side issues develop.

First there is the concept of ‘fairness’ and I would suggest that God must be fair (just as opposed to unjust) and it would seem only fair that if God demands that it be allowed to preach Islam to followers of other religions it should allow equal freedom to other religions. If God doesn’t allow this he is being unfair and unjust and that contradicts the definition of God.

Second there is the suggestion that you must ‘follow the footsteps of Prophet Muhammad’ and he decreed, 'fight them until the religion of all is Islaam.' That raises are persistent problem with the sunnah, that being that when Muhammad wrote that he was living at a time when war with other tribes was the norm. In this context it raises a specific problem in that when Muhammad spoke of the necessity to spread the religion of Islam there was only one version of Islam, that is not the case today.

 

[MSalman]

First there is the concept of ‘fairness’ and I would suggest that God must be fair (just as opposed to unjust) and it would seem only fair that if God demands that it be allowed to preach Islam to followers of other religions it should allow equal freedom to other religions. If God doesn’t allow this he is being unfair and unjust and that contradicts the definition of God.

your poor understanding is hunting you. How does it make God unfair and unjust if He's obligating people to spread His religion? How would preaching other religions do any good to people when it would lead them to their doom? It's funny that one side you people say 'why didn't God make people follow only one religion' and other side you say 'God is being unfair by not allowing people to preach other religions'. You see, you people are just contradicting yourselves and running around in the circles.

Second there is the suggestion that you must ‘follow the footsteps of Prophet Muhammad’ and he decreed, 'fight them until the religion of all is Islaam.' That raises are persistent problem with the sunnah, that being that when Muhammad wrote that he was living at a time when war with other tribes was the norm. In this context it raises a specific problem in that when Muhammad spoke of the necessity to spread the religion of Islam there was only one version of Islam, that is not the case today.

thank your for taking my statements out of context; go back and read again what I said. I said when we'll preach Islaam in a way that Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) did, it is bound to happen that people will become our enemies, like it has happened in the past; thus, we'll fight them till: they become Muslims, give up, sign peace treaty, come under the proctecion of an Islaamic state. War is a norm and it happens in every era and will continue to do so due to the shortcomings of human beings. The true teachings of Islaam are still intact and preserved. Majority of the Muslims are following those teachings even thought it may not seem.