Surah Al-Baqara (2) — Ayah 256

(Ayah 256) (1) {لَاۤ اِكْرَاهَ فِي الدِّيْنِ :} Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: “(In the time of ignorance) if a woman’s children would not survive, she would vow that if a child survived, she would make him a Jew. Then, when Banu Nadir were exiled, among them were several boys of the Ansar. The Ansar said: ‘We will not leave them,’ so this verse was revealed.” [أبوداوٗد، الجہاد، باب فی الأسیر یکرہ علی الإسلام : ۲۶۸۲، وصححہ الألبانی ]
That is, it is not permissible to force anyone to become Muslim; whoever wishes to become Muslim should do so thoughtfully. If it is done by force, faith will not enter the heart—what benefit is there in that? However, Islam commands Muslims, instead of being subjugated by disbelief, to make all disbelievers subjugated to Islam through jihad, in which disbelievers are not forced to become Muslim; they can live in peace and safety, but as a sign of the dominance of Islam, a small amount is taken from them as jizyah. If it were permissible to force people to become Muslim, then today there would not be a trace of non-Muslims in India, just as in Andalusia the Christians, by force, erased every trace of Muslims.

➋ {بِالطَّاغُوْتِ:} This is a verbal noun for emphasis from { ”طَغٰي يَطْغٰي طُغْيَانًا“ } on the pattern of { ”فَعَلُوْتٌ“ }, like “jabarut” and “malakut.” On the pattern of { ”فَعَلُوْتٌ“ } it was { ”طَغَيُوْتٌ“ }, then for ease it was altered, the ya was brought first and the ghayn after, so it became {’’طَيَغُوْتٌ“ }, then because the moving ya was preceded by a fathah, the ya was changed to an alif, so it became {”طَاغُوْتٌ“}, whose pattern is { ”فَلُعُوْتٌ“ }. The verbal noun here has the meaning of an active participle, meaning something that exceeds its limits. In “taghut,” the “waw” and “ta” are for emphasis, meaning one who greatly exceeds the limits. All false deities are taghut, because they have been elevated beyond their limits to the level of Allah Almighty. Satan is also called taghut for this reason. Whoever makes people serve and obey him in opposition to Allah Almighty is also taghut.

256. 1. In its context of revelation, it is mentioned that some young men from the Ansar had become Jews and Christians. Then, when these Ansar became Muslims, they wanted to forcibly convert their young children, who had become Christians, to Islam as well, upon which this verse was revealed. Due to this context, some commentators have considered it specific to the People of the Book, meaning that the People of the Book living in a Muslim state, if they pay jizyah, should not be forced to accept Islam. However, in terms of ruling, this verse is general, meaning that no one should be compelled to accept Islam, because Allah has made both guidance and misguidance clear. However, jihad for the eradication of disbelief and polytheism and to break the power of falsehood is something different from compulsion and coercion. The purpose is to eliminate the force and pressure from society that stands as an obstacle in the way of practicing and preaching Allah’s religion, so that every person, if he wishes, may remain on his disbelief, and if he wishes, may enter Islam. Since the obstructing powers will continue to arise, the command and need for jihad will also remain until the Day of Judgment, as it is mentioned in the hadith: "Al-jihad maadhin ila yawm al-qiyamah" — Jihad will continue until the Day of Judgment. The Prophet ﷺ himself waged jihad against the disbelievers and polytheists and said: "Umirtu an uqatil al-naas hatta yashhadu..." (Sahih Bukhari, Kitab al-Iman, Bab fa-in tabu wa aqamu al-salat...) — I have been commanded to fight the people until they testify that there is no god but Allah and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. Similarly, the punishment of apostasy by death does not contradict this verse, as some people try to suggest, because the purpose of the punishment for apostasy is not compulsion or coercion, but the protection of the ideological status of the Islamic state. In an Islamic state, a disbeliever may indeed be allowed to remain on his disbelief, but once he enters Islam, he cannot be allowed to rebel and deviate from it. Therefore, he should embrace Islam after careful thought, because if this permission were given, the ideological foundation could be undermined, which would spread ideological confusion and intellectual anarchy, endangering the peace of the Islamic society and the stability of the country. Therefore, just as crimes like murder, theft, adultery, robbery, and banditry cannot be permitted in the name of human rights, likewise, ideological rebellion (apostasy) cannot be permitted in the name of freedom of opinion in an Islamic state. This is not compulsion or coercion, but the killing of the apostate is true justice, just as giving severe punishments to those who commit murder, violence, and moral crimes is true justice. The purpose of one is the ideological protection of the country, and the purpose of the other is to save the country from evil and corruption, and both purposes are indispensable for a state. Today, most Islamic countries, by ignoring both these objectives, are facing such confusions, difficulties, and troubles that need no explanation.

256. There is no compulsion in religion. [364] The right path has become distinct from error. So whoever disbelieves in Taghut [365] and believes in Allah has grasped the most trustworthy handhold [366] that will never break. And Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.

[364]
No Compulsion in Accepting Islam:

Man has been given the power of will so that if he wishes, he can submit himself to the will of Allah. Such obedience is called religion, and this is guidance, and the beliefs of the religion have been clearly stated in this Ayat al-Kursi. And if he wishes, he can use this power of will independently, and this is called disbelief and also misguidance, and both of these matters have been fully explained. Now, every person is free to the extent of accepting the religion of Islam; if he wishes, he may accept it, and if he wishes, he may reject it. But after accepting Islam, he no longer has the option to start judging the commands and guidance of the religion by the standard of his own intellect, accepting what seems reasonable to him and rejecting the rest, or acting upon some commands and leaving those that are burdensome or disliked by his nature. This too is misguidance, and he also does not retain the option to leave the religion of Islam. Because Islam is a movement, not a traditional type of religion. Therefore, apostasy from the religion is tantamount to rebellion against the entire Ummah. [تفصيل كے ليے سورة توبه كا حاشيه نمبر 38 ديكهئے]

[365]
The Meaning of Taghut:

Taghut is every false power that imposes its command over others in opposition to Allah, or people begin to accept its commands in opposition to Allah, whether it is a specific person or an institution, and obviously, these can only be people of authority, whether they are religious or political. For example, all the national, linguistic, or regional movements running nowadays are all, according to Islam, unlawful. Now, any person or institution that runs such movements is Taghut. Similarly, Satan is also Taghut, and so are those spiritual leaders who themselves commit sins and also encourage others to do the same. In the same way, every person's own self can also be Taghut when he is deviating from obedience to Allah.

[366] By the strong handhold is meant the entire Shariah and its system, and this is the handhold that can save a person from every kind of misguidance, provided he clings to it and does not even glance towards the side paths that lead elsewhere. Such a person will surely be successful.