Let us now take up the question of the basic human right of freedom of expression. Or, in other words let us try to determine if Islam permits non-Muslims to preach and convey the message of their religion. Technically, the Holy Quran calls it Tabligh1, which means, to state the good points of one’s own religion in a positive and non-violent manner. The idea is that people become converted out of their own free choice. Objections, if any, raised against religion or its principles have to be answered rationally and calmly without breeding religious hysteria of fanatic apposition. Tabligh in fact promotes the feelings of mutual trust and goodfellowship and bridges the gulf of ignorance and distrust. God says in this connection:
وَمَنۡ اَحۡسَنُ قَوۡلًا مِّمَّنۡ دَعَاۤ اِلَی اللّٰہِ وَعَمِلَ صَالِحًا وَّقَالَ اِنَّنِیۡ مِنَ الۡمُسۡلِمِیۡنَ وَلَا تَسۡتَوِی الۡحَسَنَۃُ وَلَا السَّیِّئَۃُ ؕ اِدۡفَعۡ بِالَّتِیۡ ہِیَ اَحۡسَنُ فَاِذَا الَّذِیۡ بَیۡنَکَ وَبَیۡنَہٗ عَدَاوَۃٌ کَاَنَّہٗ وَلِیٌّ حَمِیۡمٌ وَمَا یُلَقّٰہَاۤ اِلَّا الَّذِیۡنَ صَبَرُوۡا ۚ وَمَا یُلَقّٰہَاۤ اِلَّا ذُوۡ حَظٍّ عَظِیۡمٍ وَاِمَّا یَنۡزَغَنَّکَ مِنَ الشَّیۡطٰنِ نَزۡغٌ فَاسۡتَعِذۡ بِاللّٰہِ ؕ اِنَّہٗ ہُوَ السَّمِیۡعُ الۡعَلِیۡمُ
"And Who is better in speech than he who invites men to Allah and does good works and says, 'I am surely of those who submit'? And good and evil are not alike. Repel evil with that which is best. And lo, he between whom and thyself was enmity will become as though he were a warm friend. But none is granted it save those who are steadfast; and none is granted it save those who possess a large share of good. And if an incitement from Satan incite thee, then seek refuge in Allah. Surely He is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing." (41:34-37)
Elsewhere God says:
اُدۡعُ اِلٰی سَبِیۡلِ رَبِّکَ بِالۡحِکۡمَۃِ وَالۡمَوۡعِظَۃِ الۡحَسَنَۃِ وَجَادِلۡہُمۡ بِالَّتِیۡ ہِیَ اَحۡسَنُ ؕ اِنَّ رَبَّکَ ہُوَ اَعۡلَمُ بِمَنۡ ضَلَّ عَنۡ سَبِیۡلِہٖ وَہُوَ اَعۡلَمُ بِالۡمُہۡتَدِیۡنَ وَاِنۡ عَاقَبۡتُمۡ فَعَاقِبُوۡا بِمِثۡلِ مَا عُوۡقِبۡتُمۡ بِہٖ ؕ وَلَئِنۡ صَبَرۡتُمۡ لَہُوَ خَیۡرٌ لِّلصّٰبِرِیۡنَ
"Call unto the way of thy Lord with wisdom and goodly exhortation, and argue with them in a way that is best. Surely, they Lord knows best who has strayed away from His way; and He knows those who are rightly guided. And if you desire to punish the oppressors, then punish them to the extent to which you have been wronged; but if you show patience, then, surely, that is best for those who are patient. (16:126-127).
The Founder of the Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam (1835-1908), the voice-articulate of the age was especially commissioned by Allah to disseminate the message of Islam and establish its claim to be the only religion which, under the divine scheme of things, can cure human ills and solve human problems. He set up a vast missionary organization to propagate Islam. He formulated the following fundamental principles of Tabligh in the light of the Holy Quran:
It should be accepted as a matter of principle that at the time of their inception all ancient religions were true and divine in origin. God sent Prophets and warners to every people. The fact that they have been held in high esteem, for such a long time, proves that they were no imposters.
Each exponent of religion should confine himself to and rely only on the text of the religious scriptures which according to his religion was revealed by God; should only refer to that book and to none other and should not extend the sphere of his exposition to give the impression as if he was engaged in inventing a new book, nor should he misappropriate the religious principles and views of other religions as his own.2
Every advocate should state the beauties of his own religion instead of attacking the other party. Because proving that other religion is wrong does not mean that his own religion is right.3
Scrupulous regard must be paid to the fact that all standards of religious controversies and discussions are conducted in a decent and polite manner. Objections, if any, must be based on the standard and recognized books of the other party and not on hearsay and from which one’s own religion and standard books are immune.4
The attention should also be invited to the purpose of religion, its life-giving influence, and the resultant love of Allah and the heavenly signs which accrue therefrom, they should also be exhorted to rely more on prayer because like physical light the true light of guidance also descends from heaven. Human conjecture and surmise cannot lead to true apprehension of God. A silent God is no God. The Perfect and Living God is One who Himself gives proof of His existence and leads us to the living religion, provided we have the craving to find the right path and have the eyes to see divine light. Therefore, the true and Living religion is one that brings man nearer to God, makes him His mouthpiece and transforms his heart into a seat of His Lord.5
It would not be out of place to mention a few instances of the practical application of the principles of Tabligh mentioned above.
It is reported that a non-Muslim chieftain Thamamah bin Athal of the tribe of Yamamah whose hostility against Muslims was well-known was arrested after a battle and was produced before the Holy Prophet (sas).
He ordered him to be confined to the Mosque. Every day the Holy Prophet (sas) would inquire how he was doing and if there was anything he wanted. Thamamah would reply:
"I am doing fine. If you pardon me I will remember it all my life and you will not find me ungrateful. If I am sentenced to death I deserve it. If you want ransom I will pay."
For three days Thamamah stayed in the mosque and every day the same question and answer were repeated. Finally he was ordered to be released and allowed to go home. On release he went to a pond and had his bath and soon returned and reported to the Prophet (sas) and declared:
"Holy Prophet (sas)! God is my witness that, on the face of the earth I hated you most, now none is dearer than you. God knows that your faith was most hateful to me but today no religion is dearer. By God, I disliked your city most but today I like it most of all the cities of the world. I accept Islam and bear witness, "there is no God but Allah and Muhammad is His exalted servant and Prophet."
Later Thamamah visited Mecca for ‘Umrah, The Meccans threatened him because he had turned faithless. He replied:
"I have not turned faithless but faithful because I have accepted the best faith, the faith of Muhammad (sas). Remember if you do not stop being hard on me you will not get a single grain of wheat from Yamamah which is your only source of supply." The Meccans were afraid but did not care. When Thamamah went back to Yamamah; he appealed to his people not to sell grains to the Meccans. This restriction reduced the Meccans to serious straits of famine. At this they appealed to the Prophet (sas) begging him to interfere in the matter saying. "Our elders died in the battlefield and we ourselves are starving to death." The Prophet (sas) at once directed Thamamah not to withhold supply of grain and to resume former commercial relations with the Meccans because, he said "to starve the enemy is wrong."6
Safwan, son of Umayyah, was a very influential chief among the Quraish. He was a great enemy of Islam and had done all he could to destroy the Muslims. When the Holy Prophet (sas) conquered Mecca, he took refuge in Jeddah, fearing revenge from the Muslims. When the Holy Prophet (sas) came to know of his flight, he sent ‘Umair (ra) to bring him back to Mecca, promising pardon for him. He came back to live in Mecca but refused to accept Islam. At the occasion of the Battle of Hunain, the Muslim army needed some weapons, which Safwan had. The Holy Prophet (sas) asked him to give those weapons to the Muslim army. He refused to give anything saying: 'You want to confiscate these weapons or only to borrow them?' The Holy Prophet (sas) replied: 'We only want to borrow them from you and we shall be responsible for their return.' Safwan was so impressed by this that he not only gave those weapons but also joined the fold of Islam.7
When on the day of the conquest of Mecca, Abu Sufyan, the Chief of Mecca and an arch enemy of Islam was brought before the Holy Prophet (sas), He asked him: "Has it not dawned upon you that there is none worthy of worship except Allah." He said:
"My father and my mother be a sacrifice to you. You have ever been kind, gentle and considerate to your relatives. I am certain that if there were anyone else worthy of worship, we might have had some help from him." The Prophet (sas) asked Him: "Has it also not dawned upon you that I am a messenger of Allah."
He replied:
"My father and my mother be a sacrifice to you, on this I still have some doubts."
Even then the Holy Prophet (sas), forgave him. Later after the Fall of Mecca, Abu Sufyan accepted Islam.8 The Holy Prophet (sas) had a servant who was a Jew. Once he fell ill. When the Holy Prophet (sas) came to know of his illness, he visited him. His father was also with him. After enquiring about his health the Holy Prophet (sas) preached Islam to him. The servant looked towards his father as if asking permission from him. At this his father giving permission said: 'Accept what Muhammad says.' So he accepted Islam and recited the Kalimah9. The Holy Prophet (sas) exclaimed in delight: 'Praise be to Allah Who saved him from the Fire.'10
Once coming back from an expedition the Holy Prophet (sas), ordered the army to halt for a brief rest. Tired after the fight and the long journey, the Muslims lay down for rest wherever they found any shade from the sun. The Holy Prophet (sas) also found a tree, hung his sword with the tree and went to sleep. An idolater, an enemy of the Prophet (sas) was following the Muslims seeking such an opportunity. Taking the sword in his hand, he awoke the Holy Prophet (sas) and asked him mockingly: 'Muhammad now who can save you from me'? The Holy Prophet (sas) calmly replied, "Allah." Overwhelmed with the calm manner of the Holy Prophet (sas) the enemy started trembling and the sword dropped to the ground. The Holy Prophet (sas) stood up and took the sword in hand and said to him: 'Now you tell me, Who can save you from me?' The disbeliever was so astonished and overwhelmed that he was unable to reply. Hesitatingly he stammered: 'only you can, have mercy on me.' The Holy Prophet (sas), said: 'oh man! You have not learned the lesson yet, You could have said, 'Allah'. Now go freely, I do not take revenge.' The disbeliever was so impressed by the incident that he joined the fold of Islam.11
‘Imran, son of Husain (ra) narrates 'Once we went on an expedition in the company of the Holy Prophet (sas). We had no water with us and the people were thirsty. Alighting from his mount, the Holy Prophet (sas) ordered ‘Ali and one other person to go in search of water. They searched for a long time but were unable to find any water. Meanwhile they saw a woman coming on a camel with two water-skins full of water. They asked her where they could find water. The woman replied: 'The water is so far from here that it is twenty-four hours since I started from there. My people are still coming behind." They said to her; 'Come with us.' She asked 'Where to?' They said 'in the presence of the Holy Prophet (sas). She said: 'He who has turned faithless?' They said: 'Yes, to him whom you call faithless': Thus they brought her before the Holy Prophet (sas) and told him the conversation. The woman was asked to dismount. A big urn was placed and the water skins were opened in it. People came and took water according to their needs. Many hundreds of people quenched their thirst with it. One man wanted to have a bath. He also took water. The woman stood wondering at the strange scene. The narrator says: 'By Allah, when people stopped taking water the skins were as full as before. The Holy Prophet (sas), then asked the people to collect something to give to the woman. People collected dates, flour and sattu12 and gave them to the woman. When she mounted the camel and was about to go, the Holy Prophet (sas) addressed her, 'You know, we have not taken any of your water. This was only an apparent means otherwise we were given water by Allah Himself. The woman went back to her tribe. Her people asked her where she had been. She told them the whole incident and said: 'By God either he is the greatest magician on the face of the earth or he is truly a Prophet of God.'
After this incident, although the Muslims were always engaged in fighting with the disbelievers in the vicinity but they never once interfered with her tribe. At last the woman said to her people: "Look at the Muslims, they have subjugated all the neighbouring tribes but have left us free only because once they took water from me. It would be, in my opinion unfortunate for us not to join such people.' The people agreed with her and the whole tribe accepted Islam.13
Such was the practical application of the verse:
اُدۡعُ اِلٰی سَبِیۡلِ رَبِّکَ بِالۡحِکۡمَۃِ وَالۡمَوۡعِظَۃِ الۡحَسَنَۃِ
And who can object to such a manner of preaching!
1 Propagating the message of one’s religion.
2 Philosophy of the Teachings of Islam, Ruhani Khaza’in, Vol. X, p. 315.
3 Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya, Part II, Ruhani Khaza’in, Vol. I, pp. 89-91.
4 Tabligh-e-Risalat, Vol. VII, p. 16.
5 Philosophy of the Teachings of Islam, Ruhani Khaza’in, Vol. X, pp. 443-444.
6 Tajridul-Bukhari, Kitabul-Maghazi, p. 650 Hadith 1575. (Darul Isha‘at, Karachi 2007)
Siratun-Nabawiyyah by Ibn-e-Hisham, p. 888. (Beirut 2001)
7 Sunan Al-Kubra by Baihqi, Kitab Qasmis-Sadaqat, Hadith 13185 (Beirut 2003)
8 Siratun-Nabawiyyah by Ibn-e-Hisham, p. 737. (Beirut 2001)
Tabaqat Ibn-e-Sa‘d, Vol. II. p. 317. (Beirut 1996)
9 Profession of لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا ٱللَّٰهُ مُحَمَّدٌ رَسُولُ ٱللَّٰهِ i.e., There is none worthy of worship except Allah and Muhammad is His Messenger.
10 Musnad Ahmad Bin Hanbal, Vol. IV, p. 451, Hadith 12823. (Beirut 1996)
11 Tajridul-Bukhari, Kitabul-Maghazi, p. 627, Hadith 1529. (Darul-Isha‘at, Karachi 2007)
12 Grain parched and coarsely ground and drunk with water and sugar.
13 Tajridul-Bukhari, Kitabut-Tayammum, pp. 142-143, Hadith 227. (Darul-Isha‘at, Karachi 2007)