SOME CHRISTIAN EVANGELISTS contend that while Islam does mean peace, it only promotes a state of violence and war. They argue that Prophet Muhammadsa himself used the words, “Aslim Taslam”, when giving warning to neighbouring tribes, which they wrongly translate as, “If you surrender, you will have peace”. Their argument is that the word Aslim here means to surrender by conversion.12
This argument is born out of ignorance or perhaps prejudice. Prophet Muhammadsa would indeed send the message of Aslim Taslam to tribes, individuals, and even Kings. Aslim Taslam simply means: “Accept Islam and you will have salvation.” Both the words Aslim and Taslam are variations of the word “Islam”. Considering the earlier discussion of the root letters of Islam – S-L-M – another meaning of the phrase Aslim Taslam is “maintain peace, and you will be granted peace”. In other words, as long as the non-Muslims remain peaceful, they should expect the same from Muslims.
Muslims, on the other hand, will not unilaterally or aggressively attack the non-Muslims for any reason, as long as the non-Muslims remain peaceful. While another lexical meaning of the word Aslim is submit, it is wrongly thought that this expression means political submission. The entire mission of Prophet Muhammadsa was spiritual. His entire life bears testimony to the fact that whenever he used the word “submission,” it was to the will of Allah in spiritual terms. He never once imposed the idea of forced submission upon anyone. This is clear from the various letters he sent inviting the kings of major empires around Arabia to Islam, wherein he used this term. The majority did not accept Islam in the beginning, yet he did not set out to coerce them into believing, nor did he demonstrate any hostility toward them.
Islam teaches that every Prophet was sent by the same God, and each one of them felt pain at the immoral plight of his people. Each one desperately sought to save the people, to whom they were sent, from the inevitable fallout of their misguided ways. Prophet Muhammadsa sent these letters of invitation to Islam, inviting the unenlightened people to get to know their Creator. He sought, like other Prophets before him, to promulgate a teaching that would grant them peace – both in this world, as well as the next.
Not a single instance can be proven in the life of Prophet Muhammadsa that he ever used coercion to convert anyone, either through warfare or through exploitation. Prophet Muhammadsa did not compel any prisoners of war to accept Islam, nor did he ask relatives of a prisoner to accept Islam in exchange for a prisoner’s release. Under normal circumstances, where no battle was being waged, it was perfectly reasonable to invite people to Islam. During battles, this message of peace was always a primary objective. Each and every battle of Prophet Muhammad’ssa life bears testimony to the fact that wherever reconciliation was possible, it was always the priority, and it was always the Muslims who desired it. In fact, Prophet Muhammadsa clearly forbade the desire to fight when he said:
Do not wish for battle with the enemy. Pray to Allah to grant you safety; (but) when you are obliged to face them in battle, show patience.13
In no clearer terms could Prophet Muhammadsa have forbidden any desire or ulterior motives in the hearts of Muslims to fight the enemy. He always desired and wished for peace. These words of Prophet Muhammadsa resonate with the words of Captain John Parker, when he instructed his company of Minutemen assembled to rebuff the approach of the British Redcoats during a battle:
Stand your ground. Do not fire unless fired upon, but if they mean to have a war, let it begin here.14
Prophet Muhammad’ssa desire for peace was so great that he pushed for and established treaties for peace, even when the conditions of the treaty were heavily in favor of the other party. In contrast, he never enacted a single treaty that forced anyone to convert to Islam. This is reflected by the following verse of the Holy Quran which makes it binding upon Muslims to always make peace their top priority:
And if they incline towards peace, incline thou also towards it.15
Not a single example can be found in the life of Prophet Muhammadsa from the first battle of Badr to the last battle in his life led by Hazrat Usāmara, where people were coerced to become Muslims after winning, or after the signing of a treaty.